Thank God It's Friday I can tell you that when I woke up to the harsh, relentless blaring of my alarm, one of my first thoughts was: Thank God It's Friday. This week did go by fast, but it was painful. I hate getting up at 5 am (or anytime before 7:30am). I feel like I am getting more used to it, but it's still hard. As I took my wake-up shower, I planned out my day and my weekend. My goal is to do as little as possible this weekend, catch up on my reading, emails, writing, and sleep. Hopefully I will achieve this lofty goal. Of course I have some shows on the DVR to watch that I missed this week, such as Fringe, Supernatural, CSI Miami, Prison Break, NCIS. The desire to watch these wars with the desire to lay on my bed and read. But I think I will have to spend some couch time this weekend watching tv. Also I need to watch Primeval. I missed it last week, and I did not get my dose of Nick Cutter (played by Douglas Henshall). I seriously considered skipping my workout, but ...
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Fall Is Here ( I found this picture on Flickr. It's by zwstr). I am very excited that fall has arrived. It is my second-favorite season (after winter). Here are the things I love about fall: The smell of autumn The cooler weather Halloween ( I love the inherent eerieness of dark, cool nights. I don't think Halloween being in the fall is a coincidence) Thanksgiving Knowing that Christmas is coming The relief of the hot summer weather More obligatory indoor time (for reading) yet it is cool enough to go outside and enjoy the outdoors When I was growing up in Illinois, I loved the colors of the leaves. We used to rake leaves and dive into piles of them. Wearing my cooler weather clothes like corduroy (I love it) and wool Being chilly (I love being cold) Fall foods like pumpkin, caramel apples, etc The new tv season I plan to enjoy the fall season. I am going to try to take some walks outdoors on the days I can squeeze them in. I also plan to get a pumpkin for Halloween this year....
Through A Glass Darkly This phrase is mentioned in Corinthians in the New Testament of the Bible. I have read the New Testament through at least three times, initially the King James Version. I must admit, the first time I read this phrase, I truly didn't get it. But with time, and with the guidance of the Holy Spirit, I have come to understand that it refers to the imperfect perception of reality that we as humans have of the world. You see what is real and material, but there is another reality underneath, around, and between this visceral being that we call the material world. Have you ever had a surreal experience, dreamlike, but you knew that you weren't dreaming? I am sure we all have experienced deja vu. What about other moments that seem subreal, yet hyperreal at the same time. I was talking to my mother and sister about times that I have heard my name being distinctly called. I turned around and literally no one was there. I know I was not dreaming, and I actually hear...
Fall Promises to be a Great Time to Buy Books. This is a good thing and a bad thing. Bad because I need to save money for my trip to Vegas this February. Good, because I love love love buying books, and it's nice when there are books worth buying coming out. I am restraining myself from buying Acheron by Sherrilyn Kenyon, although it's hard. I should because I am at least two books behind (more if you count the Dream Hunter books). I know that God will bless me and I will find it at Half Priced Books one day, and I'll sweep it up for half price. Patience is a virtue! It really is. I am also excited about Nalini Singh's next book in the Psy/Changeling series, Hostage to Pleasure. It's about Dorian, a member of the pride that cannot shapeshift. That doesn't mean he's any less dangerous. His heroine is Ashaya, who is a Psy. I've heard good things about it so far. Also Lisa Kleypas has a new book coming out in the Hathaway series, Seduce Me at Sunrise. I can...
Great News for Deborah Simmons Fans Deborah has a new historical coming out with Harlequin Historicals and is hard at work on Reynold De Burgh's story (great news for us De Burgh family fans). I am so happy. She is an excellent writer. Years ago, I emailed her and she said she was without a contract and that Harlequin did not want to continue the De Burgh books. I was very upset on her behalf, and also on her fans. I love the De Burgh brother series, and there were two stories left that were untold. Reynold is my favorite brother, surly and has a leg injury. You know me and those tortured/scarred heroes. So go out and buy her new book, The Dark Viscount, new if you possibly can. I have a subscription to HH, so I'll get it and won't have to do any work, other than check my mail and pay the bill. :) If you haven't read Deborah Simmons, you should. She is great at combining humor, steamy sensuality, authentic language and setting, with pathos. Her characters come off the p...
