Happy 4th of July

I finished reading The Secret Life of Bees yesterday while I waited for my sister to come back. It was a little difficult for me to get in to, but then... I got sucked in.

The book was more than a story about race issues in the south during the 1960s, but reading about those times once again reminded me of the struggle that people had to go through for equal rights. There are still people who are working for their freedom: freedom for their rights and independence from their struggles.

I hope that this Independence weekend will give you some of that freedom.

on a completely off-topic note

I laughed so hard while I watched this... and then thought, We're fucked.


Um, I still can't figure out how to embed videos here. Alice, you are smarter than e-blogger. You are smarter than e-blogger.

Who'm I kidding? E-blogger is completely smarter than me.

But I figured it out! Hooray!

erm, happy new year?

So I'm guessing it's a little late to wish you a happy new year.

But it's so right that I would wish you a happy 2010 in April (mid-April, to be exact) because 95% of the time, I'm un-punctual. (The word "late" just has a nasty ring to it.)

The reason for my brief abandonment of this blog is because... it kills me to say it, but it's because I haven't been reading. I KNOW! Life and other weird stuff have kept me busy and I have not read. I still have not finished Pride and Prejudice and Zonbies (horrible because I need to give it back to a friend).

Oh, why?!!

Several reasons, in fact:

First, reading non-romances take me twice as long to finish. Some books can be a real downer. Brilliant, but depressing. This means, I read a couple of pages, go watch some happy movies, eat some candy, play with my hair, and come back. Instead of finishing a book in three hours, it takes me three, five, seven, fourteen days. !!!

Second, the romance genre is pretty much going into two directions:
1. erotica
2. chick-lit

I dislike erotica and chick-lit is good, but in short amounts for short periods of time. What I am really searching for is a story, a love story, about two people who meet and fall in love, and their journey of this love. I don't care for the sex, unless it's blown out of place (someone told me it was amusing when I complained about the sex scenes - I complain because it was poorly written).

This makes finding genuine romances/ love stories that much harder. And I would start myself on Nicholas Sparks, except I've been reading about how he's kind of an arrogant prick he is, and so I hesitate. I know, I really need to separate authors from their works, but if some guy is an ass and a half, I don't want to support him. (Kanye, y'hear?)

Third, the time issue. I simply don't have the time to read much.

But, here's hoping for that to change! :) Book club meets in two weeks....... ohno, it's this weekend! Jeepers.........

Change of plans.

Book club meets this Saturday.
I will have the book read by Saturday afternoon, 1pm.

I will have a review of it... soon.


Until then,
XOXO Alice

Thursday, November 19 2009

I cannot believe November is almost over!! There are Christmas decorations everywhere... I would know, I helped set up for it at work a couple days ago. I don't mind the festive mood; at least not until the Holiday music starts to play. Christmas music is okay two, three weeks before the special day. Playing it before Thanksgiving means the Holidays change into HELLidays.



I've also just committed myself to the fact that my desk will always, always be skanklike. How I get any work done on it is a mystery to me (and to the rest of humanity).





Lately, I've been watching online episodes of How I Met Your Mother and I love it. I realize how much I've been missing out on wonderful shows.

Now, book lovers, it might come to you as a surprise that I've been a very deprived child and growing individual. I'm not familiar with hit bands like The Beatles or singers such as Frank Sinatra, and I am not remotely familiar to any of the classic movie stars: Audrey Hepburn (though I have seen some stuff - and have loved!), Gregory Peck, Katherine something or another...

Heck, I didn't even know Jimi Hendrix was black until... well.. that's really a story for another day. (LOL!)

But in order to culture myself, I've signed up for this really wonderful thing called NETFLIX.

Really, the moral of that random tidbit about myself was to ask you for your recommendations (and you know how much I love recs!).

What are movies that you think I must see?

So far on my Queue list, I have:

Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
Fight Club
Little Miss Sunshine
La Femme Nikita Season 1
Mad Men season 1
Julie & Julia (when it comes out)

and classics like:
An Affair to Remember
Singin' in the Rain
West Side Story
It's a Wonderful life
The Godfather
Scarface

and wonderful things like:
I love Lucy Season 1 (love love love!)


What other movies must I watch?

back from the dead

I am back from the dead! This blog seems to reveal the worst in me. Really, I am not this horrible in real life.

But good news is that I have a little more time to read... which means, more stuffs to base my mean reviews on.

