Merry Christmas!

Well it looks like we'll be getting a wet, humid Christmas this year.  It's been raining on and off for the last 2 days and the weatherman thinks it'll continue until Christmas Day.

I've been in a mad rush to wrap all the pressies and get them under the tree.  We've had to put the tree up into a container this time after last years debacle.  Our little devil in disguise decided that we'd find it really cute if he got into the lower ornaments and then chewed the string of lights!  Thankfully we caught him just as he was picking out a strand to start chewing, but really, you'd think he was a dog the way he keeps chewing on things and following us around the house.

My recent arrivals from Amazon kept me busy for all of 2 days.  I devoured the 2 books.  I liked Cast in Silence, but wasn't all that fussed on "When Demon's Walk" by Patricia Briggs.  If you haven't tried it yet, stick with her Mercy Thompson or Alpha & Omega series.  While it shows promise, it's not quite up to her recent style.

One package left to come is my copy of Supernatural (Season 4).  Can't wait to get my mitts on it and settle down to reacquaint myself with the story.  Gotta love Jensen and Jared.  I mean, who doesn't mind staring at them for a few hours.

Anyhow, I'm now looking for a Megan Washington CD.  I saw her on Rockwiz and Spicks and Specks a few weeks ago.  She has an amazing voice.  I forgot to ask when I went to JB Hi-Fi last week.  I had to go and get my mum the CD she's been subtly hinting at... yes, it is the Susan Boyle CD.  I think nearly every mum and grandma will be getting it in their chrissie stocking this year.

Have a Merry Christmas, and a wonderful 2010

Supernatural Fix

Well, I've been waiting for the season finale of Supernatural and it looks like it will be everything I could hope for... Sam v Dean (finally!). I suppose this is just a natural extention of my love for paranormal/urban fantasy stories, but being able to see things on TV that you can usually only picture in your mind while reading a book is a great boon.

So while I wait for the final episode of Season Four, I'll be also reading some of my new acquisitions. I've just gotten the new Chintz n China series by Yasmine Galenorn (haven't read it yet but will let you know what I think of it), and the new Nalini Singh. I did manage to get my hands on the new Lilith Saintcrow book, Strange Angels (written under Lili St. Crow) and I loved it. My review is posted on Amazon.com if you want to take a side trip :P

The other new book I've read is a Julie Kenner title called The Good Ghouls Guide to Getting Evan. It's about a very smart girl, Beth Fraiser, who gets turned into a vamp simply because the jock vampires want her to figure out the formula to making them immune to the sun's rays. Her mother doesn't notice when she doesn't come home that night, and her best friend freaks, but is cool about it... she is also the secret blogger who has the whole school jumping. Sounds like a so-so premise for a book, but it works well. Especially when Charlie (the guy who's runner up valedictorian behind Beth) turns out to be a Vampire Hunter's grandson. It's a good funny read, perfect for the bus or train. The second title Good Ghouls Do is out today!

YA books are sometimes overlooked by adults. They view them as childrens books, but actually they can be very much in the adult vein - just in a more innocent setting. If you like your books without sex and violence on every second page, but enjoy paranormal books, then maybe a YA series is just the ticket for you?

I've also made a slight departure from the world of Vampires, Werewolves and Witches. I was so bored at my local library, I haven't been able to find anything new to read there for ages. It seems that I have most of the books they get before they get them (oops!) and I tried to find a small mystery that I'd spotted on Amazon.com. It was a Death on Demand title by Carolyn Hart. Strange I know, but I picked up book 15 I think, and I really enjoyed it. I don't know if I'll read each and every title, but I will try and find the first one and see if its as good. If it starts out well, then I may just have to borrow them. I think you need to venture into some other genre every now and then, even if it's only to let you go back to you favourite books with fresh eyes. I know that if I don't take a break from it every now and then, I can't seem to find anything good to read. It all seems boring and repetative. But after a break, the same boring books actually become fabulous and I wonder how I could ever think that they were staid.

