*Snippets and Blabbery*

489 and counting

This post makes number 489. I’m trying to think of something cool for my 500th post, but I’m not sure what to do. I feel a giveaway is in order - perhaps something with my very fancy new MOXYWARES tag!

That was a fun little drawstring bag I made for my niece’s 11th birthday…the blue linen was in the remnant bin at Joann’s! I got about 1.5 yards for like $6. Awesome. But I digress…maybe a box bag for a giveaway? A boxbag with some fun fat quarters inside?

Give me your thoughts.

In TV news, I’ve been watching all kinds of stuff - good and not so. On the good list: True Blood. Love it. I’m all caught up and can’t wait for the next episode. Also good: Eureka is back on - always good. And a new great show on SyFy - Warehouse 13. Crazy gadgets, funny dialogue, crime-stopping girl/boy duo.

In the not-so-good (but I’m habitually watching anyway) category, we’ve got pretty much all of the ABC Family shows. I actually think Secret Life of the American Teenager is pretty good, but I’d like to fire one or two actors and replace them with better ones. I love the little sister, though.

I think I saw the best “worst scene” ever on Make It or Break It. I think it was on the 2nd episode. If you, like most people over the age of 15, are not watching this show, it’s loosely based on the film Stick It, which I loved. Elite gymnasts working towards the Olympics, catty teen girl relationships, blah blah blah. So anyway, there was a scene where the gymnasts were at a gas station and these punk guys were coming towards them (with brown bag bottles in their hands) making rude comments. The lead girl says “follow me” and they start cartwheeling and roundoffing towards the bad guys. The guys stumble backwards, saying some crazy stuff like, “whoa, that was some superhero stuff or somethin’!” So silly. I feel everyone must watch this scene.

I watched the first episode of 10 Things I Hate About You - another show based on a movie - and thought it was pretty good. The lead girl is great.

I’ve been reading some good books also. I just finished Sarah Dessen’s latest, Along For the Ride. Cute YA book. I also finished a Nora Roberts series about witches…Charmed, Entranced, Captivated…I can’t remember the last one. Pretty good. I’m not a full fledged Nora follower yet, but her books are quick, enjoyable reads.

We also just came back from a big road trip to Montana, but it’s too late to tell that story tonight :)

excited

Here are some things I’m excited about:

• On TV: Kathy Griffin’s My Life on the D List, Flipping Out, So You Think You Can Dance and all the shows starting in July.
• My new Nikon S550 camera!!!
• My newly organized desk drawer and my new gel roller bic pens.
• My increase in hours for my job.
• The new authors I’ve been enjoying: Sherryl Woods and Robyn Carr. And speaking of books, Jennifer Weiner’s newest book “Certain Girls” - which was AWESOME.
• Finding SuperBuzzy.com, an awesome Japanese fabric shop online.

I think that’s it for now :)

some good books

I have been absent far too long. I’ve been a little worn out with the internet and it’s fathomless black hole tendencies on my time. So I’ve been steering clear. But I had to share the latest book I just finished: The Inn at Lake Divine by Elinor Lipman, my new favorite author. There’s a good synopsis on her website, so I’ll spare you that, and just say that I laughed out loud and I shed a few tears. I loved the heroine’s voice, wit and irony. I loved the hero (even if he doesn’t show up until half way through the book, maybe because of it), I loved the premise, and I especially loved the first chapter. Basically, I loved the whole thing. Lipman wrote a funny essay about the book here.

I also just read Tell Me Lies by Jennifer Cruisie and Warrior for One Night by Nancy Gideon. Both were great and quickly read, but not touching and real the way Lipman’s book was.

I think all this reading is another reason I haven’t been blogging. So, sorry about that.

RWA Conference

I’m a member of Romance Writers of America. You’d never know it from this blog, but I really do harbor the dream of writing a novel one day. I’m not your typical novelist, apparently, because I haven’t been writing stories since the womb, I don’t have stories bursting to come out of me, I don’t even have any particularly good ideas. I just want to write a novel.

Is that enough? I guess we’ll see if I really write one.

