First of all - remember Banned Books Week starts today!

Now my thoughts on


Hey, did you notice the cover changed from when I put it on my sidebar (I'll leave it there for a little while) to when it reached the stores? Hmmmm...I wonder why? Anywho, I'll try not to spoil anything here.

I tried to avoid all the spoilers and reviews until I read the book (difficult since everybody got it early except me!) but I've gone back and read a few now and I can see why people were unhappy with some of the things in the book but it still seems as if some of the criticism is a bit much. Things didn't end up like you expected them to? Well, after all the kudos to JR Ward for being different, do you really think you should complain about her coming up with some creative solutions to V's situation? I'm just sayin'...

First of all - man, this book is huge! 500 pages! Not that I'm complaining...why can't all the authors I like write books that long? And she's said that Phury's book (more on him later) will be long, too.

To continue - now, yes there were some things that I was less than happy with. The thing with Jane that led to the dilemma (talking in circles...who me?) just seemed so random, you know? Things were going along in a certain direction, or so I thought, until about 400-odd pages in and then POW! Could it have been handled differently? Maybe. Was it necessary? Only JR Ward knows for sure. And who I am to question the direction she takes her characters in her series of books? Certainly, if it were completely outside of everything we had seen up til now, I would feel justified in a bit of whining. ;-) But I didn't feel that way with this book. In a weird way it all fit in with the world she's building, I thought. I mean, it's a paranormal series, for crying out loud. The only person who knows what is and isn't possible in an alternate reality in the person building that reality. And that's not me...I just get to visit every once in a while.

Was I completely happy with LU? No. Even though I love Phury, I thought he took up a bit too much of this book (still excited about his book, though). Did I really understand all the stuff with the Scribe Virgin? No. But I've never really gotten that character and maybe I'm not supposed to.

Now, to end my ramblings on an up note - the things I liked: I thought the explanation/resolution of the relationship between Butch and V was excellent. I thought V's emotional awakening (for lack of a better word) was completely believable. I liked the glimpes of the John/Blay/Quinn (Quhinn?? whatever) friendship - they're the next generation of Brothers, aren't they? I liked that the Lessers were around less (heh! that one was too easy to pass up); for me, they are usually a bit too dominant...do I really care why the bad guys are bad, if they aren't going to the redeemed at some point?? No.

And finally, a thought from someone on a bulletin board somewhere that is quite valid and deserves pondering. Since it has spoilers, I'll hide it. Highlight if you want to read it:

Someone offered the thought that having Jane be a ghost is the only way V will ever be able to touch her without worrying. If she was alive, he would always have to be careful of his hand. Since that issue is off the table, he can just be with her. And really, to me it is less that she is a ghost and more that she happens to not have a corporeal form (at least, not without concentrating) and that isn't an issue for her around V so, really, all the things are resolved nicely. Plus, since she loves genetics, don't we think she will play a large role in figuring out why there are so few babies born and so few survive? Since she's already dead, she can research for as long as she needs to.

Final grade from me: B (at least, that's my first thought and I'll stick with it)

Okay, that's it for me and my 2 cents. I think I need to find a nice, upbeat historical to read next. My palate needs cleansing. :o)

Labels: 2 cents, book stuff, covers, linkage

...guess what I have in my hot little hands, peeps?

Yuppers!



Yippee! Between finally getting this book (story to follow) and the new TV season finally starting, I'm a happy C2! :-D

The story - so I go to my B&N after work (after being unsuccessful in my hunt for Vishous this last week) and I still can't find it. Grrrr. I looked in all the "New Releases" sections, I looked in the Romance section, I looked on the end caps, I looked at all the dump displays...nothing. No V! So I asked at the desk and the lady looks it up on the computer and it doesn't say anything specific, blah blah blah, but she remembers someone calling about it earlier. Finally, a very nice trainee offered to go look for it for me and I'm all "Sure, great, thanks." And he is gone and gone and gone. But then - TA DA - he comes back to the front of the store with the book in his hand. It was still in the back, he said. Now, did I mention this was after work? After 5:00 pm CDT on the day of release and it was still in the back?? What's up with that?! There were book carts all over the store with books to be put out but guess what was on those carts...new stuff for the Bargain Books tables. WTF?! *calm blue ocean, calm blue ocean, calm blue ocean*


Also, thanks to the Smart Bitches, I learned that I missed National Punctuation Day, darn it! And Banned Books Week starts Saturday so get your reading plans in order. Remember, peeps, censorship is bad.

Labels: 2 cents, book stuff, linkage

...I love Halloween and I'll be out of town off and on all through October so it seemed best to go ahead and switch. And I lack patience. And I was getting tired of my pinkness. :-D

As you were...

Labels: holiday, tinkering

So, peeps, what are your thoughts about audiobooks? A couple of posts ago, I mentioned that there was an audio excerpt up for All Through the Night. And since then, there is a longer one available here - and a longer print excerpt, too, along with some bits of an interview with Suz.

Now, I'm the first to say I don't have a lot of experience with audiobooks. I think they would be great if I had a long commute or something like that but, thankfully, I only have about a 15 minute drive to and from work...and that doesn't seem like long enough to bother. And if I'm home, I can just read. Plus, there's the whole "...but, but...that's not what he sounds like in my head" thing. Everyone reads differently and sometimes hearing someone else reading for you can pull you right out of the story, says me.

The only audiobook experience I've had, as a matter of fact, is Suz's Hot Target and I listened to it after I read the book - and I'm glad. I liked that the female POV was read by a woman and the male POV was read by a guy BUT I didn't like the guy's voice. And the same duo reads most of Suz's books so...

