Dangerous Ideas

I've seen a couple of posts around the blogosphere already about Banned Books Week (September 27 - October 4), and since I'm a librarian - well, I'm thinking I need to address it.

I went through a phase in high school where I read a slew of banned books. Why? Because someone, somewhere was telling me they were "bad" books, that I shouldn't be allowed to read them or even have access to them, so naturally, I had to read them. Telling a teenager to not do something is the quickest way to ensure they actually will. Plus, while I wasn't (and still am not), what I would call an intellectually gifted individual, I do think I'm pretty full up in the common sense department. Just because I read about something in a book, does not mean I will run right out and do whatever it is I read about.

Please.

Why is Banned Books Week important? Because free societies cannot exist without free ideas. For all our faults, human beings have a little thing called free will. Any society that has tried to censor, rein in, or squash free will, sooner or later they end up imploding. Does this happen right away? Well looking at the current world landscape, obviously not. But sooner or later it does happen. You can repress people all you want, but you cannot rob them of their free will unless they willingly surrender it. And although sometimes I do wonder, not everybody is sheep. Just sayin'.

Why is Banned Books Week important to genre fiction readers? I happen to like books that have sex, violence and naughty words in them. And looking around at my blog readers - I know I'm not alone here. The first books that would-be, frustrated Nazis like to go after? Yeah, books with sex, violence and naughty words. Also, one of the constant back-handed remarks about the romance genre is that the books give "women unrealistic expectations." Yeah, it all goes back to "I read it in a book, so it must be true!" fallacy. Thanks a lot ass-wipe for implying that I'm too stupid to know the difference between fact and fiction. I appreciate it.

But please, won't you think of the children? I never, and I mean never, have bought into the argument that these people are going after these "dangerous" books because they're only thinking of "the children." Look, you don't want your kid to read something? Fine. But don't tell me what my kid can read, or what the kid down the street can read, or the kid 3000 miles away can read. The problem with our society today is the lack of personal responsibility. The complete disregard that every action has a consequence. I lay that blame on a lot of doorsteps, but I do not lay it at an author's feet for writing a book. Life is about choices, and the minute those choices are taken away from us, we start down a slippery slope. Kids need to learn about action and consequence, about right vs. wrong. One way to do that? Read a book. How much children's fiction is based on good vs. evil plot conflict? Yeah, exactly.

So in honor of Banned Books Week, I encourage everyone to read something naughty. Either a book that someone, somewhere tried to censor, or a book that has what could be construed as "offensive" content. That shouldn't be hard genre fiction readers. Just find something with sex, violence or naughty words and you're ready for take-off.

Little Miss Crabby Pants Talks Baseball

Regular readers here at the Bat Cave can breathe a heavy sigh of relief because baseball's regular season is now officially over.

Well, almost.

In what is surely a result of the gods laughing and pointing at me, my worthless, craptastic, Detroit Tigers (you know, the team that 99.9% of the commentators were telling me would win the World Series this year) is officially in the basement of the American League Central division.

We're not even at .500 for cripes sake.

But wait, we're not done yet. Because the Minnesota Twins have dinked around the last couple of weeks, Detroit has to make up a game with the Chicago White Sox to determine who wins the division. Tigers win, Twins win the division. Tigers preform to my expectations and suck balls? The White Sox win the division. See editorial note at end of post.

And trust me folks, nobody except dirty Chicago White Sox fans want to see that happen.

Know how much I loathe the Yankees? Yeah, I hate the White Sox more. Yeah, I know. I didn't think it was possible either.

I can't believe it's come to this. Me hoping my crappy ass team holds it together so the Twins (who I actually kind of like despite the division rivals thing) can win the division, go to the playoffs, and very likely get knocked out in the first round.

Seriously, there's some kind of irony here, I'm just too lazy and frustrated to go looking for it.

So while I'm at work tomorrow, I'll be following the game online (day game, wouldn't ya know it?), and waiting to see how it all shakes down for the Tigers in the off-season. Hey, we already beat the Christmas rush and fired two of our coaches.

But I need to suck it up (and break out my set of Chicago White Sox team voodoo dolls), because after all, there is no crying in baseball. Plus hope springs eternal and all that.



Edited: Little Miss Crabby Pants got ahead of herself in her rabid rant and Nonnie corrected her in the comments. If the Tigers suck eggs tomorrow and the White Sox win ::shudder::, they then have to play a tie-breaker with the Twins on Tuesday to decide the division. If the Tigers pull a miracle out of their butts, the division goes to the Twins and my faith in humanity is restored.

