Choose an Award, any Award!

I've been very remiss in reporting awards and reciprocating on them, since I'm on vacation this week, I'm going to fix that right now!



Way back in December of last year Ruthie at Books, Books and More Books gave me the Lemonade Award. Once you receive this award you are to pass it on to at least ten other blogs who show great attitude and/ or gratitude. I was lucky enough to receive this one again from Yankee Romance Reviewers July 1 this year.



Ruthie also awarded me the Heartfelt Award in July this year, as did Jezebelsk at Walking on Sunshine:



Here are the rules:

1) Put the logo on your blog/post
2) Nominate up to 9 blogs which make you feel comfy or warm inside.
3) Be sure to link to your nominees within your post.
4) Let them know that they have been nominated by commenting on their blog.
5) Remember to link to the person from whom you received your award.



Back in April Cherie at CheriePie's Book Reviews passed on to me the Zombie Chicken Award! Has there ever been a more spectacular award? I mean come on, Zombie Chickens!



The blogger who receives this award believes in the Tao of the zombie chicken - excellence, grace and persistence in all situations, even in the midst of a zombie apocalypse. These amazing bloggers regularly produce content so remarkable that their readers would brave a raving pack of zombie chickens just to be able to read their inspiring words. As a recipient of this world-renowned award, you now have the task of passing it on to at least 5 other worthy bloggers. Do not risk the wrath of the zombie chickens by choosing unwisely or not choosing at all...



I'm not so well connected as some of these people (being introverted apparently carries over to my online presence some), and I think most of them already have these awards from others however, if for some reason one of you wonderful people does not have any of the above awards, I hearby award it to you! (Especially Zombie Chickens, I know you're going to jump on that one, I'm not kidding! It's also not sarcasm, I really do think it's awesome!)

So here are my nominations, first of all my awarders shall now become by awardees:

1. Books Books and More Books
2. Yankee Romance Reviewers
3. Walking on Sunshine
4. CheriePie's Book Reviews

And here are six more Nominees who may also choose an award, or all of them if you like:

5. Amberkatze's Book Blog
6. The Movieholic & Bibliophile's Blog
7. West of Mars - the Meet and Greet and Win A Book
8. Breeni Books
9. In Bed With Books
10. Reading with Monie

Please check these folks out, they are great bloggers!

Giveaway: Robber Bride by Deborah Simmons

Simon de Burgh is a knight, confident, powerful, sometimes arrogant, but honorable, always keeping his word. On his way to check on Baddersly, a holding of one of his brothers, he is waylaid by a band of outlaws. These are no ordinary outlaws however, their leader is a woman, and she proceeds to turn his life upside down!

Bethia has taken to the forest after escaping from the despicable Brice Scirvayne, who has taken over her father's hold, Ansquith. Never a typical girl, she demands the freedom to be herself, dressing as a man and fighting as one. She's assembled a band of fighters from the local population, people also rebelling against Brice's unlawful stranglehold on the manor and it's people. They take Simon's band fighters on their way to Baddersly, believing them to be the mercenaries that Brice has threatened to bring to stamp them out.

Simon escapes from the band, taking Bethia with him, though not for long. Even after she returns all of his men and horses to him, he can't clear his mind of her, and continues to visit the forest chase like a moth drawn to the flame, determined to find out about her, who is she and why is she living that way? And what is this pain in his chest that he can't seem to be rid of?

This Harlequin Historical was a fun flipped Robinhood-esque story, one of several about the de Burgh brothers. The newest de Burgh book is actually due in August this year, according to Fantastic Fiction, about Simon's brother Reynold. For more information on the author and her work visit Deborah Simmons' Website.

I'm ready to pass Simon and Bethia on to one of you! As always, this is a gently used, Bookcrossing labeled copy. While I would love a journal entry from you about the book, it is yours to do with as you please, and the entry can be made anonymously if you decide that joining Bookcrossing is not for you. To enter, just comment on this post, remember to give me a way to reach you! I will choose a winner on August 8th.

Book: Dying in Style by Elaine Viets

Josie Marcus is a mystery shopper, it doesn't pay well, but it makes her feel like she's doing good. She gets to reward good sales people, and help weed out the bad ones, all the while helping to make the shopping experience of the normal person better.