However, (have I already mentioned?) the audiobook for ATTN is read by actor/singer Michael Holland, whom Suz loves and has said is the voice she hears in her head when she's writing Jules so having him read, especially when it's Jules' POV, makes her so happy - yikes run-on sentence much?! Anywho, after listening to the excerpts, I have to say I like the way he reads her stuff. So I'm going to give the audiobook a try, although I will listen to the book after I read it. :o)

So, does anyone have favorite audiobooks or audiobook readers? I know the people who listen to the Harry Potter books(wow! talk about a committment of time!) love Jim Dale. And what about the whole female voice reading male roles or male voice reading female roles? Does that bug anyone? Or is it even noticeable (if the reader is a good one)?

And now for something completely different - is it too early to change over to my Halloween template?? I'm thinking yes, I should wait until October...but it's so cute!

Thoughts anyone??

Labels: 2 cents, book stuff, Suz

Could it be Talk Like a Pirate Day?? Why yes, I believe it is! Wednesday is the day to join the Pirate Brotherhood! So put off your land legs, you lily-livered landlubbers! Break out your eye patches and peg legs, ye scurvy dogs! Avast ye, says me! (Who am I?? The Dread Pirate Rusty Hook, o' course!)












































Want more info - go --->HERE

The cats are from our friends at ICHC, of course.

Labels: linkage, pirates, silliness

...an audio excerpt from All Through the Night has been posted at Brilliance Audio. Just click -->HERE and then click on the "listen to an audio sample" link.

The narrator for this audio book is Michael Holland (not the duo that usually narrates Suz's audio books). He is a singer/actor that Suz loves and the voice that she hears in her head for Jules so yay! It has to be very cool for her to get to hear the real voice read the character's thoughts and dialogue, don't you think?



My next post won't be about ATTN, I promise. I don't want anyone to be tired of hearing about it before it comes out, after all. :o)

Labels: book stuff, linkage, Suz

...for a brief message.

Yesterday was one of Suz's scheduled visits to her bulletin board (yes, I should have mentioned that before the fact but I've been dealing with the last of the lightning bolt's effects - hello there, new LCD TV). And one of the things she posted was an Afterword about Force of Nature. If you want to read the whole thing click --->here. If you hurry, you can read all the questions and answers before they scroll away (it's also archived - there is a link somewhere in one of the messages). However, I wanted to pull out one little bit - if you haven't read FON and plan to, be warned there are SPOILERS here. Highlight to read - I bolded the most important bit:

"...Just as I think there will be people who protest that Jules doesn't get to be the hero of his own book. That was a hard one for me, since it was part of my plan to write a mainstream romance novel with Jules and Robin as the main characters. (And yes, it was always going to be Robin, right from the start)..."



Yeah baby! I knew it!! I said so all along!!!! I'm brilliant!! And overusing exclamation points, sorry. ;-) For all you people who thought that whole thing was headed in a different direction - suckers! LOLOL

Okay, back to the discussion of authors whose styles have changed...

Labels: book stuff, Suz

...so, recently, Kristie had a contest and gave away a copy of Justine Davis' Lord of the Storm (which we both love) and in the comments we discussed how much we used to enjoy Ms. Davis' books but now...not so much. I loved the few sci-fi things she did and her early Desires and SIMs were excellent. She is still writing and still writing romantic suspense but the feel of the books is different. I'm not sure if it is that the suspense is outweighing the romance or just a difference in tone or what. But I don't enjoy her more recent stuff and it's such a shame (for me...because it's all about me LOL)!

Anywho, it started me thinking about some other authors that I have that same feeling about. Like Cait London - I loved her Desires. They were so warm and filled with whimsy. Fabulous! But now she writes Gothic-y romantic suspense that I don't care for at all. Serial killers. Stalkers. Ick! Where's the whimsy? Where's the fun and the warmth? Or, what about Linda Lael Miller? I loved her Desires too (yup, I used to read lots of categories of all sorts) - Escape from Cabriz! Glory, Glory! So good - and hot! ;-) And her vampires! Remember when she wrote vampire books?? They were amazing! But then she went in a different direction (less hot, for example) and I didn't enjoy her stuff. And, yes you western fans, I know she's been doing westerns and that's fine...but she did westerns before and the feel is different now. :o)

I know people change and their interests change and that's fine - how boring would we be if we stayed the same forever? But a writing style seems like it would be so much a basic part of the writer that it would be incredibly difficult to change (evolve yes, drastic jump no). I know I had a English Comp professor who did not like my writing style (and graded me accordingly) and strongly suggested I change it. How?? I just took the bad grades. The next semester a different prof loved my writing style and used my assignments as good examples. Go figure. But I digress...

I'm not bashing or complaining (at least, not exactly complaining)...I'm just wondering why the change? What happened? A question for the ages, I'm sure. :o)

Okay, I'm finished rambling. Anyone have any examples or insight?

Labels: 2 cents, book stuff

...yeah, I got nothing. So I give you my Most Favoritest Cartoon EVAR!!



He's the cutest frog ever (he sings! he dances!!) and began my lifelong love of all things froggy! :-D

Anyone else have a fave they want to share??

Labels: cartoons, silliness

...I repeat: We have excerpt!










Go here and then you may join me in the whining and the counting down of the days until ATTN comes out.

That is all.

Labels: book stuff, linkage, silliness, Suz

...(or Labour Day for our Canadian friends). In honor of the day, I hope you get to do all the nothing you can stand. :o)

Labels: cartoons, holiday, silliness