Eagerly awaiting for...

I can't believe we will have to wait till 2015... I totally did not see this heroine coming...

I the mean time I have been rereading this series.

The “smoldering heat, epic romance, and awesome action” of Nalini Singh’s New York Times bestselling series continues as two Arrows find themselves caught in a chilling conspiracy that spans all three races…
Awakening wounded in a darkened cell, their psychic abilities blocked, Aden and Zaira know they must escape. But when the lethal soldiers break free from their mysterious prison, they find themselves in a harsh, inhospitable landscape far from civilization. Their only hope for survival is to make it to the hidden home of a predatory changeling pack that doesn’t welcome outsiders.
And they must survive. A shadowy enemy has put a target on the back of the Arrow squad, an enemy that cannot be permitted to succeed in its deadly campaign. Aden will cross any line to keep his people safe for this new future, where even an assassin might have hope of a life beyond blood and death and pain. Zaira has no such hope. She knows she’s too damaged to return from the abyss. Her driving goal is to protect Aden, protect the only person who has ever come back for her no matter what.
This time, even Aden’s passionate determination may not be enough—because the emotionless chill of Silence existed for a reason. For the violent, and the insane, and the irreparably broken…like Zaira.

Holiday reading recommendations needed!

Children Reading Book Christmas Card Post Cards by vintagegiftmall

The holiday season is fast approaching and as usual I'm looking forward to some Christmas themed reading. There's a list of HF at Historical Tapestry and I've been checking it out but I wouldn't mind trying other genres, namely romances, as I'm in the mood for some lighthearted and funny reads. I used to love Christmas themed traditional regencies but haven't read those in a while... maybe I'll see if I find any... But I am looking forward to other genres as well so if you have any good recommendations please do share them...

I used to do a lot of Christmas related posts in the past but last year I was too busy and I didn't really do anything. This year I am looking forward to see if I can maintain a steady number of posts about Christmas. I'm going to try and join the Virtual Advent Calendar, the Pinterest Challenge and I committed myself to do a Christmas ornament. I'm especially looking forward to that one because I want the twins to have happy memories of Christmas but without all the commercial aspect, I would rather start them on a tradition of handmade ornaments and gifts. If you have any DIY suggestions I would love to know about them too. I have also been entertaining the thought of an alternative Christmas tree. I don't think our usual tree would stay up for long with two 20 month old boys trying to play with it.

If I manage to accomplish all this I will definitely be posting about it!

How to Recycle Old Books

Sometimes I come across some original ways to reuse old books. I'm not sure I could make myself do this to a book if it's still readable but the ideas are interesting.

 See here how to make an invisible bookshelf

and how to make a planter from a book:

and finally how to turn an old paperback into a hardback

Some End of the Year Conclusions & New Year Resolutions...or not...

It's time for some reflexions about the year that is at an end concerning what I usually post about here. This was the first year I got involved in Reading Challenges, it seems they have been around for a long time but, although I enjoyed reading other people's posts about them I had never joined. This year, thanks to A., I finally found the courage to join some and what started with just a few soon became a huge task as I couldn't resist joining more and more challenges. I have to say that this made me read books I wouldn't otherwise have read and I found that a positive thing. I reread some of the classics that were a part of my teenage reading and found more authors and genres to enjoy. Although I may not be joining as many challenges in 2010 as I did in 2009 they definitely were something that I enjoyed and that I plan to repeat. I read a bit less this year, 160 books in 2009 as opposed to 185 in 2008. I was planning to highlight my best reads but I already wrote a post for Historical Tapestry about my favourite historical fiction books so I'll just leave you the link. I don't read only HF though so check my Goodreads account if you want to know what more I've been reading.

