Good Book Alert

First, a hearty thank you for all the birthday well wishes. Honestly, I'm feeling pretty good about it all. Between the hair cut (4 inches - poof!), seeing my sister and getting jewelry from The Boyfriend it wasn't a bad day. Rubies have a way of cheering a girl up - well this girl anyway.

For those keeping score on The Boyfriend's excellent gift giving skills, the "rubies" are a pendant necklace, earrings and ring. A lovely set, I assure you.

I also just wrapped up a very good book this evening - but then again it was written by Cheryl St. John and I'm beginning to think the woman is incapable of writing a dud. His Secondhand Wife is a July 2005 Harlequin Historical title.

Noah Cutter has just learned that his younger half-brother is dead. While Noah loved Levi, Levi had a bit of a reputation. When a jealous husband shoots you after catching you in bed with his wife - well, it doesn't say much about your character now does it? So Noah goes to collect Levi's body, only to discover that he was married. Not only did he eventually abandon Katherine, he left her pregnant.

Noah feels obligated to take Katherine in, and since her only other option is to keep slaving away in a laundry and living with her shrew mother, she accepts his offer. Determine to earn her keep, she is stymied by the life of privilege she now finds herself living. Noah is a very successful rancher, although he's a hermit of sorts. Horribly scarred in an accident he has distanced himself from others. However he soon finds himself wildly attracted to Katy, and he's not sure what to do about it. I mean, he's not smooth, confident and charming like Levi. He's damaged goods and doesn't know the first thing about women.

I tend to whine a lot about the current state of American historicals. Pamela Morsi and Susan Wiggs have succumbed to The Dark Side (OK, women's fiction) and Maggie Osborne had to go and retire! But we still have St. John, and if you aren't reading her books - um, why not? She has a knack for writing the sweetest love stories and crafting likeable characters. The love scenes in this story are particularly poignant, as Noah is afraid he'll either repel Katy or make her feel pity for him.

In turn, Katy wants to feel needed and useful to Noah - but he keeps brushing her off. Not because he doesn't need her, but because he's determined to care and pamper her.

St. John also writes credible villains - mostly nasty mother characters that never become tedious. There's always a flipside to them. Here it's Levi's mother (Noah's stepmother) who mourns her son, is always concerned with propriety, and dismisses Noah because he's not her son. But you know, she's not rotten to the core. By the end you really understand how and why she is the way she is.

I strongly recommend this one. While not a keeper on the level of Prairie Wife, this is still a very nice read. My final verdict? A very solid B.

Growing Up

I have a full rich weekend planned, but wanted to announce that Saturday is the big day.

I will be turning 30 years old. While it's tempting, I don't think I'll spend the day sobbing uncontrollably into my pillow.

Instead my younger sister is currently a scant 40 miles north of me. Of course in California traffic that means about 3 hours away. So after I get a much needed haircut this morning, I'll be driving up there to pick her up. She's going to be the first relative to test out our new sofa bed. And she'll make my birthday more bearable. She better damnit or she's sleeping in the car.....

I'll be back to posting on Monday - definitely older, probably not much wiser.

London Calling

Before I became a mild-mannered librarian, I was a mild-mannered British history student. I have a BA degree collecting dust in my closet to prove it too.

Why do I love the British so much? I mean, besides the whole tea thing?

Well they were the first modern empire. The first empire to really cope with the Industrial Revolution and the birth of modern technology. I find the triumphs and failures of the British to be spectacularly (is that a word?) fascinating.

Two things stay with me about my years reading up on World War II:

• For pete's sake, don't invade Russia then get stuck there for the winter.

• Don't bomb the British. It's just a bad idea.

Whomever is behind these recent attacks obviously isn't reading their history. Not a good idea boys. One thing I've learned about the British over the years is that they're a helluva lot tougher than they look. Damn skippy, just check out the riots at soccer (sorry, football) games!

My heart goes out to you Britain. I'm tipping my mug of Earl Grey in salute. Be strong, be brave, and continue to be resilient.

Disappointed

So I stole a few quiet moments here at work to finish up A Stranger's Wife by Maggie Osborne.

I hate to be a piss-pot, but I was disappointed.

Lily Dale has spent 5 years in prison for her part in an armed robbery. Then miracle of miracles, she finds herself getting released early! Of course, there's a catch. The catch is the hero, who secured her early release in order for her to impersonate his missing wife. Quinn Westin is on his way to being the first governor of the new state of Colorado. Then his wife goes and vanishes. It's a scandal that Quinn cannot afford, so his hired henchman finds a spitting image of the missing Miriam. But how do they go about turning rough Lily Dale into the very picture of a lady?

OK, I liked Lily. I know some readers who found her a bit rough around the edges - but I found her interesting. Sure she's done some bad things in her past, but she's paying for her mistakes. I also love how she dresses down the male gender for "taking advantage of women" for "their own selfish gains."

My problem was with the hero - who comes off too ambitious and deceitful for my tastes. In fact, he's a world class sonofabitch. The entire conflict of this story centers around his lies. And he's lying for his own personal gain - he wants to be governor. I also found myself feeling sorry for his wife, Miriam. Without giving too much away, it's hard to think much of a hero when he plays a big role in the demise of his first marriage. Miriam isn't without sin - but she's so weak-willed that it's hard to chastise her too harshly.

