Trying some thing new: Teaser Tuesdays

I saw this over at Dana's place and thought it would be fun to try:

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

* Grab your current read.
* Open to a random page.
* Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page.
* BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!).
* Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

_______________________

I'm reading Bring on the Night by Jeri Smith-Ready:

"I whimpered and tried one last time to fight. Too late. It hadn't worked. I'd be dead by morning." ~page 164



I just started reading this book this morning so I'm only on chapter 2. I wonder what's going on on page 164!

Show Me Yours Saturday

Show Me Yours Saturday is hosted by I heart Book Gossip. Here's how it works:

Each weekend try to post a Show Me Yours. It can include a favorite food to something about you. Show me the deets and I will show you mine. Key word is show: So show us some snazzy pictures not just words.



I've been wanting to share pictures of the Main Library here in New Orleans. It's absolutely gorgeous inside. One of the reasons I love it is I can come here and visualize the fancy homes in those saucy historical novels. Look at how beautiful it is:

The main lobby/checkout:

I think this is a meeting room:

This is the ceiling in the green room you can glimpse on the left in the room above, and the sunroom is through the doorway on the right in the room above:

The kid's area:

This is my favorite room:

Look at the wallpaper - it's beautiful! I can just imagine ladies sitting, waiting on their gentlemen callers, having tea and chatting about the latest gossip.....

So, what do you like about your local library?

Carolyn Crane's Trapped In A Restaurant Meme Game

That post title sounds like Carolyn Crane is trapped in a restaurant. She's not. What she is doing is running a fun meme/contest to celebrate the upcoming release of her book, Mind Games:

1. In MIND GAMES, hypochondriac heroine Justine Jones can’t figure out why tortured mastermind Sterling Packard never sets foot outside the Mongolian Delites restaurant. What if you were somehow trapped in a restaurant, what sort of restaurant would you prefer?

-Middle Eastern (I wouldn't have to cook, would I?)

2. What if you won the fancy $100 dinner to a restaurant of your choice, and you could dine with any character from any book, movie, or history. Who would you choose?

-I know this is where I'm supposed to say Abraham Lincoln, Ghandi, or John F. Kennedy, but really, I'd spend the whole meal thinking "Holy cow, I'm sitting here with Abraham Lincoln, Ghandi, or JFK!!" and not remember a damn thing. For a fun evening out, I'd probably pick my girlcrush, Tina Fey. I think she'd be a good conversationalist and would try to put me at ease and it would be a fun dinner.

3. Choose three characters to dine with for a lively dinner party (you can define lively however you want).

-I would pick all women because I want to have fun and don't want to worry about whether or not I have spinach in my teeth or worry if my bra strap is showing or have to act all ladylike during the meal. I'd pick Jane Jameson from Molly Harper's Nice Girls trilogy because I think she'd be a blast to hang out with. I'd also pick Cat from Jeaniene Frost's Night Huntress Series because she seems like fun, (plus maybe Bones would come by at the end of the meal to pick her up *wink*). Lastly, I'd pick Sookie Stackhouse from Charlaine Harris' Southern Vampire series because Sookie seems like she'd be a good friend and would be comfortable with the other two guests, both of whom are vampires. Do I think this would be a lively dinner party? Heck yeah - each of these three ladies has trouble follow them wherever they go....add some alcohol and something crazy is bound to happen!

Play and send your meme game link by April 8 to meme@authorcarolyncrane.com to enter. Anyone can play. Details here.

Recommend Me

I saw this meme over at Bookworming in the 21st Century and thought it would be fun to play along: Kate at The Neverending Shelf is hosting this weekly meme where you recommend a book, old or new, that you want to share.

From Kate's site:
Recommend Me is a weekly event in which participants will pick one of their all time favorite reads to share. This could be a book that your read yesterday or years ago.

To play along, grab a favorite read and tell us about it. You can include your thoughts about the novel, its summary, your favorite memory related to the novel... the possibilities are limitless. If you are up for a challenge, you can also include:

•Your review of the novel
•Links to others' reviews of the novel
•Recommending to a general group of readers or if you want to be extra daring, to specific reader friends

Today I am recommending Rachel Vincent's Werecat series: Stray, Rogue, Pride, Prey, and coming March 1, Shift. The final book in the series, Alpha, is due out in October 2010. (Okay, so that's not the cover for Alpha, but he does look like he's been ravaged by a werecat, eh? Actually, that could be Marc - I think I may have to read this series again, right now! Rowr!)

