Tricks And Treats

So I bet you're thinking to yourself - what exactly does a Super Librarian do on Halloween? Well, I spend my morning moving "moveable" furniture in preparation for the carpet-cleaning-guy to show up.

Sorry to shatter any glamorous illusions you may have had - but dang, I'm kind of excited by the prospect of a clean carpet. Which probably means I need to get out more.

In other news, I saw on Dear Author this morning that eHarlequin is offering up a free ebook as a Halloween treat. So head on over there and download a copy of Hot Property by Carly Phillips for free!
(Offer ends at midnight EST).

This was excellent news for me, since I downloaded the new software to my Sony Reader, that supposedly makes it play nice with DRM ebooks, weeks ago. The problem? Yeah, I was too cheap frugal to buy an ebook from somewhere other than the Sony Store to test it out for fear that it wouldn't work and I'd be out some cash. So this free ebook offer from Harlequin came just in the nick of time.

So, did it work? Yes, it did!

After I spent time tinkering.

Yeah, remember my recent post about how ebooks will never take off until publishers dumb down the process? Totally standing by that. My first mistake was doing all of this pre-morning caffeine consumption. I know, I'm not sure where the heck my brain was. Anywho, once I realized I had to "authorize" my device by setting up an account (for free) through Adobe Digital Editions (which I generally don't use since I got software with my Sony Reader), it was pretty easy.

I was only slightly tempted, for one brief moment, to put my fist through the computer monitor. Honest!

Times like this I wish I had a computer geek on call, but most of the time I figure it all out after flailing about for a while.

Now when is that carpet-cleaning-guy getting here? This girl has errands to run.

Happy Halloween everybody!

Welcome To The Real World

Two things that get on my last good nerve? Anonymous bloggers who are anonymous for the sole purpose of stirring up shit and people who think they're just oh so clever, oh so intelligent, and oh so better than the rest of us mindless, drooling peons.

No, I'm not talking about the latest kerfuffle in Romance Bloglandia (although to my knowledge, there is no kerfuffle going on right now), I'm talking about some of my librarian brethren who need to shut their pie holes because they have no bloody clue what the hell they're talking about.

So what has Wendy's panties in a bunch? Yet another useless discussion on how public libraries are bowing down to the lowest common denominator by offering up entertainment drivel to people who are too cheap to join Netflix, how we're determined to expose porn to the masses, and how we're responsible for the dumbing down of a generation because we offer video gaming programs in libraries. Public libraries should be all about education! And great literature! And intellectually building up the masses of humanity!

Seriously, just shoot me now. It'll be tidier than waiting for my head to explode.

This "debate" always annoys me because it tends to be started by 1) Librarians who should have retired 20 years ago 2) Librarians who have been locked in some academic ivory tower for the last 20 years and wouldn't know how a public library works today if it bit them in the ass or 3) all of the above.

I tend to get annoyed by pointless discussions, and this one is beyond pointless. Want to know why? Well, your Auntie Wendy is here to tell you. Should libraries be all about the intellectual good? Or about puerile, mindless entertainment?

Wait for it. Ready for the answer? Here it is....

Both.

A public library's sole purpose should not be one or the other. Libraries offer popular movies, video game programming, and entertaining genre fiction for one reason and one reason only. Ready for it? Here it goes.....

To get people through the front door.

I know, shocking isn't it? We want people to use the library. We want people to "show up." Shit, public libraries are funded by public money. It's in our best interest to stay relevant.

The mission of any halfway decent public library should be two-fold. Give 'em what they want and offer them what they "need." You can lead a horse to water, but you can't make him drink. Certainly, that creepy guy who checks out online dating sites every morning is most likely never going to pick up a copy of Hamlet, but whose to say some other library user won't. Who says the kid who comes in to read graphic novels, won't later discover that the library also has books that will help him write his college essay? Or the harried single mother who comes in for a Baby Einstein DVD to get her toddler off her back - who says she won't use the library computers to get information about grants and scholarships so she can go back to school?

I'm not sure public libraries can be all things to all people without librarians slowly losing our minds, but as a profession, I think we have to try. It's what we're here for. We're here to help. And whether that help comes in the form of a loftier ideal or puerile lowest-common-denominator entertainment, who are we to judge?

The answer is, we can't judge. We shouldn't judge. Because we don't really "know." People seek information and entertainment from their local public libraries for a variety of reasons. Whether it be for comfort, escape, or to better themselves. Maybe that woman who only reads "trashy Harlequins" reads them because she's an ESL learner and Harlequins don't have $50 words that trip her up? Maybe that kid who comes in to only play computer games does so because his home life is shit and playing computer games is the only "fun" he has all day? Maybe that older gentleman only uses the public computer to check his e-mail because it's the cheapest and easiest way for him to stay in touch with his daughter who lives 3000 miles away?

I'm not one to make my job out to be more important than it really is. In the grand scheme of things, I know my place in the universe. That being said, I do think that I do "good work," just as many other public librarians around the world do. We don't get into this profession for the money, accolades or prestige (good thing to, because talk about a rude awakening!). We do it because we want to help people. And that "help" means different things to all walks of life. The minute librarians lose sight of that, is the minute they need to think about a change in careers. It's not pretty, it's not glamorous, but we're here to serve. And that means everybody. Even the people who are too cheap to get Netflix, the teens who show up for video gaming programs, and the little old ladies who only want to read Danielle Steel.

Librarians who don't like that, don't understand that, and continue to whine about it need to get over themselves. You aren't that important and we don't like you anyway.