Though I'm not reading nearly as much romance as I did, I'm reading a little of it, with genuine and earnest efforts in breaking out into the non-romance fiction world.

Book suggestions are always welcome, though if you recommend me your favorite book and I bash it via blog, don't hate. Books are not necessarily a reflection of us... and our intelligence.... most of the time. LOL =D

Viva los libros!
(erm, did that make any sense? I definitely "made it up." hehe)

Kicking the bandwagon

Not that I like to stir up trouble, but I always feel compelled to dislike the things that everyone else likes. Like the "totally in" huge necklaces and gaudy baubles, or the huge rings (the ones that come up to my knuckles) worn on the index finger. Or the trendy, new haircuts. I feel morally opposed to the new and the trendy. Why should I like something because the girl next door likes it? And why should I follow the dictates and whims of society?

I find that the same happens with books, but on a deeper level. I don't hate books because everyone else loves it; I am more critical of books that everyone else loves, and usually don't feel the "oh-my-gawd-you-totally-need-to-read" compulsions.

And then come the books that everyone else loves... and for the love of pearl, I just don't see why.

Here are some of those books:

Janet Evanovich's Plum series - all of them. Bad books, uninteresting characters. Maybe it's because I think Stephanie Plum is a bit of a dipwad.

Sherrilyn Kenyon's Dark-Hunter series - I got through 4.5 and called it quits. Maybe it was because of the book I was reading. I didn't like Night Embrace - I didn't even want to finish it.

Stephenie Meyer's Twilight series - I can say that this one is the worst pseudo-romance I've read in a long time, and Bella to be the most idiotic "heroine" - ever. Twilight wasn't so bad (I'd give it a C), but New Moon - mother of pearl - was so bad, I am aghast at the fact that it was published - and then devoured by so many. !?!! Bottom line is: Meyer is not a good writer. The writing itself sucks! And Bela is an idiot. The cons outweigh the single pro: Edward Cullen.

Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings - I'm surprised I didn't like this one since I love fantasies, but I might be a little ahead of myself: I've only actually tried to read The Hobbit which is the prequel to the LOTR series, but The Hobbit was so boring, I gave up after 50 pages, and since that fated day eight years ago, I haven't been able to tell myself to give the actual trilogy a chance. Maybe I will....................


J. R. Ward's Black Dagger Brotherhood vampire series: I read the first four, until Vishous's story. The first two aren't particularly stimulating and the fourth (V's book) was just awful. (However, Zsadist's was enjoyable.) After that, I had no desire whatsoever to invest any more of my time into Phury's story (which sounded dumb) or Rehvenge's story... or Xhex + John Matthew's story (if it ever comes to be that they are together). Goodness, I think I just gave myself nightmares by thinking of Xhex and John Matthew. (insert shudder here)



Other honorable mentions:
books that aren't ghastly but are, in this lady's opinion, overrated.

Julia Quinn's Bridgerton series: I read all eight and it wasn't horrendous. But it also wasn't great. It's a bit like the same story being retold eight times. They're books that are entertaining to read (no intense plot, no intense characters, no intense love stories..) but after you've read it, you immediately forget the characters' names and what the story was about.

Loretta Chase's Lord of Scoundrels: It was a good read, but not fabulous, as everyone else cried. Definitely not a must-read.

Lee Harper's To Kill a Mockingbird: What is all the fuss about? Sure, it's a good book, but it was s-l-o-w and meaningless until the last 1/4th of the novel.

Kim Edward's The Memory Keeper's Daughter: The ending felt so unsatisfactory.

Lauren Weisberger's The Devil Wears Prada: Funny, but not hysterical. Enjoyable but not read-or-die.

Lisa Kleypas's Smooth Talking Stranger: This won't go on the "what's all the hype about - kicking the bandwagon" list... yet. If the fourth novel is as bad as this, I will cry sad tears and put it there. LK, I have faith in you..!




Agree?
Agree to disagree?

hi bloggers!

Greetings, earthlings!

I know, I know. I'm sucking at updating. I don't know what's wrong with me... wait, there are many reasons, but we are not going to get into that now.

What's been going on in my life?

Well...

I'm almost done with higher education. HOORAY!
I'm starting to read more - the past five months have been reading suicide. (I think I read four books, total.)
I read Smooth Talking Stranger by Lisa Kleypas.... andohgoshIdon'twanttosaythisandadmitit but I was disappointed. Yes, disappointed. Not up-to-par to her other works. Sadness!

