Fresh Look For a Fresh Start

I have been tinkering all morning on this blog. I figured that if I am going to make a fresh start then WWR needs a fresh look.  It is quite a different look than before.  No moobs in the header.  Gone is the bright color scheme.  Actually, it looks a bit dark around here.  I'm not entirely sure if I like it. The header is rather bland, but the background seemed to need something simple over it.

What do you think of the new look? Any suggestions?  I am certainly open to any ideas!

A bit of a fresh start and thoughts on a library

To kick off the relaunch of this blog I decided to do something that I am quite embarrassed I had yet to do. I officially move to New Jersey back in July, settling into my own apartment in October. (Bless my patient boyfriend for dealing with my crap scattered all over his place until my job situation was finalized.) I have all of the necessities here and finally live in an apartment that I was allowed to decorate as I wished, even painting the walls a lovely bright teal color. I have my haven to come home to at the end of the day. Certain "extras" have yet to be established five months later. No cable. No Internet. I enjoy using them at my boyfriend's place, but can survive without at home for now. Trust me, the Internet connection is coming soon. VERY soon.

 Today I decided it was time to fill in one of the blanks here in Jersey. I headed out and got myself a library card. After for living in Chicago for so many years I have grown used to a very specific library experience. I hadn't quite realized how ideal it was. The location near my old apartment was new. Shiny, clean and new. The books were in great condition. The staff was wildly diverse. There was one gal around my age who was hip and funky and always commented on my wonderfully juvenile bacon and eggs book bag. Some of the librarians were stern or cranky, while others were friendly and happy. It was a place where I would have loved to work. Oh, how I miss the Wicker Park/Bucktown library.

The Bayonne Public Library is housed in an old building with fantastic architecture. I so wish the interior lived up to the exterior. Ok, the foyer has fabulous marble floors and there are some cool murals on the wall of the hallway leading to the children's library. There is just such a sad... old feeling to the place. The staff fulfilled the stereotype of old, frumpy and cranky. Boy howdy. It was the first library that I wanted to leave. You usually can't get me out. The organization of the rooms was confusing and the books were shelved on their sides, spine up so that they could fit into spaces that were not tall enough. You couldn't read the titles to see what was there. The main fiction section was full of dusty, torn hardcovers that made my heart ache. Thankfully I discovered the new book section. You could hear my sigh of relief echo though the room. There was a decent selection, enough that I was able to snag a few for the next week or so. I came home with a lovely, if small stack of precious including

Veil of Night by Linda Howard

Twenties Girl by Sophie Kinsella

Breaking the Rules by Suzanne Brockmann

And for my daily commute to and from school I snagged the audio version of Good Omens by Terry Pratchet and Neil Gaiman.

 Libraries like this make me sad. There is so much potential in that building. With some elbow grease and organizational skills it could be a great library. New (but not the most recent releases) and old books should be shelved together. Separate sections for certain subgenres would help patrons. I clearly remember there being separate romance, mystery, and sci fi sections in libraries I have patronized in the past. Signage is needed and the poor, beautiful children's section needs to host some events. The young adult section should not be hidden in the back of the audio/visual room. Geez! Don't they know that YA has been a hot genre for years? I'm sure they are suffering from a lack of funding. I fear that the bigger deficit is in initiative. Everyone there seemed so tired. I wish I could go in and shake things up. Give them all a dose of excitement and energy. They have books! So many books! They could be awakening minds, turning children's imaginations away from video games and into worlds of imagination. It is libraries like this that make me want to get my MLS so I could get hired and whip the place into shape, inject some life into the organization. Shouldn't a library be full of people? Shouldn't it be a centerpiece for the community?

The potential is there, Bayonne, but what are you going to do to reach it? Does anyone have ideas on how the community could take action?

Firelight

Hello? Um....hello? Anyone out there? Wow. Isn't this site neglected? Who is responsible for this terrible oversight? Oh, wait. That would be me. Oops. Looking at the date on the last post I made shows that it has been nearly two years since I wrote anything on here. I would like to say that some hugely miraculous event has prevented activity on this blog. Sadly, it has simply been life, work and a seriously lack of Internet connection at home. For two years? Yeah, pretty much. Moving across the country and teaching at schools with high needs tends to take a lot out of a girl. I have been reading, however. Some new books, many a beloved reread. I like to think that this site has been sitting here waiting for the book that so engaged my mind that it demanded to be written about. I finished that book last night.