More Books!

Well, I've just had the mailman in a tissy for the last couple of weeks. My orders from amazon.com keep arriving... one here, two there, 4 yesterday!... woohoo!

I've been busy in the last few weeks. Not only with all the reading I've been meaning to catch up on while I was working, but then I got a headcold (not fun) and then alot of our relatives descended on us (also not fun). Things have just been chaotic lately.

The newest batch of books that arrived were fabulous! I've managed to find quite a few bargains online. Dark Celebration hardcover for $4.60! and more recently Devil May Cry hardcover for $6.49! Now in Australia they would cost me $45 plus each if I bought them new. Sometimes I wish I could live in America just to get the free postage from amazon.com!

Some of the books in my now large 'just read' pile include

Devil May Cry (H/C) - Kenyon

Eryn: Lifemates Connection - Keri Arthur

Night Shift - Lilith Saintcrow

A Lick of Frost (H/C) - LKH

Turbulent Sea - Christine Feehan

Cry Wolf - Patricia Briggs

Bound by Shadow - Anna Windsor <- surprising read

Night Child (1. OSI Novel) - Jess Bettis <-ok, but serious CSI meets Supernatural

Dragon Wytch - Yasmine Galenorn <- Smoky rules!

Heart of Stone (1. Negotiators) - C.E. Murphy

Mona Lisa Blossoming - Sunny

Running Wild - Sarah McCarty

Menage a Magic - Lora Leigh

and I've still got more on the way!

Soul Deep - Lora Leigh

Lucinda, Darkly - Sunny

Mona Lisa Craving - Sunny

To Hell & Back - Lilith Saintcrow <- last in the Dante Valentine series!

House of Cards - C.E. Murphy

Real Vampires Live Large

Real Vampires Have Curves

Prince of Wolves - Susan Krinard

Prince of Shadows - Susan Krinard

If anyone has read any of these, can you let me know how they were? or if you could recommend another author... I'm running out of reading material... HELP!

Thoughts from Work

I don't know what I want to write about, just that I want to write... I've been having a general urge at the moment to put pen to paper (or rather fingers to keyboard) and start writing again. I've been so inspired by the authors that I am currently devouring that I just want my own little shapeshifter to nuture and coax to life. I think that I'll head on down to my library tomorrow and check out some of their creative writing books for some reference points and start this weekend. I've nearly filled up a notebook full of ideas. I mean the ideas are no problem. I seem to have a constant stream of ideas. Even the littlest thing can bring a whole character or storyline to life, but its the whole writing it down so it appears like I imagine it thats proving difficult at the moment.

I've nearly made up my mind about the Mac v's PC issue that has been raging through my mind. Unfortunately before I do, I need to find someone in my area with a Mac! Would you believe that out of everyone I know, friends, relatives, co-workers, that no one has a Mac!!! I mean I'd at least like to take one for a test drive before committing myself.

Has anyone else out there had the same problem? How did you decide to switch from PC to Mac?

On a totally different subject, our local council has been forced to merge with 2 others here in south east Queensland. Now instead of being a shire of about 130,000 we will go to a shire of nearly 270,000. What a crock of $#*! Our esteemed former Premier (a certain Mr Beatty) decided - without public input - that we need to cut the amount of shires down from 150 something (I think) down to somewhere in the 90's. Now I live in a little town and we don't even get much attention from our own council. What chance do we stand of getting anything out of a new council?

Quick... must change subject again before I have a total meltdown... It just peeves me right off just thinking about it!

Well, my next load of ads has just come in, so I suppose that I'd better return to work. Let me know of any good paranormal/shapeshifter books out there.

Cheers

PS - Supernatural returned to our screens last night (Channel 10, 8.30pm) and I loved it. Although I'm not sure about some of the new characters, I just love the brothers (and who wouldn't love Sam & Dean!) Must watch S2 DVD again so I can catch up on the story... can't wait till next Monday night