RIP Paul Newman

I once dated a guy who "took himself too seriously." I was in lurve, so didn't realize what a total killjoy he was until after he unceremoniously dumped me (yes, even the Super Librarian has been dumped). Looking back on it now, I feel the need to thank him for being a jackass and dumping me cuz man, did I dodge a bullet with that one.

Reflecting on that relationship, I realized that I have no tolerance for men who think they're "all that." A sense of humor has always been vital for me, but it's those guys who can laugh at themselves that really slay me. It shows me that they're comfortable in their own skin and acknowledge their foibles. I find that sexy as hell.

Which makes Paul Newman just about the most perfect romantic hero in my mind. This guy allowed his face to be put on bottles of salad dressing. Can you see someone like Tom Cruise, Brad Pitt or George Clooney doing something like that? Um yeah, no. Newman did it for charity, and I also think he did it for a lark. This was a man who was never really comfortable with "celebrity." He loved acting, but all the other "stuff" that goes with the job? Yeah, not so much.

I've loved many of his movies, but it was Paul Newman away from Hollywood that got me every single time. Living in Connecticut, doing theater, married for 50 years, and starting a "little" food company for charity that turned into a multi-million dollar business. Yes, he was old enough to be my grandfather, but I so would have hit that. Just sayin'. A moot point since the man had Joanne Woodward at home. The Super Librarian knows her limits.

You'll have to excuse me if I think the world got a little less interesting today.

Nobody Likes A Tease

Remember a billion years ago when I started a wiki? You don't? Of course you don't - because I've been neglecting it for the last several months. So this week I spent some time revamping and retooling my Upcoming Historical Romances wiki. For those of you new to the Bat Cave, this is a site where I dump titles of upcoming historical romances. Why historicals? Because they're my first love and if I tried to do all of the romance sub genres I'd quickly go insane. It's nothing flashy, just author, title, ISBN, price and publisher. Title links and book covers will take you to the Amazon page and author links will take you to the author's web site.

One thing I noticed during the revamping was that whoa doggie - a lot of reprints coming out in December. And one of them happens to be one of my all-time favorite westerns, Cherish by Catherine Anderson. The copy in my keeper stash is hardly pristine, so I think I'm going to have to buy a shiny, new copy of the reprint edition (although honesty, could that cover be any more blah?).

In other news, where the heck have I been that I haven't spent any time over at Lust Bites? It's a group author blog featuring many Black Lace and Cheek authors. I'm sure I've mentioned a time or two that when the Super Librarian decides to be naughty, her books of choice tend to be Black Lace titles. And oh goodie - today the fabulous Portia Da Costa has an excerpt up of her forthcoming naughty librarian book, In Too Deep. But be warned, 'tis very, very naughty. Bless her heart. I'm always on the lookout for librarian heroines who don't make my head hurt (for the love of God, no more good girl virgins who want to be "bad"), and dear Gwendolynne just might be what the doctor ordered.

Wait a minute....

Gwendolynne?

Wendy?

Coincidence?

Hmmmm......

Crikey!

Disclaimer: This book is currently only published in Australia. I'm reviewing it because 1) A publicist asked me if I wanted to 2) I "know" Bronwyn's name from around the blogosphere and 3) this book won the 2007 Golden Heart award for best unpublished romantic suspense manuscript. Also, last time I checked, my blog can be viewed overseas. No Americans, it ain't all about us. So for those readers not in Australia - you can either 1) fork over the cash for foreign shipping 2) ask your library if they'll ILL a brand new release from overseas (good luck with that) or 3) hope that this book will eventually appear in the U.S. because Hachette also owns Grand Central Publishing. Now, on to the review.

I've made no secret that I tend to love darker reads. Probably the result of all those mystery and suspense novels warping my fragile widdle mind as a teenager. My contemporaries were reading angst-filled teen romances and I was reading about autopsies, serial killers and dead bodies. Hey, even librarians are allowed a dark side.

Which, I think, will be the main stumbling block for most readers when it comes to Bronwyn Parry's debut romantic suspense, As Darkness Falls. There is a dark cloud hanging over this story for pretty much the entire book. The desperation practically drips off the pages. It makes for a compelling read, mostly because I couldn't wait to see if the author would be able to pull off the "happily-ever-after." She does, I think - and quite convincingly.

