Cut Me Some Slack

If you’re a reader, then like me you have a list of auto-buy Authors. Authors whose books you would buy no matter what. Whether you enjoy historical, contemporary, romantic suspense or paranormal if you’re like me when you find out about the newest release from one of your favorite authors, see the new cover, read the cover blur you get all giddy and happy inside and maybe even let out a little squeeeeee. As a fan girl I would probably read a book written by one of my auto-buy authors - even if it was the phonebook or the periodic table.

Anticipation can be euphoric but sometimes reality misses the mark. Let’s face it not every book written by an author can hit it out of the park. Maybe something in the story tested believability, didn’t make 100% sense and all the facts didn‘t add up, the heroine had a TSTL moment or two and the hero was a complete a$$hole a time or two. Let's face it...they're men, but they usually come around.

What happens when you finally crack the spine on your eagerly anticipated book (or in this digital age - open the latest release on your e-reader) only to discover that it’s not all that and a bag of chips?

Personally I think I am more lenient and more forgiving in my review for one of my favourite author’s books as long as the book isn’t a total miscue. Since they are my favorite authors for a reason, chances are they aren’t going to write a complete dud but that doesn’t mean it’s going to be the best thing since sliced bread either.

So here’s my question: Do you cut your favorite author any slack when reviewing their book if it didn’t quite live up to your expectations?

The Sunday *Sigh*: Where the Hell Are My Keys?

Losing your purse/ID or misplacing your keys is a sure-fire way to send you immediately into full-blown panic mode. There’s that instantaneous feeling of dread, your heart starts beating out of your chest and you break out in a cold, cold sweat.

I am a creature of habit - with good reason since it’s the only way I can remember anything. I always leave my key ring in exactly the SAME spot so they will always be right where they are supposed to be - except when they aren’t...like on Sunday morning. Let the panic begin!

The search was on as I checked all the usual places. Purse? Nope. Coat Pocket? Nada. The entire kitchen? Zippity do da. Every place I could possibly think of? Zilch. I 100% stuck out.

Any guesses?

You know you always find what you are looking for in the last place you look don’t you? Psssst - that’s because you quit looking once you find what your looking for.

Arrrrrgh!! Where are my keys?!?!??!?!

So after some ranting and raving and a few (ok a lot) of bad words, I opened the door to go outside and lo and behold there were my elusive keys just hanging around in the deadbolt lock minding their own business. Thank goodness the burglars decided not to rob me Saturday night - talk about an open invitation.

Crisis averted - please resume your regularly scheduled programming.

I've Got The Fever In Me!

The Final Chapter - Let The Games Begin

Well the wait is almost over (and for any of you lucky enough to already be reading this book - I hate you more than words can say). Hopefully in a little over 24 hours I will have this book in my hot little hands  - ok so I may have to settle for reading it on my Itouch, but at this point I say beggars can't be choosers.

Last week for those of us not willing to wait, we got the first two chapters to read on Karen Marie Moning's website.  A lot of my fellow tweeps refused to venture over to her site and end their suffering to find out who the beast really is that Mac killed at the end of Dreamfever. My hat is off to you for showing such remarkable restraint. Me? I'm not into self denial, I clicked as fast as I could to find out the answer.  I figure when Tues Jan 18 rolls around at 12:01 and if I have to download the e-book, I will be that much further ahead in the story.

I will readily admit that I have NEVER been this invested in a book or series. I have even scheduled Tues off work so I can stay up all night (if this old body can handle it) to read this book. Knowing all my tweeps will be reading and tweeting I don't want any spoilers knowing they are getting the long awaited answers to this amazing story ahead of me. I want to be right there with them along for the ride. I just pray that I will not be disappointed with what KMM has in store for Mac and Barrons. Everyone wants their story to have a HEA. Moning has stated that she stayed true to her vision for this story and that the readers wants and needs were not necessarily taken into consideration when she wrote this series. They better get that HEA - that is all I am saying! I don't care about any dang dream she had.

