October Wrap-Up

Well, this is kind of an abbreviated wrap-up, as I'll explain below.  October started out with a bang and ended with a whimper...

What I read (I stopped keeping track around the middle of the month but this is what I remember reading):
1.  Seduction of a Highland Lass by Maya Banks (3 stars)
2.  Never Love a Highlander by Maya Banks (4 stars)
3.  If I Tell by Janet Gurtler (4 stars)
4.  Drink Deep by Chloe Neill (4 stars)
5.  Legend by Marie Lu (4 stars)
6.  Sold to the Highest Bidder by Donna Alward (3 stars)
7.  A Novel Seduction by Gwyn Cready (4 stars)
8.  Darker Still by Leanna Renee Heiber (4 stars) (review tomorrow)
9.  Long Time Coming by Scarlett Parrish (4 stars)
10. Fifty Shades of Grey by E L James (5 stars)*
11. Fifty Shades Darker by E L James (5 stars)*
12.  Forever Mine by Elizabeth Reyes (3 1/2 stars)
13.  Come Monday by Mari Carr (3 stars)
14.  Home Sweet Home by Bella Riley (1 star)
15.  Sins of the Highlander by Connie Mason (3 stars) (review to come)

*I know this series is a bit "controversial", but I loved both books (apparently it was originally Twilight fanfic, and while I could point out the similarities, it's definitely it's own story)!  Were there some problems?  Sure there were, but it's been a while since I read something that grabbed my attention and held it as I breathlessly turned each page, waiting to find out what was going to happen next. For that reason alone I gave them 5 stars. Christian is my latest book boyfriend.  Yes, he's fifty shades of fucked up, but man he's sexy!!!  Can. Not. Wait. for the next book, Fifty Shades Freed, out in January.

Pam reviewed:
1.  Lethal by Sandra Brown (4 stars)
2.  Riversong by Tess Hardwick (4 stars)
3.  Caressed by Moonlight by Amanda Greene (3 1/2 stars)
4.  Unleashed by Sara Humphries (3 1/2 stars)

I did a character interview with Chloe Neill - Merit's grandfather, Chuck Merit.  That was my first "character interview" and it was fun...

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(me, Janna, Leontine)

GayRomLit came to New Orleans in October, and while I did not go to the conference, I did get to meet some of the bloggers who came into town!  First I met the lovely Leontine (Leontine's Book Realm) and Janna (Rarely Dusty Books), who came in from the Netherlands a week early.  We spent a day running around the French Quarter and I took them out to a Barnes & Noble just for kicks.  We found a little bookshop I'd been wanting to visit - Faulkner House Books.  They filled my kids with candy and then we parted ways :)

The next weekend the rest of the group came in:  Kris (Kris n' Good Books), Chris (Stumbling Over Chaos), Kassa (three am), Tam (Tam's Reads), and Tracey (Tracey's Place).  I met them for drinks Thursday night at Lafitte's in Exile, where we were treated to drinks made by Jimmy, a most excellent bartender, and naked and semi-naked guys on the bar.  Saturday night I met the ladies at the GRL wine and cheese party, then headed out to the gay bar crawl.  It was a bit unorganized, and we didn't stay with the group for long...and ended up back at Lafitte's.  There might have been too many alcoholic beverages consumed, and someone might have been sick the next day, but I'm not telling *winks*...  It was such an awesome experience to meet these ladies - they were all so lovely and I had a genuinely good time.  For someone who gets very anxious in social situations, that's saying a lot.

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And lastly, I announced that after 2 1/2 years, I'm shutting down the ol' blog.  As I mentioned in my post, I do have a few books left to review, but I think I'll have everything wrapped up by the end of December (with a LOT of help from Pam...she's a lifesaver, truly).  It's not one specific thing, but a lot of little things - basically what it boils down to is that I can no longer juggle work, family, and the blog - something had to give and giving up work and/or family was not an option.  (If I ever win the lottery I'll be back in action, lol)   So....I'm still very sad about it but it is what it is.

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I've got some great reads coming up this month that I'm pretty excited about.  

What are you looking forward to in November?

October Wrap-Up

Wow, October flew by! I can't believe it's November already. Seems like just yesterday I was making New Year's resolutions for the book blog...and it's time to start thinking about what I'd like to accomplish for next year.

October was a busy month - let's start with my reads:
1. Grimspace by Ann Aguirre (4 stars)
2. Wanderlust by Ann Aguirre (4 stars)
3. Doubleblind by Ann Aguirre (3 stars)
4. Killbox by Ann Aguirre (4 stars)
5. Pack Challenge by Shelly Laurenston (4 stars)
6. Me and Mr. Darcy by Alexandra Potter (3 1/2 stars)
7. Slave to Pleasure by Eliza Gayle (3 stars)
8. Dark Desires After Dusk by Kresley Cole (4.5 stars)
9. Kiss of a Demon King by Kresley Cole (4.5 stars)
10. Pleasure of a Dark Prince by Kresley Cole (5 stars)
11. Corralled by Lorelei James (4.5 stars)
12. Montana Glory by R.C. Ryan (4 stars)
13. L.A. Caveman by Christina Crooks (3 stars)
14. Ghost Town by Rachel Caine (5 stars) - review to come
15. The Love Goddess' Cooking School by Melissa Senate (4 1/2 stars)
16. Dating Mr. December by Phillipa Ashley (3 1/2 stars)

I also re-read most of Outlander (I skimmed the slow parts, LOL) since I picked it up for free on my kindle last month.

Speaking of Kindle, October also brought me a new Kindle 3!! Let me just say again - loves it!!! It's smaller, faster, and crisper. I also bought the lighted cover - if you do get a kindle 3, I highly recommend this cover :)

Parajunkee and I crashed Undead Con and met Jeaniene Frost and Karen Essex. Okay, we didn't really crash the con but we did show up just to meet the authors. I also ended up getting a new tattoo with hubs that evening :)

Also in October, Karen Marie Moning announced she was coming to New Orleans for her Shadowfever release - I am so freakin' excited!!! I've already planned to take the day off from work and would love to meet any other bloggers who are able to go!

And, lastly, I threw out the question: Authors - to stalk or not to stalk? and got some amazing answers from both sides of the question. Very interesting and informative comments.

So, that's my October - how was yours?

My October Reads

Wow, November already! When I was a kid and I'd hear the adults talk about how time flies I thought they were nuts...now I understand.



Here's my list of October reads (I think...at some point I quit writing them down and hope I remember them all!)



1. To Tempt the Wolf - Terry Spear

2. Big Bad Wolf - Christine Warren

3. Beware a Scot's Revenge - Sabina Jefferies

4. Some Girls Bite - Chloe Neill (re-read)

5. Friday Night Bites - Chloe Neill

6. Highland Rebel - Judith James

7. Frostbitten - Kelley Armstrong

8. Austenland - Shannon Hale

9. Border Lass - Amanda Scott

10. Practice Makes Perfect - Julie James

11. According to Jane - Marilyn Brant

12. A Rush of Wings - Adrien Phoenix

13. On the Edge - Ilona Andrews

14. Cry Sanctuary - Moira Rogers

15. The Trials of the Hon. F. Darcy - Sara Angelini

16. Start Me Up - Victoria Dahl

17 - ???? I read the first 12 or 13 Breeds books by Lora Leigh (some were short stories). I have to say, although after a while the plot does get formulaic, Book 11 - Jacob's Faith - had me cracking up over her BOBs (battery operated boyfriends)!



I also started An Echo in a Bone, but haven't finished it. It's good, but As you can see from my list, I haven't been in the mood for a historical lately.