Book Song of the Day...Thank you Mickie!!

(NEED A LITTLE "SIN" IN YOUR LIFE?) As in Sin-atra, Nancy of course...

♪♫ You keep saying

You've got something for me

Something you call books but I digress

You've been a messing where you shouldn't a been a messing

And now someone else is reading all the best

These books are made for readin'

And that's just what we’ll do

One of these days those books are

Gonna be read by all of you

You keep readin' when you oughta be working'

And you keep chattin' when you oughta be readin'

What's right is right

But you ain't been right yet

These books are made for readin'

And that's just what we'll do

One of these days those books are

Gonna be read by all of you

You keep playin' where you shouldn't be playin'

And you keep thinkin' that you'll never get burned HA !

I just found me a brand new book to read, yeah

And now believe it or not it’s your turn

Are you ready,bookies? Start reading ♪♫

I Won Some More Books!

I won another contest! This time over at BittenByBooks. I won books pictured here by a new to me author, Caitlin Kittredge. I've heard a lot of good things about her and jumped through some of the hoops in big hopes I'd win. And I did. Yay me!

Yippeeee!!!!

The very nifty Jeanne Stein, over at The Biting Edge, had a fun giveaway last week. Really all we fans had to do was comment on the new show, The Dollhouse, Joss Whedon's newest baby and we were put in for the drawing.
I won! The book is dedicated to Joss and it's an anthology of stories of vampires celebrating birthdays....it's a good thing....
Jeanne writes the Anna Strong series that I have fallen for in the very recent past.

NO REST FOR THE WICCAN - Madelyn Alt

I really enjoy this series. It's a paranormal cozy, nice character development and there are good people to root for and hope they get a break. And there are bad people to intensely dislike and hope something on them breaks.
Maggie is the dependable sister in her family. Her perfect sister, Mel, is pregnant with her third child and is put on bedrest. This suits Mel just fine since she likes being waited on, but now there's a spirit or two in her house to be dealt with....Maggie to the rescue.
Maggie also has her own job at the antique store to handle, as well as two possible suitors vying for her attention. Maggie is also trying to get a grip on her growing abilities and powers, with her boss, Liss, as her guide.
Things are coming to a boil in her little hometown.

Four witchy beans...

DEAD TO THE WORLD - Charlaine Harris

This is my second time with this book. First time was reading it and I enjoyed it a lot. This time was listening to it in the car with DH for our commute. He is hooked on this series now. He was nibbling before with the last listen, LIVING DEAD IN DALLAS, but he is now a bonafide fan and asked when we can listen to more of the series. He likes the action, the writing, the action, the paranormal angle, the action..... you get the drift....He has watched some of the HBO series, True Blood, and likes what he's seen of it, but I think he likes listening to the book series even more.

This one is my favorite. Eric loses his memory and his sense of self thanks to a witch's curse and he is much less arrogant and appealing. Now don't get me wrong, arrogant Eric is appealing to me, but it's nice seeing a different side to him. Sookie is made responsible for his welfare.

Sookie has enough on her plate, though. Her brother goes missing, there's the witch coven trying to take over the businesses in Shreveport and somehow she gets pulled in to help. There's a pissy were-lynx who has it in for Sookie....

Five somebody-cut-Sookie-some-slack beans......

Bitten By Books and Anton Strout

Rachel over at BittenByBooks has a contest to win the above book. Wander on over to her superb site and take a gander at the ROE and see about winning your own copy. I hope to win....there's 10 chances!!

Contest runs through 2 March 2009...that'd be next Monday-ish....

Lady K-ism of the Day...on power outages...

"Okay, now nobody freak out! First we need to find the flashlights and the candles!"

~Lady K in survival of the fittest mode, when we went home last night to find the power out on our block...

Monday MeMe, May I Have a Word...

I saw this meme over at TexasRedBooks. It looks like a fun meme for anyone to play along.You have to do free word association with each of the following phrases:

Where is your cell phone ...............................in the ashtray of my car
Your hair .........................................................blonde, wavy/curly, short
Your father .....................................................is the best one in the world (Mom rocks too)
Your favorite thing ........................................my mp3 player so I can drown out my coworkers
Your dream last night ...................................apparently my Grandma Violet’s house is haunted
Your favorite drink ....................................... Star$$ venti nonfat, no water chai with a pump of sugarfree vanilla (high maintenance much??)
Your dream/goal ...........................................debt free and have my own bookstore
The room you are in ......................................my teeny cubby at work
Your fear .........................................................drowning
Where do you want to be in 6 years ...........in an RV traveling the US or Austin Texas
Muffins ............................................................cranberry/orange
One of your wish list items ........................... NCIS on DVD so far
Where you grew up .......................................Air Force brat, but formatively in Fort Scott Kansas
The last thing you did ................................... turned on my mp3 player to tune out my coworkers (Allman Brothers keeping me company)
What are you wearing ..................................comfy linen pants, my favorite long sleeved green T and my favorite Merrills and my monkey socks
Your TV ......................................................... which one? We have five
Your pets ........................................................we have a 5 year old, who needs a pet?
Your computer ...............................................laptop decorated by 5 year old daughter with Hello Kitty and Disney stickers
Your life ...........................................................pretty darn good
Your mood ......................................................very good, got a raise today
Missing someone ............................................my Grandma Violet
Your car ........................................................... Chrysler Pacifica
Favorite store .................................................DSW
Favorite color ..................................................purple
When is the last time you laughed ...............about 10 minutes ago, DH cracks me up
Last time you cried ........................................yesterday reading a story to Lady K
People who e-mail you...................................family & friends
One of your favorite foods ............................fish tacos
Place you would rather be right now ..........I’m pretty happy wherever I am

Patricia's Vampire Notes Interview with Marta Acosta

Patricia's Vampire Notes has a contest to win a copy of HAPPY HOUR OF THE DAMNED by Marta Acosta. There is a super interview with the author. This one ends 25 Feb...so get on over there!!!

And another Urban Fantasy contest...

Here's a chance to win the above set of books at Ticket to Anywhere's blog. Contest is open until 7 March. Head on over, read the ROE and see about winning this fab series!

Contest at Amberkatze's blog...interview with Mario Acevedo

Amberkatze has another interview and contest. This week it's all about Mario Acevedo, author of the Felix Gomez series. Felix is a vampire PI who resides in Denver.

I have read the first two in the series, NYMPHOS OF ROCKY FLATS and X-RATED BLOODSUCKERS and luh-huved them. I have #3 UNDEAD KAMA SUTRA on Mt Git'r'Read. I soooo would love to win soon to be released #4. And the winner gets an infamous Devil Duck....Oh boy!

The contest is open until next Sunday, 1 March.

THE TASTE OF NIGHT: SECOND SIGN OF THE ZODIAC - Vicki Pettersson

You gotta like a good urban fantasy read. Well, at least I gotta like it. And I do and did with TASTE OF NIGHT.
Jo/Olivia is working on her growing powers of both Light and Shadow sides, being the daughter of the most evil being in Vegas, and trying to save the world from a plague instigated by the Shadows.
She also has to weigh all of this against her hatred and the revenge she seeks of the man who attacked her many years ago and left her for dead in the desert.
I cannot wait to get the third in the series, TOUCH OF TWILIGHT. Shopping trip

and five Zodiac beans....

Lady K-ism of the Day

"Shhhhhh....I am a secret agent...you must do as I tell you.....you must not eat those grapes..they are poison. And DO NOT have dinner with your husband. He is a...vampire! You see those holes in your ears? He made those while you were sleeping. He will use your blood for dinner and your bones for his bedtime snack!

I am Agent Kate and this (a teddy bear in a dress and crown) is Agent Sarah! We will protect you, if you do as we say...We are off to see your husband now. Stay here."

This is going on while I try to watch an episode of Moonlight, which claims to be a vampire show.....

Bitten By Books and Caitlin Kittredge

BittenByBooks has a contest going to win one of seven sets of the two books pictured here by author Caitlin Kittredge. Head on over until next Tuesday, 24 Feb, read the ROE and have a chance to win....I know I am...

TV meme...jumping on the bandwagon...

This little meme has been seen in various blogs I peruse, so I thought I'd jump on and air my TV watching habits (because you know it's just damned fascinatin'):

1. Name a TV show series in which you have seen every episode at least twice: Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Angel, Bones, Eureka

2. Name a show you can’t miss: Bones and NCIS

3. Name an actor that would make you more inclined to watch a show: No one actor comes to mind, but I will watch anything that Joss Whedon does

4. Name an actor who would make you less likely to watch a show: The guy who played George Costanza on Seinfeld..that’s how much I dislike him, I won’t even look up his name..but I weirdly know his character name…

