Book #17 - Startled By His Furry Shorts by Louise Rennison

ISBN: 9780060853860

Format: Trade Paperback, 278pp

Pub. Date: April 24, 2007

Genre: Teen

Series: #7 in Confessions of Georgia Nicholson series

Bought at Borders for $7.99

From the Publisher

Georgia is in quite a predicament. Dave the Laugh has declared his love for her (at least she thinks he was talking about her), leaving her in a state of confusiosity. And then when she finally decides to give Masimo an ultimatum -- to be her one and only -- he tells her he needs to think about it.

To distract herself from her romantic woes, Georgia throws herself into Mac-Useless play rehearsals and planning a Viking wedding, and tries to avoid all thoughts of boy decoys, Italian-American dreamboats . . . and let’s not forget guitar-plucking Sex Gods!

My Opinion of the Book

Another great installment into the life of Georgia Nicholson. I had figured out what the big "surprise" Jas & Tom had for Georgia before the book actually told it, but I think that the "surprise" is going to make for a vair, vair interesting book #8! I can't wait for "Love Is a Many Trousered Thing" to come out in July!

Book #16 - Ghost of a Chance by Yasmine Galenorn

ISBN: 0425191281

Format: Mass Market Paperback, 262pp

Pub. Date: August 5, 2003

Genre: Paranormal Mystery

Series: #1 in the Chintz 'n China series

Bought at Barnes & Noble for about $15 I believe

From the Publisher

Emerald O'Brien is the owner of the Chintz 'n China Tea Room where guests are served the perfect blend of tea and tarot reading. She never set out to be a detective, but once word gets out that she can communicate with the dead, there's no turning back...

When the ghost of Susan Mitchell asks for Emerald's help in convicting her own murderer, Emerald can't refuse. Along with her friends-an ex-supermodel and a cop-and her new love interest, Emerald must search for clues to put the killer behind bars-and this tortured soul to rest.

My Opinion of the Book

This first book in the Chintz 'n China series was a very good introduction to the series. I learned a lot about all of the main characters and their lives. The mystery that Emerald was working on solving kept me in suspense, even though I did have a guess at how things were going to come out in the end. I'm looking forward to reading the other books in this series that are currently waiting on Mt. TBR! :)

Book #15 - All Together Dead by Charlaine Harris

ISBN: 0441014941

Format: Hardback, 323pp

Pub. Date: May 1, 2007

Genre: Paranormal Mystery

Series: #7 in the Southern Vampire series

Bought at Barnes & Noble for about $15 I believe

From the Publisher

Louisiana cocktail waitress Sookie Stackhouse has her hands full dealing with every sort of undead and paranormal creature imaginable. And after being betrayed by her longtime vampire love, Sookie must not only deal with a new man in her life-the shapeshifter Quinn-but also contend with the long-planned vampire summit.

The summit is a tense situation. The vampire queen of Louisiana is in a precarious position, her power base weakened by hurricane damage to New Orleans. And there are some vamps who would like to finish what nature started. Soon, Sookie must decide what side she'll stand with. And her choice may mean the difference between survival and all-out catastrophe.

My Opinion of the Book

Yet another great Sookie story. This is one of my favorite vampire series and I absolutely can't wait for the TV series to start this fall. I still don't know who I really want Sookie to end up with, but I'm really leaning towards Eric just because I love his personality. *grin* Now when will the next installment come out? *pouts*

Book #14 - He's On Top edited by Rachel Kramer Bussell

ISBN: 1573442704

Format: Trade Paperback, 172pp

Pub. Date: March 19, 2007

Genre: Erotica

Series: Not part of a series, but has a counterpart called "She's On Top"

I believe I bought this at one of the local Borders for $14.95

From the Publisher

He’s on Top pays homage to those irresistible men who control their partners with a glance, a tickling whip, or a measured smack on the bottom. As true tops, the bossy hunks in these stories understand that erotic BDSM is about exulting in power that is freely yielded. Contributors such as Amanda Earl, Mackenzie Cross, Alison Tyler, Mike Kimera, and others cover the full range of the male dom’s brand of sensual sadism, from spanking and bondage to public sex and power exchange.

My Opinion of the Book

I enjoyed all of the stories in this book. There were varying levels and styles of dominance introduced and I thought all of the author's did a really good job with their stories. I did have a few fave stories and I plan on looking for more by the following authors:

N. T. Morley
Teresa Noelle Roberts
Rachel Kramer Bussel
Thomas S. Roche

Book #13 - Hunter's Moon by C.T. Adams & Cathy Clamp

ISBN: 0765357359

Format: Mass Market Paperback, 328pp

Pub. Date: October 31, 2006

Genre: Paranormal romance

Series: #1 in A Tale of the Sazi series

Depends on WHICH copy of this book you are referring to when you ask where I bought it. I can't remember where I bought my original copy of the book, but currently it is lost in no man's land, so in the meantime CTGMOM bought me a 2nd copy at Meijer for $4.99 (or maybe cheaper since they discount books there), and then I found a 3rd copy for $2 at Book & Music Exchange (a UBS here in New Albany). I actually read the copy CTGMOM picked up though. :P

From the Publisher

SHE NEEDS A WHITE KNIGHT

Sue Quentin has reached the end of her rope - she's desperaate, and there's only one way out: death. Her plan doesn't include falling for Tony, the mysterious hit man she hires. He listens when she speaks and somehow convinces her that maybe her problems aren't insurmountable. He even thinks that her little potbelly is sexy. So what if he's a werewolf - everyone has flaws!