She's wary when she is asked to do mystery shopping for the chain of Danessa stores as they move into a merger with another corporation. This is a much bigger mystery shop than Josie has done before, and could have dire consequences, but her boss, meat-munching Harry (he's on the Atkins diet) tells her to be truthful no matter what.

When Josie checks out the stores, she finds them a mess, and worries about turning in a less than glowing report, but feels she must tell the truth. Danessa herself storms to the office, confronting Josie (who's report was supposed to be anonymous) and threatening her, insisting that she lied and demanding that she retract her report. Josie refuses, and events are set into motion, resulting in a string of deaths.

Josie must try to clear herself of suspicion, circumstances keep putting her in the limelight, and also try to keep things at home from falling apart, no easy task when you're a single mom, and your own mother lives with you!

This was a fun series, I enjoyed Josie's different shopping costumes, and look forward to reading the next one, High Heels are Murder, and also her other series, the Dead End Job Mysteries.

For more information on Elaine Viets, check out her website.

Giveaway Winner: Dark Lover by J. R. Ward

In case you hadn't figured it out, I was looking for another great series to start after I get through The Black Dagger Brotherhood (though my Insider's Guide just came today, and I'm still working on Lover Enshrined so I'm set for a little while), because when you're that into a story, what else can you read that isn't a let down? So I thought I would use you all to give me ideas, and you came up with some great ones, some I've already found and loved, and some I haven't gotten to yet, so my evil plan worked! :D

But I know what you really want to know is who won Dark Lover, right? And so...

elaing8

Get ready, because Wrath is coming to visit you! I'll e-mail you to get your snail mail addy so I can send him on his way!

Here were the suggestions that you all made, because I'm sure I'm not the only one who is interested:

The Hollows by Kim Harrison - have some of these, haven't read yet
The Vampire Chronicles by Anne Rice - oh yes, I was a huge Rice fan for quite awhile ;)
The Morganville Vampires by Rachel Caine - have some, haven't read yet
Mercy Thompson by Patricia Briggs - have some, haven't read yet
Outlander by Diana Gabaldon - oh my yes! Jamie... *swoon*
Harry Potter by J K Rowling - of course!
His Dark Materials by Phillip Pullman - have read #1 and seen the movie
Odd Thomas by Dean Koontz - the husband likes these, I need to read them too
Twilight by Stephanie Meyer - have listened to #1 and want to see the movie
Kitty Norville by Carrie Vaughan - have read #1 and liked it, will read the rest sometime
In Death by J. D. Robb - hmmm I have yet to read any Nora Roberts under any of her names, though I know she's very popular and I do have a few of hers
Stephanie Plum by Janet Evanovich - oh yes, Stephanie rocks!
Sookie Stackhouse by Charlaine Harris - have some of these, and my friend at work has recently gotten addicted, so I will definitely be reading these
House of Night by P.C. and Kristin Cast - have these too, but haven't read yet (story of my life, it needs it's own abbrev. - hbhry = have but haven't read yet)

Definitely some great ideas for me, thanks everyone!

My next giveaway will be a cute Harlequin Historical, sort of a female Robinhood type of thing. I'll try to get it posted this next week because I'm on vacation WAHOO!! I'm just going to read my little heart out, because that's what relaxes me!

Giveaway: Dark Lover by J. R. Ward

Can you believe it's July already? I can't! I had a very busy reading month in June, managing an average for the month of 102 pages per day! My typical is probably 50-60, so that means I kept up a good pace for the month. The reason for this extra reading on my part? I must give credit to J. R. Ward's Black Dagger Brotherhood Series.

The Black Dagger Brotherhood are elite warriors of the vampire race, doing their best to protect their people against the Lessening Society. I'll just say right now that no matter what I write, it's not able to do this series justice, I've enjoyed it that much! I've made it through 4 books so far, all in the last month, and I just do not read books in the same series one right after each other, so that's saying something!

The first book of the series, Dark Lover tells the story of Wrath, the last in the line of Vampire royalty, but who refuses to step up and take the throne, feeling unworthy of the privilege and reluctant to lead, haunted by failings in his past. As we are introduced to the brotherhood, they are a group of warriors that fight on their own individual terms, with not much in the way of organization. One of their number, Darius, has a half-breed daughter who is unaware of her heritage, and is about to go through the transition to be come a vampire. He asks Wrath to see her through the dangerous and intense change, but Wrath refuses, wanting nothing to do with the responsibility. When Darius is murdered, Wrath feels obligated to his warrior brother to carry out his last wish and usher Beth into their world.

