She was the best.
Tuesday, April 28, 2015
Another Just Because - My Heroine!
I was shocked to discover that there are many, many people who have no idea who Lucille Ball is. Just goes to prove how old I am, I guess.
She was the best.
She was the best.
Monday, April 27, 2015
Sunday, April 26, 2015
I Am A Woman
So Bruce Jenner is transitioning into a woman and people are all
like it matters.
Does it matter?
I'm all like
Who we are inside I really believe is known to only us. If Bruce Jenner feels like a woman then more power to her.
Why does it matter?
I'm more concerned with the vapid daughters influencing anybody else because I believe they're hollow inside.
Then again I might be wrong.
No, I'm not.
Does it matter?
I'm all like
Why does it matter?
I'm more concerned with the vapid daughters influencing anybody else because I believe they're hollow inside.
Then again I might be wrong.
Tuesday, April 21, 2015
Reading Slump
Awww damn. I am in such a major reading slump right now.
I need a rec. Something funny, romantic, funny, quirky. Can have magic. Threesomes okay, eightsomes too much.
Strong heroine. Strong hero. No slut shaming.
Anyone?
I need a rec. Something funny, romantic, funny, quirky. Can have magic. Threesomes okay, eightsomes too much.
Strong heroine. Strong hero. No slut shaming.
Anyone?
Thursday, April 16, 2015
The Liar by Nora Roberts
Well, I have a conundrum. Actually, I have a couple of conundrums.
Conundrum #1 - I thought I was safe buying NR's ... what are they? Romantic suspense? Well, anyway the stand alones she publishes once a year.
Sidebar: NR publishes five- five - books a year. Two PNRs, two police procedurals as J D Robb, and one stand alone. Which means she writes 5 books a year, probably not the same year as publication, but still. Lord, no wonder there are people complaining of cookie cutter plots and mysterious ghost writers.
Conundrum #2 - I want to rant about this book, but - but - it would be spoilers ahoy and I don't know how to hide things or even if you can on Blogger. So, here's the Carolyn solution.
WARNING! WARNING!
Oh wait! We need a blurb and a cover. So we will take a detour to provide these necessary things. I am a good blogger and strive to please ... um ... well, the last part's true.
Shelby Foxworth lost her husband. Then she lost her illusions …
The man who took her from Tennessee to an exclusive Philadelphia suburb left her in crippling debt. He was an adulterer and a liar, and when Shelby tracks down his safe-deposit box, she finds multiple IDs. The man she loved wasn't just dead. He never really existed.
Shelby takes her three-year-old daughter and heads south to seek comfort in her hometown, where she meets someone new: Griff Lott, a successful contractor. But her husband had secrets she has yet to discover. Even in this small town, surrounded by loved ones, danger is closer than she knows—and threatens Griff, as well. And an attempted murder is only the beginning …
Okay, back to the previously scheduled program:
SPOILERS ... SPOILERS BELOW ... PROCEED AT YOUR OWN RISK!!! YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED!!
Aah, now I can rant.
You saw the blurb, right? The first part of the book is about the heroine discovering her husband's secret life and how he lied to her about everything. And she snaps out of the cowed wife she had been to become this precision minded, competent woman who is selling jewels and clothes and starting spread sheets. Shelby is quite clear that she was verbally abused by her husband and she knew nothing about his business, the household bills, about anything. She snapped to real quickly though and I thought it was pretty damn quick. But I've never been abused in any way, shape or form, so I don't know. It just sort of caught my eye.
But that isn't even the point I wanted to make. After Shelby gets home to Tennessee, murder and mystery and mayhem begin. Why does this bother me? Would it help if I told you her husband died in a boating accident and the body was never found?
Uh huh, I'm just saying ...
This, coupled with missing contraband valued at 28 million dollars that had been scammed from a Florida woman, raised my antenna. No. No, Nora wouldn't. Would she? No, she wouldn't.
Ah, but she did.
I'm not good at solving mysteries; I don't care whodunit, unless it's a character I like. I like all the solving stuff and the relationships made while doing so. Usually I don't know whodunit until the author tells me. But this book? I knew from the first chapter, but I just couldn't believe she'd use that old chestnut.
