Tuesday Musings...Who?

"Be who you are and say what you feel, because those who mind don't matter, and those who matter don't mind."

Dr. Seuss

Tuesday Musing...A Little Wicked

"It was a wicked and wild wind that blew down the door to let me in."

Coldpla

Tuesday Musings...Beliefs

"Live your beliefs, and you can turn the world around."

Thoreau

Book Review....Kitten-Tiger and the Monk by Carolyn Crane

From Amazon.com (novella from Wild & Steamy):

Sophia Sidway, Mid-City's most dangerous memory revisionist, seek out the mysterious Monk in the wasteland beneath the Tangle turnpike, hoping for redemption...but it turns out that the Monk is not all pious, and the turnpike is not a turnpike at all.

I've been a fan of the Disillusionists Trilogy from the very first words I read (of course, I was introduced to the series by some of my favorite book bloggers) and still can recall to this day the exact moment I yelled and raised my hands .in frustration (the good kind, I think) at the end of Mind Games (book two). I tend to enjoy books I yell at. Come to think of it, I may have yelled at this series more than once...

When I ran across Tiger-Kitten and the Monk, the title threw me off. Shrug. Because I needed it. This may seem a little odd...to NEED. But you didn't hear me ranting after I finished the Double Cross. Just saying.

Tiger-Kitten and the Monk is a short little treat that gives us more insight not only into Mid-City, but the characters we've come to love to hate to love, as well as the Tangle. (Honestly, I still have no idea what exactly it looks like. Even with the insight Sophia lends at the end. Spoilery-ish.)

Entertaining if not too short, the novella focuses around Sophia, the minion (if you will) of Otto Sanchez and the memory revisionist I like most like to yell at. Sophia is seeking out the Monk, the one disillusionist no one knows the identity of (save Packard) who is the ultimate in disillusioning. The end all and be all. And Sophia is tired and done with hurting others as well as herself. Too bad the Tangle (er, road) leads to the one man she most and least would want to see. And maybe she'll get a little more than she bargained for.

Until you may want to rant a little once again.

Where have all the bookstores gone?

I love the smell of a bookstore. It may seem odd, or you may wrinkle your nose, but it's true. I love it.

Maybe because I have fond childhood memories of going to the bookstore with my mom and begging for a book. Trading so many sink fulls of dirty dishes just to have that one book that I could sneak read with my flash light...

I love Tuesdays (almost as much as Wednesdays...new comic day!). Walking in, checking out the new release section. Looking for that new book to rush home to read. Or maybe spending a few hours with a hot cup of caffeine in hand, perusing the aisles for new treasure.

I recently had a conversation with a friend of mine, woefully sharing my sadness at my local Borders shutting its doors. She shared her sadness as well, telling stories of how she would take her kids there with homemade (and home brought) hot chocolate for hours of fun in the children's section. I made the off handed comment about how great their own bookshelves must look when she dropped the bomb on me.

They didn't go to buy books. They just went for the atmosphere. The free atmosphere. My jaw must have hit the floor faster than if you'd handed me celery with peanut butter (I hate celery, even if you put peanut butter on it.) because she asked if I was okay.

Okay? SERIOUSLY?

Herein lies one of the problems. Don't get me wrong. I'm sure this wasn't the only reason I've lost the main source of my credit card purchases. I'm sure she must have bought a book every other time, right?

Nope. At this point, I bit my tongue all the while my mind was racing. A bookstore isn't just a playroom. They have to make the rent and the payroll. My only hope is that her little ones got an appreciation for books and will carry this tradition on at a library.

And now? I travel a few more miles to get my fix, even if I can get new treasures cheaper on Amazon.

And who knows, maybe there will be an independent bookstore in my future...

Tuesday Musings...Wonder

"Wisdom begins in wonder."

Socrates

New Review...Immortal Rider by Larissa Ione

From the back cover....

They're here.

They ride.

The Four Horseman of the Apocalypse.

Born of a match between good and evil, four siblings stand between hell's minions and everything they want to destroy. They are the Lords of Deliverance, and they have the power to ward off Doomsday...or let it ride...