I have turned total fangirl over these books. I love all the brothers, and the relationships/interactions between them. It is rare that a story captures me so completely, and it's a thing I both crave and dread! It's so hard to get back to reality from that place! And what happens when you run out of books and the next one isn't published yet? And what do you read next that won't be a let down? I have laughed and cried at these books, been completely keyed up and unable to sleep, and read 150 pages or more in a day. Remember 102 was my average for the whole month, there were a few days that I'm embarassed to say were where real life was kind of an annoyance I had to take care of so I could get back to the brothers!

Book 5 is about my boy Vishous, and I'm almost a little afraid to start it, because I know once I do, nothing else will get done until I've finished it! And now I'd like to infect, I mean convert... uh... okay, share, let's try share, yeah... I'd like to share this story with you guys! As always, this is a gently used, Bookcrossing labeled copy of Dark Lover, the first book in the Black Dagger Brotherhood series. I would dearly love an entry from you to know what you thought of the book, and you can do this completely anonymously if you decide that you'd rather not become a member. The book is still yours to do with as you like, whether that's keep it forever, or share it with another friend. To enter, please comment on this post and tell me what your favorite book or series is, one that grabs you and won't let you go, one that creates a world you just can't shake for awhile after you read it. I will choose a winner on July 18th (yay the first day of my vacation!) and then Wrath will be taking a little visit to your home... he's kind of big, and scary, but really very nice once you get to know him... and you'll definitely want him on your side! Good Luck!

Check out J. R. Ward's Website for more information and where she has some other slices from the Brotherhood's life.

Book: Airs Beneath the Moon by Toby Bishop

June has been a great reading month for me so far, I've been averaging about 110 pages per day, and that's much more than my norm, which is probably more like 60. Yes, I'm a geek, I keep track of my books read, and how many pages, and so on, I'm an Accountant remember, it's just what we do! ;)

Tonight I have just finished Airs Beneath the Moon by Toby Bishop, the first of the Horsemistress Saga. The winged horses are the pride of the Duchy of Oc, carefully bred to preserve the bloodlines, and bonded to girls who will be their riders for life, and who must remain pure or forever ruin their bonding. The girls and their horses learn many formations, that while beautiful to behold, are ultimately battle manuevers.

Far away from the grandeur of the city, into the farmlands of the duchy, a girl named Larkyn Hamley finds a little mare, roaming on her own. Unable to find it's owners, she keeps the horse, naming her Char. Before long it becomes apparent that Char is with foal, and while Lark has never had a horse before, she has grown up on the farm and knows a lot about tending animals. Unfortunately she is not able to save Char after the birth, but the foal is a beautiful little black colt, with wings! Lark stays with the colt, sleeping in his stall, caring for him in the absence of his mother, and creating a deeper bond than she was even aware of.

By the time the Academy of the Air is informed of this unusual winged birth, Lark and the colt have bonded so deeply, there is no choice but to bring Lark back to the Academy and begin training her. Lark faces the usual challenges of social class at the school, but manages to make a few good friends in spite of their differences. Her spunk is endearing, and her devotion to Tup unshakeable.

Duke Frederick, close friend of the Headmistresses of the school, is very ill following the disappearance of his daughter. His oldest son William takes the opportunity to begin furthering his own ambitions concerning the winged horses, having long been jealous of those that rode them, and the independence they enjoyed. Tup figures prominently in William's plans, and the Duke's son will go to great lengths to achieve his ends.

I loved horses when I was younger, and even had several for awhile, and there is something about riding that makes you feel like you're flying, so I could definitely relate to this story. A good fantasy tale that I'm looking forward to continuing in the next books out so far: Airs and Graces, and Airs of Night and Sea.

Please take a look at Toby Bishop's Website for more information on the author and her work.

Giveaway Winner: Dark Hunger Graphic Novel by Christine Feehan

Congratulations to...


Sarah Z

who will be receiving Dark Hunger, the graphic novel version! I'll be e-mailing you for your snail mail addy.