Ah, but she did.
I bet absolutely no one was surprised. I certainly wasn't.
END OF SPOILERS!!
It's really weird, but all through the book, I was hearing the voices of the women from Steel Magnolias. I kid you not. The heroine sounded just like Julia Roberts; they had the same name and used a lot of 'Mamas'. Lord, there was even a hair salon, or I should say, beauty salon, because all sorts of beautifying stuff went on there. So I kept hearing Darryl Hannah's voice when Crystal talked and Dolly Parton when Granny Vi spoke.
See, this all took place in Tennessee, in the Appalachians, and we all know what that means. It means the Yankees can look down on all of them and they probably will. Granny Vi had her first child at 16, but at least she was married. There's moonshining history on both sides of the family, and all that lovely Scottish red hair and everybody knows everybody else and their business. In short, a typical southern town.
But it would not surprise me if the author had Steel Magnolias in mind when she wrote this.
I felt right at home in Rendezvous Ridge; southern talk, southern manners and it's sad that some reviewers will slap that down, as if every regional character should talk like a colorless TV announcer with no nuances whatsoever. Already caught a hint of this in some lower Amazon reviews. As for the plot, despite some add ons, the plot felt phoned in to me, so this brings me back to Conundrum #1.
I guess I'm through pre-ordering Nora Roberts books of any kind. I'll wait for better prices and definitely look at the reviews before making a purchase. This book cost me $13.00; based on her last books, back to The Witness, I thought the price worth it, but no more.
This is so depressing!
Conundrum #1 - I thought I was safe buying NR's ... what are they? Romantic suspense? Well, anyway the stand alones she publishes once a year.
Sidebar: NR publishes five- five - books a year. Two PNRs, two police procedurals as J D Robb, and one stand alone. Which means she writes 5 books a year, probably not the same year as publication, but still. Lord, no wonder there are people complaining of cookie cutter plots and mysterious ghost writers.
Conundrum #2 - I want to rant about this book, but - but - it would be spoilers ahoy and I don't know how to hide things or even if you can on Blogger. So, here's the Carolyn solution.
WARNING! WARNING!
Oh wait! We need a blurb and a cover. So we will take a detour to provide these necessary things. I am a good blogger and strive to please ... um ... well, the last part's true.
Shelby Foxworth lost her husband. Then she lost her illusions …
The man who took her from Tennessee to an exclusive Philadelphia suburb left her in crippling debt. He was an adulterer and a liar, and when Shelby tracks down his safe-deposit box, she finds multiple IDs. The man she loved wasn't just dead. He never really existed.
Shelby takes her three-year-old daughter and heads south to seek comfort in her hometown, where she meets someone new: Griff Lott, a successful contractor. But her husband had secrets she has yet to discover. Even in this small town, surrounded by loved ones, danger is closer than she knows—and threatens Griff, as well. And an attempted murder is only the beginning …
Okay, back to the previously scheduled program:
SPOILERS ... SPOILERS BELOW ... PROCEED AT YOUR OWN RISK!!! YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED!!
Aah, now I can rant.
You saw the blurb, right? The first part of the book is about the heroine discovering her husband's secret life and how he lied to her about everything. And she snaps out of the cowed wife she had been to become this precision minded, competent woman who is selling jewels and clothes and starting spread sheets. Shelby is quite clear that she was verbally abused by her husband and she knew nothing about his business, the household bills, about anything. She snapped to real quickly though and I thought it was pretty damn quick. But I've never been abused in any way, shape or form, so I don't know. It just sort of caught my eye.
But that isn't even the point I wanted to make. After Shelby gets home to Tennessee, murder and mystery and mayhem begin. Why does this bother me? Would it help if I told you her husband died in a boating accident and the body was never found?
Uh huh, I'm just saying ...
This, coupled with missing contraband valued at 28 million dollars that had been scammed from a Florida woman, raised my antenna. No. No, Nora wouldn't. Would she? No, she wouldn't.
Ah, but she did.