Firelight by Kristen Callihan has so many elements that work for me. It pushed all my buttons, in a good way. You have Lord Archer the dark, mysterious tortured hero. He holds everyone at bay, hiding the tragic results of an experiment gone wrong behind an eerie black mask. He is wonderfully strong, yet horribly vulnerable. He yearns so desperately for love but feels that he is unworthy. He is a fabulous mix of the Phantom and the Beast. (two archetypes that I will read in an instant.). The heroine, Miranda, is strong and feisty. This is no cowering miss. In fact, she is nearly fearless in regards to her own safety. You learn she has a very good reason for this. These two characters balance one another. Their strengths and weaknesses make them intriguing. Their faults make them seem very human, yet their "gifts" lend them the extraordinary. There is a mystery plot to the book involving ancient mysteries, murder, and some gruesome slice and dice. It kept me interested through the middle where the romance seemed to take a back seat for a short while. I felt that the mysterious source of Archer's disfigurement was different from what you have read in other tellings of this type of story. This book would be considered an Historical Paranormal Romance. That's a mouthful. It is also wonderful. I highly recommend this book to any and all fans of the genre. For a debut novel I am wildly impressed. I am eagerly anticipating the upcoming release of the second book in the series. Mmmm... Historical werewolves!

The Ancient Greeks are Among Us!

Two books that I have read recently have both featured Greek gods and goddesses in the present day. I found this intriguing. Especially so, because the two book were so very different.

Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan is the first book in a YA/children's series that focuses on Percy Jackson, the son of Poseidon. Born half human, half god, Percy is not your average kid. School is torture. The special abilities that will someday manifest into battle skills only cause him trouble in the regular world. Labeled ADHD and LD, Percy hates school, and the teachers aren't too fond of him, either. One teacher in particular takes a murderous dislike to Percy. It's only when she glows claws and wings that Percy realizes just how much trouble he is in.

Born of parents from (literally) two different worlds, Percy and those like him draw the worst elements. Few of these children make it into their teenage years. This first book in a series starts the journey that Percy takes through adolescence. Will he survive? Will the gods take him out? Can he keep his mother safe? Will the Titans rise and take over Olympus?

This book was based so strongly in the original mythology that there is a sense of familiarity to the story. Those who studies the myths in school know the story of Medusa and Persephone. You know what Percy must do or why a god behaves in a particular way. Riordan honors the mythology, keeping true to the stories as his book unfolds.

I highly recommend this book. I have already told many of my students about it. I see the boys' eyes light up as they tell me about their favorite parts of the book. Boys. Reading. Voluntarily. For some of them this is a new experience. What could possibly be better than having students excited about a book they read, which will lead them to focused learning in the classroom? Not much, I think.

On the complete flip side, I FINALLY read Fantasy Lover by Sherrilyn Kenyon. This was my first Kenyon novel. I know, I know. What rock have I been living under. The back list was a bit intimidating. I finally sucked it up and snagged a copy. It was quite fun. Not the best paranormal romance I have ever read, but it was enjoyable. Certainly it was good enough to inspire me to request the next book from the library.

Julian is the son of Aphrodite and a Spartan soldier. Turned out of Olympus as a baby, he was given to the care of his father. Born of a time of war, male children were given over the the army at an early age. Blessed with his mother's beauty, Julian was often beaten and ridiculed. This shaped him into a lethal soldier. Gaining the favor of Athena, he was sent to battle to return victorious again and again. Jealousy of his conquests and his own poor judgement lead to his ultimate downfall. Cursed by his half-brother, Julian was locked in a book, only to be brought forth when summoned by women to act as their sex slave. Two millenia of this torture has left him empty, merely a husk of a man.

Grace is a sex therapist who ain't gettin' any. Her best friend thinks this is a problem. Grace is just fine with the situation, thank you very much. Her personal baggage comes in the form of a matching set of Louis Vuitton steamer trunks. She knows she has issues, but doesn't feel the need to lighten the load. Take a birthday, a bottle of wine, a cursed Greek book, and a well meaning best friend.... Grace, meet Julian. Julian, meet the first woman who has ever said no to you.

Sexual tension, ahoy! I enjoyed seeing the two characters get to know one another and begin to understand each other as individuals. Julian became human, not simply a love slave. Grace began to let go of the ghosts holding her back. Various gods popped in to either help or complicate matters. I felt that one or two issues were resolved perhaps too easily. Aphrodite waves her hand and all is well. Yet, I still enjoyed the book. A fun, easy romp.

So those Greek gods are still stirring up trouble today and making reading time interesting for us all.