Wendy Takes On Ebooks

By now most of you probably know that the mighty Oprah threw her considerably marketing clout behind the Amazon Kindle late last week. Dear Author has a good post up about it, along with several comments. Instead of hijacking that thread, I thought I should probably ramble on about my "librarian perspective" on my own blog.

Recently I had to go to the dentist to have a cavity filled. While I was waiting on my dentist, I pulled out my Sony Reader. Suddenly I was the most popular girl in the office. The hygienist had to play with it. My dentist had to play with it. They both thought it was the coolest thing they'd ever seen. Wow, ebooks? Who knew! You mean there are ebooks? And you can buy a reader to read them on?

Hand to God people.

And this was my dentist. An educated man. A reading man. A man, who looking at my checkbook as Exhibit A, has plenty of disposable income to buy an ebook reader. And he was looking at my Sony Reader like it had just been beamed down from Mars.

Sometimes I think it's easy for us to forget that not everyone is plugged into the same corner of cyberspace as we are. Not everybody uses the Internet every day of their lives. Not every reader is trolling online review sites, blogs and Amazon. Some readers simply wander into a bookstore or library, pick up a book that looks interesting, and read it. Then when they finish reading it, they might not breathe a word about the experience to anybody.

Yes, these people exist. I used to see them every day of the week when I worked with the public.

So what does Oprah's endorsement really mean? Well, I'm here to tell you.

It will raise the profile of ebooks. People who didn't know before, like my dentist, will now know that ebooks exist.

Will Oprah increase Kindle sales? Maybe. Honestly with the shittastic economy right now I'm not convinced. Also, it's doubtful to sway people who are "in the know." The number one reason I've seen for people not buying the Kindle? They hate the monopoly. They hate the idea of the books they buy being tied to "one device." Oprah endorsing it is unlikely to change their minds. But for people not "in the know," who have $300 lying around? Who don't care (or know) about the books being tied down to "just the Kindle?" Yeah, they might be swayed.

But that's the rub, because even with Oprah getting people a $50 off coupon, I just don't see a mass of people running out to buy a Kindle. Sure as shootin', not now. Which brings us to the fate of the ebook market in general.

Right now, I can walk into any library, pull a book off the shelf, and read it. And if I have proper identification and proof of address? I can take that book home. For free! I don't need to give the librarian $300+ for a device so that I can read the book. I don't need to be technically savvy at all. All I have to be able to do to open up the book, and read. It doesn't get much simpler than that people.

And that's what the ebook market doesn't "get." Librarians will tell you, we see people every single day (Every. Single. Day.) who are freaked out by the idea of a computer mouse. Yes, a mouse. Can you imagine if we started explaining to them about downloading ebooks, the gazillion different formats, and oh yeah, you might have to convert that file in order to read it? If they didn't curl into the fetal position and start weeping, their heads would explode.

Which means ebooks will never (ever) take off until the technological divide is erased, and publishers dumb the process down - a lot. And I just don't see that happening. Because even if a first generation Reader For Dummies device lands on the market and it only costs $50? There will still be plenty of people out there who won't and can't buy it. Heck, you can buy a cheap MP3 player these days for less than $30, and does everyone own one? No.

So will Oprah's endorsement obliterate print books? Shit, even she's not that powerful. Will it knock all other ebook readers off the market? Extremely doubtful. The eBookwise is still one of the best damn deals in town, and the Sony Reader was advertised in the Target flier that came with my Sunday paper.

Still, it gives all of us something to dither about.

Frenemies

Longtime readers of this blog know that the number one romance theme I cannot stand is that of soul mates. Oh, how I hate me the soul mates theme. We're talking loathe. Nothing you can say will make me change my mind (believe me, KristieJ has tried - and if she can't convince me no one can). Well guess what? I'm adding another theme to the list.

Authors, we need to talk. Please, for the love of all that is holy, think long and hard before writing adversarial couples. You know what I'm talking about. Hero and heroine despise each other. They fight, they kiss, they fight some more, they grope each other, they bicker, they make mad passionate monkey love, they argue, they fight again, they declare their love!

Seriously. Stop. It. Now.

I know why you do it. You do it because it's the quickest way to illustrate tension. The problem is, it's very hard to pull it off. For every one book where it works, there's literally hundreds where the hero and heroine come off looking like ill-tempered three-year-olds. This is a problem for me, since I like to read books about grown-ups. Grown-ups who talk and act like grown-ups. What can I say? I'm just wacky like that.

Which brings us to Snowfall by Sharon Sala.

Caitlin Bennett is a poor little rich girl whose Daddy is dead. Boo-frickin-hoo. Anywho, now she writes mystery novels, and she's been getting deranged letters from some whack-a-do. Said crazy stalker guy has also sent letters to her publisher. When an attempt is made on Caitlin's life, her editor calls his step-brother, Connor "Mac" McKee, an ex-cop turned security specialist to play bodyguard.

Caitlin and Mac have met before and don't like each other. So even though her life is in danger, instead of welcoming the guy with open arms, they pick up where their squabbling left off.

Wendy's eyes start bleeding.

In the meantime, there's an interesting suspense thread. It's obvious as hell (motive and identity), but it's still interesting. Our frustrated evil-doer is so pissed off he's taking to roaming the streets of New York raping women who look like Caitlin and slashing their faces.

I know, what a guy!

The suspense, along with the cops on the case, were the only things that kept me flipping the pages because honestly, the romance made my head hurt. When they weren't bickering, Mac was constantly calling Caitlin "Caitie," "honey," or "baby."

Gag, puke, barf. Endearments, while charming in real life, have a way of turning cloying pretty darn fast when on the printed page. While we're at it - authors, you need to stop doing that too. Just add it to the list.