I'm not good at solving mysteries; I don't care whodunit, unless it's a character I like. I like all the solving stuff and the relationships made while doing so. Usually I don't know whodunit until the author tells me. But this book? I knew from the first chapter, but I just couldn't believe she'd use that old chestnut.
Ah, but she did.
I bet absolutely no one was surprised. I certainly wasn't.
END OF SPOILERS!!
It's really weird, but all through the book, I was hearing the voices of the women from Steel Magnolias. I kid you not. The heroine sounded just like Julia Roberts; they had the same name and used a lot of 'Mamas'. Lord, there was even a hair salon, or I should say, beauty salon, because all sorts of beautifying stuff went on there. So I kept hearing Darryl Hannah's voice when Crystal talked and Dolly Parton when Granny Vi spoke.
See, this all took place in Tennessee, in the Appalachians, and we all know what that means. It means the Yankees can look down on all of them and they probably will. Granny Vi had her first child at 16, but at least she was married. There's moonshining history on both sides of the family, and all that lovely Scottish red hair and everybody knows everybody else and their business. In short, a typical southern town.
But it would not surprise me if the author had Steel Magnolias in mind when she wrote this.
I felt right at home in Rendezvous Ridge; southern talk, southern manners and it's sad that some reviewers will slap that down, as if every regional character should talk like a colorless TV announcer with no nuances whatsoever. Already caught a hint of this in some lower Amazon reviews. As for the plot, despite some add ons, the plot felt phoned in to me, so this brings me back to Conundrum #1.
I guess I'm through pre-ordering Nora Roberts books of any kind. I'll wait for better prices and definitely look at the reviews before making a purchase. This book cost me $13.00; based on her last books, back to The Witness, I thought the price worth it, but no more.
This is so depressing!
Tuesday, April 14, 2015
The House at Riverton by Kate Morton
I've had this book in my Amazon Wishlist for ages (well, hell, it was published in 2008, but I can't remember when this author first came to my notice), all due to pricing; $10.00 for an unknown-to-me author is not something I routinely pay.
Actually, all her books are in my Wishlist. This one, however, The House at Riverton, suddenly and inexplicably (because her next book isn't due until October of this year) went on sale and I discovered it April 9. Of course, I bought it.
Blurb:
The House at Riverton is a gorgeous debut novel set in England between the wars. It is the story of an aristocratic family, a house, a mysterious death and a way of life that vanished forever, told in flashback by a woman who witnessed it all and kept a secret for decades.
Grace Bradley went to work at Riverton House as a servant when she was just a girl, before the First World War. For years her life was inextricably tied up with the Hartford family, most particularly the two daughters, Hannah and Emmeline.
In the summer of 1924, at a glittering society party held at the house, a young poet shot himself. The only witnesses were Hannah and Emmeline and only they -- and Grace -- know the truth.
In 1999, when Grace is ninety-eight years old and living out her last days in a nursing home, she is visited by a young director who is making a film about the events of that summer. She takes Grace back to Riverton House and reawakens her memories. Told in flashback, this is the story of Grace's youth during the last days of Edwardian aristocratic privilege shattered by war, of the vibrant twenties and the changes she witnessed as an entire way of life vanished forever.
The novel is full of secrets -- some revealed, others hidden forever, reminiscent of the romantic suspense of Daphne du Maurier. It is also a meditation on memory, the devastation of war and a beautifully rendered window into a fascinating time in history.
Originally published to critical acclaim in Australia, already sold in ten countries and a #1 bestseller in England, The House at Riverton is a vivid, page-turning novel of suspense and passion, with characters -- and an ending -- the reader won't soon forget.
Actually, all her books are in my Wishlist. This one, however, The House at Riverton, suddenly and inexplicably (because her next book isn't due until October of this year) went on sale and I discovered it April 9. Of course, I bought it.
Blurb:
The House at Riverton is a gorgeous debut novel set in England between the wars. It is the story of an aristocratic family, a house, a mysterious death and a way of life that vanished forever, told in flashback by a woman who witnessed it all and kept a secret for decades.
Grace Bradley went to work at Riverton House as a servant when she was just a girl, before the First World War. For years her life was inextricably tied up with the Hartford family, most particularly the two daughters, Hannah and Emmeline.
