Showing posts with label Blogs. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Blogs. Show all posts

Wednesday, June 1, 2016

30 Day Blog Challenge: Done!!


It's June 1st and I completed the 30 Day Blog Challenge. Ames idea for this challenge was to blog for 30 consecutive days during the month of May with the goal of getting herself back into the habit of blogging again. I needed some incentive to get back to blogging and decided to join her for the same reason. And what do you know? I was successful in completing the challenge. Yay!!!

Okay… I did miss a few days here and there, either due to migraines, the old-fried-brain syndrome from working late, and once because I was away from home and my scheduled blog post didn't post… but, I made up for them by double posting [grin]. I joined the challenge late, so with today's post it's 30!! It counts!

Seriously though, it's amazing how tough it was at the beginning to get going again, and how it all began to flow as the days went along.

Here is the breakdown of my posts:

Book Reviews/Mini-Reviews/Overview/Poetry Reviews: 11
Book Related Posts: 10
Weekly Updates: 3
Photos & Video: 3
Holidays: 3

Now that I know it's all about making the time, and I'm back in the groove, it will be easier to get back to my regular scheduled program.

Thank you Ames! This was a fantabulous idea!

Monday, August 6, 2012

This n' That: I'm Back + Books, Updates & A Special Stamp

Atlantic City, NJ
Hello everyone, I'm back from my too short one week's vacation! I had a wonderful time... disconnected from everything and everyone. It wasn't a European vacation like my friend Nath's, but it was an enjoyable one. I went down to Cape May and Atlantic City in South Jersey and just basked in the sun by the shore, shopped, gambled (won and shopped, lol), had some of those nice tall drinks, my husband wined and dined me, and well... I'm feeling like a brand new woman. :D (Sorry no personal pictures!)

Did I read while I was there? Heck no!! But I somewhat made up for being away by reading like a beast when I returned home Saturday evening and yesterday. I began and finished two books, The Chaperone by Laura Moriarty and Gunmetal Magic by Ilona Andrews! Reviews to come for both those books. Plus yesterday, I posted my review of Green Thumb: A Novella by Tom Cardamone. Boy did I love, love that novella! It was an all around winner for me.



Before I left I did buy one book that I can't wait to get my hands on, Torn the latest release by Lee Thomas (Cemetery Dance Publications). I went nuts and purchased a special edition hard copy of this book, signed by the author! And yes, it's horror... a Lee Thomas fan? You think? LOL!

And, I just purchased the latest release by Mel Bossa Into the Flames (Bold Strokes Books, August 2012). Her book Split, an April 2011 release was a favorite gay romance read for me! Plus, I just read her December 2011 release Franky Gets Real in July and also enjoyed it. So I'm looking forward to this new book.

Thank goodness my Atlantic City casino experience was a good one! I padded my book buying budget just in time. LOL! And changing pace... this is something that I wanted to do before I left on vacation and didn't get a chance to do.

I want to thank my friend Sonia from Books-Livros&Livros-Books. On July 10, 2012 she passed to me a beautiful stamp that I love, appreciate and one that touched me. It is the "Seu Blog Inspira" stamp. That's Portuguese for "Your Blog Inspires."


I am very happy to accept this beautiful stamp, my friend. :) But, although I know I'm supposed to pass it along to 3 other bloggers, YOU, Sonia, inspire me. So here is a shout out to S. (Sonia) from Books-Livros&Livros-Books. S., a Portuguese blogger, bilingual in English and Portuguese, blogs in English. She is an eclectic reader with wonderful insight who knows what she likes and posts her honest thoughts and impressions. Although Sonia reads and posts about everything, including literature, she seems to have a preference for paranormal, contemporary, and M/M romance.

Listing five (5) random facts about myself:
1. My taste in music is as eclectic as my taste in books.
2. I love to dance.
3. Autumn is my favorite season.
4. New York City and Seattle are my favorite cities in the U.S.
5. History, Literature, and Politics are/were/will always be my favorite subjects.

Thanks, Sonia!

