Fate and Faith: Karen Rose Smith

Showing posts with label Karen Rose Smith. Show all posts

Wednesday, November 16, 2011

New Stuffs to Drool Over!

Life is good. My husband got in the mail the other day and said, "I think you hit the mother lode."

And I did. On that particular day, I got four books! I am grateful for various contest wins from Goodreads and blog participation, because we were very bad at Books-A-Million and Half-Priced Books last month. I've also been checking out various eBooks through our library for the Kindle. I find I'm really reading more, since I have a "deadline" when the book will magically disappear.

So, here's just a sampling:

First off, from the ever amusing and informative Grace Burrowes, I got an "uncorrected advanced copy" of her very latest:

Yes, the little gold sticker is correct. It is autographed and she did indeed spell my name correctly. Major Squee!
Not only that, she also sent:

Which is especially cool, because I have two heroes and a heroine who are medically retired Marines and we discussed that whole PTSD thing. Again, autographed.
And:

Which just sounds like too much fun, from all the guest blog posts and excerpts. And it's autographed.

That day, I also got:

Mom used to love the cowboy romances and I haven't read any of Harders' books or this particular line, but I am always truly up for trying new things and love swag. It is autographed too--thanks!

Next up:

I won an earlier book from her and she was so sweet sending an eBook my way too, I went out to get this one. See, promotions do produce sales!

Another I found that sounded good was:

Another recent freebie from Goodreads was:

With all my dietary changes recently, I was interested in this one, so I was glad I got it.

I've read two of Eloisa James's early novels from the library. The first one:

I reviewed on Goodreads. It was pretty good and if this was a book from early in her career, I know I'll really enjoy her more recent releases.
The second in the series, I'm 74% through:

There are certain things in romance novels that you know are givens. There will be a HEA (Happily Ever After), if it says something terrible will happen if XYZ occurs it will occur and if it's a series it's a good bet those secondary characters will show up later. None of these are bad things. In fact, they are part of the fun--to see how the author manipulates these standards to make it all come together in the end. I'll read the others in this series.

Finally, here are two blank books I found that I particularly like. I live to find especially pretty or fun notebooks, since I got through them for my writing finds and ideas:

The photo doesn't do it justice and it has the magnetic closure on the side, so it will be good to keep in a bag.
And I couldn't resist this one:

This is not your mother's Harlequin. Actually, it would have been. I found boxes of salacious pulp novels at my parents' house. And some dirty playing cards. And a "stag film" that was kind of sad, but those are other stories.
So, thanks for sharing. What are you reading now?

Tuesday, October 18, 2011

The Joys of a Good Bookstore and Reading

Hey, kids! Last weekend, Dear Hubby and I visited the fine city of Louisville, KY, to see some friends we know from when we were regularly attending and running science fiction conventions and we took the opportunity to go to Half-Priced Books and Books-A-Million. I dearly miss BAM--we had one in my hometown that closed a few years ago. When we're in the area it was, we always joke, "Hey, let's go to Books-A--awwww, crap!" We do that with the Borders, too, but it's not funny yet, since they closed early this year. BTW, it's a Halloween Store now. *sigh*

Anyway, knowing you love books like I do, I thought I'd share just a few of our finds.
First, a book on my Must Acquire List since it came out in hardcover last year:

I'm a little bit of an Anglophile and this true love story really fascinates me.
Next:

A re-issue I missed when it came out the first time. Love Lisa Kleypas's historicals, but don't dare put it on the To Be Read Soon pile, because it's teetering like a Jenga game. It unfortunately goes in the bin in the basement, until I can plow through them all.

Then to feed my cross-stitch addiction:

This looks so awesome on the inside and I'm sick enough that with a good light, these might eventually get stitched and framed. Into pain, I am.
Here are two on my To Be Re-read list:

I originally picked up The Left Hand of Darkness to pass on to my cousin's high school class, but the more I think about it, the more I know I need to re-read it sometime in the next year. I don't remember it like I should. THEN, I'll pass it on to her, because I have another copy somewhere in the 65+ boxes of books in the basement. The Club is somewhere in the depths of the basement also, but it will NOT be going to a high school class. It will be going on to a buddy of mine who is also an afficianado of "Lady Porn." You know who you are, Terry.

So, some of the folks at our SF gathering left a bunch of paperbacks and "pulp" science fiction magazines. I'm betting I have these out in the garage somewhere, but these two issues were pulled because they have Harlan Ellison stories in them.

Really, I am such a fangirl/geek, there are no words.

I did actually read this weekend and finished three books. Okay, I'd read the first two stories in the Christmas romance anthology a few weeks ago and read the first three chapters of the Harlequin on the author's website, but my husband was all peeved at me, because he's a slower reader. I really did marry my dad.

Thanks again to Karen Rose Smith for sending an autographed copy because I commented on a blog she wrote. Live for autographed books and that's the one thing about eBooks that gets on my nerves. Anyway, you can read my reviews of these two on Goodreads at:

http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/8430134-regency-christmas-proposals

http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11255608-his-country-cinderella

The other finish was the first book I completed on my Kindle and it was also a "freebie" from commenting on a blog, so thanks for that:

And here's the link for my review on Goodreads:
http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11492912-never-a-mistress-no-longer-a-maid

Finally, here's the current issue of Real Simple magazine. I should just subscribe to the damn thing, because it seems like I buy most issues.

As I said, just a fraction, but hope you enjoyed sharing a look in my bookbags.

Thursday, September 15, 2011

Books acquired--new and used

Freely admitted--I'm a book ho.

I grew up in a library. Mom worked at our small town library in the '60s and '70s. I volunteered in the middle school and high school libraries. One of my college workstudy jobs was at the library. I was a retail bookstore manager for almost ten years. I had a temp job at a medical library. On vacations, my husband and I usually scour the local bookstores. You get the picture.

So, when I started writing again, I wanted to get back into the swing of things. I was on the road for work and spent a lot of time reading, which I considered research. I got back into my Regency romance obsession when I found Stephanie Laurens' Cynster series, the first two in one volume, on a bargain book table. Since 2007, I've kept a list of books read and in 2008, I read well over a hundred titles.

When I signed onto Facebook, Blogger and Goodreads last year, I discovered whole new worlds of authors and reading communities in which to wallow. While it's been very enjoyable, it's significantly cut into my reading time. Plus the fact, I've been writing my own stuff. I've skimmed through parts of dozens of books, but only read enough of maybe two to consider I've "finished" them.

That hasn't stopped me from buying books, though. Whether it's checking out what they've got for $3 at Big Lots, spending a hour skimming the huge wall o' books at The Mission Store or pointing and clicking on-line at Better World Books http://www.betterworldbooks.com/ I check my printed out list (not that I've EVER bought duplicates grumblegrumble) and give an inner squeal when I find things I don't have. I've been checking the book giveaways on various blogs and on Goodreads periodically http://www.goodreads.com/giveaway and it's a real thrill when I get a package in the mail with a "freebie." Another obsession is autographed books and if I see a posting by an author I follow that they're doing an autographing somewhere, I have a credit card and I know how to use it, unfortunately. Other new and used bookstores, Walmart and last month's Evansville Vanderburgh County Public Library sale add to the growing piles of books in the dining room. Let us not forget the closing of our local Borders, where my husband and I purchased our birthday and Christmas presents for ourselves at 40-70% off.

So, here's a PARTIAL list of what I've acquired this past three months, new, used and freebie. Imagine if I started reviewing stuff--no, therein lies madness.