I also watched a lot more movies and TV series than in the past. My involvement with the Lights Camera History blog has definitely contributed to that, at least in the period drama department. I had been a fan of the british period drama for some time but this past year I tried other cinematographies. My discovery of the year was the cinema made in India. Thanks to A. I have watched some movies that quickly became favorites like Lagaan, Jodhaa Akbar or Mughal-e-Azam.

http://www.graphicgarden.com/

Hobbies wise it seems that only my crafts have been a bit abandoned, during the first half of the year I think that happened because painting takes space and you need to do it in some place where you don't mind if the floor, table, etc gets dirty. I used to have a place for that but I don't anymore and at home there's not much space so most of the materials have been in storage and I only painted one or two things for Christmas. I think sewing and knitting might be more suited for me now but I haven't had much time to devote to it. At least not as much time as I used to. I did set up a blog (in portuguese) to show what me and my Mom have been crafting.

Now to the resolutions...I have been setting myself goals in past years and I just decided that I am too bad at keeping them so there's no point in continuing. I have great hopes for this new year, like most people I wish the world crisis would end soon! And, a bit closer to home, I wish we may all stay healthy and happy! I want to value more my family and my friends, to enjoy the little things in life, to learn new things, to do more with less... But those are not exactly resolutions, they are a part of my journey in this life. On the subject of being happy I've been following Gretchen Rubin's blog for a while now and I'm greatly enjoying it. Some things are great food for thought...

So, I suppose the only resolution I have is to keep blogging. That means continuing reading, watching movies and Tv series, crafting and sharing my thoughts about all that with you. That's it! I do have other plans for this year but we'll get to that when we get there...

I wish you all a great year in 2010! May all our expectations be fulfilled!

Christmas Reading

I love to read about everyone else's favourite Christmas stories so I've been following the posts at the AAR blog with interest.

Christmas Reading 1

Christmas Reading 2

One of the best things is that I'm finding more books to add to the wish list. I'm a big fan of Diane Farr's Once Upon a Christmas but most of the others are new to me or are books that are still TBR. Looking back at my Christmas reading lately it has been more anthologies than single stories but so far this year I found another keeper in Kate Huntington's Mistletoe Mayhem.

I'm currently reading Anne Perry's A Christmas Beginning and I'm enjoying it very much too! Although not romances Perry's books always have an inspirational message and plenty of romantic elements and they are always a part of my favourite Christmas reading.

And of course another of my favourites is Dickens' A Christmas Carol that I have already mentioned here on the blog more than once.

I still have more than 10 books in the Christmas themed TBR that I had planned for December and I'm starting to think I might not be able to read so many...it's always the same old problem, so many books and so little time...

18h & 19th Century Women Writers' Reading Challenge

I saw this over at Wandeca Reads and couldn't resist joining, I'm always saying I want reread Austen and read more Gaskell among others so this is the perfect opportunity. You can find the rules for this Challenge hosted by Becky here.

The challenge is about reading no less than four books and no more than twelve book by women who wrote between 1701 and 1899 from January 1st to December 29th 2009. I'm setting my goal at six books at the moment and as I go along I'll see if I want to read more.

My reading list is:

Jane Austen (1775 - 1817) - Emma - Read
Anne Bronte (1820 - 1849) - Agnes Grey - Read
Charlotte Mary Yonge (1823 - 1801) - The Little Duke - Read
Charlotte Bronte (1816 - 1865) - Jane Eyre - Read
Elizabeth Gaskell (1810 - 1865) - Mary Barton - Read

This is the second challenge I join and I'm really enjoying this. I think I'm going to set up a page to organise them as the odds are that I'll enter more soon.

5 Minutes For Books: A Christmas Carol

5 Minutes for Books's Classics Bookclub is discussing Dicken's A Christmas Carol this month and since it's one of my favourite books I'm planning to join the fun- Come and join too!

I read the book alone although I'm trying to find a copy in portuguese to give to my mother as a Christmas present. It's been a long time since I read anything else by Dickens so I don't confortable comparing it to others, I do have Bleak House in the TBR pile to read soon though. This really one of my favourite Christmas stories and I try to reread it every year. I think Dicken's really shows what should be the Christmas spirit and how it's never to late to start living it. Charity, goodwill, caring for others, sharing what you have... that is the important message for me.