Now, back to the regularly scheduled program. :D

Sunday, March 4, 2012

Completing: The 2012 Science Fiction Experience


The 2012 Science Fiction Experience hosted by Carl V. of Stainless Steel Droppings was a quick, short term non-challenge that I joined for a period of two months, from January 1st through February 29, 2012.

Carl V. made this a cool experience by giving the participants the choice of discussing everything science fiction: from movies to books, to well... anything. It was fun! I participated by watching quite a few movies, more than I posted about, and reading quite a few books, again, more than posted on my blog. I also ended up purchasing MORE books for that ever growing TBR pile after reading some of the reviews posted by my fellow participants, and adding some old favorites for re-reading purposes in ebook format.

At the beginning of this experience I had in mind two series and authors whose works I wanted to read, but was not sure which one I would choose. I ended up finishing one series, and began the other. So not too bad! Here they are:
Below is a summary of my posts for The 2012 Science Fiction Experience. I've also listed the titles of all books read, and movies that I remember watching.

Posts:
  1. Science Fiction "B Movies"
  2. The Butcher of Anderson Station: A Story of the Expanse by James S.A. Corey - Mini
  3. Overview: Old Man's War by John Scalzi (Old Man's War #1, The Ghost Brigades #2) 
  4. Impressions: Shards of Honor by Lois McMaster Bujold
Books Read:
    1. Old Man's War (Old Man's War, Book 1) by John Scalzi
    2. "Quiritationem Suis." (Metatropolis Anthology) by John Scalzi
    3. The Ghost Brigades (Old Man's War, Book 2)  by John Scalzi
    4. The Sagan Diary (Old Man's War, Book 2.5) by John Scalzi
    5. The Last Colony (Old Man's War, Book 3) by John Scalzi
    6. After the Coup (Old Man's War 4.5) by John Scalzi
    7. The Butcher of Anderson Station: A Story of the Expanse (Book 1.5) by James S.A. Corey
    8. Shards of Honor (Vorkosigan Series, #1) by Lois McMaster Bujold
    9. How I Proposed to My Wife: An Alien Sex Story by John Scalzi
    Movies Watched (watched more!):
    1. The Matrix
    2. Pitch Black
    3. Soldier
    4. Push
    5. The Chronicles of Riddick
    6. Star Trek (2009, directed by J.J. Abrams)
    7. Priest (spec fic)
    8. The Andromeda Strain
    Thank you, Carl V., I had a blast!

    Sunday, January 29, 2012

    This 'n That: Blogger Friend & LGBT News + Reading Update!

    What has everyone been up to this past week? I've had one of my disabling migraines, believe it or not, and have been bedridden for most of the week. I guess stress and everything else got to me, finally! Thankfully, I'm up and running again.

    A few things happened this past week that made me happy though, and I'd like to share them with you.


    Did you all know that our old blogger friend and all around great reviewer Brie dusted off Musings of a Bibliophile and she's back after a long hiatus? If you didn't know, well... now you do! Go on over and give her a big welcome back! I know we all missed her insightful and thorough reviews. From me to you:

    Welcome back, Brie! 

    ------------

    Then there's the release of the 2012 Over the Rainbow List. This is a list of 74 books chosen by the GLBT round table of the American Library Association. Here's a quote on their mission:
    "The committee's mission is to create a bibliography of books that exhibit a commendable literary quality and significant authentic lgbt content and are recommended for adults over the age 18."
    Now, I love this list because I can gather titles that I missed reading last year -- I'm always gathering titles. However, I was also rather happy that I not only recognized a few of the titles in that list as books read, but three of those titles made it to my top 10 LGBT books of 2011: The Abode of Bliss by Alex Jeffers, The German by Lee Thomas, and Wilde Stories 2011 edited by Steve Berman.

