Things To Do When You Turn 37

My birthday was on the 14th. I turned 37. Most of my friends stay 35 forever. Not me. I embrace getting older.

Of course, I don't feel older. As evidenced by my choice of birthday movie. Every year the Man takes me out to dinner and a movie. This year we're trying to cut back on spending so we skipped dinner out and saw a movie instead. There are a lot of good movies out this time of year. And I could have picked any number of moving or comedic movies to see. What did I pick?

Horton Hears a Who.

This was my favorite Dr. Seuss book growing up. I loved Horton and his heroic journey to save the Whos of Whoville who happen to live on a speck that's landed on a clover. I loved the Sour Kangaroo, the Whos in Whoville. I even loved the Wishersham Brothers. So, when I found out that Fox was making a movie and that it was opening on my birthday, well I had to be there.

And I'm so glad I was. It was wonderful fun. Great animation. Wonderful music. Great nostalgic fun. And after the movie, I went to www.hortonmovie.com and adopted a Who. It was the best birthday ever.

I hope, when you turn 37, or whatever age your turning on your next birthday, you grab yourself some whimsy and see a movie full of childish enthusiasm and wonder. It's totally worth it.

Good Reads - February 2008

February was a good reading month for me. I read several new-to-me authors and wasn't disappointed with a single book.

Time For Love - Kelly Kirch (ebook)
Kelly's debut novel was a treat, blending time travel and love. See my review here.

Strangers in Death - JD Robb
Love me some Roarke! This was another great installment to the In Death series.

Firefly Lane - Kristin Hannah
Poignant, funny, and devastating all at the same time. There's a reason it's been compared to Beaches.

Strong & Sexy - Jill Shalvis
Another fun book filled with hot men, amazing women and lots of lovin'. *g*

Really Something - Shirley Jump
I like SJ, and I really liked this book, until I realized how young the hero/heroine were supposed to be. That totally distracted me. Then I made them older in my mind and all was well. LOL

The Haunting - Hope Tarr
Reincarnation, karma (to a degree) and ghosts are the foundation of this romance. The end left something to be desired, but the story was creative and well developed.

Blue Smoke - Nora Roberts
A re-read for me of a book that will always remain on my keeper shelf. So much better than the Lifetime movie version of the story, lol.

Slave to Sensation - Nalini Singh
I give Nalini total props for world building and story telling. She brings us into a unique version of Earth and life in the not-so-distant future. I really enjoyed it and will check out more of her Psy-Changeling series.

Megan's Mate - Lora Leigh
Great storytelling skills. I was in the world Lora created. But there was something that bothered me about the story. I'm not sure what. May require a re-read. Good enough that I'll get the next book of her Breed series from the library.

Time For Love

I'm not generally a fan of e-books. I think it's more the format of the book than the actual content. There's something soothing and visceral about holding a bound book in my hands and turning pages as I read. My aversion to the e-format has caused me to miss out on some wonderful stories by some very talented authors.

One such author, Kelly Kirch, allowed me to have an Advanced Reader Copy (ARC) of her debut novel Time For Love. I really, really, really enjoyed this e-book. Um, but I did print it out so I could have the feel of turning pages, lol! Here's a little bit about the book:

Sarah Hanson's life began the day she was fired. One moment she was heading home by taxi. The next she was the arms of Gorgeous Guy, speaking with a British accent and wearing Regency-era attire. She thinks it's a dream, but as days pass she realizes that she has traveled back to a simpler time and is now the widowed Lady Billington. But life here isn't that different from the life she left behind.

Lord Drake Hayworth, is quite taken with Lady Billington. There is something most appealing about her unusual speech, her irreverence, not to mention her voluptuous curves. No matter how he desires Sarah, he is torn for he has been promised to the daughter of a good friend. A woman he must marry but will never love. And that is how he has always wanted things. Until Sarah started to disturb his peace.

For the first time, Sarah is embraced within a family who loves and cares for her deeply. Will Sarah find true love? Or will it be snatched from her by time and circumstance?

Kelly Kirch's debut novel is a wonderful tale of a contemporary woman who has been thrown into the past. Kelly's pacing and character development are spot-on and the plot will keep you reading until you reach the satisfying, and surprising, conclusion. Time for Love is available now for download at www.cerridwenpress.com.

This was not a typical time travel. Oh sure, someone traveled back in time and fell in love. But the story didn't center just around this plot. There was a great subplot involving a secondary character that added a nice edge to the story. If you're looking for a nice way to spend an afternoon, evening or weekend, I recommend you pick up Time For Love.

Book Meme

I stole, I mean found this over on Jill Shalvis' blog and thought it looked like fun. So, being the sheep I am, I decided to try it.