Caitlin cries, dries her tears, fights with Mac, has sex with Mac, fights with him some more and then does something really colossally stupid towards the end that not only puts her safety at risk, but those of innocent people! Way to go moron! Woo Hoo! Seriously, could someone just shoot this chick and put me out of my misery?

Which leaves me wondering how the heck to grade this book. I mean, normally my utter dislike for the romantic couple would land this one somewhere in my D range. But, this just isn't "bad" enough for a D. I've read worse. Way worse. It's decently written, the suspense was nice albeit obvious, and I liked the cop characters - so let's split the difference. Final Grade = C-

Oh the joys and the dangers of unearthing long neglected books out of the TBR.

Nurture Over Nature

My niece is turning 7 years old in a couple of weeks. Seven! Seems like just yesterday the adoption was official and my sister and brother-in-law were bringing home their 8-month-old daughter.

I'm probably what is referred to around their house as "The Boring Aunt." Yep, her and her baby brother have both been getting books from "their boring Aunt Wendy" for the last couple of years. Listen, both of those little wieners have enough toys. Plus my sister and brother-in-law believe in the philosophy of "we'll always make room for books." Toys, yeah not so much. Plus both the niece and nephew enjoy reading, so books it is.

So I asked my sister what my niece was reading now. I bought her beginning chapter books last year, and given how much she reads (and how smart she is - just sayin'), I figured she had "outgrown" that particular series. My sister said, "I'll get back to you."

Well word came down this week. My niece wants a Barnes & Noble gift card. She wants to be able to go shopping and pick out her own Magic Tree House and Junie B. Jones books.

Sigh

I figured I had at least another six years before I had to resort to giving that kid gift cards for birthdays and holidays. Then a thought occurred to me....

What does her Aunt Wendy like to do more than anything else in the whole wide world?

Yeah, go shopping for my own books.

Like Aunt, like niece. I'm so terribly proud! And damn, my sister is a good Mommy.

I'll Take Potpourri For $100 Alex

Here at the Bat Cave, the royal we hit a speed bump insanely early Monday morning when I ran afoul of some sort of stomach bug. This basically meant I didn't sleep, and spent a lot of time sitting on my bathroom floor. Fun times! The good news is that once I got sick, I felt better. The bad news is that I didn't sleep. At all. No really, I think I got about two hours. Instead I stayed up and read a Harlequin Historical western cover to cover.

The book in question was Rafferty's Bride by Mary Burton. Now, I don't know if y'all have an author like this (maybe it's just me), but I always read Burton's westerns in a matter of hours. Then when I'm done? Yeah, all the details fly right out of my head. I have absolutely no recall when it comes to her books. It's weird. Rafferty's Bride was a shade below "OK." Of course now it's been two days and I can't recall why the story didn't work better for me. Oh yeah - the identity of the villain was obvious, and even though it was actually logical for a change, the completely gratuitous virgin widow revelation annoyed.

*****

Completely random thought for today: I popped in the Revolver CD by The Beatles on my morning commute and damn, I had forgotten what a totally awesome song For No One is. Don't believe me? Gotta love YouTube.






*****

Anyone else watching My Own Worst Enemy? I'll admit it, I have this completely bizarre "thing" for Christian Slater. I know, I know ::sigh::. Don't ask me why. It's probably the biggest skeleton currently residing in my closet. In my defense the show also features Alfre Woodard, who is seriously kick ass. Love her!

The first episode left me underwhelmed. I didn't hate it, and I didn't love it. Which is code for Wendy Will Watch A Couple More Episodes To See If It Kicks Up A Notch. Well did it? Well Monday's episode (#2) was really very good. And My Man was tre' impressed that they ended it on a really dark note. He tends to poo-poo "Hollywood Endings." I do too, when they aren't logical. I mean, if you're setting up the story to take a dark turn, don't yank the wheel to the right and give us a Care Bear Ending, OK? It just annoys.

Anywho, I wouldn't say I'm officially "hooked" yet, but I'm finding it entertaining. And hell, it isn't a reality TV show and that shoots it's stock up by at least 700 points right there.

Also, you have to admire Slater. He's like the Little Engine That Could. I mean, nobody is ever going to confuse him with Brando, but he's stuck around long enough to make an actual career for himself. Gotta admire that.

*****

In other news, expect more updates over at my Upcoming Historical Romances wiki in the next day or two. I hit a different database here at work, and found scheduled releases through August 2009! I also figured out why I wasn't getting better hits. I forgot one of the cardinal rules I learned in library science school. Sometimes fewer search variables will yield you better results.

Duh.

Apples And Oranges

Has this ever happened to you? You finish a really enjoyable book. The kind of book that sticks with you. And because of this, the next book you pick up suffers by comparison? Yep, I got The Just Finished A Maggie Osborne Novel Blues. Damn.

Let me state up front that this isn't going to be a complete review of A Scandalous Marriage by Cathy Maxwell. Why? Well, I'll be honest here - I skimmed quite a bit of it. Pretty much from the moment I realized this had a Romeo & Juliet plot thread front and center (FYI, the back cover description gives no indication of this). Yeah, yeah - the Maggie Osborne I just finished had the same sort of vibe, but it didn't directly involve the hero and heroine, and one of the major jackasses in that story (the hero's father) was dead. So, I could roll with it. In this story though? Not so much.

