Confessions of a romance book addict

25 confessions of a book addict

Other bloggers (Jay, Cindy, Renee and now Tara Marie - oops - and Megan - you can tell I've been out of the loop lately) have done something similar and it looked fun so here are some of mine

1) I buy purses based strictly on their ability to carry at least 3 books

2) I’m fanatic about keeping books in good shape. I have some that I’ve read 4 times or more and it looks brand new

3) I made my sister buy me a new book when she borrowed one and read it in the bathtub

4) I keep slips from the debit machine only to use a book marks

5) I have bought quite a few books because of the cover alone

6) I rarely make it past the first chapter before I read the end to make sure there is a HEA

7) I don’t like cartoon covers

8) I have no interest in reading chick/lit

9) I’ve cancelled plans I’ve already made if I’m in the middle of a good book

10) I don’t fold corners

11) I don’t like Mary Balogh’s books (sorry Rosario :( )

12) I only buy books with sex in them and then often skip the scenes

13) I’ve never read Johanna Lindsey

14) I’ve read books when I was supposed to be working

15) I can’t read in a moving car – it makes me queasy

16) I’ve often lost track of the books I have and bought the same one twice

17) I no longer have any idea of how many I have. I haven’t kept track in my excel spread sheet in months

18) I don’t like Kathleen Woodiwiss books

19) I stayed up all night reading a book, got called into work unexpectedly the next day and was so tired I sprayed my hair with deodorant and my armpits with hair spray

20) I reread a book almost as much as a new book. That’s why my TBR pile keeps growing

21) I’m often surprised when an older author writes a real hot sex scene – why I don’t know

22) I read in the bathroom – and not in the tub

23) I’m cheap when it comes to everything else except buying books

24) My book collection at cover price value is worth more than my car

25) I'll go out of my way to collect an authors back list sometimes - even though I've never read that author before

I know I said 25 but there is one more.

26) I did this today while I should have been working

Walk the Line - Update

I just got home from seeing this most excellent movie. What a great movie and I agree with all the buzz on it. Joaquin just smouldered on the screen as Johnny Cash and Reese was excellent as June Carter. It was weird when I was watching it. There was a scene in the movie where they were recording a live record at Folson Prison and I remembered that at one time I actually had the record (this was the days before CD's) I had completely forgotten about that. And in an interesting bit of trivia that falls into the "I did not know that" the scene in the movie where he proposes to her during a live concert actually took place in the city where I live in an arena about 2 miles from where I live. (I read it in last Saturday's paper). The picture above is from that scene. So if you see the movie, when it comes to that scene and it says Ontario, Canada at the bottom, add a quick little London to it too *grin*.
I thought the singing was very very good considering they are movie stars and not singers. Even if you aren't a fan of Johnny Cash, I highly recommend this movie. Above all, it's a real life love story! There are warts, but that's what makes it even makes it more compelling.

and confession time - I "stole" the picture from Gabrielle's blog. Hope you don't mind.

Two good movies in 2 days - gotta love that!

'til later

There was another article in our local paper about when/where he proposed to June.

Yipee!!!!

A dear friend got me a copy of The Outsider - the movie based on the book by Penelope Williamson. This is one of my favourite books and it's been driving me nuts wanting to see the movie ever since I heard they made a movie of it. We watched it tonight at her place and then *sigh* I got to take it home.
I thought the movie was very well done. Tim Daly starred in it as Johnny Galt and I've thought he was great ever since Wings. Niamoi Watts played Rebecca Yoder a young Amish widow. Johnny is a gunslinger who recuperates at Rebecca's after being shot. It stayed pretty close to the book, something not always done.
Of course now I will have to brave "the basement - where spiders live" to search out and reread the book again. And then watch the movie again.
I wanted to find a picture, but of course couldn't find one now that my picture pasting program is working again.
Yipee!!!!!


'til later


PS - my picture pasting program is working again but Blogger doesn't seem to want me to change fonts. It's gone now

Blog of the Day

Gabrielle has the most touching and beautiful tribute today. If you have ever been a fan of figure skating - go there and see.

It had me in tears.



'til later

Is it just me?