Another Week Has Gone By Without Books

Two weeks without any books arriving at my doorstep, I may just go wild and go book shopping on saturday!!!

How To Make a Handbag Out of a Recycled Book

I found this link on the BM forum. Not sure if I should be amazed at their creativity or horrified by seeing the book destroyed...

Lady Whistledown...

Continuing with my plans to reread old favourites I am now in the middle of The Viscount Who Loved Me.

One of the things I loved the most about Julia Quinn's Bridgerton series was the news that Lady Whistledown wrote and how we were kept guessing at her identity on the first books. Whatever flaws I may now find in Quinn's work with Lady Whistledown she managed to create in her readers such a big expectation that I remember when the several groups I was a part of at the time were all trying to guess at the lady's identity and if it would be revealed in the next book. I never came across such enthusiasm again!

In TWLM Lady Whistledown begins by writing about the nature of rakes:

The topic of rakes has, of course, been previously discussed in this column, and This Author has come to the conclusion that there are rakes, and there are Rakes.

Anthony Bridgerton is a Rake.

A rake (lower-case) is youthful and immature. He flaunts his exploits, behaves with utmost idiocy, and thinks himself dangerous to women.

A Rake (upper-case) knows he is dangerous to women.

He doesn't flaunt his exploits because he doesn't need to. He knows he will be whispered about by men and
women alike, and in fact, he'd rather they didn't whisper about him at all. He knows who he is and what he has done; further recountings are, to him, redundant.

He doesn't behave like an idiot for the simple reason that he isn't an idiot (any moreso than must be expected among all members of the male gender). He has little patience for the foibles of society, and quite frankly, most
of the time This Author cannot say she blames him.

(...)

This Author Thinks... Not.

LadyWhistledown's Society Papers, 20 April 1814

I could not agree more! I have a soft spot for Rakes you see but I just can not abide rakes! And I can't wait to get to her book and read about how she is found out once again!

Agatha Awards - 2007 Finalists

I really like Agatha Christie's books and I have one shelf filled with them. So when a L. shared the finalists for the 2007 Agatha Awards it has ocurred to me those titles might be something I would enjoy. Here are the finalists for 2007:

Best Novel
* The Penguin Who Knew Too Much by Donna Andrews
* Her Royal Spyness by Rhys Bowen
* Hard Row by Margaret Maron
* A Fatal Grace by Louise Penny
* Murder with Reservations by Elaine Viets

Best First Novel
* A Beautiful Blue Death by Charles Finch
* A Real Basket Case by Beth Groundwater
* Silent in the Grave by Deanna Raybourn
* Prime Time by Hank Phillipi Ryan

The only author I've read before is Donna Andrews but I do have Deanna Raybourn's books in the TBR pile. All the others are new to me authors but if they write in Agatha Christie's style they might be worth trying...

Thank you!

It's on top of the TBR pile!

Valentine's Day

Image by Webweaver


Well this is really not about St Valentine's Day so much as I think every day is a good day to show your other half that you love them. Nonetheless I couldn't resist buying a gift for today (I love to give my other half gifts and do it all the time...)

But being Valentine's Day got me thinking that I've read lots and lots of Christmas stories but I never read a Valentine's Day one, the reason the 2 are linked in my mind is that Signet published over several years some of the best Christmas stories ever in the form of anthologies and in the same collection (and sometimes with the same author), were published several Valentine's Day anthologies. I was never curious enough to look for those (all out of print and hard to find nowadays) but that is going to change. I'm in the mood for some Valentine's Day stories! Any recommendations?

Request to Publishers

I've recently read 2 Anne Stuart collections, 2 books featuring each of them 3 stories previously published as categories. Considering how many (and she has many) of her books are hard to find and out of print I would really like it if you could publish more of these books. Or how about collecting some her short stories from several different anthologies and reprint them as a single book? I promise to buy them all new and I don't even mind paying a bit more!!