Isabelle O'Connell was once a well-respected police officer. But when a case she's working in her hometown involving a kidnapped child goes horribly wrong, Isabelle finds herself coping with injuries, both mental and physical, she received at the very hands of people she once trusted. People she thought she knew. So she drops out. Literally. She's living in a cabin in the middle of nowhere, and while she's technically "on leave," for all intents and purposes, she's no longer a cop.

Then Detective Chief Inspector, Alec Goddard, shows up at her door. Another child has been taken from her hometown of Dungirri. She knows the locals, the players, and was an integral part in that last case that went all wrong. He needs her, and despite her reservations and fears, Isabelle knows she has to help. The missing girl is the daughter of her closest high school chum.

Isabelle is a very interesting character. She's intelligent, independent, but also wounded and vulnerable. She's part kick-ass and part damsel-in-need-rescuing. Quite frankly, she's fascinating. In turn, Alec is dedicated, intelligent, but aware of the fact that the job takes a toll on personal relationships. He has seen that toll, and is still carrying around the baggage.

The suspense thread is really quite good here, again because the author infuses this story with a desperation that made it hard for me to stop reading. Australia as a locale has a long history in romance, one that has largely eluded me, but it's a fantastic backdrop here. Dungirri reminded me a lot of those small, slowly dying, east coast towns where industry has dried up and the blue-collar residents are left adrift. Very relatable to an American reader.

The romance here is very good, and the author does a wonderful job of projecting "longing" in her characters. The time frame is short (about a week), but it worked for me in this story, mostly because of the stress the author places her characters under.

The only misstep in this story comes when the police decide to storm into someone's home without benefit of a warrant and circumstances so slim I'd be hard pressed to call them exigent. But again, this takes place in Australia - and what I know about the Australian legal system....well, it's nothing folks. I don't know jack about how the law works in Australia. So American readers would do well to remember that little factoid should they get their hands on this story.

Despite that misstep (which very well could be no misstep at all), and a few chapter transitions that probably could have been smoother, I really enjoyed this book. I positively tore through it, in fact. It's also the first book in a projected trilogy. Hopefully if Parry is a big enough hit in her native Australia, Hachette will decide to treat American readers to her stories as well. As Darkness Falls is a fine romantic suspense tale, one I think American romance readers should have the opportunity to be exposed to.

Final Grade = B+

Will The Wheel Ever Turn?

Every so often I run across a discussion thread somewhere (message board, blog, book discussions) lamenting the death of "big books." You know, door-stoppers. Big, meaty, epic 500+ page sagas that were, once upon a time, all the rage.

Well, I'm here to tell you, the Big Book isn't dead. Exhibit A, Dennis Lehane's forthcoming The Given Day, which clocks in at a whopping 720 pages. Exhibit B, Nelson Demille's forthcoming The Gate House that stands in at 688 pages. Nope kiddies, the Big Book isn't dead....

Just when it comes to the romance genre.

I'm going to be blunt, the lack of Big Books in the romance genre suits me just fine. There are readers like my Big Sis who, when finding a book over 500 pages long, thinks to herself, "Oh good, a book that will take me more than a day to read." Me? My palms begin to sweat. So yeah, I'm just not a Big Book kind of gal.

That is until I read one that is just begging for the 1970s romantic saga treatment. Posted today, over at TGTBTU, is my review of Kathryn Albright's latest Harlequin Historical western, The Rebel And The Lady. Now I love HH westerns. Adore them in fact. And I've lavished all sorts of adjective-laden praise on them over the years. But this book? It's the first time I've ever used the word "epic" to describe a book that clocks in at 288 pages. Oh sure, it's not perfect. For one thing, it's not long enough! That said, it's still really good. So good that I didn't want to wait for my End Of The Reading Month Recap to send y'all over to read my review.

Please, please, please check it out. And if you're a western lover or a historical reader who laments the rise of wallpaper historicals? Skip my review and just buy the book now. Seriously. That good. Final Grade = A-.

Note to Rosie: I think GG would really like this one.

Surviving The HTML Jungle

I've been blogging for five and half years. This means two things. One, I have no life and two, all those monthly archive links on my side bar were starting to annoy me. It was starting to get a touch unwieldy, and I like to keep my side bar as "tidy" as possible (hence the deletion of the blog roll after I discovered the joys of a feed reader).

Then, I saw Lori's new blog. Her archives are a drop down menu! Oh. My. Gawd. How do I get a drop down menu? Want. Need. Must. Have.