You guys gave me some very entertaining were-creatures, that's for sure! Iguana, sparrow, gopher and elephant I think are the ones that cracked me up the most!

Water Gardening

We decided to try something new this year. We often take trips out to nearby Powell Gardens where one of their exhibits is an island garden where they have a lot of water plants. I've loved looking at their water lilies. They have large ones in a bigger pond area, but also large ceramic pots filled with water with other water plants in them and it looked easy enough to do. This year when the husband and I went to get our typical flowers for the front yard, we discovered they had water garden makings as well and thought, why not? So we came home with a huge ceramic pot, 2 water lilies, 2 water hyacinths and another plant called a Hippuris. Here is a picture of the next day after we brought it home:




Looks pretty sparse, and one of the lilies had leaves much too small to reach the surface, but hey, trial and error is a great teacher (oh yeah, and probably I should have done some reading up too, but hey, instructions are for whimps, right?) so we just thought we'd let it go and see how they did. Well after about a week, things were slowly getting bigger, and it seemed to be working all right. I picked up one of the water hyacinths, they just float on the top, and I saw some tiny white wormy things inching through the water, blech! Husband says yep, those are mosquito larvae, as expected, after all it is standing water. So away to the pet store I went, and now we have a couple resident goldfish on the prowl! I haven't seen any more wrigglers since, so they must be doing their job! Yay for feeder goldfish, pretty good return on a .75 investment huh?

So it's been about 2 and half weeks now, and here's what we look like:



Quite a difference yes? We may have to thin the water hyacinths down a little! Everyone seems happy, plants and fish! No flowers yet, but I've already had a lot of fun watching them grow, and feeding my little fishes! It really doesn't take much to thrill me. So, now you know why there are koi in lily ponds, to keep down the mosquitoes! I'll post more pictures in a few more weeks and see where we are!

Giveaway: Dark Hunger (Graphic Novel) by Christine Feehan

I had been interested to give this one a try, as I've developed a bit of a taste for Manga (so far I've managed to finish the Angel Sanctuary series, and start a couple others), and wanted to see how a romance novel translated into a graphic novel. I actually have not yet read the regular novel that this one comes from, but have them on my towering mount TBR, so when I do it will be fun to compare!

Juliette and her family are were-leopards, working to free animals from a secret lab hidden in the jungle. Once inside, she discovers Riordan, an immortal vampire hunter known as a Carpathian, has also been held there, lured by the deceptions of a master vampire. Juliette frees him, but is overwhelmed by his discovery that they are lifemates when he takes her away with him, destroying the lab in the process. The remainder of the story is their coming to terms with each other, and rescuing her family from the pack of male were-leopards that has taken them in the meantime. This was a fun, quick paranormal read and I look forward to giving the full novel a try!

Would you like to try Dark Hunger out? Great, then today might be your lucky day! Or rather, June 13th might be, since that's when I'll choose my winner! All you have to do is comment on this post and tell me if you could be a were-creature, what animal would you choose? I think most people who know me wouldn't be surprised that I would choose a cat of some kind. I think a black panther might be fun, then I could sneak around at night all stealthy!

As always, this is a gently loved copy with a Bookcrossing label inside the front cover. While I would love a journal entry from you if you win, the book is yours to do with as you like, and you can journal anonymously if you decide that Bookcrossing is not for you.

For more information on the author and her work, please visit Christine Feehan's Website

Good Luck!

Places Geocaching Has Taken Us

We've gotten to see some neat things that we wouldn't have otherwise known where there if not for geocaching. I hope sometime that we can find such a spot that doesn't already have a cache in it, so that we can share it with people that otherwise wouldn't have known about it too.

Star Trek as I've never seen it before

Do not take a drink before watching this! I have to thank the husband for finding this one, as soon as I was done watching it, I snatched his laptop away so I could post it!

Giveaway Winner: Hangar 13 by Lindsay McKenna

It's May 3rd, time to announce the winner! Lindsay McKenna herself even dropped by to say hello, so if you missed that in the comments, you might want to go back to the original post and check it out! She is the first author, who wasn't already a friend of mine, to comment on one of my posts! Susan Helene Gottfried gets that honor of being first, but she already knew me! ;)

Drumroll please....


Deedles


Hangar 13 will make it's way to you as soon as I get your snail mail addy!