The directions are:
1. Pick up the nearest book.
2. Open it at page 123.
3. Find the fifth sentence/ phrase.
4. Blog the next four sentences/ phrases together with these instructions.
5. Don’t you dare dig your shelves for that very special or intellectual book.
6. Pass it forward to six friends

I'm not going to pass this on because, well, if you want to do it you will. *g*

The box of condoms Jill had also insisted upon were packed in her suitcase, and so she was half-hoping the airlines really would lose her luggage on that account.

She tried to focus her blurring vision on the back of the seat in front of her, a loose, dirty orange weave with flecks of unnatural blue. The plane lifted and dropped again, and she felt acid burn at the base of her throat.

"Are you doing that on purpose?" she shouted to the pilot, then bit her tongue when every other person on the plane turned to look at her.

This was taken from Susan Kay Law's book, Just Sex. Which was a wonderful, wonderful story. I can't wait for her next contemporary women's fiction novel.

Okay. Your turn!

Good Reads - January 2008

I thought about writing down all the books I read in a month and posting about them all here. Then I counted how many books I read last month and nearly choked. LOL So, I'm going to start blogging about the reads that stuck with me. I may do that as I finish a book or I may do that in one chunk.

Here are some of the more memorable reads I had in January:

The Last Twilight by Marjorie M. Liu - book #7 in Liu's Dirk & Steele Series. Book #8 is scheduled for release later this year. A great installment to the D&S world!

The Rest Falls Away by Colleen Gleason - This is the first book in the Gardella Vampire Slayer series. A wonderful book full of Regency England and traditional vampire mythology with a vamp slayer twist. It truly is Buffy meets Jane Austen and I can't wait to continue with the series.

Accidentally Yours by Susan Mallery - This book had Susan's trademark wit, but with a twist. The heroine is a woman who would do anything for her dying child. The hero is a man who has closed himself off to love. Together they make a deal that may just be the salvation she's been looking for, but at what cost? If you're looking for something with some bitter sweet, some hope and laughter, this is the book for you.

Forbidden Stranger by Marilyn Pappano - Marilyn writes for Harlequin and Silhouette, and mostly for what was the Silhouette Intimate Moments line. The line is now titled Silhouette Romantic Suspense and the books are shorter, which made me wonder how good they could really be. Marilyn's book was wonderfully written with great character development balanced with a suspense plot. She wowed me with some of her previous books and I would say the woman still has it!

Also by Marilyn Pappano was a reread of The Trouble with Josh - I had read this when it was first released in 2003 and stumbled across it again as I was trying to figure out which books in my plethora of book boxes could I, or should I, pass on to other needy readers. TTWJ is a little different. The heroine was not a lovely person in her life before cancer. But she is living in life after cancer and she wants to make amends and grow as a person. The book is her journey as well as the journey of a man who hasn't wanted to settle down and finds himself drawn to a woman who by all accounts he should hate. Loved the juxtaposition of motivations in this story. And am happy to say was not able to let it leave my house!

Smart & Sexy by Jill Shalvis - I love Jill's writing! She's got great sexual chemistry, wonderful characters and her wit! It's amazing. Smart & Sexy is book one of a trilogy. The second book is out now, and I'm waiting for the library to alert me that they have it ready for me to pick up.

I know there were more reads in January. They aren't sticking out to me at moment, but if I do remember them, I'll post them soon.

I hope you've had time to read some good books. Fiction. Non-fiction. It doesn't matter. Just read. And enjoy!

For The Fashion Challenged

I am not a fashionista. Far from it. I'm so fashion challenged that I feel dumpy and insecure around certain friends who always look amazing. You know who you are, and I love you anyway. *g*

I was recently directed to a website that may just be my salvation. Missus Smarty Pants is a woman who loves fashion and loves helping women. Via email, she will help you dress for your body type for each season. For what is really a nominal fee. If after reviewing her site, you're not sure what body type you are, she will help you assess that for a slightly, and I do mean slightly, higher fee. Nothing to lose, right? Right.

I've been reviewing her site and I think I'm going to sign up. I need help. I've gained a lot of weight over the past few years and I'm not loving how certain clothes look/fit. And seriously, what I think is adorable my fashion first friends tell me is really really not. *sigh* I'll keep you posted, but honestly, I think this is going to be just what the fashion doctor ordered.

Something Fun for the Girls

A friend sent me a You Tube link and I had to share. At first, it was just funny and cute. And then it made me think about women and how we can objectify men just as easily as they objectify women. Fair? Probably not. But hey, at least we're all equal opportunity objectifiers.

Still, the You Tube clip was cute so I have to share.