Now for those of you who are using Blogger's new "Layouts" design, this is very easy to do. Just go to your layout, click on archives, and you can change it there. Me? Um, yeah - remember that bit about blogging for five and half years? I have not updated to layouts because I'm not sure how it would work with my custom template. Yep, that means Wendy's template is still in good, old-fashioned, HTML.

Let me just say, for the record, I am a code moron. My feeble wittle brain just cannot handle code. It's really "hard" for me to grasp it as a concept, let alone put it into practice. That said? I am the Queen Of Copy And Paste, and the Internet is full of people whose brains can handle code. So I borrow quite a bit.

For those of you who covet the drop down menu, and aren't on the new Blogger Layouts format, I swiped the drop down menu code from here. It was surprisingly easy to "install." Hell, I did it this morning, before I had my caffeine! Of course then I spent the next half hour tinkering with all the other stuff on my side bar, but that's neither here nor there.

I am so happy that I now have my archives in a drop down menu. Yes, I really am that easy to please. And it's all thanks to Lori. Hopefully I haven't scarred her for life.

Super Librarian On The Road

Western romance author Teresa Bodwell recently asked me to write a blog post for the on-going Unleash Your Story fundraiser for Cystic Fibrosis. She thought it might be fun to have a post about reading, and she called on me. I know, wasn't that nice of her?

Anywho, my post is now up and open for comments over at the Unleash Your Story blog. I like to think of it as my love letter to books. Enjoy!

Mysterious Happenings

Ok, so I dropped out of sight for a few days. Let me just say, work has been kicking my ass! Even though I have to spend time with my mechanic tomorrow (the Super Librarian mobile is overdue for an oil change), I am so looking forward to having tomorrow off.

As promised in my last post, I thought I would highlight the two mystery panels I set up for my library's upcoming literary event. I'm particularly pleased with both of these, and hope they're a smashing success.

















We've had successful mystery panels in past years, but they've been very oriented towards traditional mystery and/or the cozy crowd. Folks, I wanted some men this year. I wanted suspense. I wanted thrills. I wanted some testosterone. Brett Battles was the first to accept, and one of the very first people I contacted. He's relatively new to the scene, is local, and the premise to his series totally rocks my socks (the hero is ex-CIA who cleans up crime scenes for a shadowy government agency).

Through him I made contact with Robert Gregory Browne, who, bless his soul, was at RWA in San Francisco. I met him personally at the huge-ass Literary Signing and let me just say - he looked a little overwhelmed. He's got a new book due out in February and Kiss Her Goodbye blends suspense with a touch of the supernatural.

David Rosenfelt (or as I like to call him, The Guy With The Bright Green Book Cover) has written numerous books and his most recent, stand-alone title, got very good reviews.

















And since I landed some men, how about some women as well? Living and working in California, I thought it would be a neat idea to feature women mystery writers who use California as a setting for their novels. See, I'm always looking for an angle. Also, one of my great joys in this job is being a subversive little monkey. Let me explain:

I really wanted to land Cameron Cruise, because her paranormal suspense series is set locally. As in, so locally that we have a branch library there. This was a no brainer folks. She doesn't have a web presence, so it took me throwing myself at the mercy of Stella Cameron for me to make contact. Romance authors have got to be the best darn people in the whole world, and much love to Stella! Anywho, romance readers might know Cruise from her romantic suspense novels, which she publishes under the name Olga Bicos.

I "knew" Michele Scott's name, but landed on her as a potential panelist because she's a member of the San Diego chapter of RWA. Plus she writes two (count 'em two) cozy mystery series (one about wine, one about horses).

Last but not least, is Dorothy Howell. I know, y'all are thinking "who?!" Well, Handbags and Homicide is her first published mystery, but romance readers might know her by another name (Sybil and KristieJ I be looking at you). Yep, Dorothy Howell is none other than long-time Harlequin Historical writer Judith Stacy! And better yet? She now has a web presence for both names! Yeah, yeah, yeah - her mystery series sounds like a lot of fun and it takes place in Los Angeles, but y'all know I really just wanted to get my copy of Married By Midnight autographed.

Kidding, I'm kidding! I actually love the idea of having a "newbie" on the panel and while Stacy has been around the block, this is her first published mystery and the start of a new series.

See, subversive. I wanted a mystery panel and I got it by working the romance community. I can't help it. It's a sickness I tells ya!

And that's it. For now at least. In other work news - I've officially been asked to moderate the romance panel. Again. Which means y'all get to look forward to me doing more homework reading.