But as usual, Osborne can write. In fact, even when I'm not blown away be one of her books (another that comes to mind is Shotgun Wedding), she still writes a story that makes me stop and think. While I didn't love A Stranger's Wife, it's still a book capable of staying with me for days. I guarantee I'll think back and ponder it.

Whining 101

I love people who:

• Want something for nothing
• Then don't understand why there are rules when something is for nothing

Once again I'm fantasizing about what life was like before librarians had to deal with public Internet terminals. Again, a good idea - in theory.

I had a guy come in tonight who thought he was "normal." Trust me, nuttier than a fruitcake. Give me a schizophrenic taking his meds any day of the week. At least they know they're crazy. Anyway, back to this guy, he didn't understand why we required people to have library cards to access our computers. Then he didn't understand why we only allowed them one hour a day - and why we wouldn't grant additional time if no one was waiting in line.

My pat answer? Because others have abused our policies in the past so now we must be hard asses.

OK, I didn't phrase it quite like that.

What I really wanted to say was, "Ever heard of the expression that there's no such thing as a free lunch?"

It's always the Internet policy people question. It's never about books. I'd kill for a patron to ask me "Why can I only check out 50 books on my card?!"

Nope, they only question why they can only check out 3 DVDs or 5 VHSs.

It's obvious my long weekend off from work wasn't nearly long enough.

Guilty Pleasures

Every romance reader has a guilty pleasure author. An author we have a hard time admitting we enjoy - because deep down we know we shouldn't. Mine is Thea Devine. Yes, I know her plots are a convoluted mess. Yes, I know her writing has a tendency to get - um - creative, and her characters have little to no redeemable qualities.

I know all this and I still don't give a rat's ass.

Which brings me to my point (yes, I do have one). Melissa MacNeal. I just wrapped up Demon's Dare, a Black Lace novel I've had languishing in the TBR since my last big smut buying spree a couple of years ago. Man, was this book twisted. It was written with such an over-the-top gleefulness that it reminded me a lot of some of Devine's better books. Family Secrets Gone Highly Sexed, if you will.

Where to begin? Oh, it's 1895 and our heroine, Vanita Wells is wrapping up finishing school. Then a scoundrel comes calling and informs her that he is taking her back home to Kentucky where her guardian (an aunt) is lying on her death bed. Vanita is not terribly pleased with this turn of events, since the scoundrel in question, Pearce Truman, was just moments ago occupying his time with the school's headmistress (wink, wink, nudge, nudge).

So after some playful shenanigans (boy howdy!), the two arrive back on the family horsefarm only to find out that Auntie Dearest isn't dying and has in fact sold Vanita down the river to the villain to cover her gambling debts.

Don't you hate it when that happens?

So now Vanita is under the thumb of Franklin Harte, who wants Vanita to turn his freaky son into a man. Except Damon isn't terribly interested in girls - except for his twin sister.

Yeah, you read that right - the twins are really close.

It would be disgusting (OK, it is) if it weren't so gleefully over-the-top.

So now Vanita must decide who she can trust and figure out a way to not end up marrying Damon or being sexually molested by creepy Franklin.

I'm really not doing this story justice. I'm sure it all sounds rather sick. And really, if it wasn't written like a sexed-up soap opera gone haywire, it would be sick. But MacNeal has a way of making the trashy fun and not terribly disturbing. At times she does go a tad overboard (Damon invents a lot of pleasurable toys), but dang if this wasn't one hell of a train wreck.

Every now and then we all need a book like this. Whether it be Jackie Collins, Thea Devine or Melissa MacNeal. Man was this book a trip! Certainly not for the faint of heart, but dang if I haven't found a new guilty pleasure.

Diet And Book Updates

And so we conclude week 7 of Wendy's Diet From Hell. How's it going?

Drumroll please.....

I've lost 10 pounds! Yes, I finally stepped on a scale last week. So what have been my "secret" tricks?

• No fast food. None. Yes, I know you can get salads at fast food places, but it's for the best if I don't even enter the parking lot. Otherwise I'll end up ordering a double cheeseburger and large fries.
  

• Salads for my lunch break at work. These salads consist of "salady stuff" along with some grilled chicken (yum, protein!) and a light vinaigrette dressing of some sort. I make this palpable by staring at Paul Newman's hunky face on my bottle of salad dressing while eating.

• Deny, deny, deny. Some people can do portion control - and good for them. Me? Forget it. It's just better if I don't have that ice cream in my freezer. Instead of one small dish, I'd end up eating the whole half gallon.

Yes, I'm willing to admit I have issues with food.

I also do exercise, but not as much as I should. I've been walking 2 miles at least 3 times a week, although I've been a total slacker this week. Maybe I can make it up this weekend?

As for "bad" foods? Well I haven't given up chocolate. I told The Boyfriend if I denied myself chocolate I'd end up being a danger to myself and others. That, and I haven't given up my tea. I stopped drinking soda in college, but tea is still my one main vice (if you can call it that). I swear I was either British or Chinese in a former life. Asking me to give up tea would be worse than giving up chocolate. You'd end up seeing my mug shot on the 6 o'clock news.

In the middle of running myself ragged with errands and chores this morning I managed to wrap up Drive Me Crazy by Nancy Warren. Eh. It was OK. I liked the banter, the librarian heroine who wasn't a walking stereotype and the secondary romance. The suspense angle about drove me crazy though. Obvious. Very, very, very obvious. It made me question the sanity of all the characters since they were either 1) too stupid or 2) too blind to figure it out.

I hate it when that happens.