Where am I supposed to sit?

I'm sure many Cat owners... I mean, those owned by cats have a similar problem.

This is where I'm supposed to sit when I'm at the computer:




And when I am actually allowed the use of my chair, this is where I should, in theory, get to put my feet:



Occasionally the husband's chair is comandeered as well:



There is actually one more cat missing from the equation, but she usually finds her own spot under the husband's desk, and doesn't take up much room. She does however like to chew on cords... that would be why he's on set of speakers number two! ;)

Kitteh's, gotta love 'em!

This public service message on how to keep your humans away from their computers is brought to you by Misu and Fergus. Some humans may require more extreme measures, they are slow learners after all!

Giveaway: Hangar 13 by Lindsay McKenna

Their worlds couldn't be farther apart, yet they will have to work together to overcome the evil that shadows Hangar 13.

Mac is a military pilot, precision thinking and solid facts are what he knows and depends on. Ellie is a Native American Shamaness, dealing with the metaphysical and unknown every day. At first Mac is skeptical that Ellie will be able to help find out what is wrong in Hangar 13, surely the occurrences have a rational explanation, some real person must be responsible. But when no physical culprit can be found, against his better judgement, Mac enlists Ellie's help. As he assists her in their investigation, he comes to like and respect her. Keeping an open mind about her work, he also takes her to the place where he feels the most at home, the sky.

Atypically, it is the fighter pilot who is the most convinced the two of them can find a way to make it work between them, even though they are so different, rather than the woman who deals with the unexplainable ever day! A near fatal encounter with the spirit haunting Hangar 13 leaves them both with no doubt of their feelings for each other, but will they survive cleansing the hangar to find out if they can make it work?

This was a nice little paranormal romance where the couple are able to heal each other, battle the evil, and live happily ever after! Awwww.... ;)

This book is ready to make a new friend! It is a gently used, Bookcrossing labeled copy, and while I would love a journal entry from you (it can be done completely anonymously if you decide becoming a bookcrosser is not for you), it is not necessary, and the book is yours to do with as you please. To enter, post a comment here, be sure to leave me a way to contact you. A winner will be chosen on May 3rd!

Check out Lindsay McKenna's Website for more information on her extensive catalog of novels!

Winner: The Unfortunate Miss Fortunes

It's that time! My 4 year wedding anniversary! And so, it's time to choose a winner for The Unfortunate Miss Fortunes!

And my Fortunate winner is....

lorf927

I really enjoyed reading about all of the powers you all would wish for, and agreed with a lot of them! ;)

I'll be posting my next giveaway for Hangar 13 soon!

Book: Dreamer (Silent Empire #1) by Steven Harper

The Dream is a place where those who can make it can communicate with their minds, creating their own place within it, shaping the setting the way they like. Not everyone can get there, those who can are known as the Silent. Kendi Weaver is one of the Children of Irfan, who are dedicated to finding and freeing any of the Silent who are enslaved. He has sensed a very strong Silent in the Dream, and they want to find this one before someone else does, enslaving and warping them. In the meantime, things have started going wrong in the Dream, strange and dangerous things that can leave a Silent dead or crippled if they are overtaken before they can escape the Dream back to the physical world. Is this new strong silent somehow connected?

I very much enjoyed this Sci-Fi novel by Steven Harper. The characters are well formed, and I liked the idea of the Dream, where those that have the ability are able to shape their own surroundings, and are able to communicate with each other, visiting each other's shaped piece of the dream. Of course there is an evil plot of destruction going on, you have to have that! I'm looking forward to the other 3 novels in this series. The next book, Nightmare, is the story of Kendi's early life. I really became attached to him, and he seems to be the main character of the series (since he's on every cover!) so it will be good to find out what made him into the character I liked so much!

For more info on Steven Harper, visit his website: http://www.sff.net/people/spiziks/

He's also done a few tv novelizations for fun shows like Battle Star Galactica and Ghost Whisperer, written quite a few short stories, and is apparently quite the harpist!

Giveaway: The Unfortunate Miss Fortunes by Crusie, Dreyer and Stuart

Okay, so it isn't March anymore... I did read it in March though!

The Unfortunate Miss Fortunes tells the story of 3 sisters with magical powers that don't always work quite the way the girls would like. They are in hiding from their evil aunt Xan, whom they believe had a hand in the death of their parents.