5. Name a show you can, and do, quote from: Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Friends,

6. Name a show you like that no one else enjoys: I like a lot of Sci-Fi Channel shows that not many other people dig.

7. Name a TV show which you’ve been known to sing the theme song: I could hum some, not really words to any shows I watch these days…

8. Name a show you would recommend everyone to watch: NCIS (good lord, action, cool dialogue and Mark Harmon??)

9. Name a TV series you own:

Buffy the Vampire Slayer(boxed set babee),

Angel (season 1&2),

Bones (all so far),

Mork and Mindy(1st season),

Gilmore Girls (season 1&2),

Firefly (all),

X-Files (bits&pieces),

Adventures of Brisco County Jr(all),



Joan of Arcadia (all),

Eureka(all so far),

Supernatural (DH’s season 1&2),

MacGuyver (DH’s boxed set I got him for Christmas)

10. Name an actor who launched his/her entertainment career in another medium, but has surprised you with his/her acting choices in television: ummmm....what? I can't think of anyone.

11. What is your favourite episode of your favourite series? The vampire one from X-Files, the Friends where everyone found out about Monica and Chandler, any of the Spike and Buffy hookin’ up episodes,

12. Name a show you keep meaning to watch, but you just haven’t gotten around to yet: Sanctuary! It’s on Friday nights and I just keep missing it!

13. Ever quit watching a show because it was so bad? ‘Lost’ comes to mind…. CSI just got rather dull for me….

14. Name a show that’s made you cry multiple times: nothing comes to mind, though I do tear up from time to time over one or another something

15. What do you eat when you watch TV? There’s usually bowl of grapes or cherries next to me at all times

16. How often do you watch TV? Actual watching is saved for certain shows like NCIS, Bones, Eureka

17. What’s the last TV show you watched? NCIS

18. What’s your favourite/preferred genre of TV?, Smartass…I mean smartly dialogued drama or dramedy sci-fi or fantasy/paranormal

19. What was the first TV show you were obsessed with? As an adult….Buffy the Vampire Slayer

20. What TV show do you wish you never watched? Some of those lame-ass sit-coms and ‘reality shows’ that are on and are total crap

21. What’s the weirdest show you enjoyed? Dead Like Me

22. What TV show scared you the most? X-Files could creep me out from time to time

23. What is the funniest TV show you have ever watched? God help me, but I snort laugh sometimes watching Two & a Half Men. And there’s always Friends when they were on their game.

24. What show was cancelled too early? Well, hell, just about anything I like is cancelled. Unless I catch it well into its run, like NCIS, a series is pretty much doomed to fail because I like it. Which is why ‘reality shows’ are having such a field day of it, I hate them..therefore they thrive…if only I could use my power for good….
I do sometimes get lucky, like with Bones and Eureka. I held my breath after the first season…they both were renewed and continue to be…

How Addicted to Blogging Are You??

72%How Addicted to Blogging Are You?

I shamelessly borrowed this from DeSeRtRoSe (who shamelessly borrowed it from Bella)....

Lady K-ism of the Day

"Mommie, I could be like Coraline if you and Daddy got taken by a mean spider woman, but I wouldn't have blue hair."
...Yesterday at the show while watching the superb movie 'Coraline'

Lady K-ism of the Day

"Here's my theory...it's going to sound an awful lot like my other theory, but I've made some changes..."

Lady K and her daddy discussing where water comes from...I can't wait til they get to aquifers....

THE GINGERBREAD MAN - Maggie Shayne

I always enjoy reading a good thriller, so I was glad to find this one up for trade a year or so ago from a friend. Then it arrived and sat on the shelves, moving further and further to the back until I saw that I owed it to someone on the same message board I'd found THE GINGERBREAD MAN. sigh....so I rooted around the closet sector of Mt Git'r'Read and found it. It became my purse book and languished in the Mom Bag due to lack of 'me time' these days. Okay...whinging time is over...
I am glad this is a well written book so that each time I had the chance to pick it up, I could easily pick up where I left off.

Detective Vince O'Malley is in the middle of an abduction case of two missing children when the FBI takes over the case when the children are found dead. O'Malley is told to take some time off after becoming overwhelmed with the aftermath. He takes a piece of evidence he found at the scene and travels to upstate New York to solve the case on his own.
He meets Holly Newman, fragile and surviving after her 5 year old sister was abducted years ago while the two were walking home from school. She blames herself and has been berating herself since.
Vince feels that the abduction of Holly's sister is connected somehow to the current case and the feeling grows to certainty as their lives are threatened.
Is it the aging film star, Reginald D'Voe, who has come back to town with his niece and having the Halloween party that he used to throw many years ago...for children only? Or is it Dr Ernie Greycloud, the town doctor and closemouthed on all things Holly related.
Several suspects are introduced and I sort of had a good idea who it was about the middle of the book, but I wasn't absolutely sure and I was really diggin' on the storyline, so kept reading. The ending is very well done and I will gladly look for more of Maggie Shayne's books, even her paranormal romances which aren't my usual read.