I haven't seen many bloggers show any love for this series and I've gotta tell you, it's amazing!! I did a post a while back about some of my books my husband has read, and this series is one he asks when the next book is coming out.

Here's my review of Prey, including a mini-summary of Stray, Rogue, and Pride.

Here's my reaction when I went to buy Prey and couldn't find it at the bookstore.


I recently had the opportunity to review Shift, and although I have not posted the review yet I can tell you I gave it 5 stars. I couldn't put it down. I will say this: you really need to read the books in order to get the most out of the story. So much happens over the course of each book that you do miss important plot points if you skip, and this is a series where the heroine grows and matures as the series moves along. There are also plot points that carry over from book to book, as in what happens in book 2 affects the storyline in book 3, etc. I honestly believe that once you start reading you won't want to stop. This series has everything I like - a strong spunky heroine who sometimes makes mistakes and learns from them, sexy alpha males, action, and drama. Just when you think things are going one way she takes a hard right and you're thinking "OMG!". It's great!

I know this is going to sound weird, but Ms. Vincent's werecat world is totally believable. Usually, in a Paranormal, you have to check your disbelief at the door; in this series, your disbelief sneaks out the back while you're engrossed in the story.

So, for my first Recommend Me, I'm recommending Rachel Vincent's Werecat series. Enjoy!

Here are some reviews by other bloggers (warning: There may be spoilers!):

Ink and Paper's Review of Stray and Rogue

Bitten by Books' Review of Pride

Literary Escapism's Review of Prey

Sci-Fi Guy's Review of Prey

Boys Will Be Boys

That's the title of my SIL's post over at TauntSociety today.

She answered my m/m challenge, and since she's not on the book blog circuit - I wanted to point you in her direction - she managed to find some delicious m/m pics for our viewing pleasure...

GO NOW!!!

Fictional Boyfriend Haiku

Yesterday I gave my 16 year-old son to a Haiku challenge; I don't know who won. But, it got me to wondering if I could do a Haiku about any of my fictional boyfriends (list on my sidebar at right). Here goes:

Jamie Fraser:

Virgin at marriage,

Loves his Sassenach dearly.

Sexy Highlander.

.

.

Mr. Darcy:

Rich, pompus, distant.

Loves Lizzy despite himself.

Makes good in the end.

.

.

Eric Northman:

Hot, golden Viking,

Wants to take Sookie from Bill.

Shower with me please.

.

.

Bones:

Sexy English Vamp,

Tricked Cat out of her panties.

Chapter thirty-two!

.

.

Barrons:

Tatted-up hottie

Saved Mac from being pri-ya

Where the hell's he from?

ABC Meme

ABC Meme

I have been tagged by VampFanGirl at Lovin' Me Some Romance.
Here are the rules:

1. Link to the person who tagged you.
2. Share your ABC’s.
3. Tag three people at the end by linking to their blogs.
4. Let the three tagged people know they have been tagged by leaving a comment on their website.
5. Do not tag the same person repeatedly but try to tag different people, so there is a big network of bloggers doing this tag.

Available or single? This question makes no sense...It's like asking if the car I drive has a manual or a standard transmission. No to the available/single question, yes to the manual/standard question (I love driving my car, which is good, 'cause I'm in it ALL. THE. TIME.).

Best Friend? Other than my husband would be my SIL, Hannah. I hate that she lives in Houston now, it's making plans to see New Moon together difficult!

Cake or Pie? Key Lime Pie all the way! (Although, I do have a soft spot for cupcakes.)

Drink of choice? Diet Coke or Margaritas on the rocks.

Essential item for every day use? Nina by Nina Ricci perfume and lotion.

Favorite color? Pink or Dark Blue.

Google? I (heart) Google!

Hometown? Born in NY but was a Navy Brat so I grew up all over (mostly the South).

Indulgences? Reading, catching alone time.

January or February? February - Mardi Gras (usually)!

Kids? Ian, Bridget, Molly.