    There are two other books in that list that I read. The young adult graphic novel a+e 4Ever by Ilike Merey was honored as one of the ALA's top ten favorite LGBT books. I read and chose to highlight instead of reviewing this graphic novel about young adults dealing with gender identity and sexuality issues. However if you check out this book, I'm sure you'll find that it has been garnering excellent reviews. And for those of you, who like me, loved A Companion to Wolves, its sequel The Tempering of Men by Sarah Monette and Elizabeth Bear was also chosen under Speculative Fiction! So if you're interested, take a look at the whole list. I've already made my list. :)

    ------------

    I'm also happy to report that January has been a great reading month so far. Even with last week's bout with migraines. I read three science fiction novels and four science fiction novellas! With one exception, the rest of them were by John Scalzi, an author that I've been putting off reading for quite some time. So now that I've cleaned out some of his books from my TBR, I'm ready to begin reading the very popular Vorkosigan series by Lois McMaster Bujold. I'll be concentrating on that series in February. So bear with me and my science fiction obsession for one more month.... *g*

    What am I reading at the moment? Right now I'm reading a book for the Internet Book Club I joined with Mariana and a few others, The Red Garden by Alice Hoffman (Practical Magic... remember that movie?). So far so good! I have a few books by Hoffman in my TBR, but decided to recommend one of her 2011 releases.

    Monday, July 4, 2011

    Catching Up on June's Events, Books & Bloggers!

    June was a very busy month filled with exciting events, and a few contretemps. You've heard all about my meeting Ms. Nalini Singh earlier during the month for the book signing of Kiss of Snow, and how I lost my glasses and couldn't read for almost a week due to blindness. Ugh! But this last week... well, this last week was just plain fun!

    Books from Nath:
    Jill Shalvis, Gini Koch, Katie MacAllister
    Nath and her sister Emilie came down last Saturday night, June 25th to stay with us prior to the RWA Conference. Nath came bearing gifts... yummy, out of this world sweets from Canada that we all love, and, well... books!

    Sunday we went shopping at one of our big outlet malls in New Jersey for about six hours or so. The ladies are seasoned shoppers, and I promise I didn't faint, lol! Then I rushed over to my brother's house to visit with my youngest brother and sister-in-law who arrived from Orlando at the same time as Nath and Emilie. On Monday, I left work early and Nath and Emilie and I went over to my family's house for a get together and a family dinner with everyone, this way combining both visits for me. No time to read or blog people, but a great time!

    Tuesday was nuts! I worked again and barely got out in time for the RWA Literacy Signing, and made it after an altercation with the bus driver who was giving us a tour of NYC instead of parking the bus at the Port Authority.... well, needless to say the New Yorker in me came out full force (but that's a story for another time, lol) and I finally made it. That was a really exciting and wonderful part of the week that I've been looking forward to for a year. Besides meeting the authors, I had a wonderful time with Mariana at the Blogger Bar Bash afterwards where we chatted for a while with other bloggers, Nath, Librarian of the Year Wendy, KristieJ, Lusty Reader, Christine, author L.B. Gregg and other bloggers  who came around on and off (although I missed meeting Rosie!). The table was grand central. It was such a pleasure to meet them all and lots of fun!

    Books from Tabitha:
    Patti O'Shea, Laura Griffin, Jill Shalvis
    Kathleen O'Reilly, HelenKay Dimon
    My week didn't end on Tuesday though. I went to a work-related event on Wednesday night and didn't get home until past midnight, but when I arrived home there was a box waiting for me! It was from our friend Tabitha who shipped a box of books to Nath at my address, but as it turned out most of the books were for me. Thanks Tabs!

    Thursday I worked past 7:00 pm... got home and collapsed! Friday, I basically did all the things I should have done during the week at home, ran errands and actually saw that stranger I refer to as husband! (and finished a book, yay)

    Madeline Hunter, Jodi Thomas,
    Lisa Dale, Heather Webber,
    Diana Gabaldon, Julie Kagawa
    Saturday Nath and Emilie came back from the RWA conference to New Jersey to pick up their car. Nath came back bearing more gifts... books signed by authors I missed on Tuesday, plus books by other authors that did  not attend the signing, but whose works she knows I really enjoy. I was quite overwhelmed.

    Later that same day, they decided to do some more shopping and twisted my arm convinced me to go with them, lol. Good thing too, I found some great deals! Then we all went to dinner together, and they were off!

    So here I am... it's July and the long Holiday weekend's here. Time to relax. And after that long post, finally here are my June reads which thankfully are not many!