Devon Marshall, Viscount Huxhold loves Leah Carrollton, however there's a teeny little problem. Yeah, their families loathe each other. The Marshall's blame the Carrollton's for the death of Devon's parents and the Carrollton's are a pack of reprobate gamblers who blame the Marshalls for "ruining" them. Whatever. Devon and Leah fall in lurve, but it all goes to hell when Leah's idiot brother, Julian, calls Devon out in a duel and gets seriously injured (he ain't dead, but his hand is crippled). Leah says, "No, no Devon - I cannot run away with you now, you shot my idiot brother!" so Devon takes off and Leah gets knocked up by first pretty boy that wanders along (her way of getting back at her idiot family, naturally). Once pregnant, Leah runs away to the country, which is where Devon finds her quite by accident. Baby is born, Leah and Devon marry, and then the rest of the novel is spent dealing with family fallout.

I have a hard time with Romeo & Juliet plots because I want the romantic couple to reach deep down and grow a pair. Yeah, yeah, Regency England, blah, blah, blah. Yeah, yeah, historical accuracy, blah, blah, blah. This is one instance where I just can't seem to locate the "off switch" to my modern sensibilities. I know it isn't "fair" of me - but dang, it's just one of my foibles, so roll with it. I'm perfectly aware of the fact that I'm being unreasonable, I don't need anyone to point it out for me.

Now for readers who enjoy Romeo & Juliet With A Happy Ending plots? This one will probably be right up your alley. I did think some of the conflict was a little too easily resolved at times, but this story is well-written and flows nicely. Also, I really liked Devon as a hero, and Leah is OK, as long as the reader is willing to swallow the whole Rescue Fantasy aspect of her character. I found it a touch annoying, but I'll be honest - after reading The Promise Of Jenny Jones, any female character who can't find her big girl panties (let alone pull them up) is going to annoy the crap out of me.

For my own personal record keeping, I'm assigning this a Final Grade = C, but the rest of you should probably ignore that. I didn't give the entire book a thorough, careful reading, so I'd take my opinion with a grain of salt. Like I said though - if you dig rescue fantasies, along with Romeo & Juliet? This bad boy, published in 2000, is still in print.

Promises To Keep

Regular readers of this blog are probably sick of me bitching whining lamenting the fact that Maggie Osborne has retired from writing. Some nonsense about spending more time with her family. Like her family needs her more than I do! Bah! Well, at least I still have several of her books in the ol' TBR. That's some comfort I suppose.

The Promise of Jenny Jones is a favorite among many romance readers and yes, I am just now getting around to reading it. Such is the life of someone who owns more books than is good for her.

Jenny Jones is a mule driver, a buffalo skinner, and now a condemned women. Nobody in the god-forsaken, backwater Mexican town could believe a soldier could be so drunk that he'd actually attack someone like Jenny Jones. So there she sits in her jail cell, waiting for her date with a firing squad, all because she killed a man in self-defense. That's where Marguarita finds her.

Marguarita is dying of consumption and knows her days are numbered. What she proposes is that she'll take Jenny's place in front of the firing squad in exchange for Jenny taking her 6-year-old daughter, Graciela, to her father in California. Theirs was a passionate love affair, torn apart because both of their daddies were pig-headed bigoted assholes. So even though Marguarita was married to Robert, she was sent away to Mexico in disgrace, and Robert stayed in California to protect his inheritance of the family ranch. Marguarita fears for her daughter's life, because she believes that once she is dead, her vile cousins will cut Graciela's throat. With Marguartia dead, Graciela stands to inherit a lot of money. With Graciela dead, the cousins stand to inherit a lot of money. And ain't it always about the money?

Jenny Jones is no lady, but she does have morals. She never lies and once she makes a promise, she keeps it. Which is why Marguarita entrusts her with her daughter, and why she doesn't back down when the murderous cousins make multiple appearances and Ty Sanders shows up on the scene. Ty is Robert's brother, and promised him he'd go to Mexico to bring back his wife and daughter. Who he finds is Jenny Jones, a woman unlike any other he has met before. She's a gal that can hold her liquor, who doesn't whine when she gets shot, and is protecting his niece, who doesn't like her all that much, from thugs.

In my opinion, the whole point of reading romance is, well, the romance. I like the hero and heroine to be on the same page together fairly early in the story. That does not happen here. Ty and Jenny only have occasional run-ins (where they keep stealing the kid back and forth) until page 160, and the author only has 377 pages to work with. The only thing keeping this story from being a DNF for the first half was that it was Maggie Osborne. Wendy does not give up on Maggie Osborne.

And damn, it's a good thing I didn't either. Because while I was being lulled into complacency, something happened. Yep, the author blindsided me. Little did I know, I had fallen in love with Jenny, Ty and Graciela. I was hooked. And then the emotion showed up, and damn, a few tears leaked out. Yeah, I cried....and I do not cry over books. Just don't.

The "knock" against Osborne's books by some readers who don't know any better is that her heroine's are too "rough." Certainly Jenny is very rough. This is a woman who has not had an easy life. It's been hard. And what she knows about kids she basically doesn't like. It's amazing to watch her, over the course of this story, open her heart to a child who prays to God every night to "kill Jenny" and who succumbs to Ty's devilish charms. Maggie Osborne's heroines don't need the romance. If the man never comes along, they'll go on living and be just fine. No, Maggie Osborne's heroines deserve the romance - and yes there's a huge difference.

All of the characters grow and change over the story. Couple this with my tears, I found the second half to be close to perfection. Even though they're barely together in the first half, the chemistry between Ty and Jenny leaps off the page, and Jenny's later scenes with Graciela are enough to rip your heart out. Even cynical skeptics like me. It's not my favorite Osborne, but dang, it ain't half bad.

Final Grade = B+

RIP Levi Stubbs

File this under You Can Take The Girl Out Of Michigan, But You Can't Take Michigan Out Of The Girl.

