Books Read In December

December was a slow reading month for me. Life was busy, work was busy and I felt more like hibernating than reading. Still, there were several quality reads this month. What a great way to end 2009!

As Shadows Fade by Colleen Gleason -- I was sad to come to the end of this 5 book journey with Victoria Gardella and her merry vampire hunters. And while the story arcs are now finished, there is the opportunity for further stories down the road. After all, not even Illa Gardella can vanquish all the vampires...right?

Kindred in Death by J. D. Robb -- There has yet to be an In Death book I don't enjoy. Kindred in Death was a great story that subtly propels the series forward while giving the reader a satisfying story with a a compelling plot and beloved characters. And the body count was just right. LOL

Succubus on Top by Richelle Mead -- Richelle Mead amazed me. She developed a unique world within the urban fantasy genre and gave us a succubus with a conscience. We were first introduced to Georgina in Succubus Blues and the story continues in Succubus on Top. Some of the layers of this unique world within Seattle, WA are being revealed and I cannot wait to pick up the third book in this series!

Succubus Dreams by Richelle Mead -- Book three of the Georgina Kincaid series. The series still has wonderful wit and quirky humor but the tones are starting to turn darker. Things are getting more complicated for the succubus - both in her love life and in her immortal life - and there are some interesting twists and turns. I'm really enjoying this series and am so happy book 4 is currently in print.

One What Grounds by Cleo Coyle -- I wanted to read a mystery and after reading about Cleo Coyle on Marjorie M. Liu's blog I decided to give the Coffee House Mystery series a try. I'm so glad! The book was well written with engaging characters, a unique location and a great plot. If you are a fan of cosy mysteries and coffee, this series is for you!

The Ghost & Mrs. McClure by Alice Kimberly -- I enjoyed the Coffee House Mystery book so much I wanted to know what else she wrote. Under pen name Alice Kimberly she writes the Haunted Bookshop series. A 1940's gumshoe haunts the bookstore of widow Penelope McClure. And only Pen can see him! The first book was off to a slow start but got much better as the story went along. I will definitely read book 2!

Blaze of Memory by Nalini Singh -- Book 7 or 8 of Nalini's Psy/Changling series takes a closer look at the Forgotten, members of the Psy community whose ancestors broke away from the Psy during the implementation of Silence. Decades later some of the Forgotten are developing strong mental skills and are once again being hunted by the Psy. It's up to Dev, the leader of Shine, to protect his people. The conflict for this story centered around Dev and a left-for-dead Psy scientist whose mind has been broken by the Psy Council and may be a sleeper agent sent to destroy everything Dev has worked toward. This is a strong addition to the Psy/Changling paranormal romance series and opens the door to many future plots that I'm very excited to read about. Once Nalini writes them, that is. *grin*

Soundtrack Friday

Merry Christmas! If you're reading this blog entry today, thank you. I do appreciate it. But stop reading now and go spend some time enjoying the holiday! *grin*

In honor of the holiday, today's Soundtrack Friday contains not one but two tracks. I had a difficult time narrowing things down to one song. There are so many touching and sentimental songs out there for the season and I have a healthy collection of Christmas music.

First, we have a soulful Christmas song from one of my musical icons of the 80s, Richard Page. While Richard isn't putting out albums at the moment, he did write and produce a song for the season back in 2008 and released it on You Tube and iTunes. I Always Cry At Christmas is a wonderful reminder of the wonder of this time of year.



As a special holiday bonus, we have Third Day and the song I Want To See Christmas Like A Child. Katie, this one's for you!

All I Want For Christmas

It's Christmas Eve and it's been snowing since last night. I'm not complaining. My husband takes care of keeping the driveway and walk clear, Velcro Dog loves the snow so when the hubby is outside Velcro Dog goes with him. And I get some quiet moments sitting at the table, looking out at snow covered trees through the windows and enjoying a hot cup of tea. This is my idea of bliss. Especially after taking Velcro Dog to the park to run around while I snowshoed and hubby shoveled a path for some of the less adventurous.

In the truck on the way home, with a sleepy Velcro Dog curled up in the back of the cab, Hubby asked me what I wanted for Christmas. We usually exchange gifts in January rather than over Christmas. This is by design to alleviate the pressure of needing to have our gifts figured out while at the same time shopping for family and friends. I shifted in my seat and snuggled close to him and smiled up at him. "A house elf," I replied.

My husband is not a fanciful man so rolled his eyes at my suggestion. "We're not getting a cleaning service or a housekeeper." Yeah, my suggestion was a long shot. That doesn't mean I won't keep trying.

I turned serious and pondered his original question. What do I want for Christmas? I could say a Nook e-reader or a gift card to Barnes & Noble. Books are always a welcome addition to my life. But Hubby feels odd giving me books since I buy them for myself all year long. I could ask for a spa day or makeover but as fun as those sound I would want to go with someone and that could be a scheduling nightmare.

I don't really need anything. What I want I have. A good relationship with a man who knows all my quirks and loves me because of them. A house that is evolving more and more into a home we are proud to own. A dog who loves us and brings us joy. Friends. Health. Meaningful work. Dreams. Passion.

I have everything I need or want. The rest are inconsequential trappings - nice to haves that won't necessarily add meaning to my life. I told my husband that. He snorted, which I take to mean I'll be getting something like flowers for Christmas. Or maybe new wool socks. Either gift would bring a smile to my face. It's nice to be in that content state of being where I can acknowledge this moment as being full and complete.

Merry Christmas, everyone. May this holiday be filled to overflowing with contentment and blessing.

Christmas Spirit

Today it dawned on me, finally, that Christmas is only three days away. I have purchased nothing. I have baked nothing. I have no cards picked out yet alone addressed. There is no tree. No decorations. Nothing. Nada. Zip.