Four upstate New York thriller beans.....

Happy Valentine's Day

SKIN HUNGER: The Resurrection of Magic, Book 1 - Kathleen Duey

It took me a little while to get into this story. Once I got used to the dual narrative presentation, I settled in a little better. By the time I got to the cliff-hanger ending, I was ready to put the second in the series on my RecordedBooks wishlist.

The book is told from two points of view. One is by Sadima, a girl who was born into a world that only barely recognized magic, in fact is was outlawed. Sadima's mother dies at her birth at the hands of a charlatan magician and her father goes into grief stricken silence, leaving Sadima's brother to raise her. Sadima finds she has the ability to speak with animals. She keeps the talent hidden to appease her family, but tales of her abilities reach the ears of Somiss, a wizard trying to resurrect magic at the possible expense of his life. Somiss sends Franklin, his friend and aide in the pursuit of all things magical, to search out Sadima and bring her to him. She goes, , while helping where she can, cooking, cleaning, copying scripts. She begins falling in love with Franklin, knowing it is an ill-fated relationship.

The second is told by a young man, Hahp. He is given to the wizard academy, run by Somiss and Franklin. This part of the story takes place much later in time. I didn't cotton onto this until well into the book.

Magic has been restored, but it is available only to the wealthy and is strictly controlled by wizards within the hermitic academy of magic. Only one of the ten students will graduate -- that student will be the one to survive every test.

This is a YA book for ages 12 and up. I do recommend it for anyone who likes a well-written tale of magic, strength of character, good versus evil, survival of spirit.

Four wizardly beans....

PLAYING WITH FIRE: A Novel of the Silver Dragons - Katie MacAlister

I absolutely have a fab time reading Katie MacAlister's books. Any and all of them. This one delivered the smartass dialogue-in', butt kickin', dragon lovin' goods. It veers ever so slightly away from our buddy, Aisling Grey, Guardian, demon lord and dragon mate...but she's in this book and I hope shows up from time to time for the series.

May Northcutt is a doppelganger. Her twin, Cyrene, a naiad, had her created about 80-some years ago. Cyrene had to give up her common sense to the demon lord (and silent film star) who created May. May is also bound to said demon lord, stealing anything that catches his fancy. May is a born (or made) thief with the ability to convince locks into openening and able to shadow walk, basically disappear. She meets Gabriel, wyvern of the Silver Dragons, during a heist. Gabriel is thrilled to meet his mate. All sorts of mayhem and fire and smoke and paranormal ass-kicking ensues for a fun romp. I look forward to reading the rest of this series.

Four dragonfire beans.....bookmark to be posted later....

Mark Henry Contest....Zombie Stimulus Package...

Dudes and dudettes, if only for the snort laugh factor...get over to League of Reluctant Adults for Mark Henry's brilliant idea for a Zombie Stimulus Package...and a chance to win some bootay...

Contest runs through 24 Feb...

Musing Mondays....

Over at One More Page is today's Musing Monday. Today's is about bookmarks.

What do you use to mark your place while reading? Do you have a definite preference? Do you use bookmarks, paper, or (gasp) turn down the pages? If you use bookmarks, do you have a favourite one?

I definitely use bookmarks. When I was a youngun' I'd dog-ear the page of a paperback if it was my book. I'd use whatever was at hand to bookmark library books. Woe to the dog-earring person when the librarian found out.....

As I got older, I became enamoured of collecting different bookmarks. My sister turned me onto the laminated ones made from foreign stamps. I have all kinds of those and still collect them when I see one I like.

I moved on to movie or concert tickets, then my sister once again started me on a new path with beaded bookmarks. The ones with coated twine or leather string with cool beads on either end. I have a bunch of those.

I've done bookmark exchanges with friends, too. Those brought in a whole bunch of great ones.

I found a need to corral the collection and have a little enameled tin cup to hold most of narrow stamp bookmarks and a bowl to hold the beaded ones.