I am sure that there will never be another book that so many have so anxiously been waiting for.  I certainly do not ever foresee my taking a day off work again just so I can read a book.  That should tell you right there how excited I am to finally be able to get the answers.

MAC AND BARRONS FOREVER!

The Sunday *Sigh*: The Heat is On...Or Not

It's winter. It's cold. I live in Canada.

Every workday morning I start my car about 7-10 minutes prior to leaving to warm up the inside and loosen the frost on the windows. When the time comes, I jump in, give the windshield wipers a flick just to make sure I can see and drive off. Sounds easy right?

Imagine my surprise one morning this week when I jumped in the car and the windows front and back are still frost covered and the inside is still like a little icebox. What is going on? Has my heater broken down? The front/rear defrosters stopped working?

It took me all of about 2 seconds to realize what I had done...or not as the case may be. People! The heater and defrosters can't do their job if YOU DON'T TURN THEM ON! How can I go out to my car with the express purpose of pre-warming it and then forget to turn the heaters on? It boggles my mind and quite frankly I fear for my future.

Every time I do something so exceedingly stupid that I don't think I can top myself, apparently I can.

Can't wait to see what I come up with next. I am skeerit!

So Long 2010: It's A New Dawn, It's A New Day, It's A New Year

For My Thoughts


Surely my thoughts for 2010 are worth more than a penny - but that's all I've got as I sit here watching Ryan Seacrest rocking in the New Year in the Big Apple. Yup it's that time again to reflect upon the year and offer up some thoughts and random musings on the year that was 2010.

2010...it was the best of times...it was the worst....well really 2010 was all good. And even if it wasn't, I can't change it and I refuse to waste ANY time thinking about things I can't change. All I can do is look forward and strive to do better. Below are some of the moments in 2010 that impacted my life the most.

In Feb 2010 on a whim I decided I needed a blog. I put all the blame for this squarely on Jen from @Twimom227 who was starting her own blog and having a great time with it and before you can say "tweer pressure" I had to have my own blog too. I really don't know what I hoped to accomplish or what I was doing and that's the problem - I was delusional.

I don't consider my blog to be a big girl, grown-up Book Blog  (ummm not even in the same galaxy) as some of my favorite blogs (including Jen's above) @smexybooks, @hangingwithbells, @FixonVxn, @larrisalife and just some of my favorite blogs in general @buckeyegirl31, @JulieYMandKAC, @NikiBrandyberry  - now those girls know how to blog! I seriously don't know how y'all do it - the little I do takes so long. I just can't crank out a review that easily. Sometimes I think it takes me as long to review the book as it does to read it.

In March 2010 I decided to get serious - AGAIN about losing weight and getting healthy. I have struggled with weight issues my entire life. Hopefully this time it will be different. I am NOT getting any younger and if I want to live to be a ripe old age and in good shape then I need to be healthy. No ifs, no ands and no buts. I won't get into this too much now - think I'll do a seperate post on that later - I don't want to be tooooo long winded. But I am very pleased with my progress to date even if I did get off track in December.

In April 2010 I purchased my very first Ipod/Itouch. Now I can see you shaking your head - this is a top moment in 2010 - huh?
Not only do I now have some awesome music downloaded to workout to including some of my favorites for 2010 Rihanna's Only Girl, Usher's DJ's Got Us Falling in Love and Enrique Iglesias' Tonight I'm Falling In love, but more importantly I now have something to read Ebooks on! At last count I have 6 e-reading apps.

I discovered in 2010 that I love reading on my Itouch. It will never replace my paper books, but you can't beat the convenience of that one-touch click buying (dangerous) and the ease of having multiple books available right at your fingertips.

Here are my favorite books for 2010 (in no particular order)

Something About You by Julie James
Naked Edge by Pamela Clare
Demon from the Dark Kresley Cole
Exclusively Yours Shannon Stacey
The Entire Fever Series by Karen Marie Moning
The Moonlight Series by Nancy Gideon
Silent Scream Karen Rose
Untraceable by Laura Griffin
Liberating Lacey Ann Calhoun

Book Boyfriends seem to be very popular at a lot of the blogs I follow (I'm looking at you @hangingwithbells) and although I like a good man as much as the next gal, I just can't get that ga-ga over any guy on paper.

