Ummm...hmmm...

I'm kind of at a loss here. This is kind of embarrassing. I've been saying that I was going to review The Vampire Who Loved Me by Teresa Medeiros. I read it about two weeks ago, and at the time I enjoyed it, I really did. But it has almost completely faded from my memory. No joke. I had to look at the back of the book to remind me of the hero's name (Julian Kane, FYI). So I don't have all that much to say about it.

TVWLM is the sequel to After Midnight, which I also read and enjoyed and promptly forgot. Like After Midnight, this is a Vampire Regency romance featuring the younger sister and brother of the hero and heroine of the first book. Portia Cabot has never forgotten Julian Kane, the gorgeous, brooding vampire she nursed a huge crush on, and who bit her before disappearing. The dissolute Julian returns to England after a period of time (3 or 4 years?), during which he's been searching for the vampire who holds his soul and trying to get himself killed. A bunch of stuff happens and they get together. And...yeah.

Anyway, I like Medeiros' writing style, which is light and breezy, with some very amusing moments. I also liked Portia, who was strong and spunky without being annoying. I also totally bought into their love story. I felt that they really loved each other, so Medeiros was definitely doing something right. Unfortunately, I can barely remember a specific thing about the plot or characters, so I guess that's not so good. The thing that I remember most was the love scene. There was only one major love scene, which is different from the books I usually read. And the author's real big on the disturbing cliches. We have "the thick, creamy nectar of her surrender,"the live ember nestled at the crux of her nether curls," and several mentions of "delicate petals" and "molten nectar." There was another "ember" reference as well. Oy. That kind of stuff knocks me right out of the story.

In conclusion, this was an enjoyable, but unmemorable read. If you enjoy paranormals, you'd likely enjoy it. Too bad the purple prose stayed with me more than anything else. But perhaps that's just me.

Comfort Movies

Much like comfort reads, I find that there are certain movies which always make me feel shiny and happy. This time of year finds me hankering for certain movies. They aren't Holiday movies, but there's something about them that I associate with this time of year. There are so many crappy romantic comedies, and these are great ones. Ridiculous, passionate and utterly satisfying love stories. If you're looking for some escapist fare, might I suggest one of the following:



Last night I watched Moonstruck for about the hundreth time. I love, love, love this movie. I just adore the dizzy, romantic, warm feel of the whole thing. If you've never seen it before, Moonstruck is the story of Loretta Castorini (Cher), an Italian-American widow in her thirties, who accepts a proposal from long time beau Johnny Cammereri (Danny Aiello), who then takes off for Sicily. Her orderly, humdrum life goes to hell in a handbasket when she goes to meet Johnny's estranged brother, Ronny (Nicolas Cage) to tell him about the wedding. I don't particularly like Cher or Nicolas Cage, but they are fabulous in this movie. Nicolas Cage does crazy romantic so well (see my other favorite performance of his, Valley Girl, the best 80's teen movie evah). This is a quieter comedy, not rolling on the floor guffawing, but more giggles and smiles and things that strike you later. The Brooklyn of this movie is a place you'd definitely want to live in. It also has incredible dialogue (John Patrick Shanley is a playwright). This is probably the most authentically "Italian" movie I've seen and not in a cheesy, "that's-a some-a spicy meatball" way. Everything rings true, from all important discussions taking place in the kitchen, to adult children never leaving home, to family constantly being up each other's butts, which can be as reassuring as it is annoying. If you've never seen this one, it's worth a shot. It's different, sweet and romantic.

Next on my list to re-watch is You've Got Mail. Far superior to Sleepless in Seattle, if you ask me. Meg Ryan is hit or miss for me but I love her (and her hair and wardrobe) in this one. Aside from how great she looks, she also plays the owner of a children's bookstore on the Upper West Side, so she's pretty much the person I always planned on being when I grew up, which is also probably part of why I adore this movie. And of course you've gotta love the Hanks. Tom Hanks is the man (don't forget his early movies, like Splash, Nothing in Common, or The Money Pit. There are just so many.).
They have great chemistry, the banter is witty, the supporting characters are entertaining, and of course the bookstore settings. This is another movie which makes New York look like a dreamy, romantic, fabulous place to live. I haven't seen this one in awhile. I'm definitely renting it.