Lately, though, I have found some very cool postcards at my favorite post office/treasure shop near my office building. I have begun to collect those and lately have been pairing bookmark with the particular book I am reading. I started posting the image when I do my book review. I am definitely having fun with this new bookmark flight o' fancy of mine.

THE WITCH'S GRAVE: An Ophelia and Abbey Mystery - Shirley Damsgaard

I really enjoy reading this series. I love watching Abbey guide her granddaughter, Ophelia, in her growing abilities as a witch. I like reading the interactions betweent the two, the easy camaraderie as friends and grandmother and granddaughter, as wise teaching the young.
Ophelia meets a highly intriguing man at a local vineyard. They take a stroll and the man is shot as he is about to kiss Ophelia. Who was the intended target, the man or Ophelia? Ophelia takes it upon herself, against the sheriff's and all of her friends' request otherwise, to look into the mystery.
I'd say more, but it would give away the storyline, I think. Suffice to say, it's a really good read and I look forward to the next in the series.
I won this book...I know I posted about that already, I just like seeing that phrase. It will be on my keeper shelf of signed books.

Four magical beans....and the signed by the author bookmark.....

Lady K-ism of the Day

&

Mommie, I don't care if it IS hair washing night! This is the best night EVER! "Bones" is on AND I get M&Ms for dessert!

Neighborhood Cleanup Wednesday

Lady K decided to make today a trash pickup day after I made a comment about the newspapers left in the street of our neighborhood this morning. She asked if we could go out with bags and pick up trash when she got home from school. I said absolutely.
It was even more cool when I picked her up at BASE, she told all of her teachers that she and I were going home to pick up trash. And she was excited about it. It put a grin on her face and mine and off we went.
We walked down one side of the street and back up the other. Sadly, we were able to pick up two full bags of trash that included wet newspapers still in the bags and lots of just odds and ends of schtuff that our neighborhood folks just don't want to take the time to pick up. Oh well, it made for a nice walk for Lady K and I and we cleaned the trash and came to the idea that we should do this every Wednesday. And we hope that we can one day come home with empty bags.
Lady K wants everyone to know that if we throw trash in the street, it's like we don't care about the Earth.
This ends our public service announcement....

Another book giveaway...on someone else's blog....

Stephanie's Confessions of a Book-a-holic has a pretty cool giveaway. This is a chance to win one of five copies of Dan Simmons' latest paperback, THE TERROR. If you like intelligently written horror, this is the author for you. I have been waiting for this one to come out in paperback and this is my chance to win it. And it could be yours, too.

Patricia's Vampire Notes has a Contest

Patricia's Vampire Notes has a contest for five lucky winners to win the above two books by Carrie Vaughn. These are her two latest. I've read the first one and it was way jammin'. What's not to like? Werewolf DJ working the night shift in a Denver radio station. The rest of the series follows Kitty during her travels and travails.

Lady K Diggin' The Boss at Halftime...

She does love her rock -n- roll.....and The Boss brought it for Super Bowl half time.....

JANUARY BOOK JOURNAL

First month of 2009 made for some pretty good reading:

1. THE REMAINS OF THE DEAD: A Ghost Dusters Mystery - Wendy Roberts, ARC

2. THE LAUGHTER OF DEAD KINGS: A Vicky Bliss Mystery - Elizabeth Peters, BOCD

3. MEAN STREETS - Jim Butcher, Simon R Green, Kat Richardson, Thomas E Sniegoski, TPB

4. LIVING DEAD IN DALLAS: Sookie Stackhouse, Book 2 - Charlaine Harris, BOCD

5. UNDEAD AND UNWED: Queen Betsy, Book 1 - MaryJanice Davidson, MPB

6. HARM NONE: A Rowan Gant Investigation - M R Sellars, MPB

7. AN ICE COLD GRAVE: Harper Connelly series - Charlaine Harris, BOCD

8. HEAT STROKE: Weather Warden, Book 2 - Rachel Caine, MPB

9. THE GHOST AND THE HAUNTED MANSION - Alice Kimberly, MPB

10. THE GATEKEEPER - Michelle Gagnon, draft copy, Beta reader

11. DEFENDING ANGELS - Mary Stanton, MPB

12. BLIND FALL - Christopher Rice, BOT

Audiobooks: 4
Books: 8
Total for year: 12

Favorites this month: I had two pleasant surprises, HARM NONE and DEFENDING ANGELS. I really enjoyed reading these two in particular. Next up would be MEAN STREETS. I discovered two new to me authors, Thomas E Sniegoski and Simon R Green.