Life is incomplete without? Close friends, good food and wine, candle light, quiet (mosquito free) nights in the backyard listening to the waterfall.


Marriage date? August 1st.

Number of siblings? 3 younger brothers.

Oranges or apples? Here's the thing - both of my bathrooms are covered in appley goodness: pictures, knick-knacks, bottle caps, perfume bottles, you name it; but I don't eat apples.

Phobias and fears? I'm afraid a bug will crawl into my mouth while I'm asleep.

Quote for the day? Pick your battles. (What?! I've got 3 kids!)

Reason to smile? My husband and kids, having a roof over my head and a nice bed to sleep in.

Season? New Orleans doesn't have seasons, it's either hot or humid, usually both.

Tag 3 people? Pops at Life on the (L)edge, Parajunkee, and Lea at closetwriter.

Unknown fact about me? I have a very dry sense of humor and also enjoy "low brow" movies like Role Models and Dodgeball.

Vegetable you hate? Cauliflower - Once when I was a kid, I told my friend's mom I was allergic to it so I wouldn't have to eat it at dinner.

Worst habit? I love to "pop" my gum. I know it's annoying as all get-out, but I love the sound and the feel of the bubbles popping in my mouth. I do try not to do it when there are other people around.

X-rays you’ve had? Lots.

Your favorite food? Spring rolls with peanut sauce.

Zodiac sign? Taurus ('cause I'm full of bull).

Show Me Yours Saturday

I heart Book Gossip has started a new meme: Show Me Yours Saturday.
Here's how it works:

Each weekend try to post a Show Me Yours. It can include a favorite food to something about you. Show me the deets and I will show you mine. Key word is show: So show us some snazzy pictures not just words.

This week I decided to give you a bit of Mardi Gras. I love Mardi Gras - I love to look at the floats and listen to the bands. And of course I love the throws! Everyone knows about the typical image of Mardi Gras - drunken frat boys and girls showing boobs. Is that part of it? Sure. But it's not the whole story. Here is a tiny snapshot of my Mardi Gras Loot.

We have bags and bags of those cheap plastic beads they throw from the floats. Everyone around here does. They probably should have used them to shore up the levee instead of sandbags. These are not those beads.

These are cheap plastic beads with ceramic medallions attached or incorporated into the beads. They're a bit more difficult to catch or talk a float rider out of. Each krewe has it's own beads each year, and then each float will sometimes do it's own special beads.

If beads are not your thing, they also throw all kinds of other stuff: food, dolls, balls, frisbees, comic books. Usually they throw these to little kids or hot chicks. Sometimes they take pity on old ladies.

My favorite throw is the glass beads. In the past, pre-1960's or so, they threw glass beads. Then, until about 5 or so years ago, they only threw plastic. On the left are some of the old beads (I actually took these with me when I evacuated for Katrina), and below are some of the newer ones:

So, that's a tiny glimpse into my Mardi Gras Treasures. If you've ever thought about coming for Mardi Gras but think it's all drunken revelry, think again and come on down - it's the Greatest Free Show on Earth!

The Friday 56 - Doublemint Edition

HAPPY FRIDAY! The Friday 56 is brought to you by Tanya and Friends:

Rules:
* Grab the book nearest you. Right now.
* Turn to page 56.
* Find the fifth sentence.
* Post that sentence (plus one or two others if you like) along with these instructions on your blog or (if you do not have your own blog) in the comments section of this blog.
*Post a link along with your post back to this blog.
* Don't dig for your favorite book, the coolest, the most intellectual. Use the CLOSEST.

I actually have two books sitting next to me today, one I'm in the middle of reading and one I haven't started yet:

Blood Promise by Richelle Mead:

Avery was beautiful. Stunning. Lissa was beautiful too, between that gorgeous hair and the jade green eyes that ran in her family. I thought she was a hundred times prettier than Avery, but beside theolder girl, Lissa felt kind of plain.

Okay, the 5th sentence is: Stunning. But really, that's kind of a rip-off! A one-word Friday 56? I don't think so! I've gotta tell you, I'm near the end and this book is great!

And your bonus 56 comes from Julia London's Highland Scandal:

She was flushed, but it had less to do with the gown than the image of him that would not leave her now, no matter how hard she tried to erase it.