    --------------------------------
    Total June Reads: 10
    Contemporary: 2 (Women's Fiction: 1, Romance: 1)
    Historical Romance: 4
    LGBT: 3 (Fiction: 1, Romance: 1, Mystery: 1)
    Urban Fantasy: 1

    1. Slant by Timothy Wang: B+
    2. Sunset Bridge (Happiness Key Series) by Emilie Richards: B+
    3. The Salisbury Key by Harper Fox: B+
    4. More Than a Mistress by Mary Balogh: B+
    5. Magic Slays (Kate Daniels, #5) by Ilona Andrews: B
    6. Her Wyoming Man by Cheryl St. John : B
    7. Come Unto These Yellow Sands by Josh Lanyon: B
    8. Just Like Heaven by Julia Quinn: B
    9. The Darkest Sin by Caroline Richards: C+
    10. Bodyguards in Bed by Lucy Monroe, Jamie Denton, Elisabeth Naughton: C+
    11. Pleasure Me by Monica Burns: DNF

    Note that I have one DNF listed this month. I usually place books back in my TBR and read them later, but in this case I really tried to read Pleasure Me by Monica Burns. I read half way through before deciding that this book is not for me. :)

    Upcoming reviews and minis for the books I missed reviewing in June. So how was your month? My top read in June was Slant by Timothy Wang... how about you? Which book was your favorite?

    Monday, May 23, 2011

    Meeting a Friend, NYC, Dinner and Books!

    This post is late! I had a crazed, long working week and wasn't able to put up my posts last week, but better late than never... right?

    Last Tuesday evening I finally had the opportunity of meeting in person one of my oldest on-line friends, and wasn't that just the best treat?! Indigene (Indie Reviews) and I met on-line in 2007 and since then have been trading book recommendations and conducting our own, and often lengthy, in-depth book discussions through emails.

    Well, Indie finally came all the way from Ottawa, Canada to New York City and of course we had to meet each other in person, even if it was for one day or one evening. We met at the Port Authority and took a taxi to one of my favorite little places in the West Village, La Lanterna Caffe on McDougal. I love that little place because of its atmosphere, service, food, good wine, great coffee and desserts, but the best feature is that you can sit there all night and they won't bother you or throw you out! LOL!

    It's a good thing too, because Indie and I sat there from around 5:45 p.m. to around 10:30 p.m. talking, discussing books, talking and just.... talking. Let me tell you, those hours were not enough! We share a mutual love of history, politics, literature and the LGBT genre, and it was wonderful to be able to discuss in person the books and authors whose works we love. And how about the fact that it felt as if we had known each other forever? We just picked up where we left off on those emails... how great was that?!

    Of course we brought each other a little "hello, it's nice to meet you" present, and guess what it was? Not much of a guess when it comes to book bloggers, right?

    Indie gifted me with two unique Canadian surprises: a delicious bottle of Maple Syrup -- my husband was licking his chops before I got through the door, lol! And I was ecstatic when I unwrapped one of Indie's favorite books, a novel I've been wanting to read ever since she reviewed it for Three Dollar Bill Reviews, The Summer Between by Canadian author Andrew Binks. Here it is!
    On the ‘wide, slow river’ in front of his home, twelve-year-old Dougaldo Montmigny navigates the dark waters of homophobia and racism while realizing his parents’ disintegrating relationship and the complexity of his own feelings for a summertime playmate. Dougaldo’s transitional ‘summer between’ is a lesson on love, desire, and innocence lost.
    In turn, I gifted her with two of my favorite books.


    The first was a book I simply loved and wish everyone would read! My 2010 LGBT Speculative Fiction top pick and Lambda 2010 finalist under their SF/Fantasy/Horror Category, Diana Comet and Other Improbable Stories by Sandra McDonald. The second book was another 2010 release, but one I read and loved this year, The Perfect Family by Kathryn Shay. I'm hoping Indie enjoys these books as much as I did.