Anyway, I joined RWA a few years ago with the goal of attending the annual conference. I lived in TX at the time, and the conference was being held in Dallas. It changes location each year, so I thought this was kismet. So I register and pay my big money. Then I got a new job in CA.

I had to request a refund, and I didn’t get to go. The following two years, the conference was very far away. This year it’s in San Fran! Kismet, again! (Wait…can that happen?)

My husband doesn’t think it’s kismet at all. He thinks it’s a waste of money. He didn’t say that, but he didn’t have to. He knows I never write anything more than these blog posts - which he’s never read. He had high hopes of advance money for a while, but now he’s become more realistic about my lack of qualification as a cash cow.

So, now I’m shopping for a Macbook Pro because how can I go to this fancy writers conference with nothing but legal pads and ink pens? Surely, you can see why I NEED a new laptop.

The conference plans are still pending, but I’ve got a Personal Shopping appt. at the Apple Store on Friday. I’ll keep you posted!

Books #46 through #58

Well, clearly, I’m WAY behind on my book reviews. So this will be the short and sweet version.

Books #46 - #51: Debbie Macomber’s Cedar Cove Series

I have really enjoyed these books. So far, there are six books out. The seventh book comes out next month. Debbie’s characters are very sincere, easily relateable, and fun to read about. Each book in the series is named after a the address of a home in Cedar Cove, where the occupants of that home are the central figures of that particular book. Sort of. Actually, all six books could easily be one long book, because while things get resolved in each book, there are ongoing stories that last for several books. New storylines crop up, and get resolved a few books later. I think it’s excellent. I only wish that I had waited until all the books came out to start it, because I hate waiting for the next installment. These are not deep books - this is definitely light, pleasant reading. I highly recommend these books if you’re a fan of romance that’s not trashy with good characters.[rating:5]

Books #52 - #54, Debbie Macomber’s Blossom Street series

I blew through these books in a weekend. I liked the characters even better than the Cedar Cove series. The main character (and again, she’s got tons of characters that step into the spotlight all through the books) opens a yarn store in the first book, and each character is introduced through her (and sometimes his) relationship with the yarn store or a knitting class. I loved the theme of knitting running throughout, because I too am a big believer in keeping your hands useful to calm your mind. There are great characters forming believable (and enviable) friendships - it made me want to go and sign up for a class somewhere. Again - light, pleasant reading. Crafters will especially like this series. [rating:5]

Book #55 - The Nanny Diaries by Emma Mclaughlin and Nicola Kraus

Loved it. I wanted to read it before the movie came out - but now that I’ve read it, I just watched a trailer, and I can see that it’s totally different. I’m kind of glad because the ending made me cry and I was hoping for some different outcomes. I don’t want to spoil it, so that’s all I’ll say. But if you’re a fan of witty banter, quick dialog, and smart chick lit writing, you’ll love this. I instantly thought of Jennifer Weiner and Kristen Gore when I was reading it. I’m also happy to say I have Citizen Girl on my bookshelf that someone left here, so I can read their next book :)[rating:5]

Book #56: The Wedding Planner’s Daughter by Coleen Murtagh Paratore and Barbara McGregor

Loved it. Fans of YA - this one is for us! Willafred Havisham is a 12-13 year old daughter of a super uptight, rule crazy, broken hearted mom who happens to be a world famous wedding planner. This book chronicles Willa’s adventures on Cape and her struggles with her mom, other kids, boys, etc. Super cute, and I’m excited to find that there are two more Willa books out there, so the adventure continues![rating:5]

Book #57: Lean Mean Thirteen by Janet Evanovich

As always, the Stephanie Plum books are great. However, this was the first one where I DIDN’T laugh out loud, so I was a little disappointed. It seemed to be kind of a place holder - like half of the story could have been in #12, and half could have been saved until #14 because nothing really happened. I mean, Stephanie got involved in some harrowing mystery - but the love triangle of Joe and Ranger didn’t budge, no good Grandma adventures (besides the exploding beaver). I thought it was just okay. Still, I read it in an afternoon. Looking forward to the next one. [rating:3]

Book #58: Prom by Laurie Halse Anderson

This one was a book on tape, and I liked it, but didn’t love it. I really liked the main character’s family, but the story seemed to drag on. I think I would have liked it better if I read it. There’s something annoying about accents going in and out - less believable. It would have been better if I had given the characters voices in my mind because the audiobook was a little inconsistent. Anyway, cute YA story about a high school senior that ends up helping her best friend save the prom. She’s an unlikely hero, which I like. Again, I think the regular book would have been much better. [rating:3]

Whew. That’s it. What are you reading?