Doing The Yeah I'm Done Happy Dance

Longtime readers of this blog will recall that last spring I was knee-deep in homework reading for the annual literary event my library puts together. Since it seems I'll forever be known around the office as "Wendy The Romance Novel Girl," the past two years it has fallen to me to 1) find romance authors willing to pimp themselves out for the day and 2) moderate said romance novel panel discussion. Now, I haven't been asked to be the moderator for our third annual event (yet, anyway) - but I was told to "find some romance authors." Again. As an added bonus, it also fell to me to find some mystery authors this year.

In what is sure to be the grand irony of our time - I had two mystery panels set and ready to go months ago. The romance panel? Yeah, not so much. In fact, my third and final slot on the panel was just taken today. Which means I'm done. I can stop sweating. Unless I'm asked to moderate again, which means another round of "homework reading."

This blog mostly being about all things romance-y, you're probably wondering what authors I got to agree to this day of madness. Here is goes:


Kathleen Givens, who I met at RWA in San Francisco and was flabbergasted to find out she lives locally. As in, so locally that we have a branch library in her town. Duh! Obviously I skipped right over her name while perusing the local RWA chapter site. She writes Scottish historicals.









Chris Marie Green, who just confirmed with me today. Mostly she's going to be on the panel to talk about urban fantasy and paranormal romance, but she also writes for Harlequin under the name Crystal Green.










Christie Ridgway was the first to confirm, bless her heart, and rounds out the trio with her contemporary romances. My desire for the romance panel at this event has always been to display the diversity that the genre offers. Which means I really, really shoot to get authors who all write "different" things. Historical, urban fantasy/paranormal, and straight up contemporary. Yep - mission accomplished.







And because I know some of you are curious - a future post about the mystery authors I rounded up will eventually follow. While I think the romance panel is going to kick some major booty, I'm also really pleased with the two mystery panels I set up. Go Team Wendy!

Back To My Normal

I got up at a ridiculous hour this morning to take the Super Librarian parents to the airport. So that means my life is back to my normal, fabulous routine. Of course it also means I have major catching up to do. I did a pretty decent job on my blog-hopping (although commenting was kept to a bare minimum), but I did zero reading this past week.

I'm talking none. Zilch. Nada. Not a single, solitary word.

This doesn't mean I didn't score books though. Heaven forbid! I made a point of picking up The Keepsake by Tess Gerritsen on Tuesday (yes, the laydown date), although all I've done with it is pet it. I also got a couple of HHs in the mail - The Magic Of Christmas anthology featuring the fabulous Cheryl St. John and The Bounty Hunter And The Heiress by Carol Finch. All this means my TBR anxiety has reached a fever pitch. Hopefully I'll be able to ignore the Michigan-Notre Dame football game today and get some reading in!

In other news this week - I hope everyone in the path of Hurricane Ike is safe and sound. Also my condolences to everyone effected by the terrible train accident near L.A. My parents, My Man and I watched breaking news coverage of it yesterday and the death toll has now risen to 17, with over 130 people injured.

Bad news all the way around, and I hate bad news (of course, who exactly "loves" it?). So I wanted to close out this blog post with something amusing. One thing I did with my parents this week was go to the L.A. County Fair. Yes, L.A. has a county fair. Honest. And it was pretty darn nice. Of course we went during the middle of the day which meant kids and old people on scooters. I'm guessing the crowd is a little different should you go to the fair at night. Anyway, one thing I love about the L.A. county fair are the commercials. Hilarious! This is one of my favorites from a couple of years ago.

Battery Babe

Pudge Rodriguez Says:

"Seriously man, I thought it was safe to come back to southern California. I'm not a Tiger anymore. I was traded to the Evil Empire. My magnificent butt is now wearing pin-strips. Why is that crazy woman in the cape and tiara still following me? Wait a minute....she's throwing batteries! Run Jeter! Run and save yourself!

Every year my parents come out to visit I take them to an Angels game. I just do. It's gotten routine now. Little did I know when I bought these tickets for the Yankees vs. Angels day game that I would see my boy Pudge wearing an evil, dirty Yankee uniform. Damn. I'm still not happy about it. Especially since we got Kyle Farnsworth out of the "deal." Bah!

I can assure you though, I won't be throwing batteries. Not that I wouldn't love to mind you, but because it would likely embarrass my mother, and it would mean my father would have to bail me out of jail. The old man suprisingly lacks a sense of humor about such things.