Immortal Rider

Sexy, powerful, and immortal, Limos is on a crash course with destiny. She's been marked as Satan's bride and her jealous fiance wants her all to himself. The only way this Horseman can keep herself-and everyone else-safe is to keep her distance.

Arik Wagner knows the saying "love hurts" better than most, yet he never thought stealing a kiss from Limos would land him in Hell. Literally. It takes all his military training to survive the demon torture, but once he's topside, Arik realizes that the agony has just begun. With the Apocalypse looming and Satan demanding his bride, will Arik and Limos surrender to the desire smoldering between them? Or will giving in to their passion unleash hell on earth?

Missing your favorite daytime drama? I have the answer for you!

There are no shortages of hot steamy scenes (you know the kind...just imagine your favorite soap hero/heroine accidentally coming out of the shower only to see the one person he/she hates yet secretly longs for and will do anything to protect, even from the nasty mistakes they've made in the past that they've hidden from everyone they love that could now ruin their lives forever?)

You may think that soaps are cheesy, and I admit they can be...however, they are one of my absolute favorite guilty pleasures. Until Larissa Ione.

And I'll tell ya why. Each storyline in a soap somehow ends up repeating itself, even if its only partially. Yep, there's that one evil character who seems to be every one's daddy, and everybody hooks up (well, almost everyone) eventually. And every character has lied and cheated and is keeping secrets. This is where Ione sets herself apart.

Maybe it's the demons. Or the angels. It's most definitely the Horsemen.

Finally, a heroine I can sink my teeth into. Not only do I love Limos in her sassy ways, she has a great big ol heart thanks to her bros. Did I mention I'd love to crash at her pad? Sigh...always a soft place in my heart, those Hawaiian Islands. She's tough when she has to be, saucy when the time calls for it, and lays it on the line when the moment arises. Like any young immortal being, she has made her mistakes in the past. And, just like any immortal being, when you grow up, things catch up with you.

Arik sees the tough side, accepts it, and pushes past it. A tough military guy with connections with the Guardians and super secret military faction. Who gets in a bit of trouble over a little kiss. Scorching hot kiss, but if her only knew how that kiss would make things end up. Or where. Sigh...

There is a nice crossover with the Underworld General Hospital (demons and a hospital? Paranormal Soap Opera HEAVEN!) and we get a visit from some old friends as well as a look into the other Horsemen. Not to mention Harvester and Reaver...

If I had one complaint, it's that Satan himself is the Big Bad but doesn't make much of an appearance...something I'm hoping will show up as the series progresses.

Now, I'm left waiting and totally wanting for Thanatos' book.

Soap Opera? Nah, so much better...

Oh, How I've Missed You!

The last year has been both a blessing and a curse. Blessings are often accompanied by a few bumps in the road. The view and the journey normally well worth the bumps. Or chuck holes. Or craters.

The injury came just before the bundle of giggles that now gives me a never ending supply of warm fuzzies on a daily basis.

And now, with the New Year comes new beginnings, as well as new challenges. The ankle isn't as flexible as it was before, which makes much of the choreography an incredible challenge. Translation: This bellydancer can't dance in as many shows with her belly sisters as she would like, and teaching is on a break right now. Heartbreaking, but every single day I fight the good fight to get my muse back in her right place. (I love physical therapy. Really.)

The other change? I'm a mom. (Which still surprises me...I mean, they let me take this lil guy home? Aren't they afraid of what I'll do? Are they crazy? The answer is yes, obviously!) Work has taken a back seat to snuggles, spit up, and yoga with baby! Forget trying to read the book a day I was averaging...as you can tell by the frequency of posts over here.

Enter scheduled posts, my shiny new laptop (evil virus claimed old faithful with all my media. I'm still hopeful the hard drive can be saved.), and new wireless router. Let's see how the game turns out.

New Year's resolution...try to not let this page go to waste.

Tuesday Musings For A New Year

It's a New Year, and each and every one of us seems to filled with the feeling of promise. Promise of things to come, of what we can be, and what we cam do.

In honor of this glorious feeling (the hope of it staying somewhere inside each of us all year long), I give you one of my all time favorite sayings. Which I may have used once before, but it's my party and I'll repeat it if I want to.

"Go confidently in the direction of your dreams."

Henry David Thoreau

Happy New Year, and may all your roads lead to your dreams...