Used Bookstore

I went to my favourite used bookstore yesterday and found out that after 25 years they are closing.  What am I going to do??  This is the absolute best store in the city.  There are only a handful of other used bookstores around and they either do not have a good selection, of books, lack a romance section, or are poorly organized.  This place was perfect, they had almost a whole room devoted to romance novels, every book was on a shelf and in alphabetical order.  I could spend hours looking through the shelves for the perfect summer read.  It was here that I discovered Nora Roberts, Lisa Kleypas, and Sandra Brown.

The first time I went to this store I was about 13.  I can even remember one of the books I bought (and still have), it was Heather Graham's "A Pirate's Pleasure".  Over the years I would go sporadically, but in my early twenties I often went about once a week, especially during the summer break.  After a while I found that I gravitated to certain authors and would only go to the bookstore when a new book might have made it's way to the shelves.  I am hoping that another book lover will open a similar store with the attention to neatness.  For now, perhaps my summer will include trips to other local used bookstores to see if anything can come close in comparison.  On a positive note, I received over $50 in credit for the books I took to the store yesterday and the books they have left were 50% off the sticker price (which is already 50% of the selling price).

Review - The Witness by Nora Roberts

Elizabeth Fitch is tired of living her life by her mother’s strict rules. So the minute her mother leaves for a medical conference, Elizabeth is out the door and headed to the mall. One new wardrobe, one new BFF, and two new fake IDs later, Liz finds herself at Chicago’s hottest nightclub. But before the night is over, Liz will be a witness to murder, when Alex Gurevich, the nightclub owner, is eliminated by two of his business associates. Twelve years later, Liz, now living as Abigail Lowery, has built a new life for herself as a freelance computer-security programmer in Bickford, Arkansas. Abigail’s first and only priority is staying one step ahead of the Russian Mob, who has never stopped trying to get rid of the one living witness to Gurevich’s murder. The only problem is that Bickford’s new chief of police, Brooks Gleason, simply refuses to let her live in peace, and nothing Abigail says or does seems to convince him that she doesn’t need his help (Amazon).

This is Nora at the top of her game.  In fact I think it is the first novel since Three Fates  that I really enjoyed and want to read again.  My attention was riveted from the first sentence to the last page.  The whole book could have focused on Elizabeth/Abigail in the first year or two after the murder and I still would have read it.  I found Abigail's character to be believable in light of how she was raised, what happened to her and how she had to live.  Although at times her mannerisms and social skills made me think she was a little Autistic.  Not sure if she was, or if Roberts portrayed her that way to show how stunted her upbringing was and the lack of social connections she had before meeting Brooks.  Brooks seems to be the typical Beta male lead, a take charge type of guy that does so while considering the feelings of others.  I did find him to be pushy and overbearing at the beginning with Abigail.  But I let that go, because she was so reclusive, if brooks wasn't pushy, there would have been no love story.

There were no unexpected twits or turns in this novel, but I enjoyed it all.

Review - Rainshadow Road by Lisa Kleypas

Lucy Marinn is a glass artist living in mystical, beautiful, Friday Harbor, Washington.  She is stunned and blindsided by the most bitter kind of betrayal:  her fiancé Kevin has left her.  His new lover is Lucy’s own sister.   Lucy's bitterness over being dumped is multiplied by the fact that she has constantly made the wrong choices in her romantic life.   Facing the severe disapproval of Lucy's parents, Kevin asks his friend Sam Nolan, a local vineyard owner on San Juan Island, to "romance" Lucy and hopefully loosen her up and get her over her anger. Complications ensue when Sam and Lucy begin to fall in love, Kevin has second thoughts, and Lucy discovers that the new relationship in her life began under false pretenses. Questions about love, loyalty, old patterns, mistakes, and new beginnings are explored as Lucy learns that some things in life—even after being broken—can be made into something new and beautiful (Amazon).

For the most part I would say that I liked this book, but I didn't love it, and at points I was cringing.  What I liked about the book:  Lucy and Sam were enjoyable characters that had chemistry together.  Although the Amazon blurb leads one to believe that there is a "big misunderstanding" with how they start dating, in actuality Sam tells Lucy right away about Kevin setting them up.  I found this a refreshing way to deal with the plot rather than Kleypas relying on a hidden secret only to bring it out later for drama.