My parents came of age during the 1960s (yeah, I know that dates me). Basically what this means is that my sisters and I grew up listening to their music. Every family vacation, every road trip, it was the music of the 1960s. The Beatles, The Beach Boys, and Motown. Which is why this Gen-X-er knows who Levi Stubbs is, and why I'm really frickin' depressed today.

For the rest of you, Mr. Stubbs was the lead singer of The Four Tops, one of the premiere groups to come out of Detroit, Michigan and one of Motown's biggest acts. As great as Marvin Gaye was (and he was great), Stubbs had a powerful, raw voice that could cut through steel. On that score, nobody on Motown's roster could touch him (my apologies to Smokey, Stevie and Marvin - but y'all know I'm right). He'd been ill the last few years, and while I'm relieved he's no longer in pain, the thought of that voice now silenced is enough to drive a stake through my heart.

The Economy, Publishers And The Librarian

Ever since the US economy took a long walk off a short pier, speculation has been rampant on what it means for the current state of publishing and romance readers in particular. Honestly, I'm not entirely sure, but that doesn't mean I'm above wild speculation and relaying anecdotes.

One thing we've noticed here around my office? The Rise Of The Cold Call. Publishers who never (and I mean never) used to make such calls are now. One of my colleagues was floored when a big, huge publisher in the world of children's literature surprised her with a phone call recently. Blood is in the water people.

Part of me sort of feels like New York had it coming. The trend in publishing the last several years has been to Pray To The Big Book Gods. Yep, they put all their eggs in one basket, hoping for that one big blockbuster to push them into the Red Zone Of Profits Heaven. The Harry Potters and Da Vinci Codes of this world. What I think they all failed to realize is that Big Books do not grow on trees. You have to throw some money around first (hello, PR departments!) and hope that word of mouth will carry you to the promise land. Sometimes it does, but sometimes it doesn't. I can't tell you how many times I've thought a book would be "big," only to have it sink like a guy in a designer suit and cement shoes.

I'm not sure what, if anything, this will mean for romance publishing. Romance readers are by far the fiercest and most loyal readers on the planet. They're the kind of readers who will scrimp on other expenses (they'll clip coupons, go longer between hair cuts, drop premium cable channels) before they'll even think about taking a hack at their book budget. Even if it comes to that, they'll get creative before they give up too many of their precious books. They'll visit the library more regularly. They'll be on the look out for promotions and sales. They'll share books with friends and family.

As for what I'll do? I plan to keep chugging along. Even with my massive and insane TBR pile, I'm an incredibly frugal book buyer. I rely on the library for my audio book fix and 99% of the hard covers I read. My "every day" credit card is a Borders Visa, which earns me gift certificates for Borders. I can't tell you how many times I've walked out of Borders with 5 brand new paperbacks and I maybe spent $3 and change out of my own pocket. I get a giddy thrill every time it happens to. Which probably means I need to get a life.

As for authors? Well, it could get dicey. We've already lost so many great midlist writers, I'm wondering if we lose even more. Also, expect more paranormals. Yeah, I think we haven't begun to see the last of the bandwagon. I know, I'm not looking forward to it either.

Commie Librarians

I don't have much to blog about today, so instead I thought I'd take the easy way out and hit YouTube. Normally I don't "get" Stephen Colbert, but this video clip has been making the librarian-rounds and I find it amusing in a perverse sort of way.



There is some truth this piece. When the economy takes a dump, library usage tends to go up. The irony being that library budgets tend to tank right along with the economy, so public libraries are stuck doing more with less. We're trying people. Really, we are. Now if you'll excuse me, I have to build a wall around my cubicle....

He's So Shy

Whenever a non-erotica reader expresses interest in trying the genre I always tell them to start with Emma Holly's Black Lace titles. In my opinion, she's the gold standard, and her books tend to have happy endings, albeit nontraditional ones. Well, after finishing In Too Deep, the latest from Portia Da Costa, I'm revising my statement. If you've never read erotica, but are curious to try it? Yeah, start with this book. Hands down it has got to be the sweetest, funniest, most charming erotic novel I've read to date. I laughed, I sighed, and I found it all very sweet even when it was making my toes curl.

Gwendolyne Price is a perfectly respectable librarian in a bit of a rut. She's in the middle of a divorce (and her ex is trying to screw her over on the sale of their house), and doesn't have much of a life outside of work. That is until one day when cleaning out the library's old-fashioned suggestion box she comes across a highly erotic letter addressed to her. It's full of naughty suggestions, purple prose, and it's signed "Nemesis."

Nemesis? Oh please...The man's a raving pervert, fond of purple prose and probably dangerous...and he calls himself Nemesis? It sounds like something a teenage gamer would call himself when playing online.

Despite the obvious stalker-ish vibe of the letter, Gwendolyne finds it all oddly flattering. She's a smart girl, with ample curves in all the right places, but she's not the sort that inspires erotic love letters. No, her gut tells her Nemesis is a harmless pervert, and besides she's too busy being distracted by the library's visiting local celebrity, Professor Hottie McHotStuff AKA Professor Daniel Brewster. Between his shy academic demeanor, curly hair and glasses - I mean, how could a girl resist? Too bad their relationship is strictly professional....that is until they literally run into each other and Gwendolyne notices he can't stop looking at her boobs. Seems the Professor isn't completely immune to her charms.

What follows is a tango between Gwendolyn, Daniel and Nemesis - with our heroine wondering if Professor Hottie is masquerading as the letter-writing Nemesis. As the story carries on, she soon finds herself "in too deep" - between her growing feelings for Daniel, and her curiosity surrounding the secret that is obviously weighing on his mind. The man is hiding something that's for sure, and although she's determined to enjoy the fling (and oh, what a fling!), she can't seem to stop herself from falling hopelessly in love with him.