3 "guys" who made an impression on me in 2010:

Barrons: Say my Name! From KMM Fever series. Without "tweer pressure" I never would have discovered all the goodness that is Barrons. THANK YOU Tweeps. I am forever in your debt.

Malkom: Demon From the Dark by Kresley Cole
Max: From the Moonlight Series by Nancy Gideon

Mmmmm interesting how all my book "boyfriends" are not human?

Best New-To-Me Authors I Discovered in 2010:

Laura Griffin, Nancy Gideon, Shannon Stacey, Cynthia Eden, Maya Banks, Karen Marie Moning, Gini Koch

Favorite Auto-Buy Authors:

Julie James, Pamela Clare, Lisa Gardner, Rachel Gibson, Jill Shalvis, Toni Blake, Tess Gerritsen, Susan Elizabeth Phillips

New Authors I Need to Read:

Carolyn Crane, Olivia Cunning, Stacia Kane

What's ahead for 2011?

Read More?
Review More?
Exercise More?
All of the above?

There can never be too many books, only not enough time to read them all.

It's going to be an exciting 2011! Bring it on!

The Sunday *Sigh*: My 33 Second Rule

Hey Brain! Yup it's me again with another installment of the Sunday *Sigh*.

When you workout at the gym, whether it's the treadmill, elliptical, stationary bike or weight machines, proper gym protocol dictates that as a courtesy to the other members you clean the machines when you are finished your workout. Because really do you want to be working out in someone else's sweat?

So the workout's complete, it's time to clean the machine. I amble over to the paper towel dispenser and I'm waiting and waiting and waiting for the person in front of me to get the heck out of my way...why is she taking so long...move it sista don't you know I've got miles to peddle and weights to lift?

Finally with my paper towel all spritzed up I waltz back to my elliptical, Itouch blaring tunes in my ears. One arm swiped and wiped on the elliptical and I'm working on the second, when I spy the man two machines over giving me the side eye and trying not to smirk. Mmmmmm what's up with him?

Light bulb moment! I'm cleaning the wrong machine! I was on the machine beside gym guy and he's trying not to laugh at me cleaning the wrong elliptical.

Shoulders squared, head held high I put the imaginary gun to my head and pull the trigger as I slink over to my machine and begin the wipe down process again as if I'd intended to clean the wrong machine all along.

I've just proven to myself once again that after 33 seconds...I can't remember anything.

The Sunday *Sigh*: Are You There Brain? It's Me Judi

As I get older, I wonder how I'm ever going to survive. If I get any stoopider, it doesn't bode well for my future.

How many times do you do things without thinking, either by rout because it’s something you do all the time, you are trying to multi-task or you just aren’t paying attention? How many times have you wandered into a room, only to forget what you went in there for?

I work every Sunday morning at a part-time job (this is in addition to my full-time 40hr/wk day job) and I‘ve been doing it for about 12 years now. I don’t have to be there super early (9:00am so no excuses there), I work by myself (no one bugging me or constantly interrupting my train of thought - again no excuses) and I only have to stay as long as it takes me to complete the job (most Sundays less than 2 hours). So why than do I do soooooo many STOOOPID things?

Dear Brain:
Here are some things I need to work on:

When driving to work



do not drive instead to the gym even if it is
less than 5 minutes away from where you work.




How many times have I done this?
More times than I care to admit (including Easter Sunday when the gym wasn't even open).
The fact that work and the gym are so close is a good thing AFTER work...but not before.


When trying to open the office door: Do not try to open it using your house key - it will not work

Surprisingly it will not work by pushing the buttons on your remote car door opener either



Yes sadly I am guilty of both, hard though it is to admit. You and I really need to have a heart-to-heart and get on the same page...sooner rather than later.

*Sigh*
Until next time,
Kthxbai

PS: What are some STOOPID things you've done? Please feel free to comment if you aren't too ashamed to admit it?