With a name like Xantippe you just have to be evil, so yes, Aunt Xan is up to something, and has cast a spell that in theory will bring the sisters' true loves to town. She's hoping they'll be so happy, and want so badly to live a normal life that they might not mind giving up their powers. She didn't quite count on how stubborn the girls would be, or their true loves for that matter!

This was a sweet, fun read. I like to describe it as adult Disney meets Charmed, and would like to pick up a copy of Dogs and Goddesses which features Crusie and Stuart again, this time with Lani Diane Rich in what seems to be a similar set up, three girls, three guys, mischief and fun!

I would love to pass my copy on to make a new friend! As always, this is a used book that is Bookcrossing labeled inside the front cover. While I would love love love a journal entry from the winner, it is by no means required, and the book is yours to do with as you please, whether that's keep it in your personal collection or pass it along to another friend! To enter, comment on this post and tell me what magical power you would like to have, it can be anything, from flying to shapshifting, to flipping your ponytail and having the dishes magically clean! Be creative and off the wall, entertain me! ;) No magical power, no entry! I will randomly select a winner on April 16th, my wedding anniversary, celebrate with me! I'm going to a book sale with Mr. Shaunie that day, woohoo!

For more info on the lovely ladies that wrote this novel, check out these links:

Jennifer Crusie
Eileen Dreyer
Anne Stuart

Audiobook: The Valley of Secrets by Charmian Hussey

Stephen Lansbury is an orphan who receives a letter informing him of an inheritance. After his meeting with an odd lawyer, Albert Postlethwaite, who is extremely reluctant to answer any of his questions, Stephen travels to the mysterious estate to take possession.

The estate is strangely deserted, yet somehow things keep happening that make Stephen realize he's not quite alone. His exploration of the secrets Lansbury Hall contains is enchanting and often humorous, while his discovery of a family he would have liked to have known, just after his Great Uncle Theodore's death is poignant. The more he learns of them as he reads the Theodore's journals, written as a young man, the more he misses what could have been, but a great surprise still awaits him out in the lush wilderness of the estate.

The author is clearly also concerned very deeply about environmental protection, and works this into the story very well. She brings these issues to life by creating characters we can sympathize with, and demonstrating the destruction of the rainforest and it's indigenous peoples through their story.

Charmian Hussey trained as an Archaeologist at the University of London. So far I do not see any other novels, but hope there are some in the future!

Charmian Hussey at Simon & Schuster

Hurry Spring, I'm ready!

Spring actually only lasts about 2 minutes around here and then goes right into hot and humid summer, but I'm ready for that too. We had 3 inches of snow last Saturday, and today we had a temp in the high 70's!

When the trees lose their leaves in the fall you begin to be able to see all the bird nests that were invisible before. That's when we discovered a little nest out in our front tree, and I do mean little! Not hummingbird little, but still quite small compared to what I commonly see. I kept meaning to take a picture of it because I didn't figure it would last long in the weather with no leaves to help shield it from the elements. Well, it's still there! I think it might be a finch nest of some kind we've been seeing several different ones around in the summer. I wonder if the previous owners will come back and use it again? I don't know anything about finches, I should probably read up. I'm seriously amazed it's still there, it's anchored, but doesn't seem by much! I've included a close up and a picture of the whole tree, so you can see how small it really is! Can you see it in there? Hope we get some new or return feathered neighbors soon!

TV: Ghost Hunters or Ghost Hunters International?

Wednesday night is Ghost Hunters night on Sci-Fi, and sadly I'm addicted, even though I can't see half the things they supposedly catch on video, or understand most of the EVP recordings, I have to have the prompt at the bottom to have a clue what they think they heard! Both Ghost Hunters and Ghost Hunters International is on during the evening, and my question to you is... which version do you like better?

Myself, I love all the interesting places that GHI goes to, but wow are they quick to proclaim a place haunted! I kind of want to see a show where Robb, Jay and Grant are all together and see what they decide, because the TAPS guys seem a lot more skeptical than GHI!

For more info on these guys, check out Ghost Hunters on SciFi, TAPS: The Atlantic Paranormal Society and GHI on SciFi (the downloads and gallery are funny, so dramatic! *giggle*)