This book is so fabulously charming it's hard to know where to begin. Told entirely from Gwendolyne's point of view, In Too Deep ingratiates itself to the reader with it's self-deprecating manner and witty British-isms. I couldn't help smiling when Gwen tells the reader that she fancies Daniel "something rotten" and I can't tell you how many times this book had me laughing out loud....in a good way!

Daniel, oh sweet, adorable Daniel. I'm an equal opportunity girl when it comes to men and romantic heroes, but Daniel is my favorite sort of bloke. He's charming, he's sweet, and slightly unsure of himself until our dear heroine literally takes matters into her own hands. Once these two are burning up the library stacks together, he goes from sweetly Beta, to take-charge Alpha. It's enough to make a girl positively swoon.

Portia Da Costa keeps the proceedings hot, erotic, and mostly vanilla. Outside of shenanigans in public places, light bondage, and a bit of spanking, there's really nothing totally off the wall here. This is really a story of Gwen opening herself up to a new adventure, and Daniel pursuing her in his own way. When these two get their happy ending (and yes, there is a happy ending) I was sighing contentedly right along with the characters.

This is the sort of book that works best if the reader lets go and rides along with the fantasy. I could poke holes in this plot all day long - namely starting with the Nemesis letters and Gwen finding a Professor Hottie in a public library. I work in public libraries people. Most days we're just happy to see men who look like they bathe regularly and know how to use deodorant. Also, the reader has to trust Gwendolyne's gut involving Nemesis. I mean, a guy who leaves letters like that? Yeah, in real life they're creepy as hell and you're calling the cops. Just saying. So in order for this book to work, the reader has to be willing to suspend their disbelief.

I was willing to do that. Mostly because I was so utterly charmed by the end of the first chapter that I was too swept up in it all to nitpick it to death. As much as I loved Portia's other librarian heroine novel, The Tutor, this one is my new favorite. Sweet and funny, she charmed the socks right off of me. Good show!

Final Grade = A-

Note: This book is available now in the UK, and the US laydown date is November 11.

Another Hot Friday Night At The Bat Cave

My Man: There is nothing on TV. I mean, nothing.

Wendy: Well, we still haven't watched Speed Racer yet. How does a terrible movie sound?

My Man: Yeah, go ahead and put it in.

2 hours later....

Wendy: Wow, this is bad, but not nearly as craptastic as I thought it was going to be.

My Man: It helps when you have absolutely no expectations.

Wendy: I see this being the new "acid trip" movie for college students across America. Who needs The Wall or Willy Wonka? Speed Racer is like a technocolor brain aneurysm. Plus it's got a monkey in it.

My Man: It's a little boy movie. Your nephew is going to be all over this in another four years.

Wendy: Christina Ricci was pretty cute though dontcha think?

My Man: Way hotter in Black Snake Moan.

Wendy: Since when do you have a thing for trashy looking girls?

My Man: I don't. I have a thing for naked girls.

Wendy: Yeah, I guess she's wearing nothing but her underwear for like 95% of that movie...

My Man: Yeah, hotter.

Wendy: ::eye roll::

Blog-A-Palooza

Seems I've been nominated with the latest meme making the rounds amongst the romance reading bloggers. Rosie, Jessica and Amy called me out for the I Heart Your Blog award, and it just so happens to tie in perfectly with my post that's up today over at Romancing The Blog.

So head on over to RtB to read all about my Four Easy Steps To Reader Blogging. I know, everyone is always talking about Author Blogs and what authors "should" and "should not" do. I thought it might be fun to address reader blogs, mostly because I think too many readers "over think" the whole affair. Seriously, y'all. I just jumped in head first, and almost six years later I'm still going strong. No need to make it scary and complicated.

Anywho, on with the meme:

1) Add the logo of the award to your blog - Ok, done.
2) Add a link to the person who awarded it to you - Yeah, yeah....
3) Nominate at least 7 other blogs - See below
4) Add links to those blogs on your blog - See below
5) Leave a message for your nominees on their blogs! - Um, probably won't do this part.

Lots of my favorite blogs have already been tagged, so some of these are undoubtedly duplicates. I did try to stay away from blogs that have been tagged oodles already ::cough, KristieJ, cough::

Avid Book Reader - Besides the whole TBR Day Challenge (which I didn't sign up for because I be lazy), I mainly love Keishon's blog because she reviews suspense on a fairly regular basis. Since I read both romance and mystery, I really appreciate this!

Jennie's B(ook)log - Her blogging is sporadic right now because she's in library school (yipee!), but I love everything about her blog. The look, the feel, the fact that she's a sucker for the classics like Mary Stewart and L.M. Montgomery....

Adventures in Katidom - I didn't discover MaryKate until she started commenting on my blog (see, you need to get out there!). I like her book reviews and love, love, love the fact that she's a football girl! (Translation for non-US types: I'm talking American football here)

Living In The House of Testosterone - Lori blogs a couple of other places, but this might be my favorite place to visit her now (even though this blog is still really new). I get such a kick out of reading about her life surrounded by men boys. As someone who has two sisters and no brothers, it's sort of like watching the National Geographic Channel.

Romance Rookie - Jill D. probably has been nominated oodles already but I don't care. I love, love, love the way she writes reviews. At the end of each one? She posts links to other reviews around Blogland! Seriously, why aren't we all doing this?

Nobody Asked Me - OK, so I actually "know" Rosie, but I'm nominating her anyway. I love her monthly reading lists, and finding out what romance books she convinces her husband to read. That guy's a keeper, because I can't get My Man to read much of anything....let alone a romance novel!