In the summer of 1924, at a glittering society party held at the house, a young poet shot himself. The only witnesses were Hannah and Emmeline and only they -- and Grace -- know the truth.
In 1999, when Grace is ninety-eight years old and living out her last days in a nursing home, she is visited by a young director who is making a film about the events of that summer. She takes Grace back to Riverton House and reawakens her memories. Told in flashback, this is the story of Grace's youth during the last days of Edwardian aristocratic privilege shattered by war, of the vibrant twenties and the changes she witnessed as an entire way of life vanished forever.
The novel is full of secrets -- some revealed, others hidden forever, reminiscent of the romantic suspense of Daphne du Maurier. It is also a meditation on memory, the devastation of war and a beautifully rendered window into a fascinating time in history.
Originally published to critical acclaim in Australia, already sold in ten countries and a #1 bestseller in England, The House at Riverton is a vivid, page-turning novel of suspense and passion, with characters -- and an ending -- the reader won't soon forget.
****
Yes indeed, this is not Romance. Far from it. But the whole story fascinated me and I'm not sorry I read it; after all, I knew it wasn't romance before I started reading.
The generational story really appeals to me. I used to read mostly historical fiction and this type of fiction. I adored Susan Howatch (and OMG, I just noticed some of her generational books are in Kindle Unlimited!). I especially like books that take place in the British Isles. (I was born in Canada and compared to Europe, Canada's history is minute.)
This book wasn't really generational, in that we met only two generations and the older parents did not contribute much to the story. No, the focus was on Grace and the two sisters and how they lived their lives and the secrets they carried to their graves. It tells of the years between 1914, when Grace started her service and 1924, when the above mentioned party provided the climax to this story.
During this time period a woman would turn down love and marriage to remain faithful to her mistress and young men would willingly go to war, full of patriotism, seeing it all as a lark, and be killed and mutilated by the thousands. The effect of this war on these men is at the heart of all the secrets. Lord, they all had secrets!
Grace had a long life and after that climatic party she left service with the Hartford family, got an education, married and had a child. That's what you would see on the surface. But I think her life was always dominated by the memory of her time with the Hartford family, especially Hannah, who she dearly loved.
And it took me awhile, but I suddenly realized they were all so young! All the main characters were so tragically young. Grace went into service when she was 14, so she would have been 24 in 1924. Emmeline was 3 or 4 years younger than Grace, so she'd be barely 20. Hannah and the men were older, I think, but none of them were 30.
Ms Morton writes beautiful prose. Writing of war:
"... Wars make history seem deceptively simple. They provide clear turning points, easy distinctions: before and after, winner and loser, right and wrong. True history, the past, is not like that. It isn't flat or linear. It has no outline. It is slippery,like liquid; infinite and unknowable, like space. And it is changeable: just when you think you see a pattern, perspective shifts, and alternative version is proffered, a long-forgotten memory resurfaces."
Or at her mother's funeral:
"It's been an age since we buried her. A wintry day in 1922 when the earth was frozen solid and my shirts blew icy against my stockinged legs, and a figure, a man, stood on the hill, barely recognizable. She took her secrets with her, into the cold, hard earth, but I learned them in the end. I know a lot about secrets; I have made them my life."
I neglected to bookmark some of the best passages, for which I apologize. This book, of any book I've written about, deserves to be praised. Beautiful writing, yet down to earth, accessible, not 'flowery' at all. And although most of the book is 3rd person from Gracie's POV, all the characters have depth; you may not like some of them, but you know what makes them tick and why they do what they do.
I'm dying to read more of Ms Morton's books. Perhaps they'll put another on sale. As I said, they're not Romance, but I just felt the urge to read a 'grown up' book (otherwise known as literary). I love romance, but there is so much of it being written now, with content so bare and spare, and a lot of it just plain bad, that I felt the need for a change. Also, I'm getting tired of erotica. I wanted something besides skin I could get my teeth into. Heh, heh.
Anyway, this is a damn good book if you're in the mood for stiff upper lips and war and drama and such, all beautifully packaged and tied up with a bow.
Good stuff.
Oh - a link!
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