Am I panicked? No, and I'll tell you why I'm not.

At the end of the day it doesn't matter if I get the nephews and nieces their presents on time, or if I have the perfect homemade cookies or if cards reach family and friends before the 25th. At the end of the day it matters that I show up. That I'm present and engaged and fully with the people I love. The trappings of Christmas don't equal being present.

So, if this year my family gets New Year's or Epiphany gifts instead of Christmas gifts, that's okay. If I bring store bought goodies to parties, that's totally fine. And if I choose to spend my time with the people I love instead of rushing around to find the perfect tree or card or gift, that's just fine.

If you're feeling the crunch this holiday season, I encourage to take a deep breath and to

remember that it's not about the stuff or the decorations or the food. It's about being present. Fully and completely connecting with those who matter most. So let go of the worry that it's not going to be perfect or the stress of getting it all done. You're not a failure if you don't. I repeat, you are not a failure. In fact, if you are present and engaged you are a huge success! People

notice these things and remember them. It's in being present that you truly touch lives.

Here's to a guilt-free holiday season for everyone! Merry Christmas!

Soundtrack Friday

I heard this song on the radio this week and I was tickled by the chorus. You see, the song mentions one of my favorite bands from the 80s - Mr. Mister. Naturally I downloaded the song from iTunes, along with both soundtracks from Glee because I'm in the mood for music I can sing along with in car. The song makes me happy. So very happy.

It's a song about belonging, finding that soul connection so many people long for. It's a song with an up beat, quirky lyrics and a mandolin. And it's a song that Jason, the main male character in Mallory's story, said to me embodies how he feels about someone. Might be Mallory. Might not be. I'll eventually wrestle that out of him so I'm not worried there. But I did think Jason was more of a hard rock or alternative kind of guy. All this boppy music is starting to make me wonder what lurks beneath his calm exterior. I thought it was angst and self recriminations. Perhaps he has a refined sense of irony I have yet to tap into. We'll see.

In the meantime, today's soundtrack Friday comes to you from San Francisco's very own Train. Hey, Soul Sister is their latest single off their new album Save Me San Francisco. I dare you to not smile while listening.

Once Upon A Time

Once upon a time in a land not so different from our own, there lived a princess. This princess had the magic ability to squeeze more hours into her day than the average person. No, she didn't sleep less or stop eating. She was able to bend the physics of time in order to squeeze in more to every minute.

Because of her special ability, the princess often over committed herself. Which increased her need to bend and manipulate time. Every time she squeezed more into a minute, her special ability lost some of its potency, which made each attempt more and more tiring and difficult.

Eventually the princess was unable to bend time. No matter how she tried she could not squeeze any more into a minute than her normal subjects could. She was exhausted, stressed and unhappy.

How often do we fall prey to the myth that we can have more hours in our day? It's impossible to have more than 24 hours in a 24 hour day. And yet we all want to stuff more and more into our days. Like me with my Office Downsize Project. Which is woefully behind. Why? Because I was over committed. I didn't take into account all the things that I had already committed to and how much time they would require of me. I didn't look at my commitments and eliminate or delegate something. I held on to them all and kept thinking, as so many of my clients do, that if I only had the right tool or the right timer or the right something I could get it all done.

I gave my Make Time To Write talk to my writing group back in October. And I was reminded that I only have 24 hours in a day. How am I spending those 24 hours and does that match up with my goals? If the answer is they don't match very well then Houston, we have a problem.

I was ill over Thanksgiving so I spent some time filling out a hypothetical calendar. I had a column of what I thought I was going to do and how much time I thought it would take me. Then over the course of the long weekend I filled in what I did and how long it really took me in another column. The results were interesting.

I had written a fairy tale in my head about how I spent my time. That it took only so much time to do certain activities and that I would get things done whether I felt like it or not. Reality was that I often got side tracked during tasks so they took much longer. The internet is a bigger detriment than I thought and if I was in the middle of a good book, I was often loathe to sacrifice reading time for doing time. The tasks I did complete were not always the tasks that had the most impact on my values and goals.

Color me gently rebuked. December has started off a little better. I'm more deliberate with my choices, or I try to be. I have taken my fibromyalgia into account and when there are environmental changes that I know are going to impact me, I pay more attention and adjust everyone's expectations - even those at work if needed. I have a running list of what I'm committed to and when things need to be accomplished and I've done a fairly decent job of updating the list daily or every other day. I've started eliminating those activities that don't serve me well if at all.

I want to rewrite my fairy tale. I love a happily ever after. In this case, the princess doesn't have the ability to bend time. Rather, she has the ability to make smart choices about her commitments and is not afraid of telling someone no or not right now. She's in control of her tasks and reviews them for efficacy and goodness of fit. Now, if she could also foresee the winning Power Ball numbers and dance as well as Ginger Rogers. I guess a girl can't have everything.

Soundtrack Friday

The last week went by so quickly! I think that's because with the deep freeze moving in I started hibernating...and time always passes faster when you are asleep. *grin*

With the cold weather comes the realization that it's almost Christmas. Out came the iPod with my various Christmas/winter mixes. The following song was written as a parody and happens to be in my of my favorite Christmas movies ever! And every time I hear it I smile. When it's freaking cold out, like it is today, sometimes the extra heat you generate from a good belly laugh can be the difference between frost bite and just a little cold. If you don't know what I mean, you'll just have to trust me on this.

Today I give you a little bit of seasonal joy with Billy Mack (aka Bill Nighy) and his black horse Christmas hit from the movie Love Actually. Enjoy this cheesy, schmaltzy, totally irreverent parody of Love is All Around in the guise of a seasonal sensation - Christmas Is All Around.