I'm so embarrassed

I just returned home from a lovely afternoon that started with a book signing by fabulous locals Julie James and Beth Kery, joined by Joss Ware and Shiloh Walker. Good books, great company, delicious food and fantastic wine. A perfect Saturday afternoon.

It was while in the company of these fine ladies, Shiloh's patient husband, and fellow blogger Stacy, that I had to admit to the embarrassing state of my blog. I have been neglectful. Horribly so. I was in such a reading slump for so long that, once I finally began to read again, I was completely out of the habit of blogging. Well, there is no other way to regain the habit than to practice.

So here I go. I know this is a very short, small start, but I hope to have more to say in the coming days. I did post my review of Someone Like You by Julie James on the DIK blog a week or two ago. I just finished the first book of the Percy Jackson series. I'm almost finished with another Loretta Chase. I am currently listening to the audio book of Little Women (my first time ever!) I really REALLY need to read The Outsiders for school. So lots of fodder for the ol' What Women Read blog.

Keep your eyes peeled. I just may surprise us all and start things up again in earnest. :)

Is it just me?

I've been reading again. SLOOOOOOOOOOWLY. A few books have clicked, a few have not.

Covet by J.R. Ward
It had so many elements I like. At first I thought it would suck me in the way the BDB did in the beginning. I love the concept: fallen angels, good vs evil, saving seven souls, true love. The book held up, right up until the end. I don't know. I guess I felt like there was so much build up, the resolution was sort of anticlimactic. I wanted more.


Now I am reading Written on Your Skin by Meredith Duran. I have absolutely loved her previous novels. This one... not so much. The writing is good. The story is interesting. I just can't connect to the characters. There is so much deception that you almost can't tell who they truly are. I don't understand the characters, so I can't connect to them. When I can't connect to the characters I have a hard time stying with the book. I know I need to power through. If her track record holds strong, I will end up loving it. Right now, though, I'm just not feeling it.

Back to crocheting, I guess. (Gotta get these Christmas gift finished!!!)

Meredith Duran: Slump Buster!

My friends, I think the Slum of '09 may have met it's match: the fabulous Ms Meredith Duran.  Yesterday I was consumed by Bound By Your Touch. Nearly every page was read in one day. It was phenomenal!

WARNING, there are a few spoilerish comments below!

Ttitle:  Bound By Your Touch
Author: Meredith Duran

Silver-tongued Viscount Sanburne is London's favorite scapegrace. Alas, Lydia Boyce has no interest in being charmed. When his latest escapade exposes a plot to ruin her family, she vows to handle it herself, as she always has done. Certainly she requires no help from a too-handsome dilettante whose main achievement is being scandalous. But Sanburne's golden charisma masks a sharper mind and darker history than she realizes. He shocks Lydia by breaking past her prim facade to the woman beneath...and the hidden fire no man has ever recognized. But as she follows him into a world of intrigue, she will learn that the greatest danger lies within -- in the shadowy, secret motives of his heart.

What I loved:  Lydia.  She was strong and independent, the eldest daughter in the family and known spinster.  She was not a shrinking violet.  She was not terribly naive. Inexperienced, yes, but she understood much of the world. This was a strong, intelligent heroine.  And yet she was still taken advantage of.  I liked this.  It was realistic.  It showed how a person could be blind to circumstances of the actions of others because of their personal feelings.  Lydia was not TSTL.  She wasn't idealistic.  She came across as being rather realistic.  I also loved James.  How could I not love this hero?  He was flawed, nearly fatally so.  I spent a good portion of the book not liking him.  He was selfish, rude, inconsiderate... but then his motivations and internal struggles began to be revealed.  When he walked away from her, the decision was not made with the declaration that he was doing it for her own good.  No, it was very clear he was walking away for himself. Self-preservation.  And I was in complete sympathy with him. 

I found the story line with James sister, Stella, to be interesting.  I found Stella's decision to be rather profound and forward thinking. I like that James was not suddenly OK with it.  He still struggled, but found a bit of peace. This, too, was realistic.  No one waved a magic wand and made everyone happy and whole.

Thing I hated: Lydia's sister Sophie. Oh, that was the point, wasn't it? Yeah, that's all I've got for this category. No hating going on here!

Recommend?  Absolutely, yes!  This was Ms Duran's second book.  Duke of Shadows was one of the best historicals I have ever read.  Dark, intense, full of pain and angst.  Bound By Your Touch is less so, yet by no means a light and fluffy read. Does it join the ranks of the best?  Not sure yet, but it is certainly a keeper!