Sharing the love and having it come back

I think I've mentioned that I'm totally out of the closet at work now as far as my reading goes. Everyone I work with knows I read and love romance and that my summer vacations are spent going to ROMANCE conventions.

And not only do the people I work with know that I read romance, I have started loaning out some of my romance books to coworkers. The first ones were Lisa Kleypas's contemporaries, Blue Eyed Devil and Smooth Talking Stranger when I noticed one of them reading a copy of Sugar Daddy (because I had talked this author up so much) she had got from the library.

Another one of my coworkers is a huge romance reader herself and in particular a fan of Scottish historicals and I've leant her some that she hadn't read before.

The next author my coworkers took up was Janet Evanovitch. Now some readers could argue that she isn't a romance author. Sister Lisa who absolutely refuses to read romance, reads the Stephanie Plum books so I think she would be one to argue they aren't romance. JE has been a huge hit at work and there are probably six or seven reading her now. One of my biggest disappointments at the RWA convention was not getting a chance to talk to and tell Ms. Evanovitch what a hit she is at my place of employment.

And the most recent auteur du jour is JD Robb. There are two coworkers currently reading her books and since I have her entire collection, I AM the MAN - or supplier as the case may be. One of them is at about book 8 or 9 and the other is at book 3. The first three are her own but I've told her when she's ready to move on to 4 and further, I have them.

As well, there are a few in my group of friends I went to school with who we've all remained in contact with and still get together as a group twelve years later that I've leant books to.

I can't tell you what a thrill it is to loan out books I've loved and have others enjoy them too. And I think I have everyone I loan books out to, sufficiently impressed with the fact that I take Very Good Care of my books so that they don't *shudder* break the spines or fold the pages so for the most part they come back in the same condition as they were loaned out - heh heh heh. None of them are quite the fanatic that I am though and we don't get into big discussions - though one of my coworkers is a huge Ranger fan and often oohs and ahhs over anything Ranger.

But this has all been mostly a preamble. The topic is JD Robb. Now that I've two coworkers reading them, it reminds me all over again how great I find this series. I have a special JD Robb shelf in my book case with all of them on it. There are so many now and with a number of them in hardcover, I've had to turn books sideways and double stack to get them all on the same shelf. I'm in countdown mode for her next book, Kindred in Death. This is one of the very few books I buy in hardcover because the waiting list at the library is too long and I can't wait until the come out in paperback. I wait in eager anticipation for each new installment and the continuing saga of Eve Dallas, her too sexy to be real husband Roarke and the rest of the gang. But with so many in the series now, I haven't been rereading them the way I used to. And with her books front and centre on the living room book shelves, I was thinking I really should reread them more often. I've reread Naked in Death quite a number of times, and the few ten or so after that one more than once. But the latest ones - I've only read the one time. And after paying a higher than I normally pay for a book price, I really should make sure I get my money's worth. So with that in mind last evening, I grabbed Salvation in Death off the shelf and started reading. And I just came to a part that really explains why I love this series so much. Eve has just come home in a pissy mood from a day at the office trying to solve the double mystery of who murdered the imposter priest and what happened to the real priest. Summerset, Roarke's butler/friend/substitute father and Eve's nemisis, has noticed Eve's mood and alerted Roarke to Eve's mood so Roarke can deal with it and take care of Eve. Now for those who read this series, Eve is about as tough as nails as one can get. She has this hilarious combatitive relationship with Summerset and vice versa. Yet underneath their constant yipping at each other, there is this real caring relationship. We see it constantly with the two of them. That's just one of the things that makes this such an interesting series, all the quiet like moments that don't really strike you on a first read.

So - what is the point of this long and rambling post you ask? Well, there isn't one really - or there are a whole bunch - having people to share books with, rereading good books, the In Death books, moments or passages in books that are easy to miss or just a good old fashioned ramble that I haven't done for a while :)