Manhattan…ah the bright lights, the big city, the corn. Corn?? Well I must mean Manhattan, Kansas which is where the 2nd annual Great Manhattan Mystery Conclave was held last weekend. A great road trip made by Sara and myself started off Friday afternoon with a lovely tea at the local Country Club. The clotted cream was excellent in my opinion but a little too thick according to Sara. A local bookstore provided three varieties of tea; Berry Earl Grey seemed to be the overwelming favorite. The event headliner was “America’s answer to Agatha Christie” Carolyn Hart; writer of the Death on Demand series. Other authors included Susan Wittig Albert, Patricia Sprinkle, Denise Swanson, Marcia Talley, just to name a few. Saturday was filled with thought provoking panel discussion sessions with topics like: Why Read Mystery? where mysteries were compared historically to morality plays and the classic theme of “good vs. evil” and our sense of justice can be satisfied. Knowlege is Golden! broadening your horizon of other fields added to the plot; feng shui, needlework, snipers… Long Gone–or Are They?…Ghosts! A WAY to serious discussion of campfire tales and ectoplasm. and many more but we had to pick and choose…

CHERRY ON TOP by Kathleen Long (this was a new to me author. I read this book for review for a friend’s website, and really enjoyed it. If you like romantic comedy and you haven’t tried this author I think she’s one to watch for.) COMFORT AND JOY by Kristin Hannah (This I read for review. I love Hannah! I read this all in one day a couple of Sundays ago. It was a wonderful way to waste a Sunday. This is I believe her first Christmas Novella. If it’s not then I’m going to have some searching to do.) FIRST LOVE by Julie Kenner (The last book in The Bridesmaid Chronicles. I thought these books touted as single titles had a category feel to them. They weren’t in depth, and quite easy reads. Not keepers, but if you’re looking for something to fill in these might do it for you.)HARBOR NIGHTS by Marcia Evanick(Read this one too for review. It was the first time I read this author, and I was hooked. Kept thinking I’m off to bed, but found myself having to stay up and finish.)HARD EIGHT by Janet Evanovich (I’m so behind in this series that I…

Leanne signs copies of Feet First Originally uploaded by freshfiction. We had a fabulous time on Wednesday night at the GRAND LUX CAFE at the Galleria Dallas. Appetizers were plentiful and varied, entrees were delicious, with enough for everyone to have a “lunch” bag, even those who shared, and the desserts — well, you just had to be there *grin* And, oh, yes, a delightful guest! Ms LEANNE BANKS regaled us with stories of her family — so like ours — her books and her life on the road, uh, just navigating in Texas, etc. *grin* FEET FIRST is now available and it is a fun fun read. We highly recommend it and hope to see Leanne again when she hits North Texas once — can’t always promise you a convertible, though. Visit FreshFiction.com to learn more about books and authors.

Well, survived another holiday weekend — why do they always seem to be so busy? It’s supposed to be a weekend for kicking back and instead you end up doing more around the house and in this case, for my “job.” Well, not to complain, too much. We’re getting ready to have an author dinner — Leanne Banks. Her latest book is FEET FIRST and it’s about SHOES. I think that goes with feet theme, don’t you? From those in the group who’ve read it, they say it is great fun! I’ll try to get a copy before the dinner. This past week it was hard for me to concentrate on much of anything, the horrors on the television, the radio, and even my inbox, were hard to understand and to absorb. New Orleans holds a special place in my memories — my entire family has spent some good times, uh, scary adventures (some people in the family are directionally challenged) there and it is hard to connect the broadcast images with memories. I thought perhaps I’d read some books set in NOLA, but I found I could not. So, instead I read a book set in another steamy locale…

Well I finally finished Gabriel’s Ghost by Linnea Sinclair last night. I had a hard time with this one due to not a whole lot of reading time and getting confused over some of the technical aspects of her world. That’s why I usually stick to fantasy more then straight sci-fi. But I stuck it out, even only squeezing in one chapter at a time here and there and finally finished it last night before bedtime. It got really good the more I got into it and there were some big surprises in the final third of the book. After that I started Dark Desires by Eve Silver, and advance copy for I got for a book being released in November. In audio I have Fiery Cross Part 2 going t work, Left Behind 6 in the car and I’m trying to do Luanne Rice‘s Follow the Stars Home at home. But it’s from the library and I’m on tape 2 and so far both tapes have been really messed up and can barely hear them. I’ll have to report that when I take them to the library so they can try to fix them. I’ve also got Left Behind…