What I didn't like: the book seemed to waffle between being a contemporary romance and chick lit.  When it read as romance I found the story flowed more and had more chemistry.  When it read as chick lit, I lost interest and skimmed the pages.  Although Lucy and Sam had chemistry, I would characterize the romance in this book as subtle.  I much prefer Kleypas' books that have steamier love scenes.  There is also a paranormal element to the story involving Lucy's ability to change glass into butterflies and Sam's ability to grow plants.  I didn't really see a need for the magic.  It felt like it was placed in the book as an after thought.  Overall, not one of Lisa Kleypas' best efforts.  If you are looking for a meatier romance try one of her historicals or the contemporary Texas trilogy.

Review - From New York to Dallas by J.D. Robb

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The number-one New York Times-bestselling author J. D. Robb presents an intense and terrifying new case for New York homicide cop Eve Dallas, one that will take her all the way to the city that gave her her name-and plunge her into the nightmares of her childhood.
When a monster named Isaac McQueen-taken down by Eve back in her uniform days-escapes from Rikers, he has two things in mind. One is to pick up where he left off, abducting young victims and leaving them scarred in both mind and body. The other is to get revenge on the woman who stopped him all those years ago. (Amazon)

Yes!  The thirty-third full length novel in the In Death series is a stellar one!  I actually enjoyed reading about the process that Eve went through in solving this crime, lately I have found that I tend to skim these sections of the books, but I was fully absorbed in this book and stayed up longer that I should have to read just one more chapter each night.  It seemed a little weird at first without Eve's cast of characters surrounding her and helping.  But after a while everything was fine.  I also appreciated a story without any major bumps in the relationship between Eve and Roarke.  I know that J.D. Robb wants to make their relationship seem realistic, but it is nice to see them together without some internal and/or external friction causing tension.

I do have one little nitpick.  At times Eve uses short form when talking (Robb probably does this to make her sound more authentic I'm sure), but one short form always, always made me stop and giggle.  Using the context of what Eve was saying or asking, I'm pretty sure the word was analysis, but the short form used in the book was anal, and yes my (apparently 12 year old boy's) mind went there each and every time it was used.  I honestly can't remember if this as been used in previous books, but one would think that I would remember seeing how often I would stop, giggle, read the sentence over again and giggle again.  Even so, this book is a perfect example as to why I enjoy reading a J.D. Robb book.  Even though we knew who the killer was, you are kept at the edge of your seat wondering what will happen next.

Review - My One and Only by Kristan Higgins

Divorce attorney Harper James can't catch a break. Bad enough that she runs into her ex-hubby, Nick, at her sister's destination wedding, but now, by a cruel twist of fate, she's being forced to make a cross-country road trip with him. And her almost-fiancé back at home is not likely to be sympathetic.
Harper can't help that Nick has come blazing back into her life in all of his frustratingly appealing, gorgeous architect glory. But in Nick's eyes, Harper's always been the one. If they can only get it right this time, forever might be waiting—just around the bend. (Amazon)

My One and Only is Higgin's 7th book.  It is also the seventh book of hers that features (prominently) a zany, yet needy family and a dog.  It is also her first book that I did not buy, but borrowed from the library.  I don't think I will purchase any of her books in the future unless she moves away from the crazy secondary characters and dog shtick.  Don't get me wrong, I will continue to read her new novels, I just won't buy them until there is a change.  The book for me did not get interesting and readable until the tenth chapter.  That was when Harper and Nick left the other characters behind for their road trip. 

It took me a while to like Harper.  In the beginning, I found her to be overbearing and yet needy.  She was willing to marry her boyfriend Dennis just because it was time for her to get married.  So she bought her own ring, had a list of things she wanted him to change, and ignored the signs that he wasn't willing to marry in hopes that she would eventually wear him down.  Also, rather than swearing she used the word "crotch", I have to say that being the same age as her I have never used that word in the contexts she did and it felt unnatural and immature.  But again, once I got to chapter ten and we delve into why Harper is the way she is, she becomes more likable.