The other books I'm waiting for:
LK's third (fourth?) book in the Hathaways series with Poppy and the *mysterious* Harry (?) Rutledge; Elizabeth Hoyt's fourth and last in the "Legend of the Four (?) Soldiers" series, To Beguile a Beast (talk about tortured hero!)... and that's it.

First, I realize that I SUCK at remembering stuff. I used to be so good, especially with my beloved romance novels. What happened?! (I think it's my age. Sigh! LOL)

Second, I know I said I wouldn't read any more romances, but after these two, I'm done! Well, I bet I'll keep reading LK's... dang it, it's like an addiction.

Third, I will try my very, very best to update at least three times a week. (we're starting out small and working to greatness.) I'm thinking Mon-Wed-Fri. And, if you haven't noticed, I time-stamp so that all my entries are at 10:02 am. 10:02 is a good time, I say.

Fourth, I have followers! (What does that mean? I'm still not familiar with eblogger....) But HOORAY! Someone kind of wants to read all of the douchebaggy and jerkish things I have to say! Thanks, you guys :)

Fifth, I need to erase my nail polish. It's cracking. Goshdarnit.

With that, I bid you a wonderful Friday and a book review, which will, amazingly, be in exactly an hour. Hooray!

xoxo,
Alice

Lisa Kleypas's SMOOTH TALKING STRANGER excerpt

From the wonderful ladies at the Judith McNaught Bulletin Board, here is an excerpt of Lisa Kleypas's new book, Smooth Talking Stranger, that was printed in the Romantic Times Magazine.

Only twenty-seven more days! Hooray!!


Excerpt

Jack Travis kissed me until the sensations flowed in directions I couldn't go, spilling and sliding darkly. As I felt a desperate ache cambering low in my body, I finally understood that if I slept with this man, he would take everything. All the defenses I had built would be destroyed.

Shaking, I pushed at him and managed to turn my head long enough to gasp, "I can't. No. That's enough, Jack."

He stopped at once. But he kept me against him, his chest moving hard and fast.

I couldn't look at him. My voice was hoarse as I said, "That shouldn't have happened."

"I've wanted this since the first second I saw you. His arms tightened, and he bent over me until his mouth was close to my ear. Gently he whispered, "You did too."

"I didn't. I don't."

"You need some fun, Ella."

I let out an incredulous laugh. "Believe me, I don't need fun, I need--" I broke off with a gasp as he pressed my hips closer to his. The feel of him was more than my dazzled senses could handle. To my mortification, I hitched up against him before I could stop myself, heat and instinct winning out over sanity.

Feeling the reflexive response, Jack smiled against my scarlet cheek. "You should take me on. I'd be good for you."

"You are so full of yourself . . . and you would not be good for me, with your steaks and power tools and your attention-deficit libido, and . . . I'll bet you're a card-carrying member of the NRA. Admit it, you are." I couldn't seem to shut up. I was talking too much, breathing too fast, jittering like a wind-up toy that had been wound to the limits of its mechanism.

Jack nuzzled into a sensitive place behind my ear. "Why does that matter?"

"Is that a yes? It must be. God. It matters because--stop that. It matters because I would only go to bed with a man who respected me and my views. My--" I broke off with an inarticulate sound as he nibbled lightly at my skin.

"I respect you," he murmured. "And your views. I think of you as an equal. I respect your brains, and all those big words you like to use. But I also want to rip your clothes off and have sex with you until you scream and cry and see God." His mouth dragged gently along my throat. I jerked helplessly, muscles jolting with pleasure, and his hands gripped my hips, keeping me in place. "I'm gonna show you a good time, Ella. Starting with some take-no-prisoners sex. The kind when you can't remember your own name after."

"I've been with Dane for four years," I managed to say. "He understands me in a way you don't."

"I can learn you."

It seemed as if something inside me had started to unravel, weakness spreading, all my body tightening against it. I closed my eyes and bit back a whimper. "When you offered me the apartment," I said weakly, "you implied you had no ulterior motives. I don't appreciate the position this puts me in, Jack."

His head lifted, and his lips brushed the tip of my nose. "What position would you prefer?"

It's gonna be good... I can feel it in my bones. :)

not in any way book related

...but I practically peed in my pants reading this.
























Happy end-of-Monday!

kind-of sad news

I wish you had a wonderful New Year and that you kept warm during your holidays.