in In Praise of Black British Male Actors You may not have noticed that a good number of Black male actors that we see on television and films, are not African Americans. They are, in fact, Black British men. As a serious lover of all things British, especially men, I certainly did. I affectionately call these lovely guys Brifrican (a contraction of British and Black African-descent, which never fails to make my sister giggle). Who are some of my favorite of these distinguished actors? Well if their names are not familiar, I am sure that you may recognize their faces. Adrian Lester: This dreamboat appeared on the American scene years ago when he co-starred in Primary Colors, but has been very prolific in British TV, movie, and theater, notably playing Henry V in Shakespeare. I thought he was terribly cute when I saw him in Love's Labours Lost, which I think is the time when my crush began. I was very pleased to see him playing Mickey Bricks on the joint BBC and A&E show Hustle....
No Longer The Rabid Moviegoer I Was (Not that I don't still love movies. That will never change!) Those of us who are serious moviebuffs know what time of year this is. Summer movie season. In the past my butt would have been firmly planted in a seat at the local theater around this time of year. But there has been a serious decline in my moviegoing. It's truly multifactorial. It started when I moved back to Texas and was really hurting for money at first. I left a job that I stayed at too long and really hated, and took a chance and moved back to Texas to what was hopefully a better future. Since I didn't have a job when I did it, but by the Grace of God managed to keep a roof over my head, I'm not complaining. The funny thing is, the girl who bragged about not going more than a couple of weeks between seeing movies at the theater realized that she could go pretty long without that crutch. I had used my moviegoing to define me as a person, and that was selling myself s...
Is the Western Movie Genre Really Dead? I am afraid that the answer is yes, at least in its purest form. I only have theories about this slow death of the genre. Perhaps the setting is so far away from what the millenial-consciousness public can wrap their minds around. In this age, horses, carriages, cattle, false-fronted wooden buildings, range wars, and such fare is unknown and alien to most urban-dwelling people. There are pockets of people who still live in this reality, but they are probably not the driving force behind the box office and studio movie-making decisions. Most moviegoers may find the old school western corny. And I believe that this is at the crux of the dearth of western movies being made. I must say that I have mixed feelings about some of the more recent western movies. Here are some of the newer westerns and my thoughts 3:10 to Yuma: It was good but I didn't like the ending. I think the good man suffered and the bad man prospered. That's just backwards t...
Perhaps a little morbid of me, but I have been thinking a lot about death lately. I am a Christian, and I believe in life after death. I believe in eternal life with God after death. But there's still a part of me that wonders if life isn't just a cosmic joke. A part of me that fears that black oblivion of death. I think sleep is a good thing, but there are other things that I would prefer to do. I sleep because if I don't I am tired and I don't function well. The reason why I write this is because I think of death sometimes like sleep. If there is life after death (which I believe and choose to believe in), then death is just a long nap. But if for some reason death is the end, then it's a really scary thought that there's no waking up from that dark cloud of nothingness. My problem is that I am a worrier. I am pathological about it, actually. I am so bad about it, I memorized most of the scriptures that deal with worrying. It's like in that movie Inventin...
More Matheson Thoughts I found Nightmare at 20, 000 Feet and Other Stories at my excellent public library. The titular story is the basis for The Twilight Zone episode with William Shatner. Well if you like the show, read the book. Your heartbeat stays erratic the whole time. I love the detail in which Matheson describes the harrowing experience the protagonist has. He knows the gremlin is there but the darn thing disappears when he tries to point him out. The flight crew gets more and more convinced that the protagonist is off his rocker. But he knows he's sane. He is frightened out of his wits, but knowing that he's the only hope for the plane. The reluctant hero comes up with a plan to save the plane because the gremlin is steadily and I must add gleefully, tearing it apart. The climax is short, quick, wonderfully executed. You heave a sigh of relief when the story ends. This volume has other classic stories. Another truly affecting story is Slaughter House. Two very clos...
Kim Harrison and Her Dead Witch Walking and Danielle's Ramblings Therein I have to say that this book blew me away. I had reservations about reading it because I am a Christian and we are supposed to avoid witchcraft. I love horror and the supernatural. Always have. But I try to draw lines that I won't cross in my reading and tv watching. Happily this book did not compromise my beliefs. Rachel, the protagonist is a witch in the same way that a person could be a fairy or sprite. She's born a wtich. Instead of being a Wiccan, she simply has magical powers. Now I am not trying to condemn those who chose to follow the Wiccan religion. That's that person's decision. However I don't necessarily want to read about it. I prefer the direction that Happy Potter and Dead Witch Walking takes that some people are born with the power to make magic. Anyway, I have been on a paranormal detective kick that I have always sort of had (grew up watching The Night Stalker). And in ve...