The first time I saw Roxanne was on Christmas Eve, which is probably why I'm in the mood to watch it.
Steve Martin is great as CD Bales, a beta hero if there ever was one. He's smart, witty and saddled with an enormous schnoz. Daryl Hannah is typically wooden, but that's okay. This movie also has a great setting (small town Colorado), filled with eccentric characters, which adds to the fun. It's very funny, even when you're cringing, and has a saisfying happy ending.

Hope all you Americans enjoyed your Thanksgiving! Perhaps soon I'll be in the mood to read and review some books.

things you've always wanted to know about...moi

Found at Stacey's Place on Earth

5 Yummy things (I always try to eat healthy)

1 Big Macs
2. Starbucks White Chocolates Mochas
3. Chocolate Reese's Italian Ice from Ralph's
4. Pizza
5. Taco Bell Soft Tacos

5 songs I know by heart (There are oh so many, but you don't want to hear me sing 'em)

1. "I will Survive" by Gloria Gaynor
2. "Just Like Heaven" by the Cure
3. "Scenario" by A Tribe Called Quest (I'm an excellent rapper)
4. "Untouchable Face" by Ani DiFranco
5. "Fidelity" by Regina Spektor

5 things I'd do with a lot of money

1. Pay off my student loans
2. Ensure that my kids had money for college
3. Buy a new house
4. Give some money to my parents and sisters
5. Give money to children's charities, paricularly those that deal with foster care and abused children

5 places I would escape to

1. Italy
2. Ireland
3. England
4. Hawaii
5. Aruba

5 things I would never wear

1. Platform Hiking Boots
2. Dark Lip Liner with Light Lipstick
3. Those new skinny jeans that stop at the ankle
4. Stilettos (I'm a comfy, clunky shoe gal)
5. Dress shorts

5 favorite TV shows (Some old, some new)

1. Veronica Mars
2. Buffy the Vampire Slayer
3. Project Runway
4. America's Next Top Model
5. Northern Exposure

5 things I enjoy doing

1. reading
2. sleeping
3. hanging with the kiddies and the hubbie
4. listening to music
5. watching old favorite movies

5 favorite toys

1. Laptop
2. Ipod
3. Cabbage Patch Kids
4. Trivial Pursuit
5. Play-doh

Sheee's baaackk....

Okay, so I haven't been around for awhile. I may or may not write more about it at another point, but basically I've been suffering from a bit of a depression for awhile, and I pretty much hit bottom. I started getting a lot of anxiety and had a couple of panic attacks and freaked out. Never really happened to me before, but it had been building for some time, and had several causes, I think. I feel like I just lost myself for awhile there. But the situation has been taken in hand, and I'm working to turn it around. I plan on getting back to blogging, because I really enjoy it, and it's one of the few things that I do just for fun, that is just for me and isn't for anyone else (although I suppose it's for your reading enjoyment as well).

I have been reading though. I'm on a vampire kick again. As I mentioned, I read The Vampire Who Loved Me by Teresa Medeiros. It's only the second book I've read by Medeiros, and I enjoyed it, but much like its predecessor, After Midnight, it's rapidly fading from memory, so I'd best review soon. I also plan on reviewing Light My Fire by Katie Macalister. I got about 3/4 of the way through Divine By Mistake by PC Cast, and was totally into it. Then I put it down for the Macalister, and I haven't felt like picking it up again. Isn't it weird how that happens?

So I'm at work today, and I notice that Twilight is finally back in. But I was really busy, so I figure I'll grab it on my break. Twenty minutes later, and it was gone. Aargh! I shook my fist at the ceiling, patrons and coworkers be damned. I think I'm just gonna buy it. Oh and Rosario's review of A Hunger Like No Other has finally pushed me over the edge. I was not interested, but the reviews have done their work on me. I'm buying it. So that's where I'm at. In a vampire romance place.

Grab that Book

Haven't been around much lately, will post more about that some other time, but for now I'll just do this meme that everybody's doing. I'm catching up on the blog hopping, and I've got a book sitting right next to the computer.

Grab That Book

1. Grab the nearest book.

2. Open to page 123.

3. Find the fifth sentence.

4. Post the text of the next six sentences on your blog along with these instructions.

5. Don't you dare dig around for that "cool" or "intellectual" book on your shelves. (I know you were thinking about it.) Just pick up whatever is closest.

Can you guess my book?

"I'm not going to answer that."
"Why?"
"Because I don't have to. I don't know you, I don't owe you."
"You got to know me pretty damn well last night," he said in a low growl. "And I got to know you very well."

Ooh, I lucked out. Nice and succinct.