Portia Da Costa - I enjoy Portia's books, she's a reformed librarian, and she tends to post pictures of cute guys on her blog. Cute, clothed guys - which is what does it for me. Half-nekkid guys are all well and good - but I tend to prefer the nekkid-ity live and in person. You know, where it will actually (in theory anyway) do some good. I know, all I think about is me, me, me.

I'm A Slave 4 U

I don't read a lot of medievals. Just don't. I suspect it's because I've never been a huge fan of the time period. My interest in history pretty much starts with Henry VIII and goes forward from there. Yet whenever I pick up a medieval I usually find myself enjoying it. Such is the case with Michelle Willingham's latest Harlequin Historical, Her Warrior Slave. One of these days I'm going to get a clue.

Kieran O'Brannon wasn't cut out for life as a slave. He's too head strong, too stubborn, and keeps getting the crap kicked out of him by the slave traders. So Davin O'Falvey, the son of a chieftain, buys the man because he doesn't like to watch suffering. He brings him back to his village, and to the woman he's betrothed to, Iseult MacFergus.

Iseult is no blushing virgin. Two years ago she succumbed to passion and got pregnant. After the rat bastard unceremoniously leaves her at the altar, her heart is further ripped in two when her son is kidnapped. She is now set to wed Davin, who is hopelessly and mindlessly in love with her. She knows he'll make a good husband, even if he thinks she needs to "forget the past" and give up the search for her son, Aidan.

Kieran sold himself into slavery with the hopes of saving his brother's life, and failed in that mission. He doesn't care if he lives or dies, until he meets Iseult. She is beautiful, but there's also a sadness there that causes Kieran's protective instincts to kick up a notch. When Davin finds out that Kieran is an excellent wood carver, he orders Kieran to produce a likeness of Iseult, which means he'll have to spend time with her. With chemistry crackling between them, Kieran's slave status, and Iseult's desire to find her child, it all soon becomes very complicated.

I'll admit, I thought I would have a hard time overlooking the fact that Iseult is engaged. I do not like love triangle stories, and when there's another party involved? Yeah, that pretty much means the Other Guy or Other Woman has to be the raging asshole villain. Not so in this case. Davin, despite his unwillingness to help find Aidan (which is pretty scummy), is a fairly decent guy. He's not a total doormat, but he's also not a one-dimensional Grade A asshole either. There were times I wanted Iseult to treat him a little better - but their relationship is fairly complicated. He doesn't really love her - he loves the idea of her. Meanwhile, she's still in mourning over the loss of the child she refuses to give up hope in finding. Chalk it up to two people who don't realize...yet anyway...that they shouldn't be together. Oy, and haven't we all been there?

Kieran is a fine, upstanding, Romance Novel Alpha Hero. Even when he wants to roll over and die, he just can't make himself because he's got too much pride. He's the sort of guy who will fight until he bleeds out. He's headstrong, he's determined, and he's got more baggage than Chicago O'Hare the day before Thanksgiving.

I'll give some of you a moment to wipe the drool off your chin. Yeah, you know who you are.

I thought the Irish setting was particularly well done. There's a nice middle ground here - it's neither wallpaper nor peppered with mind-numbing dialect that is hard to understand. I also enjoyed the palpable chemistry between the romantic couple, which practically leaps off the page. I can't believe these two managed to keep their clothes on for as long as they did. Just saying.

It did take me a little while to get into this story. Willingham uses the first half of the novel to set the stage and for her characters to reach their "breaking point." It didn't really start to cook for me until after Iseult realizes that her feelings for Kieran cannot be swept under the rug, and she must make a decision regarding her betrothal. I was also happy that the author tied up all her loose ends, which means even poor hapless Davin gets some resolution. Yippee!

As someone who doesn't read medievals all that often, I found myself enjoying this story. Makes me glad I have a couple more of Willingham's Harlequin Historicals keeping company with my copious collection of cowboys. Hope they're all playing nice in my TBR pile when I'm not around to keep an eye on them....

Final Grade = B-

Note: This book goes on sale November 1, however it can be purchased now at eHarlequin in both print and electronic formats.

Top Five: Picking Up Steam

Yeah, so I dropped out of blogosphere over the weekend. I don't know about you all, but I have a damn hard time blogging on weekends. Too much real life "stuff" vying for my time. So to kick my butt into gear I thought I'd do another Top Five feature (it's been a while). These are currently the books gaining some ground, and popularity, among our library patrons. It's full steam ahead!


Dark Curse by Christine Feehan - OK, I'm going to be blunt here. This one kind of surprises me. Mostly because I know several readers who started out gangbusters for the Carpathians and over the years their interest has waned. My theory on why this book is currently near the top of our holds queue? Feehan might be to romance readers what Patricia Cornwell is for me. She ain't an autobuy anymore, but they just can't cut the cord completely. Which means they don't want to pay hard cover price for it, but they still want to read it because they just can't help themselves. So it's onward and upward to the local library.




Supreme Courtship by Christopher Buckley - Buckley traditionally does fairly well amongst the library reading crowd but I think interest has jumped for his latest for two reasons. 1) The movie version of Thank You For Smoking was well-received and in my opinion, very good and 2) Buckley was recently profiled on CBS Sunday Morning.









The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson - Traditional rule of thumb in the library world: Translations Don't Move. They tend to be shelf-sitters. I don't know why, they just are. This book is proving to be the exception to the rule. Translated from the original Swedish, it received smashing reviews across the board. Also, the author is dead. Same phenomenon that applies to the art world. Artist becomes a big hit after they die - which frankly I think is depressing as hell, but it does give the publisher another promotional "angle."