    Indigene is just a lady in the best sense of the word -- warm, extremely bright and just as lovely in person and she is on line. It was a pleasure meeting her in person and I missed her company as soon as we parted. Thanks Indie for a wonderful evening! Let's do it again -- hopefully next time we won't have a whole week of pouring rain and we'll make it to the LGBT Bluestockings Bookstore. I promise! :D

    Friday, April 22, 2011

    This 'n That

    It's Good Friday and I'm home today. Hope all those who celebrate Easter have a great weekend planned with their families. The same goes for all my friends who are celebrating Passover this week.

    Today, April 22nd, is also Earth Day. It marks the anniversary of what many consider the birth of the modern environmental movement in 1970. Environmental issues are important to me personally on a day to day basis, but this date reminds us all of its global importance.

    From earthday.org
    "The fight for a clean environment continues in a climate of increasing urgency, as the ravages of climate change become more manifest every day. We invite you to be a part of Earth Day and help write many more victories and successes into our history. Discover energy you didn't even know you had. Feel it rumble through the grassroots under your feet and the technology at your fingertips. Channel it into building a clean, healthy, diverse world for generations to come."
    ------------------
    Moving on to the "bookish," I would like to give a shout out to an old friend who just joined the blogosphere. My friend Indigene has finally decided to move the contents of her prolific and popular Life Journal to her brand new LGBT blog, Indie Reviews.

    Indigene is not new to reviewing, as a matter of fact she's a veteran and if you read LGBT you've probably read her insightful, thorough, and beautifully written reviews at the Rainbow Reviews site or at Three Dollar Bill Reviews, that is if you haven't visited her LJ. So go on over and check out Indigene's latest review of Rick Reed's Out on The Net, and give her a big welcome.

    -------------------

    And last, but not least, after years... and I mean years (I love to exaggerate) of whining about Twitter, I've opened an account! I don't know what the heck I'm doing with it or how to use the darn thing, except that I know you follow people and they follow you.

    My schedule is such that I don't seem to have the time to visit all my friends as often as I used to (boooh on that), and I'm looking for some interesting book discussions. I remember reading somewhere that in Twitter there are such things happening. However, I've yet to find them. :( I know... I know... I don't know what I'm doing yet. I find that I'm reluctant to just hit that "Follow" button on all and sundry and feel as if I'm intruding on other people except on those who I know will welcome seeing my name (at least I think so, lol), so maybe I just don't get it yet.

    Anyway, that's my Twitter story. I need to be pointed in the right direction to find some of those great book discussions, so if you have some advice... give it up.

    --------------------
    And now on to choose some books to read this weekend!

    Wednesday, January 26, 2011

    On Winning and Book Shopping!

    Last week I won a gift certificate after completing the 2010 Re-read Challenge. Nath was quite generous! So, you all know I went book shopping! I decided to purchase some books I had on my "books to buy" list.

    Quite a few of these books are recommendations by other bloggers. Here's my haul:








    Earlier this month I mentioned that I wanted to continue reading the Guild Hunter series by Nalini Singh. I took this opportunity to buy the second book in the series, Archangel's Kiss. If I like it as much as I did the first book, I'll be sure to buy Archangel's Consort soon enough. :D

    Simply Irresistible by Jill Shalvis is a book I've been wanting to buy ever since I saw Leslie's review! I've read a few of Shalvis' books and category romances and love her style, so this is a book that will be read soon quite soon.

    And continuing with recommendations from other bloggers, I read an excellent review by Lori for The Perfect Family by Kathryn Shay and immediately wanted to read this ohhh so interesting sounding contemporary.

    Then of course I had to buy one more contemporary, and this one a recommendation from Nath! Welcome to Harmony by Jodi Thomas was not a book that received high scores, but it was one that, nevertheless, caught my attention. It just seems to be the type of book I will enjoy. Let's see. :D

    I loved A Perfect Hero by Suzanne Enoch and when I heard Rules of an Engagement was coming out I was quite excited! Of course I placed it on my "to buy" list and it stayed there... now I have it and will read it. :D

    Pleasures of a Notorious Gentleman is the second book in Lorraine Heath's London's Greatest Lovers series. I've heard MUCH about this series (Leslie!) and I have the first book in my TBR already, but on the hopes that I will love it, went ahead and purchased the second book. :D

    AND, last but not least, Worth Any Price by Lisa Kleypas is a replacement purchase. My old copy was well... old, and used and... old! I decided that as a tribute to the Re-Read Challenge I would replace a book that I love to re-read.  It was time to replace this one with a fresh copy so I can re-read it and enjoy it for a long, long time. :D

    That's it! I think I did pretty well with that gift certificate. Thank you Nath!