And since I'm on a requests mode could we do the same with Mary Balogh's Signet Regency stories. I've read them but I want to OWN them! Please publish them again!!!

Buying More Than You Can Read

It has been brought to my attention that I'm always getting books every week but I don't read as many as I receive. The question was why do I need so many?
I suppose there is no logical answer for someone who is not as fond as books as I am. The thing is I like books, I like to browse and look for new books that may seem interesting. If I find them I want to have them! It doesn't matter that I wont read them this week or this month or even this year. I have to have them in my shelves so when the mood strikes I might get them out and read them.

Doesn't this make sense for you bookaholics out there?

Cataloguing and Organising Books

This is something I've been thinking about for a while now. When I started having too many books to remember them all I started writing them down in an excel spreasheet (courtesy of Rosario). Later and because it was easier to have a link to send whenever I wanted to show my books I started a page on Librarything and now I discovered I can do much more at Goodreads. Although I know there are more sites out there I think I'll stop with this one.

It allows me to mark books to be read, currently reading, traded or whatever else I choose. Then I can post my reviews and read the reviews of other readers and finally I can have my network of friends to easily check their bookshelves and see what they are reading. If you want to check the books I have, read, traded etc go here: Goodreads

I wanted to post the link sooner but then decided to add some books first and ended up not posting it till now. I have more books to add so you can consider this a work in progress!

Beautiful Bookstores

The Guardian has made a list of the 10 most beautiful bookstores in the world. Livraria Lello in Oporto got the 3rd place! It really is a beautiful place and people go there to visit the building as much as to buy books!

Top 100 Romance Poll

I haven't visited AAR in a long time but since most of the blogs I visit daily deal with the romance genre and there's been lot's of comments about this poll I decided to check it out.

You can check the list here. Of the books mentioned I have read 62. They are all very well known books by authors already well established in the genre, people looking for buried treasures wont find any here but if you're new to romance some might be worth checking out...

I never vote for these things because I have a problem choosing just one book among others as a favorite so having to choose and grade 100 is an impossible task.In no particular order here are some of my favorites that are mentioned in the poll:
Jane Austen - Pride and Prejudice
Jane Austen - Persuasion
Diana Gabaldon - Outlander
Lisa Kleypas - Dreaming of You and Devil in Winter
Jennifer Crusie - Welcome to Temptation
Susan Elizabeth Phillips - It Had to Be You and This Heart of Mine
Laura Kinsale - For My Lady's Heart
Linda Howard - Opend Season and After the Night

I was sorry not to see any books by Jo Beverley, Madeline Hunter, Roberta Gellis, Elizabeth Chadwick, Liz Carlyle, other titles by Mary Balogh...

PS. Lord of Scoundrels is nº1 in the poll, although I really enjoyed reading it whenever I think of my favorites this title doesn't usually come to mind...

Books and Video Trailers

It seems to be all the rage lately, every author is making video trailers for their books. Although I will watch the video trailers for books of authors I love I'm not tempted to watch videos from authors I don't know so I'm wondering why there are so many popping up everywhere? Is there a new generation of readers who are attracted to videos first and the book later? Are book trailers increasing sales? I wonder...

Here's one for Elizabeth Chadwick's new book:



You can check another for a Madeline Hunter book here

And Christine Feehan's books have not only book trailers but also TV adds

Couldn't resist...

I thought I was going to be too busy to post today but now I can't resist, I went shopping for books and DVDs this morning and although I didn't find what I was looking for I still found something to spend money on:

Patrice Hannon - Dear Jane Austen, A Heroine's Guide to Life and Love
Pride and Prejudice - the DVD, the Keira Knightley version, I know it's not as good as the 1995 one but I've been wanting to see it and couldn't resist.

Then I got home to find the mail box full with:

Anne Perry - A Christmas Visitor
Anne Perry - A Dangerous Morning
Patricia Cornwell - The Last Precinct
Anya Seton - The Winthrop Woman
North and South - The DVD I mentioned a few days ago

Wasn't this a great first day of vacation?