Sorry Pudge. I love ya. Truly. But Go Angels!

Why I Almost Killed Myself Cleaning Yesterday

Well kiddies, as I type this blog post (ridiculously early for a Saturday morning I might add), my parents' plane has left Michigan. Yep, it's that time of year again. The time of year when the Super Librarian parents come out to visit their Super Librarian progeny for a week. Which means I go from blog-hopping to blog-skimming and the posts over here will be erratic, more likely non-existent.

Carry on as usual. I'll be back to my normal Internet patterns once they board the plane for home on the 13th.

Anarchy In The Stacks

Major props to the delightfully awesome Megan Frampton for providing today's blog fodder. The anarchist librarian? Yeah, that's a T-shirt! Like, how fantastically cool is that? Turns out, not quite as cool as the description of the product on the web site. Check it out:

In the librarian rap battle of the century , one would be left standing, the rest would be dewey decimated, and there was only one rule of the stacks:

Anarchy.

May book befoulers be kept looking over their shoulders. Every time they go to underline, highlight, dog-ear, or let a young child handle a book shortly after eating something with jelly, may they remember that some librarians don't believe in law.

And those who are not librarians by profession, I've seen how your shelves are organized. You have an anarchist librarian inside you fighting to get out.

Seriously, I need to get me this T-shirt.

In other news, today is the first official day of the NFL regular season. This makes me happy for several reasons:

1) I officially stuck the fork in my baseball team about a month ago. My poor wittle librarian heart just couldn't take anymore heartbreak.

2) My Man (The Artist Formerly Known As The Boyfriend) has been watching preseason football around the clock thanks to the NFL Network. So desperate he is for football. And honestly, I just can't get excited about "preseason." I totally understand why he enjoys it (he's a draft junkie and likes watching the "unknowns"), but for me I get bored after watching about a game and a half.

3) I enjoy football. Not as much as baseball, but I do enjoy it. This is even factoring in that I'm a Buffalo Bills fan and I'll be lucky to see my team win 6 games this year. Seriously, sometimes I think watching your team become mired in mediocrity is more depressing than watching them suck wind.

Football also means My Man and I go back to lazy (OK, lazier) Sunday afternoons, watching the game(s), reading the Sunday paper, and counting down the days until it stops being 100 degrees in the shade here in southern California. And don't let anyone tell you otherwise, there is nothing better on this Earth than taking a nap on the couch during a football game. There just isn't.

I Guess It's Better Than Ocho Cinco

The Boyfriend: Do you still call me "The Boyfriend" on your blog?

Me: Yeah.

The Boyfriend: I need a new name. "The Boyfriend" is boring.

Me: Look, you knew when you fell in love with me that I wasn't original or creative.

The Boyfriend: Yeah, but we've been together 10 years Wendy. I deserve a better name. I mean, haven't I gone "beyond" mere boyfriend status.

Me: OK, what do you suggest? I can't call you my partner. People will think we're gay.

The Boyfriend: Something "man." How about My Man?

Me: I can't call you The Man?! Cuz ya know, that would be bad. You'd be The Man.

The Boyfriend: No, not The Man. My Man. Yeah, My Man is way better.

Me: Ok fine. You're now My Man. Happy?

The Boyfriend: Yes.

Me: Geez.

Librarian footnote of the day: For those of you who don't understand the Ocho Cinco reference, here you go.

Libraries: They're Not Just For Books Anymore!

God bless him. I haven't read a story this great on the Internet since I found out that David Duchovny is a raging sex addict.

Yeah, a few days in between wacky Hollywood celebrity stories. I'm not sure how I handled the drought.

Anyway, I've always found Josh Hartnett intriguing. He walks that fine line between gorgeous stud muffin and skeevy skeeze ball much in the same way as Nicholas Cage does (In one movie he's hotter than Hell, in another he looks like a deranged homeless man. I mean, how do they do that?)

Turns out Joshy has been a busy guy. And I do mean biz-ay. Yep, our boy was busted recently for gettin' it on in a library. OK, a hotel library, and not a public one, but still a library.

It's what I've been trying to tell people for years on this blog. Libraries are not only educational, but fun as well! Tee Hee

But you know what I really want to know? Where exactly did Josh and his lady love get down to business? I vote for Dewey Decimal 613.9, which is where one can not only find The Joy Of Sex, but the Kama Sutra as well.

Librarians. We're always here to help. Well....

Within reason.