Book #37 - Looking for Peyton Place

Looking for Peyton Place by Barbara Delinsky. First of all, this book made me want to read Peyton Place, so I promptly added it to my library request list. Second - I’ve read lots of books where the writer was kind of conversing with the reader, but this was the first one that I’ve really noticed. There’s a lot of “You’re probably thinking…” and such phrases. It was a little disconcerting. Other than that, I whizzed right through it. Great characters, more than one good story line. I wish I had already read Peyton Place because it seems that this book offers some insight to the author, Grace Metalious. But the heroine, Annie Barnes, is great all on her own. I like that she is honest and steady and sticks to her word. I also like the effort she puts into her relationships with her sisters - it was a little inspiring. I really should try harder with my own sister.

Maybe later.

Anyway, highly recommended. This is my second Barbara Delinsky read, and I really like her. And in case you’re wondering, it’s not all steamy gossip and romance like the name might imply. There’s also a good Erin Brockovich-esqe storyline that’s excellent. [rating:4]

Book #36 - Summer by the Sea

Summer by the Sea by Susan Wiggs. I really should have purchased this one. More great recipes. I even made the rosemary lemonade for a cookout! The story was great - a fast summer read full of romance and good food. I really liked Rosa and (especially) Alex - both for their straight-forwardness and their personalities. Ms. Wiggs does an excellent job at creating believable characters that don’t fall into mind-numbing spirals of missed chances and bad choices. Her characters are smart, likeable, and most importantly - you cheer for them.

And seriously, the recipes are worth the cover price. Now I have to go buy it because I already returned it to the library.

My one complaint, hence the missing half-a-star, is that I guessed the mystery.

Still, highly recommended:[rating:4.5]

Book #35 - The Winter Lodge

The Winter Lodge by Susan Wiggs. Seriously, I’m so far behind on my book reviews, so I’m going to skip the three I owe (from the 48-hour book challenge) and forge ahead. I loved this book - much more so than the first book of the series, Summer at Willow Lake. But, since I did love the characters, I had to continue on with the series. This book had great pacing, great story lines and especially great recipes. I’m glad I purchased this one rather than checked it out from the library.

The story of Jenny Majesky is told here, as well as cameo appearances from well-loved characters from the first book. I was surprised by the twists of intrigue Ms. Wiggs weaves into the story - which is basically one of family with a little romance mixed in. I’m looking forward to the next installment of the Lakeshore Chronicles.

Highly recommended. [rating:5]

Book #19

(Book Binge book #9) The Truth About Forever by Sarah Dessen. I loved this book! I started it yesterday, and of course, stayed up all night reading it. At first (the first 20 pages), I thought I wasn’t going to like it, and then the catering team was introduced, and I was hooked. What a great cast of broken but wonderful characters! Good job, Sarah!

Highly recommended - for fans of fiction about family, loss, love. Easily could be for a YA or adult audience.

Also, if you’re into controlling your environment like I am, this book is a nice wake up call that a little chaos goes a long way towards improving things.

Book #18

(Book Binge book #8) The Stranger, book #3 in the Heroes of Heyday series by Kathleen O’Brien. Here we meet the final and most mysterious of the three McClintock brothers.

I’m noticing a prevalence of whips in Ms. O’Brien’s books :)

I really liked this series. I’m hoping for one more book with Mindy and Roddy’s story, but this one was great. Intrigue, love, small quirky town, bad guys peeing on books…what more could you ask for?

As always, highly recommended. I will say, just so I don’t sound like Paula Abdul, that I enjoyed the Firefly Glen series much more than this one. But I really really loved that one, and I just loved this one, so there you go. Constructive.