Veils of Slk by Mary Jo Putney: One Great Victorian Exotic Romance I'm just about done with this book and it's excellent. For those of us who love exotic settings check this one out. It takes place in India in 1841. The hero has lost an eye and spends part of the book impotent. It's so cool to have a hero who is far from perfect but just scrumptious. I really loved Ian and I think I might be adding him to my list of scarred/imperfect hero favorites. The heroine is also admirable. She's of Russian birth but raised as an Englishwoman and has issues with passion because of her wild and crazy parents. She is the kind of woman a man like Ian needs. She's a true helpmate and a strong woman. They meet when she's trying to protect the camp from a maneating tiger. She almost shoots him in the process. Their relationship develops beautifully as they meet each other's needs. Ian was imprisoned for years and was terribly abused, kept in the dark and starved. His cellmat...
Continuing My Classic Horror Journey Hello, I finished I Am Legend by Matheson. It was really good. Neville is a very interesting protagonist. You really want to root for him that he will survive. I don't want to spoil you, but the ending will definitely hit you like a one-two punch. I definitely wanted a different one. Nevertheless it was one of the best short stories I have ever read. I finished I am Legend more than a year ago. It had such an effect on my psyche that I had to put the book down. Let me tell you a secret. I am a bit of a whimp when it comes to horror. Yet like the worst masochist, I adore horror. I love being scared and that feeling of unsettledness that settles in your stomach like a heavy meal. Anyway, I felt like I wanted to finish it, because I really liked Matheson's writing. And I paid a lot of money for the book ;) I pulled it out this summer after the big move and read some more. There were some excellently written st...
Analyzing The Top Ten On one of my romance groups, the moderator asked us to look at our list of favorites and say why we loved them. I looked at mine and this is what I came up with: 1.Lord of Scoundrels by Loretta Chase --I could write a thesis on how wonderful this book is. Most of all I love the hero. Dain is a strong, masculine, sexy but oh-so vulnerable hero who has more money and land than he knows what to do with. But he really truly needs to be loved. Dain must be one of my all time favorite heroes. His story is so sad I could weep. But he's a bad boy. He claims only to love himself. However, it's soon made clear that he hates himself because no one ever showed him that he was worthy of love. Jessica, the heroine is so amazing. If I could pick a romance heroine I would want to be friends with I would pick her. She is strong and independent. She had the fortitude to go after the man she wants, take him warts and all, but clean up the mess in his life, and heal his heart...
What makes a man a man? This is a question asked by many women and men. Is a man manly if he throws his weight around, swares, scratches his nether regions, sleeps with as many women as possible? Or is he simply a man because he has one X chromosome and one Y chromosome and is physically mature? I've always had a bee in my bonnet about this. I don't like macho, sexist men. I like alpha heroes in books, but sometimes they can be too much to swallow when they are uber-alpha heroes. The caveman act only appeals so much. I can admit that some guys are really hot because they just seem so male to me. I don't think it's the same as being macho. In my mind, there is definitely a difference. Nothing wrong with a little possessiveness in a hero, but complete jealousy is kind of scary. Also bossing the heroine around, trying to control her and dominate her, and dismissing her because she is a woman is out for me. It makes me want to reach for the frying pan and knock some sense i...
Musings on Romance, Fantasy and Sexuality--Part I A Virgin: To Be or Not To Be! Whew, I have been neglecting my blog terribly. I guess I needed something that I really wanted to write about. Well I found it. Last night I was on the All About Romance website (one of my favorite places to hang out) and reading the discussions about many issues, including sexuality. I think that many good points were raised. Romance lovers took the time to discuss things that drove them crazy about romance novels. I have certainly read a romance novel or two that made me cringe or even want to toss it across the room. Who hasn't? If you would like to know what makes my hair stand on end and smoke come out of my ears, see my archived post on romance novel don'ts. So after reading the numerous theories, pet peeves, and suggestions on AAR, my mind was sent into pondering about romance novels and reality versus fantasy and the sexuality quotient. In this post, I will ramble on about the virgin heroine...