To be perfectly honest, if I were just reviewing chapters 10 to 24, this book would an A.  I was invested in the story, Nick and Harper were entertaining and I was rooting for them.  Higgins really has the knack for writing riveting stories.  I even cried once, although to be perfectly honest it may have more to do with my hormones.  I also cried yesterday while watching an episode of the Dog Whisperer - he was helping a rescued dog become less fearful of the world and actually get out of a chair! 

I seem to have a problem of letting things go, authors I enjoy reading are included.  So it is more than likely that I will read the next book out by Kristan Higgins, but please. for. the. love. of. God! get rid of the wacky family members, the dogs, and this need to pair the heroine with a family member's ex, or a family member with the heroine's ex!  It gets tiresome after the seventh book.

The Witness by Nora Roberts

Every so often I like to look up upcoming books by my favourite authors.  Today I decided to see if there was any information on Nora Roberts' hardcover for 2012.  I discovered that her next book is titled The Witness and will be released on April 17, 2012.  I have not come across a cover or the synopsis but I did find a description from Nora herself at her messageboard about the book:

Right now I’m working on the 2012 hardcover. As a teenager our heroine has her first rebellion and as a consequence witnesses brutal murder. This brilliant, socially awkward girl goes under the protection of the US Marshalls, but things go horribly wrong. Some 12 years later, with only herself to depend on, she’s still on the run. Until she meets the charming and tenacious local chief of police in the quiet area of the Ozarks where she’s trying to settle down.

I am looking forward to this book, it sounds like a classic Roberts suspense.

Friday Book Trailer

Here's another Friday book trailer that is actually a trailer for a movie based on a book.  This time it's Janet Evanovich's One for the Money.



I haven't read any of the books since #6 because I was getting tired of the triangle between Stephanie, Joe and Ranger (I was a Joe girl, but also found Ranger hot - he just needed his own girl).  I also found that the books were becoming too formulaic with the jokes and characters.  I tried reading numbers 7 and 8 but couldn't finish either one.  I think the series is up to 17 now.  I absolutely loved the first 6 books and read each one a couple of times.  So I think I might actually check this movie out when it comes out in January.  Meanwhile, I think it might be time for a re-read of One for the Money.

Review - Prey by Linda Howard

Thirty-two year old Angie Powell and wilderness guide has finally decided to put up her family business for sale.  Business has slowed down in the past two years due to the economy and the arrival of fellow wilderness guide, Dare Callahan.  Dare, a veteran of the war in Iraq, returned to Montana three years ago, is seen as a stronger more capable guide.

Angie has one more client to take on a hunt before she leaves town.  Things go horribly wrong for her though when Angie witnesses a murder and must deal with a rampaging black bear.  Luckily for her, Dare has set up camp near by.  Together, they must overcome their hard feelings and work together to get off the mountain.

I was a little leery about reading this book.  Something about spending time in the wilderness just does not appeal to me.  It's a lot of work, it can be cold, rainy, and too many bugs (and now apparently I have to worry about psycho bears).  When my friends talk about wanting to go camping my eyes glaze over and I start to dream of resorts with spas.    The book started off a little slow but things really started rolling once Angie started the hunt.  I made the mistake a deciding to read a little bit more at 11pm last night before I went to sleep.  I stayed up until 3am to finish it.  This book is a perfect (or almost perfect) example of  why I enjoy reading romance.  Not everything may be believable and the suspense may be lacking because the reader knows who the villain is, but I could not put it down.  I also enjoyed the little snippets of humour between Dare and Angie when they were on the mountain and the sex and sexual tension was not steaming hot, but warm enough!  Warning, if you do not enjoy reading anything remotely gory you might want to skim the parts that involve the bear.  I also admit that I found the suspense really lacking near the end of the book.  I wish there had been more time devoted to the villain tracking Angie and Dare.  Even with the minor nitpicks I loved this book, maybe not as much as Open Season or Mr. Perfect, but Prey cam pretty close.

Friday Book Trailer

Something a little different for today's book trailer.  It's a news clip about Harlequin romance novels, book covers and a little bit about the history of the romance genre.  With Seth Rogen and Paul Rudd (mmmm Paul Rudd!) reading from some books!