    Sunday, January 23, 2011

    Challenges & a Thank You!

    I would like to thank Nath of Books, Books and More Books. Nath hosted one of my favorite Challenges last year, the 2010 Re-Reading Challenge.

    Last week she had a big surprise on her blog! She gave away a $50.00 Gift Certificate to the person who completed the challenge on time every month. That lucky person was me!

    So, thank you Nath not only for your generosity, but for all those hours of re-reading pleasure I enjoyed in 2010 because of your Challenge.

    Tuesday, October 12, 2010

    Blogger Friends, Books & a Grrreat Time!!

    This was Columbus Day weekend, and Monday was a holiday for some of us in the States. It was also Thanksgiving in Canada. I hope all our Canadian friends had a Happy Thanksgiving!

    Sorry I'm late wishing you all a happy holiday but I was quite busy! I had a terrific holiday. A few weeks ago, Nath told me that her sister Emilie wanted to spend a weekend in New York City for her birthday. The two of them planned on driving down from Canada, and it just so happens that I live right across the City! So we planned and plotted and after a few bumps (Nath got sick!) next thing we knew, they were down here and we were having a wonderful time. We walked, walked and walked some more in NYC and we shopped, shopped and shopped some more in New Jersey (well, they shopped... I dropped, lol). Then Christine joined us Saturday afternoon and we had a great evening, book shopping (Nath can really book shop!), discussing books and we had a nice dinner by the Hudson River.

    Nath and Emilie!

    Nath is just so lovely! And Emilie is the sweetest... my family and I fell in love with both of them. Nath came bearing gifts -- books of course! She knows that I'm about to go on a Jennifer Crusie reading binge and brought me some good ones, plus! Here they are:



    • Jennifer Crusie: Strange Bedpersons, Getting Rid of Bradley, Man Hunting, What the Lady Wants, Fast Women, Trust Me on This, Anyone But You. I can't wait to get started on these!
    • Carolyn Brown: One Lucky Cowboy, Lucky in Love. I've been wanting to read these books by Carolyn Brown for since last year! I saw Leslie's great review for One Lucky Cowboy and wrote the title and author down on my TBB list. Now I can finally begin the series. 
    • Cherry Adair: Edge of Danger, Edge of Darkness, Edge of Fear. I'm curious about this series and Adair is another one of those authors I just keep bypassing... so this is my chance! 
    • Anne Bishop: The Tir Alainn Trilogy (The Pillars of the World, Shadows and Light, The House of Gaian). This is another series I've had on my TBB list! AND, I have the Black Jewels Trilogy by Bishop in my TBR pile already, so yes... I'll be reading Bishop.  
    Thank you Nath for your generosity!

    Of course, I had to buy some books when we went to Borders, but I was GOOD! I only bought the books I had on my list for September and October. :)
    • The Iron Duke by Meljean Brook... (Yay, I finished reading this one already!)
    • Killbox by Anne Aguire, FINALLY more Jax!
    • Bayou Moon by Ilona Andrews... OMG, I can't wait to read it! 
    • Double Cross by Carolyn Crane... more Justine! 
    • AND, from the books I highlighted in my Cowboys & More Cowboys post, I chose to buy Cade Coulter's Return by Lois Faye Dyer in print. 
    I loved meeting Nath in person and I know we'll be seeing more of each other in the near future. :D Thank you for everything Nath and Emilie, I had the best of times! AND, I hope you had a good time and a HAPPY BIRTHDAY, EMILIE! 

    Monday, September 27, 2010

    Hi! Back from the Shore!

    Sunset Walk
    Hi everyone! Thank you all for the lovely send off and the great wishes. I'm back from my brief time away... I had a lovely time and except for a couple of cloudy and breezy days, the weather was fantastic! Hot and sunny days and cool evenings. Lovely.

