Just Some Things

I've just noticed that all I've managed to post here lately have been little blurbs about the books I've read and links to my reviews on Booklikes.  So, to change things up a little, these are some things that have trotted through my mind over the last little while.

First off... I am heartily sick of winter.  It's almost the end of February, so here in Quebec we have another month of wintery weather to get through, all things being equal, but I seriously could cry when I see the lower than -10c temperatures or the snow swirling outside.  I want spring.  Not summer, but spring.

I've been having a lot of thoughts about books and book-related things, I realise, things that might not gain me friends.  *LOL*

Like... I wonder if I'm the only one who feels that so many of the Dreamspinner book covers look childish and well... cheap.  So many of them look like bad anime fan drawings - as bad as the horrid photomanips that adorn so many unprofessional offerings.  And unfortunately, my knee-jerk reaction to those covers is that the books are going to be lousy and amateur.  I honestly don't buy those books from Dreamspinner any more unless I get specific recs from folks I trust or they are authors I already have tried and enjoyed.  It's not all of the DSP covers - some of them are professional-looking and I hate to admit, but those I'll try before one of the others.  Dreamspinner is probably the biggest publisher of m/m romance and erotica and as such... well, I expect better.

And then there's what I call proprietary fanning.  There's this one (among many) authors that I follow on Facebook among other social media platforms, and I think she has a gal who sort of moderates her FB page for her?  All well and good, I mean, if you have a busy FB author/group page, then it's a good idea to have someone to manage the day-to-day nitty gritty.  But what bugs me about this one is the air of 'ownership' this chick has.  To the point where it seems like the author's characters also belong to her. And she posts about them all the freakin' time in a way which I would expect only the author to post.  ALL THE TIME.  It puts me off and it stops me from interacting with other fans in the group, sadly.

One of the authors that I enjoy and admire a lot has announced that she's taking on a pen name under which she's going to publish books that - to paraphrase - are different from what she's published up until now, one of the reasons being that she doesn't want readers to be upset when they buy this new book and find out that it's not the same as what she's become known for.  It's also a branding thing, but that's not what made me ponder things - what made me ponder things is, what kind of fan is against an author expanding their horizons, so to speak.  I guess it's the same as fans of musicians and bands who get pissed off when the newest album by their favourites doesn't sound exactly like that last five.  Well, that's not me.  I love when artists I enjoy - print, film, music etc... push their boundaries and grow and experiment.  Sometimes it might not work, but most times, I think, it does work - at the very least, it continues to encourage and nurture their creativity.  So kudos, Marie! I can't wait to read the new book this summer!

Speaking about singers... I was listening with half an ear to a Britney Spears interview on Extra or one of those infotainment type shows and then a little while later, Miley Cyrus was talking about something and I noticed that these girls have speaking voices SO much different from their singing voices.  Both of them kind of deep and hoarse and not in that good, sexy, smokey way either.  It made me wonder if these girls are going to develop throat problems when they hit their 40s.

I think I've probably gone on long enough here.  *LOL*  So that's it for now!

A Review - A Week to Be Wicked by Tessa Dare

I truly couldn't put it down.  I had so many things I should have done, so many things I'd planned to do over the past couple of days, but I really couldn't put this book down.  It was a really fun read and I thank Heidi Cullinan and Bree Bridges for recommending it to me.  :)

My review of A Week to Be Wicked can be found at Booklikes, as always, just click here.  

A Review - Magpie by Kim Dare

I read another book!  I know, big news, eh?  Anyway, I read Magpie by Kim Dare and absolutely loved it. There's a 3rd book in the series coming out, this summer, I think, maybe the fall, and I can't wait!  

So, as always, if you're interested my review of Magpie can be found at Booklikes.

A Review - Hooch & Cake by Heidi Cullinan

Heidi gifted her readers with the best thing ever - a freebie starring Randy, Mitch and Sam of the Special Delivery series.  Best. Gift. Ever!  :)  Heidi is indeed one of my favourites, as many of you know, and this series is also one of my favourites.  The story is nestled between Special Delivery and Double Blind and one should really read SD first to get the backstory and lay of the land, but it can also be read on its own because Heidi is a good enough writer that we know all we really need to know to enjoy.  :)

My review of Hooch & Cake can be found at Booklikes if you're curious.

And if you're really curious, you can find the free download on Heidi's site.

A Review - Left on St. Truth-be-Well by Amy Lane

Amy Lane is one of my favourite M/M romance authors and she doesn't disappoint with my latest read of hers.  It's less angsty than Amy's usual fare, but it's fun and I totally enjoyed it.  Love the location too, reminded me of many a vacation.  :)

My review of Left on St. Truth-be-Well is posted to Booklikes.

A Review - Pickup Men by L.C. Chase

I just finished Pickup Men by L.C. Chase and sad to say, I was somewhat disappointed.  I found the book read more like a genre Harlequin or Silhouette romance, something I wasn't expecting.

My review of Pickup Men is posted at Booklikes...

A Review - Junk by Josephine Myles

A romance where the main characters, Jasper and Lewis, are a hoarder and a de-cluttering expert?  Can this be a good read or will it be a trainwreck?

Read my review, here at Booklikes, and find out what I thought.  :)

A Review - The Magpie Lord

This book finally came up in the rotation - okay, I moved it up after hearing so much good about it - and I had been so looking forward to reading it, I hoped that it wouldn't disappoint me.  It didn't.

My review of The Magpie Lord by K.J. Charles is here, at Booklikes.

Because I Found It Interesting

One of my favourite authors, Heidi Cullinan posted the link to the following article on her FB page and I found it very interesting and thought to share it.

  Becoming Human - The Evolution Of Female Characters In Media By Amber Topping. 

 In her FB post, Heidi said: "I always feel like I'm circling around this issue, even when I'm not writing about women directly. What I like is that they address that part of the problem is there's no clear right way. Any time you put a woman in a story (or leave her out) someone will come in and tell you what that means. Usually five someones, usually angry, usually contradicting each other. It's why I wish lesbian/bisexual romances were as embraced as gay romances in mainstream reading, so we could dive into the feminine more deeply. But this insane tension and instinct to snipe and judge even the simplest comment is probably exactly why that's not happening. That Venus de Milo illustration is so apt. Put a woman in there and everybody's rushing to cover/define her THEIR way. Meanwhile, she gets three seconds to be herself before culture takes over. 

And yes, for the record, a lesbian/bisexual romance is on my bucket list, coming up soon in fact."

I am really looking forward to this. :)

A Review

My wonderful friend, Lainey, recommended this book to me; it's one of her favourites.  It's about the world of young actors in London and was a pretty darned good read.  :)

My review of Lucky Break is available on Booklikes.