Hmmm...sounds interesting!

Mailbox Monday

Mailbox Monday is by Marcia at The Printed Page - leave a link and see what other readers received.

I had a great Mailbox this weekend! Came home Friday to find Would-be Witch and Barely Bewitched by Kimberly Frost along with Real Vampires have Curves by Gerry Bartlett, all courtesy of Ms. Frost's Parapalooza contest:

Earlier in the week I received via Yankee Romance Reviews: Like No Other Lover and The Perils of Pleasure by Julie Ann Long:

Plus, not in my mailbox but purchased at the store, the first two of Richelle Mead's Vampire Academy books, and Haunting Beauty by Erin Quinn.

My only dilemma is deciding what to read first!

The Friday 56

The Friday 56 is hosted by Storytime with Tanya:

Rules:
* Grab the book nearest you. Right now.
* Turn to page 56.
* Find the fifth sentence.
* Post that sentence (plus one or two others if you like) along with these instructions on your blog or (if you do not have your own blog) in the comments section of this blog.
*Post a link along with your post back to this blog.
* Don't dig for your favorite book, the coolest, the most intellectual. Use the CLOSEST.


I'm currently reading Passion Unleashed by Larissa Ione, the third book in her Demonica series:
So much for not getting cocky. But hey, were-leopards couldn't change their spots, right?

I just started this book, so I have no idea what this sentence is about!!

Show Me Yours Saturday

I heart Book Gossip has started a new meme: Show Me Yours Saturday.
Here's how it works:

Each weekend try to post a Show Me Yours. It can include a favorite food to something about you. Show me the deets and I will show you mine. Key word is show: So show us some snazzy pictures not just words.
I think most of you know by now I live in New Orleans. Since today also happens to be the 4th anniversary of Hurricane Katrina, I decided to post a few quick pics of the city I love:




This is my view of the city every morning on my drive in to work. This was a hard picture to get! I drive a stick shift and took this picture in bridge traffic on my way to work - let me tell you that took a bit of coordination! I work in one of the high-rises (I won't tell which one!)









Here's a St. Charles Avenue streetcar. It is the oldest continuously operating streetcar system in the world. The first Mardi Gras parade is held on the St. Charles Avenue streetcar every year on 12th night (January 6).












This is not a very clear picture, I couldn't get close enough to do it justice. It's our first Borders bookstore! The building used to be a funeral home (should be fun at Halloween)... I think that's pretty cool.











This is the ferry that goes from Algiers (where I live) to Canal Street (downtown New Orleans). I have many happy memories of riding this ferry with friends, headed out to the French Quarter. I love that I can just catch the ferry and I'm right there in the heart of the city!  [photo redacted]








This is the Catholic church in my old neighborhood. I was married here and my kids did their baptisms and first communions here. I love this church with it's high ceilings and beautiful stained glass windows. Modern churches give me the creeps.


I know I could have done a lot more touristy pics, but decided to show what I like about the city. Hope you don't mind.... and enjoy the pics!

BBC's 100 Books

I was blog-jumping this morning, and stumbled upon a meme over at Bloody Bad, A Book Blog about BBC's 100 Books. I went to the BBC's site to check it out... it's a good list!

Here's the list from the BBC site , it's actually the 100 Best Loved Novels (it's not exactly the same as the meme going around), and I've checked off what I've read:

1. The Lord of the Rings, JRR Tolkien X

2. Pride and Prejudice, Jane Austen X

3. His Dark Materials, Philip Pullman

4. The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, Douglas Adams X

5. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, JK Rowling X

6. To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee X

7. Winnie the Pooh, AA Milne X

8. Nineteen Eighty-Four, George Orwell X

9. The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, CS Lewis X

10. Jane Eyre, Charlotte Brontë X

11. Catch-22, Joseph Heller X

12. Wuthering Heights, Emily Brontë X

13. Birdsong, Sebastian Faulks

14. Rebecca, Daphne du Maurier X

15. The Catcher in the Rye, JD Salinger X

16. The Wind in the Willows, Kenneth Grahame X

17. Great Expectations, Charles Dickens

18. Little Women, Louisa May Alcott

19. Captain Corelli's Mandolin, Louis de Bernieres

20. War and Peace, Leo Tolstoy x-started it, couldn't finish it!!

21. Gone with the Wind, Margaret Mitchell X

22. Harry Potter And The Philosopher's Stone, JK Rowling X

23. Harry Potter And The Chamber Of Secrets, JK Rowling X

24. Harry Potter And The Prisoner Of Azkaban, JK Rowling X

25. The Hobbit, JRR Tolkien X

26. Tess Of The D'Urbervilles, Thomas Hardy

27. Middlemarch, George Eliot

28. A Prayer For Owen Meany, John Irving X

29. The Grapes Of Wrath, John Steinbeck

30. Alice's Adventures In Wonderland, Lewis Carroll X

31. The Story Of Tracy Beaker, Jacqueline Wilson

32. One Hundred Years Of Solitude, Gabriel García Márquez

33. The Pillars Of The Earth, Ken Follett

34. David Copperfield, Charles Dickens

35. Charlie And The Chocolate Factory, Roald Dahl

36. Treasure Island, Robert Louis Stevenson

37. A Town Like Alice, Nevil Shute

38. Persuasion, Jane Austen X

39. Dune, Frank Herbert

40. Emma, Jane Austen X

41. Anne Of Green Gables, LM Montgomery X

42. Watership Down, Richard Adams

43. The Great Gatsby, F Scott Fitzgerald X

44. The Count Of Monte Cristo, Alexandre Dumas X

45. Brideshead Revisited, Evelyn Waugh

46. Animal Farm, George Orwell X

47. A Christmas Carol, Charles Dickens X

48. Far From The Madding Crowd, Thomas Hardy

49. Goodnight Mister Tom, Michelle Magorian

50. The Shell Seekers, Rosamunde Pilcher

51. The Secret Garden, Frances Hodgson Burnett X

52. Of Mice And Men, John Steinbeck

53. The Stand, Stephen King X

54. Anna Karenina, Leo Tolstoy X

55. A Suitable Boy, Vikram Seth

56. The BFG, Roald Dahl

57. Swallows And Amazons, Arthur Ransome

58. Black Beauty, Anna Sewell X

59. Artemis Fowl, Eoin Colfer X

60. Crime And Punishment, Fyodor Dostoyevsky

61. Noughts And Crosses, Malorie Blackman

62. Memoirs Of A Geisha, Arthur Golden X

63. A Tale Of Two Cities, Charles Dickens

64. The Thorn Birds, Colleen McCollough

65. Mort, Terry Pratchett

66. The Magic Faraway Tree, Enid Blyton

67. The Magus, John Fowles

68. Good Omens, Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman

69. Guards! Guards!, Terry Pratchett

70. Lord Of The Flies, William Golding X

71. Perfume, Patrick Süskind

72. The Ragged Trousered Philanthropists, Robert Tressell

73. Night Watch, Terry Pratchett

74. Matilda, Roald Dahl

75. Bridget Jones's Diary, Helen Fielding

76. The Secret History, Donna Tartt

77. The Woman In White, Wilkie Collins

78. Ulysses, James Joyce X

79. Bleak House, Charles Dickens

80. Double Act, Jacqueline Wilson

81. The Twits, Roald Dahl

82. I Capture The Castle, Dodie Smith

83. Holes, Louis Sachar X

84. Gormenghast, Mervyn Peake

85. The God Of Small Things, Arundhati Roy

86. Vicky Angel, Jacqueline Wilson

87. Brave New World, Aldous Huxley

88. Cold Comfort Farm, Stella Gibbons

89. Magician, Raymond E Feist

90. On The Road, Jack Kerouac

91. The Godfather, Mario Puzo

92. The Clan Of The Cave Bear, Jean M Auel

93. The Colour Of Magic, Terry Pratchett

94. The Alchemist, Paulo Coelho

95. Katherine, Anya Seton

96. Kane And Abel, Jeffrey Archer

97. Love In The Time Of Cholera, Gabriel García Márquez

98. Girls In Love, Jacqueline Wilson

99. The Princess Diaries, Meg Cabot

100. Midnight's Children, Salman Rushdie

Hmmm....37 1/2 out of 100, and some of those were children's books!! I need to buy more books!! How well do you stack up?