All Things Charlaine Harris - I tried to tell them. Really I did. Over a year ago I told staff that Harris could pick up steam once the HBO series based on her Sookie Stackhouse series hits the airwaves. I find this particularly interesting because while the buzz on the TV show has been decidedly very mixed, it's still enough to generate interest in the books among our library patrons. Go figure.








Just Breathe by Susan Wiggs - I tend to whine a lot about Wiggs because damn, I love her historicals and she left me! She left me for the Big Bad World Of Contemporary Women's Fiction! But you know what? It's working out extremely well for her, at least in terms in library statistics. I really started noticing a jump in circulation with her Lakeshore Chronicles series. Demand for Just Breathe now finds her at an "all-time high" for us. So go on with your bad self Susan!

Return To Form

The last book in Tess Gerritsen's Jane Rizzoli/Maura Isles series I flat-out loved was number four, Body Double. Vanish was "ok," and The Mephisto Club largely annoyed the crap out of me. However it takes a whole lot for me to stop reading mystery series (I might stop buying, but work continues to feed these unhealthy relationships), and one book annoying me wasn't enough to drop Gerritsen off my autobuy list. Good thing too, because I think The Keepsake is a marvelous return to form.

Medical Examiner, Dr. Maura Isles has been invited to witness a CT scan on a mummy recently found at the Crispin Museum. The curator of the museum found the mummy while taking inventory. Unfortunately he couldn't find any records on it. His predecessor was an old man, becoming crippled by Alzheimer's, so the museum's records are in chaos. Still, a mummy is a mummy - and would be a big boon for the struggling museum. So imagine everyone's surprise when the CT scan turns up dental fillings and a bullet wound. Their 2000 year old mummy is a modern day murder victim.

Which brings in Boston homicide detective Jane Rizzoli and her partner, Barry Frost, who muses that they "catch all the weird ones." Jane's investigation leads to her spidey sense telling her that the museum's Egypt expert, Dr. Josephine Pulcillo is hiding something. She's naturally right, because it soon becomes apparent that their killer is infatuated with the young doctor.

What I enjoy so much about Gerritsen's series is that she has a large cast of characters and isn't afraid to do some exploring. This time out of the gate, readers get to know more about Barry Frost, the Boy Scout who has been Jane's partner for years. Maura plays more of a periphery role in this story, although the author seems to be setting up the "breaking point" for the disastrous romantic relationship she began in The Mephisto Club. What is it with smart women falling for unattainable men?

Both of my sisters will be very happy to note that this is a very strong Jane book. I think Gerritsen has softened her over the years (motherhood and marriage will do that to some women), but she's still determined and smart as a whip. In fact, she's the smartest person in the room for pretty much the entire story. There's less Rizzoli family "stuff" in this entry. Her erstwhile father is completely off the page, and her mama makes only a brief appearance during a particularly well done family barbecue scene.

The mystery here is compelling. The killer takes women, murders them, and turns them into "keepsakes." The mummy being the first one they uncover, but more emerge, preserved by various means. Creepy, creepy stuff. The suspense winds and twists, getting more involved towards the end. However, Gerritsen ties up every single loose end when it comes to the mystery and all my questions were answered. Unanswered questions regarding Maura's personal life still abound, but I fully expect it to be fodder for later books.

All in all, I really enjoyed this entry of the series immensely. I think newcomers could easily pick this up and not feel lost - although Gerritsen employs The Onion Method of series character development. The author has slowly been peeling back the layers of her characters since the first book, with each layer standing as it's own time capsule, but to get the full picture, it helps to have read them all. Heck, which you'll want to do anyway because there are some real dynamite installments.

Final Grade = B+

The Month That Was September 2008

There's a reason I only started doing these monthly reading recaps recently.

I hate publicizing what a terribly slow reader I am. Seriously, snails read faster than I do.

So distract you all from the dismally, sad month I had I'm putting up the latest naughty librarian picture I stole from my image hosting site. I'm also going to play up the fact that the Super Librarian parents were visiting for a whole week this past month, and I didn't read a single, solitary word while they were here. OK, I did go through the Sunday newspaper with my Mom, but that doesn't count. Here's my sad, pitiful recap:

Reckless by Selena Montgomery - The hero is to die for (yummers!), and I did get sucked into the story despite the fact that the heroine is a compulsive liar. Then I got to the "ending." No ending! None! No closure! Wendy mad! Wendy smash! For lack of a better word, I felt "manipulated" into reading the next two books in the trilogy. Won't do it. Final Grade = D. Review over at TGTBTU.

The Rebel And The Lady by Kathryn Albright - A western set against the backdrop of the invading Mexican army showing up at a little place called The Alamo. A very hero-centric story, that features a strong-principled heroine. I did feel the ending was a little rushed, which I'm blaming on the word count of the Harlequin Historical line. One of the few times in my life that I wished a book could have been a couple hundred pages longer. I got sucked in, and didn't want it to end. Final Grade = A-. Review over at TGTBTU.

As Darkness Falls by Bronwyn Parry - An "only published in Australia right now" publication and the author's debut romantic suspense. Loved the gritty tone of the story, the Australian outback setting (not romanticized in the least - hoorah!), and I found the suspense thread compelling. Also enjoyed the complex characterization of the heroine, and the hero is suitably heroic. Sure do hope it gets picked up by a publisher here in the States. Final Grade = B+. My review can be found here. Oh! And the author giving away a copy of this book, regardless of where you live on the planet Earth. Deadline is October 13. Head over there now!

Yep, you read that right. Three books. Three measly books. Here's hoping I have a more productive October.