The Next Always by Nora Roberts

This one almost slipped by me!  Roberts' newest trilogy begins with The Next Always, which will be released November 1, 2011.  It looks like fact and fiction will be merging for this trilogy, which takes place in a family renovated bed-and-breakfast in Boonsboro, MD (Nora and her family have actually renovated a B&B in Boonsboro).  Following is the synopsis from Amazon:

The historic hotel in BoonsBoro, Maryland, has endured war and peace, changing hands, even rumored hauntings. Now it's getting a major facelift from the Montgomery brothers and their eccentric mother. As the architect of the family, Beckett's social life consists mostly of talking shop over pizza and beer. But there's another project he's got his eye on: the girl he's been waiting to kiss since he was fifteen...

Can I just say that I love the front cover of this book?  There's something very warm and romantic about the old stone building, the colours of the wood and the flowers.  If this is the front of the actual B&B I think I might need to take a road trip.  And talk about great free advertising for it!  If any fan of Nora's didn't know she owns a B&B in her hometown, they will now!  Seeing as how this book is about a mother and two sons, I wonder how many of Nora's fans will be asking her how much of her life made it into this book? 

I am looking forward to reading this book, I love a romance in a small hometown where people fall in love with someone they have known all their life, but never considered.  But, enough with the trade size!  I knew this would happen when Roberts' Bride Quartet came out in Trade.  I hate that size!  For one thing it is more expensive, and another thing, it is not comfortable to hold while reading.  I want the mass market book back for the trilogies!  I will definitely be borrowing this book from the library instead of buying it, even though Roberts is usually an autobuy for me.

Cleaning Bookshelves

I know I haven't posted in a loooooonnngg time.  I started a course in June and there are assignments due almost daily.  After I am done those, I do not feel like writing or reading anything else!  But, I finished a couple assignments early, so here I am. 

Do you ever get tired of seeing your bookshelves crammed with a ton of books?  I think I am getting to that point.  But, last summer I culled the shelves to take out books that I haven't reread in a couple of years.  I boxed the books up and put them away thinking that if I didn't want to read one of those books within a year, it would be safe to get rid of them. So now all that is there are my favourite authors.  But I am starting to get that spring cleaning feeling and want to get the shelves all nice and streamlined.  Problem is, what if a couple of months from now I suddenly have an urge to read Nora Roberts' Dream trilogy but they are no longer there?  I tell myself that I could just borrow them from the library, but what if the library doesn't have them? 

If I were to take out some books, I think that most of my Nora Roberts books would be gone.  I would just keep a couple of my absolute favourites.  I am finding that I do not return to read any of her books lately.  And I think it is most of her books that are taking up so much space.  But it almost feels like I am breaking up with an old friend!  I would have to keep all of Diana Gabladon's books and all of Johanna Lindsey's books.  Almost every year or two I return to read through their complete backlists.

Right now all the paperback books I have are stacked two books deep on the shelves.  Anyone have any suggestions on making the shelves look neater?

Reading Slump

And I think my reading slump will continue on until I get Johanna Lindsey's newest book next week.  The books I picked up at the library last week just aren't holding my attention.

Against the Law by Kat Martin - I stopped reading at chapter 16 but left my bookmark in, so I might return and give it one more try.  So far Lark hired Dev Raines to help her find her niece that had been adopted a couple of years ago.  Within a couple of chapters they find her in her adoptive parents house, along with the dead parents and nanny.  They take the girl and leave.  Now Lark is raising her neice, but where are the CAS workers and anyone else you would think would be involved in this?  I'm pretty sure you can't just take a child, even if she is your niece.  The back cover leads the reader to think the story is about finding the child, but she is found even before the book is half way through.  It then begins to concentrate on the drug smuggling business the adoptive father was involved in.

Black Magic by Cherry Adair - I'm only on page ten, I don't think I am in the mood for a paranormal story right now, so I might come back to this book another time.

The Hellion and The Highlander by Lynsay Sands - A cute, readable historical set in England and Scotland during the Crusades.  History takes a back seat in this novel which is more character driven than plot.  I did finish reading it, there were a couple of humourous moments involving the heroine's inexperience in the bedroom.  However, after awhile, her lack of experience in certain acts became cringe-worthy rather than funny.  I lost interest in the story around chapter thirteen and skimmed through the rest of the book.

