No pleasure, no rapture, no exquisite sin greater than central air.

It's been awhile since my last post, but we can blame it on the heat. Which, btw, I LOVE!

What else is there to do on these hot days but read? I've finished Rumors, which was really good....way better than most sequels. Sad too. But it has a great setup for the third book, Envy. I can't wait to see the dress on the cover! Gigs totally recommends picking up these book for some lazy summer reading.

Also read the new one by Mary Higgins Clark, Where Are You Now?--BLECH. How boring. Don't waste your time.

What's next? Glad you asked! Saving Juliet, Reincarnation, and The Given Day (yes, that would be the new Dennis Lehane book) What's that? It doesn't come out until September!!??!?! Yes, well I am reading what we in the industry call and ARC (Advanced Reader's Copy) Stay tuned for my exclusive review! (tho, it may be awhile...this baby is intense!)

But reading is not just limited to books. I also read websites! Here are a few of my new favs:

If you were a fan of the Sweet Valley books, you MUST read The Dairi Burger. Our blogger has set out to re read all the books in the series, and post her commentaries, complete with snarky comments. Hawt. Caution: Beware of snorting laughter. This may 0r may not be appropriate Reference Desk reading.

You know all those great stories you have about working in a library? Scott Douglas posted his online. He has his own blog, and also posts on McSweeney's Internet Tendenancies. I strongly urge you to read the latter. He also just published a book, Quiet Please.

Gigs has a wedding this weekend (no, not her own) but that of Gig's DD contributer, Mr. J! Yes, ladies, he is taken! No, Gigs will not be wearing the Luxe Dress--that's for her OWN wedding!

Just when my to-read list was starting to dwindle....

Run, do not walk to your nearest Borders, Barnes and Noble, independent bookstore, or online vendor and pick up RUMORS. It's out today. Stay tuned for my review!

Also, special thanks to Sharon for sending me Chill Factor by Rachel Caine. I will try very, very hard to save it for my plane ride. No promises tho, as it looks way awesome.

Sigh

"Book of the Year", rave critics*

*ok, raves me.

I know it's a bit early to announce my fav book of the year, but I kinda already did in February. And up until yesterday, A Northern Light was by far the best thing I got my hands on. But that was then...

And now comes My Most Excellent Year: A Novel of Love, Mary Poppins, and the Boston Red Sox by Steve Kluger. This book could not have been better. T.C. and Augie are brothers--not by the same parents. And then there is Alejandra. And a deaf 6 year old named Hucky. And the Sox, Mary Poppins, Buck Weaver, Jackie O, and Judy Garland all make appearances too. I can't say more than that or I will tell you the entire plot. But it was simply put, wonderful.

Him?! Really? He's the killer?

Last night brought us some exciting season finales. Most notably, Bones. Does this mean the end Zach? Is he crazy? Oh well, at least we will have our Sweets. I tell ya, I was getting nervous there for a minute or two. And we get treated to David B. without a shirt AND in uniform! Personally, the uniform does it for me.

And I did see the season enders of Big Bang Theory and How I Met Your Mother--and, yes there were tears. Barney and Robin?!?! really? and Ted? oookay...next year, can we please let Alyson Hannigan be the star. Please???? And can I just comment on how much I enjoyed the kiss between Leonard and Penny on The Big Bang Theory. Bravo to the writers for not dragging this romance out. Nothing turns me off like a dragged out romance. Boring!

If you have no idea what I am talking about above, I suggest you use some of your summer catching up on what could be 3 of the 5 best shows on television!*

Summer is just about here, and you know what that means!!! Less tv reviews, more book talk!

How awesome are those Red Sox? Way awesome!


*Totally my humble opinion.

"Oh, My B*lls!" and other things learned at Comic Con

It has taken me a full week to recover from our 2 days at Comic Con in New York. The dreams featuring adult males in spandex, Princess Leias, the random fan boy have pretty much subsided. But what an awesome weekend! Some highlights:

1. Shannon Hale-the coolest! A gal that can write novels, GNs, and can sing the He-Man theme. My hero.

2. The stars of Moonlight-this marks the second time Gigs has ridden an elevator with a actor that plays a vampire detective on television, the first being David Boreanaz who played Angel. Admittedly being in an elevator in such close proximity with David, who smelled so nice, was more exciting, but I did learn a new catchphrase from Alex O'Loughlin, the aforementioned "Oh my b*lls!" as in "oh my gosh!"

3. Neil Patrick Harris-he was there to promote the new Harold and Kumar movie, and let me tell you ladies and gents, he is more handsome in person, with a great sense of humor. The first question asked of him was "In the first movie, did you really do [drugs]?" Excuse me, but you have one opportunity to ask him anything, and that is what you come up with? Luckily Mr. Harris gave it right back to him, "Right, like I did 20 takes of me doing real [drugs]!" I don't even know how he was able to look that guy in the eye! But he handled it all with patience and was very thankful to the fans. And when he spoke, he spoke clearly and he sat up straight--I very much appreciated that. He also dressed very nicely, not the same t-shirt and jeans other guests wore.

4. Randomly--and I mean randomly, walking into a Milo Ventimiglia signing. It wasn't promoted, and I just walked into a table--me being the klutz that I am--and there he was. and, yes, he is even more good looking in person. And he wore a suit!

5. Seth Green-normally he would be at the top of my list, complete with a picture. But you needed a ticket to meet him, and alas, I did not have one. That's ok, given that this girl behind me in line, was having a literal hissy fit over the situation, I thought it be best and act my age, and say to the poor assistant, "It's ok, really. I am fine following the rules. Really. " I like to think that if Seth happened to hear the commotion, he would appreciate what I had said rather than psycho-b*tch. She almost hit the assistant in frustration!

6. Brendan Fraiser-I'm sorry it's too soon to go there. But wow. Ummm.....next time, a little less caffeine for Mr. Fraiser. Still, I do want to see The Mummy 3 this summer.

So what did we learn at Comic Con? Stars are people too. No need to scream, swear, be obnoxious, hover, follow them around. Authors are the biggest and brightest stars around (and more approachable too). Being a klutz can be a good thing. I am destined to share an elevator with another actor who plays a vampire detective in the future--why stop the streak now? Neil Patrick Harris really is legendary!

Willow vs. Angel--who will win?

Greetings fair blog readers! I know it's been ages (2 weeks!) since my last post. Gigs had a bit of a meltdown-well, her laptop did anyway. But it's back! I'm back! And I have nothing to talk about at the moment.

Let's gossip for a moment...so is Ashlee Simpson really pregnant? Was Britney really in another car accident? Do I care?

Bones is back! At 8PM on Mondays no less. Don't I have enough to content with? Now the networks are actually making me choose between Willow and Angel ("mmmm...Angel")! What's a girl to do? At least Faith isn't in the mix (Eliza Dushku's new show Dollhouse isn't on till fall). Talk about being pulled in three different directions! I am SO not ready for that one.

Been watching Buffy the Vampire Slayer over from the beginning. I always said Season 3 was my fav (probably b/c of a certain other slayer that made her debut) But I think I seriously underestimated Season 2, of which I am about halfway through.
It's very good...even tho Angel is a bit like a mopey puppy. Get bad already!