Harlequin Presents are notorious for their horrendous titles. Now is it just me or do others find them not only bad but downright offensive? Here is just a sample of actual titles of some of their upcoming books:

• Baby of Shame
• The Married Mistress
• The Sicilian's Defian Mistress
• Taken by the Highest Bidder
• Pregnancy of Revenge
• The Greek's Bought Wife
• The Disobedient Virgin

I could find more but frankly, just these few are enough to make me most annoyed. To me they are very condesending and insulting to women in general. I know this line is one of Harlequins most popular. I don't understand why any romance reader would actually take these to the check out and pay money for them - but each to their own I suppose, but I do believe with many of them, the titles cross the line from just a bad joke to tasteless and ignorant.

Anyway, I'm feeling bitchy and that is my rant for the day.

'til later

This falls under the "What were they thinking?" category

A very BAD cover for what I think will be a very GOOD book!

Could it get any less appealing?


'til later

To go from the one below - to the one above - how depressing

Nifty site for the day

Although I live mostly 'for today' there is one area in which I simply can not. I have this uncontrolable need to know what the upcoming book releases are - the further in the future the better. For those who are like me, I thought I'd share this real nifty web site. Although it doesn't give the best list for the entire year, it's pretty good for the next 3 or 4 months, allowing me to contemplate, at least in this area, my book buying plans far into to the future. Gotta love that!

'til later

Another quickie

Just for the heck of it, I did this quiz (bottom of the page). I scored 4 out of 6 and I "know my presidents". What is most astonishing *chuckle* is I'm Canadian.


'til later

A quick one tonight

I've noticed recent changes on a certain blog of certain non-fan of Scottish historicals who has been away for a while. Perchance this means a soon return to the world of the romance blogging community.


'til later

Crossing Bridges

This blog will kind of change direction at times. I'm still reading up a storm and will report on the books I've read and enjoyed - and maybe not enjoyed so much. I hope above all that I keep my sense of humour. That is truly one of the greatest gifts my parents gave to my sisters and me - to find something to laugh at even in the darkest situations.

My husband and I are opposites in many ways. One of our greatest differences is in how we view the future. I've always held the attitude "we'll cross that bridge when we come to it." He started saving for his retirement when he was in his late teens. This attitude of mine has always driven him crazy - and to be honest his attitude of planning for something far into the future has driven me a bit nuts. But then, that's what makes marriage so fascinating.
I'm very glad now though, of my attitude.
He was diagnosed with a tumor three weeks ago. Wow - is that all? It seems like a lifetime ago now. We began going for tests to determine if it was cancer. He immediately jumped to the conclussion it was. I said "let's cross that bridge when we come to it." Well, we got to that bridge and it wasn't a good one. He has cancer. The next bridge was what type and what will the treatment be. He was hoping that they could remove it and I said "let's cross that bridge when we come to it." Then we crossed that bridge. And again it wasn't a good bridge. It's inoperable. Now we are waiting to hear from the cancer clinic to see what the next step will be. Again he is expecting the worst and again I'm saying "let's cross that bridge when we come to it."
Sometimes that's the only way we can cope.

I'm learning, slowly, not to put up with the bull shit though.
I just received a call from a telemarketer. When he asked me how I was doing tonight I said not so good (that's all I was going to say) He said great and started his spiel. I interrupted and said "you just asked me how I was doing tonight and I said not good and you said great. I have no intention of listening to any more of this call" and I hung up. I must admit that felt rather good.

The Books I've Been Reading

I can’t think of anything too insightful to say so I’m falling back to my old stand-by – recent reads. – And there are a lot of ‘em.

Crazy Hot – Tara Janzen
I’ve been waiting for the next Glenna McReynolds book since I read the last page of River of Eden published in January 2002. For a while it seemed like she disappeared like so many other favourite authors. Then I heard she was writing under a new name – Tara Janzen and would have a series of books coming out very close together. Yippee! I thought. But then the publishing date got pushed back and back, covers changed etc until finally, finally the first one was published in October 2005. It was late getting to the shelves here and in the meantime, I saw a few people had read it and didn’t give it glowing reviews. Nuts! I thought, but decided to go ahead and read it anyway when it showed up. And boy am I glad I did! This one really worked for me. It was the exact book I needed at exactly the time I needed it. I thought it literary Calgon. It took me away. Way over the top, it made me think of the movie Fast and the Furious – except I never saw very much of the movie – just some of the fast car scenes. Hot cars, hot hero, hot (very good, very hot) sex, an innocent but very likeable heroine, an intriguing secondary story, it was the whole package. I’m not going to do much of a review because they are easy to find and lots of people know about this one.
Grade: 5 out of 5