Well, it’s been forever since I posted about what I read. I know you’ve all been sitting on pins and needles just waiting for me! (If anyone including me believes that then I think we all have another think coming!) Before I get to the fun stuff let me take a moment to offer my prayers and thoughts to any and all who might have been affected by Hurricane Katrine. If anyone knows where I might donate some mens clothing I’d love to know about it. Mike has a bunch of stuff from his skinny days that he can’t wear, and probably won’t ever have need of again. I tried to do some searching, but seems like everyone needs/wants cash. That is unfortuantely not something I can really offer at the moment. School has started, and I’m looking to books to escape. I’ve read some good stuff, and some probably not so great stuff. I have to stretch my memory skills to remember what I read in August. Oh wait…I can use my booklist! Ahhh…the one area of my life that I’m almost totally organized in. Here goes..in no particlar order:Almost Perfect and Just Perfect by Julie Ortolon. These are…

well I haven’t posted my reads in a couple weeks, but they haven’t changed much since I’ve been so busy. LOL Two weeks ago I went home to PA for a week’s vacation and though I took several books with me, I barely got any reading in. In paper I’m reading Gabriel’s Ghost by Linnea Sinclair. I’ve been working on this for about 3 weeks. it’s a good book I’ve just been too busy for more then a chapter at a time. After I finish that one it will be one of MANY review books in paper to read, either Dark Desires by Eve Silver or Jackie Ivie’s book that comes out later this year since I’m interviewing her in December. In audio I’ve gotten a little more done. I finished Left Behind Book 5 while I was home and have Book 6 to start. I also “read” two Jude Deveraux abridged books – Temptation and High Tide. both were good though I think I liked Temptation better as it was an historical. I also relistened to Key of Valor by Nora Roberts before I took it back to the library. I’m currently listening to part one of The Fiery…

Ah, the formula for a romance is gone. Did you know? Not get that memo? “Romance fiction has annual sales of $1.41-billion (U.S.) worldwide, according to Avon Books. Half of all paperbacks sold internationally are romance titles, and a third of all popular fiction sales are romance titles. There are 64.6 million readers of romance fiction in the United States; 22 per cent of them are men. “The endings of the stories have changed over time. “What was described as a happy ending 40 years ago may be quite different now,” says Marleah Stout, a senior public relations manager at Harlequin-Silhouette, which publishes 115 romance titles every month. “The woman might not necessarily end up with the man who has been there throughout the story. It could be a hopeful ending instead of a happy ending. There’s always hope.” So, that explains the new thought at Harlequin — NeXt with women in their forties being pregnant or regretting the lack of children (huh?), Bombshell with a quasi kick-ass protagonist, not afraid to sleep around to get the job done; Red Dress Ink with a “hopeful” conclusion (well, they always work in publishing and they NEVER get a man, but their…

So, I have been so busy lately that I haven’t been reading a lot, but I have started The Bitch In the House: 26 Women Tell the Truth about Sex, Solitude, Work, Motherhood, and Marriage, edited by Cathi Hanauer. It has been an entertaining book for the short stories, but more so for the looks I got with a pair of snarling lips on the cover with the word Bitch in capital letters. Needless to say, it made for quite an entertaining trip to St. Louis a few weekends ago. If I could figure out the image thing since Blogger changed it, I could share the cover with you. Once I finish Bitch, I am adding The Bastard on the Couch: 27 Men Try Really Hard to Explain Their Feelings about Love, Loss, Fatherhood, and Freedom edited by Daniel Jones to my TBR list. It is a guy’s response to Bitch, edited by Hanauer’s husband who is also a journalist and author. I guess these could be classified as chick lit, but they are along the same lines as the Chicken Soup for the Soul books, without the sappyness. Also coming up on the horizon is the next installment to…

Just finished the ARC of GABRIEL’S GHOST (Bantam Spectra, October 2005) by Linnea Sinclair. It’s advertised as a fast-paced space adventure with elements of religion, technology, romance and adventure. And it was. You got your basic religious fanatic, a mixed bag of galactic species trying to overcome natural and taught prejudices to work together as a team, a rouge troop of adventurers out to effect a “good mission” plus some good romantic entanglements. Reminded me alot of FireFly which I finally got to watch as SciFi channel is showing the entire season as a ramp up for the Serenity movie release. I missed the original broadcast and for some reason, tom wasn’t interested in the DVD. He never was a Buffy fan, so I think that colored his perception. But I love Firefly and all its occupants and I’m especially entranced by the chemistry between Mal and Inara. But back to the “ghost.” I liked the book just as much as I enjoyed her previous book — Finders Keepers — another book previously epublished that’s been rewritten for the “paper” trade. The only problem, for me at least, is it’s a great universe Sinclair invented, but the books aren’t connected…