    I didn't do much more than vegetate and take walks in the mornings, during sunset and one evening during the full moon. That night the beach was so bright, a flashlight was not needed. The sight was so beautiful I wish I'd been able to capture it to share with you.

    I came back just in time, it's raining today and it seems as if Fall was just waiting for my last day to arrive to make itself felt -- great break for me. :)

    I did take a few pictures and as you can see, Long Beach Island, New Jersey is a beauty of nature and my favorite place when visiting the Shore. It's beautiful and quaint.

    Seagulls at the Jetty

    Seagrass and Roses

    The Lighthouse

    Dunes and Seagrass

    Dunes at Sunset

    As far as reading goes, did I read while I was there? Well... not really... can you believe it? I really DID take a break from it all! I finished Once A Father by Kathleen Eagle, and quickly skimmed Shamara by Catherine Spangler (re-read), a 2001 sci-fi romance from a favorite series -- I'll tell you all about those books later -- I wasn't in the mood for reading. Instead, I enjoyed nature, great conversation, walks and music. I went on this little jaunt with two of my brothers and had a wonderful time with them. But now with the rainy days of Autumn ahead, I look forward to reading and getting back to the daily routine. It's good to be back.

    As you can see I didn't read much last week, what about you?

    Friday, September 3, 2010

    NJ Bloggers Meet, and a Mini-Haul

    August is over and so are the lazy days of vacations and summer!

    Last month was definitely a lazy month for me -- fast reading and slow-blogging -- but I did do at least one exciting bookish thing. Last week, our small New Jersey bloggers group met again. Christine, Mariana, Natalie and I met at the Cheesecake Factory Restaurant in Edison, New Jersey for dinner, yummy desserts and a long afternoon and early evening of conversation where we exchanged thoughts and books. Afterwards we went to the Barnes and Noble next door and had a wonderful time browsing and book shopping.

    Of course we all forgot to take pictures -- again! It's too bad because all the ladies looked great, especially Christine who looks fantastic, all the biking and jogging really paid off. :D

    Did I buy anything? A tiny haul, lol! This time Mariana gave me a copy of Tangled Up in You by Rachel Gibson, and although Games of Command by Linnea Sinclair is already part of my TBR in ebook format, I decided to purchase a print copy. I've come to the conclusion that I prefer reading Sci-Fi in print. So there were only two new releases in my mini-haul. :D



    Thank you ladies for everything, I had a wonderful time!

    Saturday, May 15, 2010

    Winner-1st Anniversary Giveaway!

    Last week I celebrated my 1st Anniversary AND held my first giveaway! I would like to thank all those who stopped by with warm wishes and congratulations.

    For the Giveaway the participants had to choose one book from a list of my favorite authors' upcoming releases. Seven participants in total entered the giveaway and I selected the winner randomly by using Random.org. Thank you all for participating. :)

    Now! The winner is...

    #6 NATASHA A!!!


    Natasha A. chose Magic Bleeds by Ilona Andrews! This is a favorite Urban Fantasy series, and Andrews a top author on my list, so have fun with Kate, Curran and the gang! Please send an e-mail with your address to claim your prize. Congratulations!

    Monday, May 10, 2010

    1st Anniversary Giveaway

    As I said on my previous post, I would like to celebrate my 1st Anniversary with a Giveaway. I'm making it an easy one.   

    I've decided to give away a book from one of my favorite authors by sharing one of their new upcoming releases. Well, I have quite a few favorite authors and they all seem to have new books releasing within the next few months, so you will find plenty of choices when it comes to genres and styles on this list. 