Crazy Cool – Tara Janzen
Since the first one worked so well I couldn’t get this one fast enough. Again it really worked for me for all the same reasons. Christian was a trouble maker teen who still managed to save Katya Decker from a group of over enthusiastic rich boys’ years ago after a richy rich dance. They had a memorable few weeks until he is sent to prison for murdering one of the boys he saved Katya from – even though he was innocent. Years later he is assigned to her as a bodyguard at an art function. Things get hairy when there is an explosion and Christian is forced to flee with Katya in tow. Neither has ever forgotten the other and the chemistry is hot and stays hot. This was another Calgon book and it seems a long way until the third book is release in January. The secondary story started in the first book is continued in the second book. The only complaint I have about this one – and it’s minor – is a bit to much jumping around. I would have preferred a bit less on Katya’s assistant and a bit less on the model/ETM from the first book – since it really isn’t about them – but as I said this is minor. I can see others wanting even more of these too.
Grade 41/2 out of 5

Too Perfect – Julie Ortolon:
Oh dear. What can I say about this one except Too Perfect – not. I loved and raved about the first two in this series, but sadly *sigh* I really disliked this one. First off the heroine was a twit. I hate twits. And if that wasn’t enough, she was an overweight heroine who obsessed ad nauseum (see very recent blog for my thoughts on THAT kind of a storyline). The plot was convoluted. While working as a nanny on a cruise (why she couldn’t have just taken a cruise as a vacation I don’t know. It’s not as if she ever really went anywhere) gets fired and then stranded on a tropical island. Her fear has always been of getting lost while traveling. Guess she faced her greatest fear. She gets in touch with the ship and (the twit) has her clothes sent home. So there she is, no clothes, no money and she decides to stay for 4 more weeks. She lands herself a job as a cook (shades of another book I ranted about to friends – bad flashback time). The hero, who’s not really who he says he is, hires her. He’s posing as a French – something or other I don’t know what, who works for a recluse, who is again – the hero. But he’s not a recluse, he’s really a very wealthy playboy type who does something in Hollywood, but he’s hiding out. Confused yet? Um – so was I. Anyway the heroine who thinks orgasms are an urban legend (the twit) is very drawn to the recluse part of our hero. She never meets him – he is just a voice in another room. Suddenly, she’s all set to shag our mystery hero in his recluse role, yet she’s not drawn at all to our hero in his very hunky Frenchman’s disguise (the twit). I could go on, but I’m only depressing myself since the first two books were excellent. Needless to say, our heroine (the twit) gets over her weight complex, our hero ‘outs’ himself from his various disguises. She’s mad, he’s sorry, she gets over it and all is right with the world.
Ms Ortolon is a good writer and just because this one bombed for me big time, I will certainly continue to read her. I just wish this one had lived up to the first two.
Grade: 2 out of 5

To the Edge – Cindy Gerard
Since I had such tremendous success with the Tara Janzen books, I decided to continue my RS read-a-thon with this book, one of the ones I don’t know why I bought. Cindy Gerard is a new-to-me author so I wasn’t sure what I was in for. While I didn’t enjoy it quite as much as the Tara Janzen books, I liked it well enough to buy her current release. Nolan Garrett is a burnt out ex-soldier/special forces who has been drowning his sorrows in alcohol. Nolan is asked by special request to take on an assignment as a bodyguard for Jillian Kincaid, a news anchor. Jillian is less that thrilled when she realizes, after Nolan gave her quite a scare, to have a bodyguard. As the daughter of a multi-millionaire, she’s grown up surrounded by bodyguards and doesn’t want Nolan around – nuh uh, no way, even if she is receiving threatening e-mails and voice mails. Plus, he runs hot and cold on the way he treats her. Eventually though, she begins to appreciate him for his bodyguard skills – and other skills too. For his part Nolan is very attracted to Jillian but feels because of his rather tortured past he is not worthy of her. Add that to the fact he doesn’t think a rich girl like her would give him the time of day. But as they work together to try and find out who wants Gillian dead, they overcome the barriers. As I said, I enjoyed this one although the ending seemed rather rushed. I can’t quite put my finger on what is missing towards the end of the book, but something is. Nevertheless, it’s still a pretty decent read.
Grade: 31/2 out of 5

At this point I’m not going to do something I always do. I’m going to let this stand as it is and not do any proof reading. Between lengthy hospital visits, working 10 hour days to make up missed work time I’m beat. Any grammatical and spelling errors shall have to remain.
And of course there is a new episode of Lost on tonight after two weeks of repeats so I can’t miss that. Wonder who it will be??????