7 Things... about me!

So AE at Sometimes I ramble... tagged me the other day. I finally got around to answering all the Qs yesterday afternoon.

Here they are:

Seven Things to Do Before I die:
Spend as much time with my hubby as possible
Watch my daughter grow into a capable, independent woman
Have a book published
Keep my brain active by writing all the time
Visit the USA
Read every book I’ve ever wanted to read
Have lived a happy life with those I love


Seven Things I Cannot Do:
Set the VCR for pre-recording
Understand racism
Understand inconsiderate/evil intentioned people
Like politics or politicians
Reach the top cabinet in the kitchen (without a chair)
Stop writing
Play any sort of instrument


Seven Things that Attract Me to my wonderful Spouse:
Gorgeous eyes
His sense of self-identity
The strength and support he provides unconditionally
Great father
His natural kindness and affectionate/contagious laugh
That my stomach still flutters when I think/see him
Everything about him!


Seven Things I Say (or Write) Most often:
Hey!
LOL
See Ya
How’s it going?
Catch’a!
Sit on the couch! (the kid loves to sneak up close to the TV)
Put your toys in your room!


Seven Books (or Series) I love:
Anything Clive Barker
Anything Stephen King
Anita Blake series by LKH – book 1-10
The Harry Potter books by JK Rowling
Stephanie Plum series by Janet Evanovich
Anne Rice’s earlier Vampire books (1-4 and Pandora)
Simon R Green’s Nightside series


Seven Movies I Would Watch Over and Over Again:
Star Wars Saga 1-6
The Lost Boys
The Indiana Jones movies
ET
The Wedding Singer
The Crow
Army of Darkness


Seven People I want to Join in (be Tagged):
Shawn
Kelly
Cie
Nancy
And anyone else
who pops by and
would like to take part...

:-)

Howl's Moving Castle

When an unconfident young woman is cursed with an old body by a spiteful witch, her only chance of breaking the spell lies with a self-indulgent yet insecure young wizard and his companions in his legged, walking home.

We watched this beautiful movie on Saturday afternoon. Now, I'm a huge fan of Hayao Miyazaki's movies, so I wasn't surprised by how much I enjoyed it! He's got this wonderful, fantastical and innocent way of telling an interesting story. And this one was magical!

Howl's voice was portrayed by Christian Bale. I personally think his sultry voice gave Howl an added texture I really enjoyed. The story was intriguing and filled with likeable characters. Sophie - the main character - goes through an awful tranformation, but even then her strength shines through and she remains kind-hearted.

I highly recommend this gorgeous movie. The visuals are breathtaking and the moving castle looks stunning. This is a piece of someone else's imagination I absolutely LOVED visiting!

Kitty and the Midnight Hour

Well, I finished reading KITTY and the MIDNIGHT HOUR by Carrie Vaughn today... and I gotta say, Shawn - you were right! This book was awesome! I enjoyed it so much I can't wait to read the next one and find out what happens to Kitty now that she's on... oooops, better stop there before I give anything away.

This character was likeable, a terrific narrator and grew so much - though at a steady pace - throughout the book, that she really sucks you into the story. And I really enjoyed the werewolf pack dynamic. And her job - talkshow radio - very original! I enjoyed this one immensely... very fresh. Used vampires and werewolves, but still managed to make it her own, very different story.

I highly recommend this book! Lucky for me, I've been having an outstanding run with the books I'm sitting down to read lately... :)

This is another winner!

Two EXCELLENT books:

I had the pleasure of reading these two books this week! Both were outstanding, unpredictable, different kinda thrilling rides...

HAUNTED by Kelley Armstrong is the fifth book in the Otherworld series. This one's Eve Levine's story. She's a half-demon, witch who now happens to be a ghost. Quite the combination! And the story was GREAT! As I was reading, I just didn't know where everything was heading and I actually liked Eve - something I wondered about. It's one of those things, you just don't know about a person until you hear their side of the story.

And this story is definitely worth checking out. Kelley's a great storyteller and I can't get enough of her series!

DEVIL'S BARGAIN by Rachel Caine is the first book in her Red Letter Days Bombshells. And after reading this one, I can't wait for Devil's Due. Jazz is a great, likable and certainly far from perfect heroine. While Lucia seems the complete opposite. And the plot? WOW! I can't wait to see what other answers we get in the next book. Because, even though this book reached a great conclusion, there are still so many questions left floating around. And how does Rachel come up with these great heros? You'll have to read it to know what I mean. I'm talking about James Borden.

