A little bit of this and a little bit of that

I'm starting to do much better now.  I'm on a different medication and it's finally starting to kick in.  I'm back to car dancing again when a song I like comes on the radio.  That's where the upper half of me moves to the beat of the music when stuck at a traffic light.  I think people in cars around me wonder at the crazed woman next to them, but I have fun.  My coworkers are starting to notice a change.  I'm back to being the 'fun' one again.  I really missed being me.
 I did do myself no favours though when I started running real low on the new medication and rather than going back and getting my prescription renewed, I started taking less, missing a day here or there and/or taking the medication I was taking.  But they say we learn more from our mistakes and I learned a LOT from that STUPID mistake.  If I didn't know how much better I was doing before that I certainly found out then.  So a very strong word of advice from those who suffer from depression.  Medication really does work and DO NOT be afraid to take it.  I know part of our brain will tell us it's all in our head - and while technically it is, the right medication can really make a difference is us being the people we are supposed to be rather than the person that depression makes us.

I would say I'm at least 80% back and the difference between where I am now and where I was even a month ago is like night and day.

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One of the things I'm working on is slowly getting all my most favourite books downloaded to either Kindle or Kobo or IBooks - I do a lot of comparison shopping and whichever deal is best.  Many of them are older books and good luck in finding some at reasonable prices or even at all.  Dreaming of You by Lisa Kleypas for example is $9.17 for the Kindle book, $8.99 for the Kobo and $8.99 on IBooks.  Hell will freeze over before I EVER pay that much more for an ebook then a print copy.  At this point I will state categorically that I HATE what Random House is doing.  They may have lowered their prices in the US, but it hasn't made it's way north of the border.

I will go looking for my favourite books only to be disappointed again and again thought I have managed to get quite a few.  But every once in a while it's like I get the best gift in the whole world when I find an ebook I've been wanting ever since I joined the world of ereading.

Such is the case with Justine Davis.  I've enjoyed many, many of her books but two stand out a bit more that the others, Lord of the Storm and Skypirate.  I've  blogged about them before and they are two of the best SciFi/Futuristic books I've read and I have read a GREAT number of them.  And in particular, the hero of Skypirate has THE best name of a hero I've every come across - Dax Silverbrake.   I mean is that a cook name or what????   I thought it was the best name ever when I first read the book in 1995 and I still haven't come across a hero's name that beats it. 

I check every few months, hoping either or have been reissued as ebooks and I did so again a week or so ago.  I was ecstatic, ecstatic I tell you to discover that yes indeed, they have been reissued as ebooks.  And not only that - I'm almost giddy with this news - Ms. Davis is planning on bringing out a whole new book in the Coalition series.  I remember reading years ago that she had plans on writing more in this series but the publishers weren't interested.  I've already bought and read Lord of the Storm and Skypirate just came out Oct 16 and you can bet the bank that it will be loaded up onto my tablet very shortly.  The only hitch at the moment is I have Lord of the Storm on my Kobo but Skypirate is only on Amazon at the moment and I kind of want to keep them on the same reading device instead of one on Kobo, the other on Kindle.  Thank the stars that the wonderful *happy dance* world of self-publishing and ebooks has changed the game.  And in many cases the author and the readers are the winners

From the Library

I seem to be in a bit of a slump again as far as new books go, but I can still read some of my old favourites. Since there are so many new bloggers and readers of romance I thought I'd review some of my oldie but goodies - now that they are "out of the box". I'm starting with this one because I brought it up when I highlighted some of my favourite pirate romances. It called me - it really did - and said "read me." Well - when a book does that, you really have no choice. I've mentioned more than once that this is one of my favourite futuristics but it's been a few years since I've actually read it - so here goes

The Skypirate by Justine Davis

back blurb:

A LEGENDARY ROGUE OF THE GALAXY - AND HIS BEAUTIFUL CAPTIVE
He is Dax, the skypirate hunted to the ends of the universe by the cruel interstellar Coalition. He has survived the destruction of his planet, but he can't escape the demons haunting his soul - or the allure of the woman captive who wears the notorious golden golden slave collar.

She is Captain Califa Claxton, once the Coalition's top battle strategist. Only a great cosmic irony has her rescued by Dax, the Coalition's deadliest enemy. Although she knows secrets that can make him triumphant, he posses the collar controller which can break her will. But his touch alone arouses her passion. If she can gain his trust, a chance to destroy the Coalition together awaits them among the stars. And in the white heat of their explosive union a new bond may be forged - souls joined by a maginifcent love!
(whoever comes up with these blurbs sure does go heavy on the cheese don't they?)
This is the second of a two book series. The first one - Lord of the Storm - tells the story of a fabled planet Trios and how it was raided and destroyed by the evil coalition. The hero was the Triotian prince who had been made into a slave and the heroine was a pilot in the coalition who met, fell in love with and rescued the Triotian prince. He had been owned by the heroine of Skypirate - Califa.
This one takes place several years later. Califa has been made a gold collar slave herself. It is thought by the Coalition that she had knowledge of Dare and Shayla - the hero/heroine of the previous book. When the story opens, she is a prisoner along with another female, Rina, who had been captured cheating in a card game. When Rina, a member of the Dax's crew is rescued, he takes Califa along with him, not knowing who she is. Dax and Calipha dance around each other but both are very attracted to the other. Dax makes such a wonderful hero!!! One of the best. He still feels very guilty that he wasn't around when his planet was destroyed and does whatever it takes to do his part to take down the Coalition. Califa was a nasty piece of work in the first book and because Ms. Davis is such a talented writer, she does a remarkable job in not only redeeming her but makes her a sympathetic character that you actually root for. I really enjoy Lord of the Storm, but I like this one just a wee bit better. Unlike LOTS, in this one we get the point of view of both Dax and Califa. She really makes us feel the pain that Dax does on thinking he is one of the last of his kind and the depth of anguish he feels.
This is one heck of a good book and I know it's a favourite of many. For those who haven't read it, I highly recommend it. I wish Ms Davis were still writing books like this. It's a real loss for us readers that she isn't anymore! And to be honest - considering it was published in 1995 - I even kind of like the cover *ducking*

Grade: 5 out of 5

I haven't updated my recent buys in ever so long!! There have been a bunch - here are just a few of them



Lord of the Beasts - Susan Krinard - some of hers really work for me - some not so much. Hopefully this will be one that works.


A Reason to Live by Maureen McKade - finally found this one! A Western *sigh* And it's been getting rave reviews.


What a Gentleman Wants by Caroline Linden - I've heard good things about her previous book


An Unexpected Pleasure by Candace Camp - I've recently rediscovered her and wondered why I "lost" her. She's very good.


True Blood by Patria Waddell - I read another futuristic by her, enjoyed it and wanted to read this one. Besides - I really like the cover


O'Rourke's Bride by Barbara Dan - bought this one on pure spec. The hero is a down on his luck Irish actor and it takes place in the west. How could I resist. Add in the price and it seems like a great deal.

And on a side note - why or why did I let myself get hooked on Dancing with the Stars????

'til later