    I chose the books from my WAITING FOR list, you can see the covers and release dates on my side bar. Here's a list of the eligible books:
    • A Secret Affair by Mary Balogh 
    • Magic Bleeds by Ilona Andrews
    • Naamah's Curse by Jacqueline Carey
    • Married by Morning by Lisa Kleypas
    • Kraken by China Mieville
    • The Search by Nora Roberts
    • Demon Blood by Meljean Brook
    • Bonds of Justice by Nalini Singh
    • Wicked Intentions by Elizabeth Hoyt
    • Demon from the Dark by Kresley Cole
    • Lord of the White Hell by Ginn Hale
    • Killbox by Ann Aguirre
    Giveway: If you would like to participate, choose one title from the above list and just leave a comment by Friday, May 14th midnight Eastern Time (U.S.) with the title of the book you'd like to win. Note that all the books are upcoming releases. The winner's choice will be pre-ordered and received soon after it is released.

    The winner will be chosen randomly and I'll make the announcement on May 15th. Easy as pie! Giveway is open to U.S. and Canada residents only. GIVEAWAY CLOSED

    Good luck!

    Saturday, May 8, 2010

    Celebrating My 1st Anniversary

    Good morning. It's May 8th and today I'm celebrating my first Anniversary at Impressions... One year old, can you believe it?!! I can't. Time goes fast when you're having fun, and this has been fun!

    In reading my first introductory post "On Reading, Romance and Vices," I realize that it was the perfect introduction, it describes me to a "t." Reading is a personal pleasure that has evolved into a vice I can't and won't give up. A year ago, when I wrote that post I wasn't really sure blogging was for me.

    I can be pretty selfish when it comes to reading and was afraid blogging would interfere with my routine. But I made a deal with myself that if or when blogging began to interfere with my reading, I would give it up. Fortunately for me that has not been the case, and here I am a year later enjoying the heck out of myself writing reviews and impressions from my perspective as a reader. It turns out that sharing that reading pleasure in this little space has only enhanced it for me.

    So cheers to the wonderful readers and old and new "cyber" friends who stop by and make it fun to share.  Thank you for your support this last year.


    Later on this week I would like to celebrate this first anniversary by having my first giveaway as a thank you. In the meantime, here's a rose for you. :)

    Hilcia

    Thursday, April 1, 2010

    Coffee, Dessert, NJ Bloggers & Books

    March was a long month for me... so many things happened that it just seemed to go on forever. It has been a tough first quarter for me personally in 2010 -- tough changes, family health issues and other events -- but, I'm hopeful things will get better, afterall Spring is here!

    However, March ended on a high note for me. After many emails, scheduling and re-scheduling, I finally met three beautiful, sweet and wonderful New Jersey bloggers in person! Last Saturday, Christine (The happily ever after...), Mariana (Hips Like Mine), Natalie (Reading 2 Learn) and I met for coffee and dessert and had the best time discussing books, blogging and just getting to know each other. I'm afraid we didn't take pictures to share with you. :( We were all so busy talking, talking, talking none of us thought of it -- I know I didn't. After my tough month, I really needed that. Thank you ladies for driving all the way up to meet me!

    I came home with some books too. :) Mariana was getting rid of some books and I chose a few (didn't want to be too greedy, lol). And, I borrowed a few books from Christine. Here they are:



    Natural Born Charmer by Susan Elizabeth Phillips, Getting Lucky by Susan Andersen and Summer in Eclipse Bay by Jane Ann Krentz are all backlist books from these authors that I've been wanting to read, and for one reason or another didn't buy or get to yet. So now I have them!


    I read Nora Roberts' Three Sisters Island Trilogy a looong time ago. At the time, I decided to exchange all three books at a used book store for other Nora Roberts books I wanted to read. Mistake! For years I've been meaning to buy them again so I can make them part of my Roberts collection and so I can re-read them, now I can. Thank you, Mariana!



    AND, because I don't have enough to read, lol... Christine, sweetheart that she is, offered to lend me Stolen Fury, Stolen Heat and Stolen Seduction by Elisabeth Naughton. I've been wanting to read this author for quite a while and now I have the opportunity. Thank you, Christine!

    Note ALL the books are contemporaries. I'm still craving those a contemporary romances as you'll see when I post my March reads list later on. :)

    Meeting Christine, Mariana and Natalie was a great experience. It's amazing how we just all sat around and talked as if we had been doing so forever. It was lovely to experience how the love of books and reading can bring people together in such a comfortable way. Hopefully we'll be doing it again soon. :D