Conversations With The Fat Girl by Liza Palmer - This story is about two best friends, Maggie and Olivia, who grew up being the fat girls.  Olivia goes on to lose her weight through surgery, becomes engaged, and wants Maggie to be her maid of Honour.  I couldn't finish this book because I found the main character, Maggie, to be too immature for her age.  Although she is 27, I found her reactions to her "crush" at work to be similar to a fourteen year old.  Maybe it was because the author was trying to convey the sense that  Maggie did not have those experiences as a teenager.  I don't know, it just felt off.  I also found it unbelievable that Olivia, who is portrayed as being sweet and nice as a fat girl, suddenly becomes a raging bitch because she is thin.  I get that people change when their perceptions of themselves change, but I can't see someone suddenly treating everyone around them as insignificant and beneath them just because they have lost weight.  Perhaps if the author had kept Olivia's sweet character, but brought out her insecurities in a different way, I would have found it more believable.

Moonlight Road by Robyn Carr - Gah!  Why did I bother trying this author again???!!!  I obviously did not learn from the first time.  Once again, this book is chock full of previous characters, everyone is related to someone and practically all the female characters are pregnant.  Note to self - do not bother with this author again.

     

Library Trip

Well I didn't have much luck getting The Game of Thrones at the library on Friday.  Apparently everyone else also wants to read it right now.  So I am 6th on the waiting list.  I did come across a couple of books that interested me, which is good because I have been in a reading slump since finishing Rachel Gibson's Any Man of Mine.  These books should keep me pretty busy over the next couple of weeks:

    

30 Days of Books - Days 26 and 27

A Book That Changed Your Opinion About Something

I tried, I really did, to come up with a book for day 26.  But I've got nothing, even though I procrastinated and waited a day before posting.  My luck, I will  immediately think of a book in another day or two.

The Most Surprising Plot Twist Or Ending

When I first started the 30 days of books, I looked over the list to try and plan what books I would talk about.  For today, Sandra Brown's Where There's Smoke immediately came to mind.  I first read this book when I was about twenty.  I remember being stunned (jaw-dropping and gasping) by two plot twists in this book.  I'm not sure if it was because I was just starting to get into contemporary romance and didn't see it coming, or if I was too naive.  But, over 15 years later I still enjoy reading this book and think it holds up well.  It has the feel of an epic novel because it does not just focus on the hero and heroine, but a cast of characters living in the same town.

No one knows why Dr. Lara Mallory came back home to Eden Pass, Texas to open up her medical practice after all these years. But everyone remembers her role in the well-publicized scandal that caused the downfall of White House hopeful Senator Clark Tackett. So when the iron-fisted matriarch of Tackett Oil uses every weapon in her arsenal to drive her out of town, Lara refuses to go quietly. Yet in this corruption-riddled town, nothing is as it seems. An explosive secret lurks beneath the surface, threatening Lara at every turn. Her unlikely ally: Key, the hell-raising youngest Tackett son. Thrown together, they're on a dangerous quest to expose the one secret that can destroy the Tackett empire-and anyone who dares to challenge its power.

If you love melodramatic books featuring family empires, secrets, and ill-fated love, you will love this book!  Spoiler alert - below I have written the two plot twists that completely took me by surprise.  Highlight the words to read them.

After Lara is accused to having an affair with Clark Tackett, she and her husband, Randall, are banished to the Carribean nation of Montesangre.  There, the ambassador Randal and their daughter are murdered.  A couple of years later, Lara ends up in Eden Pass with one mission - to get Key to fly her back to Montesangre for her daughter's body.  The first plot twist is that Randall is not dead but has been living in Montesangre all these years.  The second twist is that it wasn't Lara who was having an affair with Clark, but Randall.

30 Days of Books - Day 19

Favourite Book Turned Into A Movie

My favourite book turned into movie is Nora Roberts' novel Montana Sky.  Montana Sky is one of my favourite romantic suspense novels and the movie for the most part does not disappoint.  I think it would have been better if it was a miniseries rather than a two hour movie.  Also, I didn't like how they changed the character of Nate.  In the novel he is a lawyer who is somewhat awkward around Tess.  In the movie he is a sheriff who is almost too stupid to believe.  I preferred the novel Nate and am not sure why they had to change him.