Sue enjoys being coddled by Tony, and, for his part, Tony likes the way Sue moans when he touches her. She begins to think that she and Tony might have a shot at a future together, despite his unorthodox profession... and even though she doesn't know his real name.

But when Tony's enemies - not all of whom are fully human - decide Sue makes a perfect target, will Tony risk letting his darker side out durin the day to save her?

My Opinion of the Book

I ended up enjoying this book quite a bit despite how many times I picked it up and put it down... fell asleep reading it... etc... I am looking forward to future books in this series (which I already have on Mt. TBR to read) so that I can see how things progress for Tony, Sue, and other characters in the book.

This wasn't a "light & fluffy" paranormal romance like I read more so, but it was still a fun read with some funny moments. I was a bit surprised by some of the stuff that did occur towards the end of the book.

Book #12 - Out of Whack by Jeff Strand

ISBN: 0759945020

Format: Trade Paperback, 248pp

Pub. Date: February 28, 2004

Genre: Comic Fiction

Dates Read: I give up tracking this! I jump back and forth between books too much!

Not part of a series, though I wish it were!

Bought at Amazon.com for $12.95

From the Publisher

From the author of How to Rescue a Dead Princess comes Out of Whack, an outrageous comedy about friendship, love, following your dreams, and other really scary stuff. Seth Trexler has two goals in life: to find success with his off-the-wall sketch comedy troupe, and to win the girl of his dreams. But when you suffer from brain-erasing stage fright and an incredible female-phobia, those goals can be a bit tricky to attain. With his best friend Travis at his side, Seth struggles to overcome his fears (along with the 2,873 other roadblocks in the path to success) in this hilariously demented yet heartfelt tale.

But don't read it for the laughs. And don't read it for the heartfelt parts. Read it for the sex scene, which proves that even if you're filled with ravenous animal passion, trying to dramatically tear off somebody's underwear can only lead to wedgies.

My Opinion of the Book

I have to say this may be my favorite Jeff Strand book yet, although I still really like the Andrew Mayhem series. So... I guess I'll have to re-read those to better decide. This book made me laugh a LOT and the clog dancing joke was just priceless for me since I am a clogging instructor. For those of you out there who have yet to read a Strand book and want to laugh, you have got to try his stuff... he is awesome!

Book #11 - Pressure by Jeff Strand

ISBN: 0976633949

Format: Hardback, 239pp

Pub. Date: August 1, 2006

Genre: Horror

Dates Read: 03/05/07-02/10/07 (6 days)

Not part of a series

Bought on Amazon.com for $25

From the Publisher

Alex stared at the red pocketknife shown to him by his daughter. A pocketknife owned by somebody he hadn't seen in years... CHILDREN They met first in boarding school at age twelve. Alex Fletcher, shy and scared. Darren Rust, always furiously scribbling away in a private journal. It was not an immediate friendship, but then one night Darren convinced his roommate to sneak off school grounds to see something glorious. There was a sleazy strip club, you see, and every once in a while the back door opened just long enough to maybe catch a quick glimpse... Though a bond was formed from their pre-pubescent interest in completely naked women, Darren had another interest. A morbid curiosity about death. A curiosity that turned into something much more sinister. FRIENDS They crossed paths again in college and became the best of friends. But Darren wasn't just looking for a friend. He had dark, ghastly urges squirming around in his mind, and he believed he saw the same things--the urge to hurt, the urge to kill--in Alex. He was looking for somebody who understood. A partner. But Alex could never become a monster. Not even when Darren tried to bring out his friend's most deeply buried feelings of rage. Not even when Darren tried to show him the euphoria of having that much power over another human being. It just couldn't happen...right? ENEMIES Now Alex has a wife and a daughter. And Darren is back. He's hiding. He's patient. His mind is twisted in the worst possible way. And he's seeking a soul mate.

My Opinion of the Book

Jeff was right when he said this book isn't like his others. I'm a huge fan of his comic/horror Andrew Mayhem series and I do think that I enjoy that writing-style of his more so than that of PRESSURE, but I did enjoy PRESSURE and would read other books by Strand written in this style. It's nice to see authors having various writing styles and being able to pull them all off! :) PRESSURE is a very weird book and Darren is just a f'ed up character. I hope I never meet anyone like him! *shudders*