I LOVE BOOKS!!

I went away the week before Easter without my computer. Must admit, I felt totally lost the first few days, but miraculously, I survived ;)

Turned out to be a terrific opportunity to make a dent in the TBR (print book) pile. Remember how a couple of posts back I wanted to bulk up the summer reading list? I'm happy to report that I've made an impressive start.

Beginning with... The Kama Sutra (not the picture version). Very interesting 'literature'. Contrary to my belief, it wasn't exclusively about sex/positions/physical pleasures, but concerned more with social graces, acceptable courting behaviour, etc.

I tried... TRIED!!... to read Jane Austin's Pride and Predjudice, but couldn't seem to get into it. Why?? I so wanted to love.

Perhaps because I'd seen the movie (both versions) and felt like I already knew what was coming? Or maybe I simply wasn't in the mood for a period piece?

The latter is certainly a possibility as I haven't had much luck getting into any of the historicals I've got lying around lately. It's a mood thing, right? I've had Lisa Kleypas's Mine 'til Midnight on my nightstand for about 2 months and can't bring myself to crack it. And I KNOW it'll be good once I begin but I can't get over the hesitation.

Moved on to more Kelley Armstrong. To this point I'd only read her non-paranormal Nadia Stafford books (hit woman extraordinaire), so with much eagerness, dove into Bitten, which is about Elena Michaels, werewolf.

Rocked.

Rocked so much I followed up with Stolen the very next day. Have to hold back from Dime Store Magic for a few more days/weeks, though it's killing me.

Tried another Canadian author by the name of Linwood Barclay. If you enjoy Harlan Coben (Hold Tight was amazing. Go forth and read!), give this guy a try. His style is similar (though not quite as polished as Coben - but Coben has how many books out? ... which gives him an experiencial edge) and his plot/pacing is terrific. 'No Time for Goodbye' is now out in paperback and I'm highly recommending it. Just make sure you have a clear calendar for you won't want to put it down. I couldn't.... and ended up reading it into the wee hours, but it was worth it.

Interesting note - Barclay used to be a regular columnist for the Toronto Star. His pieces were so engaging that I felt like I knew him and his oft mentioned family. So naturally, I'm totally rooting for him in his writing career and hope he rockets to international fame. Like he cares what I think... LOL

If you haven't seen it yet, TL has a book cover! Her Mirror Blue is due for release on May 1st (squee)

As for my own writing, as of yesterday (Tuesday), my writing break is over. I'm kinda scared to jump back in (oh the neurosis lurking in the writer's mind!) but it's now or never. But I've chosen to shelf Jump Zone indefinitely. I may work on something short and light for Ellora's Cave just to regain my courage, before dusting off the paranormal from hell that gave me nightmares last year. ;)

Tomorrow (and by that I mean next week, maybe the week after...) I'll talk about the movies I've been catching up on.

Happy writing, happy reading!

Books and Movies and NO WRITING

Has it REALLY been this long since I blogged last?
See what Twitter has done to me? shame shame... I now have the attention span of a gnat.

So, after a bit of a writing/publishing wake-up call a few weeks ago, I pretty much shut down my computer, going DAYS without so much as hitting the power button. I felt a wee bit of guilt in those first hours, but I gotta say - overall, it's been like shedding shackles. And I do not intend to write again for another few weeks. Maybe after Easter.
(Important note: my iPhone is still my life-line, in case you thought I was shunning technology completely.)

What have I been doing during those writing hours? Aside from entertaining kiddo who had 2 weeks off for March Break (he goes back this afternoon - YAY!), I've been reading. READING. READING!!!
And not feeling guilty for not writing.
What a terrific way to recharge my creative batteries.

In romance: First up was a free Harlequin ebook that I downloaded onto my iPhone. This way I could pull it out for a few minutes while the kids were bowling, or whatever... It was a Blaze by Lesley Kelley and I think the title was Slow Hands. Enjoyable.
Then a Kresley Cole I picked up last year at Nationals. It was the third or fourth in a series so although I enjoyed it, I felt like I was late to the party.
This also happened with the next book (another Nationals freebee) a Kerrilyn Sparks book, The Undead Next Door. Lots of characters that I felt I should have already known...

Next was Kelley Armstrong's 2nd Nadia Stafford (hit woman) book called Made to Be Broken. I thoroughly enjoyed this strong heroine with a damaged past, a hidden life and who still maintains a 'normal' facade as lodge-owner in a touristy area of Ontario. I really must pick up K.A.'s paranormal books... one of these days... because I love her writing style. It's tight and flows beautifully, without the high, OTT drama that makes you feel like you're on a mind-blowing coaster. She has a great way of keeping the suspense up without making the reader exhausted.
And the characters are so interesting that you wish you knew them in real life.

Then I read Harlan Coben's Hold Tight. Coben never disappoints me. Like Armstrong, his style flows beatifully and he hooks you in the first chapter - ALWAYS. His characters are amazingly introspective and I find myself reading certain passages multiple times because his philosophies are enlightening and/or thought provoking. HIGHLY recommend.

Movies - another great way to creatively recharge.
Like many others, I succumbed to the Twilight DVD. Gotta say, it held up better on the small screen than it did on the big. Then I watched it again and it confirmed that yes, indeed, it was shit.
Duplicity, with Clive Owen and Julia Roberts, had so much potential... but alas, it was long and convoluted and the sparkling chemistry I expected just wasn't really there. It wasn't a bad movie, just not as good as I had hoped.
But Monsters vs Aliens didn't disappoint! It was in 3D so that in itself was a trip, but it had some amusing lines and subtext. The kids loved it, therefore, so did I.

Exit Strategy

While on blog hiatus last week, I had the pleasure of reading Kelley Armstrong's Exit Strategy.
First, my standard disclaimer:
I'm not a book reviewer, just a reader. Go read Mrs. Giggles or Smart Bitches if you want the low-down on a book, blah blah blah...

Back to the topic. I've never read anything by Kelley before, but have brushed shoulders with her at Toronto Romance Writer meetings (she rocks, btw - smart, funny, confident and generous with her knowledge/experiences) so was eager to see what this New York Times Best Selling Author (squee, Kelley!) could produce. I purposely didn't start with her paranormal Otherworld series (saving those up), but with her 'try something new' book in which the heroine is a hit-man. Or would that be hit woman?

I loved it. I was expecting romance (she is a member of the TRW afterall!) but alas, aside from some serious electrical currents running between the heroine and two of the male characters, there were no nekkid mambos. Not that I was disappointed. Frankly, I would have been more disappointed had Nadia/Dee (her name/her alias) let down her guard by letting down her panties.
I'm not good at sum-ups, so I'll direct you HERE for the blurb and just give this book a very strong recommend. Now I'm off to email Kelley and BEG her to hurry up with the sequel...