It was so different from her wonderful Weather Warden series! I loved it!

Well, both these books were OUTSTANDING in their own ways. And I highly recommend them. I pretty much recommend anything written by these two wonderful writers!

RIP

Eddie Guerrero

He passed away on Sunday. Eddie was only 38.

This is really sad news for wrestling fans. He was a TERRIFIC wrestler who I've personally enjoyed watching for years. My hubby and I were fans. Very tragic news. I know they'll never read this, but I'd like to express how sorry I am for his family... my condolences.

WINDFALL by Rachel Caine

I finished reading this AWESOME book Tuesday night!

You think you're having a bad day? Joanne's lost her job as a Weather Warden, and saving the world generally doesn't come with a decent retirement check. It also doesn't come with any guarantees of landing a day job that won't suck, or being able to find a mystical cure for her critically ill Djinn lover. Burdened with a difficult sister in need of rescue, accused of weather-related murder, and finding herself in the middle of a Djinn civil war ... well, Joanne's bad times are just getting worse.

With enemies approaching from all sides, not to mention mounting credit card bills (Manolo Blahniks don't come cheap!), Joanne is praying for a windfall ... but the mother of all hurricanes approaching the Florida coast isn't exactly what she has in mind.

This is the 4th Weather Warden novel, which features Joanne Baldwin. I'd been waiting very IMpatiently for this instalment, and it didn't disappoint! I LOVED IT! These books are always a rollercoaster ride for the narrator as she finds herself in one bad situation after another.

Rachel's writing style is comfy, draws you into the action as if you're actually living through everything too. Very well written with excellent characters. The story - though it's the continuing arc of Jo's life - still holds a sense of closure for this particular storyline. Though now, I can't wait to check out the next one! :)

I HIGHLY recommend - not just this book - but the entire series to anyone wanting to read an excellent story with the crisp voice of a wonderful narrator.

If you haven't started the series yet but you're interested, visit Rachel Caine's website

You'd be better off starting from the beginning. Here's the sequence so far:

1. ILL WIND
2. HEAT STROKE
3. CHILL FACTOR
4. WINDFALL

The Colorado Kid

Well, out of the pile of books I purchased the other day, this was the shortest AND a Stephen King mystery! So I decided to pick it up last night and kept reading and reading until I got to page 147. The only reason I stopped is because I was tired and wanted to stay focused without losing any of the thread. Anyway, first thing this morning I picked it up and finished it.

What a fascinating tale. I know some people might feel cheated after reading this intriguing mystery but I loved it. Very good book with all the trademark King, including the nature of the mystery. The interaction between the two old guys - Dave and Vince - and the young Stephanie is a great dymanic. He gives you just enough info to feel like you actually know them.

This book gets two thumbs up from me (since there are only 2, I think you get how much I liked it!) A great little read which'll no doubt return to my mind (as it did with the characters) even years down the track. That's the beauty of Stephen King, he's got this outstanding talent of hooking you into his tales so quick and deep, that you're powered on by the urge of wanting to know how it all turns out.

His afterword was really cool too! Here's a great quote from it:

"I write to find out what I think, and what I found out writing The Colorado Kid was that maybe- I just say maybe- it's the beauty of the mystery that allows us to live sane as we pilot our fragile bodies through this demolition-derby world."

Ayuh! :)

Another GREAT Bombshell...

Last night I finished reading PERSONAL ENEMY by Sylvie Kurtz.

Another BOMBSHELL I enjoyed so much I stayed up reading the almost 200 pages I had left last night. And it didn't disappoint. Adria Caskey was a character I liked instantly. After reading the heart-wrenching Prologue of what happened to her at six years of age, how could I not want to keep reading her story? The impact of the story hits you from the very first sentence.

This is a terrific tale about a woman haunted by the sadness of her past, willing to do whatever it takes to seek revenge for the loss. Though, as strong as Adria is during tough situations, there's still a lot of heart and emotion burning inside her.

Sylvie's writing was outstanding - from start to finish. Descriptive narrative without weighing down the story. I pictured every event as I read along with the precision her words painted.

And the hero - Peter Dragon - is also a character I took to right away. Such a great, tight plot with realistic characters dealing with an action-packed situation that keeps you wanting more until you read the last word.

I highly recommend this book!

Here we go...

So, I thought I'd set up my own blog and see how I go... I'll be chatting about my writing and life in general...