I've decided, after much thinking, to not (really) read category romances this year and instead, focus on the books I've listed on my '101 books in 1,001 days' challenge - which are (sadly) littered with classics and other "noteworthy" books of literature.

I'm also very busy this semester with my five (!!) classes... which means Alice's time for reading has gone from <----------------> to <-->.

I will try to update this blog with useful tidbits and reviews of books that I've read last year, but I will not be focusing on romance new releases (minus the new Elizabeth Hoyt and Lisa Kleypas that I've been selling my soul for).

My sincere apologies. I'm sure you'll now go home and cry into your pillow, but fear not... I shall remain being my extremely interesting self and I will continue to blog about bookish stuff. What can I say?

I'm a booknerd.


With that said, I'm almost done with The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy.
Um. Well. It's different... and hilarious. I laughed a lot - not that it really takes a to get me to laugh - but I did.

Review will come. Shortly.

more Lisa Kleypas

I guess when I wrote that it was going to be Lisa Kleypas week, I failed to mention that it was going to be Lisa Kleypas weeks.

I hope your Christmas went well and that it was as hectic as mine - lol.


Trekking onward, with our LK glory: It Happened One Autumn.

Is it May yet??

On a non-Lisa Kleypas note...














I just finished Elizabeth Hoyt's To Seduce a Sinner. It was just okay.

But!!! I am so excited for the third in her The Legend of the Four Soldiers series, To Beguile a Beast.

It. Sounds. Amazing.

*squeal!!*

...I just want May to come. Is it May yet?

Do you think if I emailed Elizabeth Hoyt profusely, she would pity me and send me the text or send me an ARC?

...sigh...

SQUEAL!

I don't think I've ever blogged about the sister-duo, Dixie Cash (Pamela Cumbie and Jeffery McClanahan), but let me just say that their books are wickedly funny. (By wicked, I mean "very." LOL)

The first thing that caught my eye was Cash's book's title.

My Heart May Be Broken But My Hair Still Looks Great

...um, awesome!!

Intrigued, I checked the book out, giggling to myself. When I cracked open the spine and started reading - I laughed aloud at the hilarity of Debbie Sue and Edwina.

MYMBBBMHSLG (lmao) was fabulous so then I borrowed the 'prequel' to it: Since You're Leaving Anyway, Take Out the Trash. Oh goodness, who comes up with these amazing titles? It's a wonderful advertising ploy - the titles alone are enough to entice an innocent victim into purchasing the novel!

Their third, one that I haven't read yet, is called I Gave You My Heart But You Sold it Online. I have yet to read because the novel entails the antics of a 12-year old girl... and pre-pubescent teenagers tend to mildly irritate me.

However - here's the reason for the squeal - Cash's fourth novel is out (HOORAY!) and awesomely titled, Don't Make Me Choose Between You and My Shoes. Just for the title... just for the title, I shall read IGYMHBYSIO and then proceed to devour DMMCBYAMS.

So, readers, if you have a niggling for big-haired, hairdressers who also manage a private detective business (The Domestic Equalizers), or hunger for a light-but-hilarious romance, read Dixie Cash.

Note: I heartily recommend MYMBBBMHSLG (the second).
[A review will be coming shortly.]

Happy Gobble Gobble Day!

I hope you spend this wonderful day with your family members and loved ones.

Please remember all of the things you are blessed with!

I am grateful for:
good books that I can curl up and enjoy because it allows me to travel many places and be many characters; Hazelnut lattes because they hit the spot; my old, junkie laptop because I have one; my iPod Miss Daisy because I am never lonely with music playing in my ears; my book club ladies because they're so much fun; Judith McNaught because she made me believe in romances; authors that can make you laugh and cry; this blog that I can abuse; for libraries because you can read books for free; librarians because they help you when you get confused; my bed because I love to sleep; my evil little dog; my family and friends...

and to you - thanks for reading!

..really, I'm not that mean in real life.
......oh fine, I am, but usually have candy with me so I can make you like me.

Happy Thanksgiving!

I'm ooooooold!!

Today's my birthday!

As my mother would say, it was this fateful day years ago that she suffered the greatest pain any woman could endure.

So, thanks mom. (But no, I will not give you a present for giving birth to me. How about you give me a present instead?)

Go read a good book for me. After all, this precious day occurs only once a year. :) LOL.


Regular book postings will resume shortly.