I’m reading THE SENTINEL MAGE by Emily Gee. I’d never heard of this book (that I can remember) but it came across my desk. I didn’t have high hopes. I’m almost half way in and am pleasantly surprised. It’s different. I guess it’d come under the category of Fantasy, and I’m not sure if there’s a true romance in here or not yet. But I’m enjoying it so far.

So what are you all reading?

First my Ram update. This is a snippet of direct quote from one of my critique partners on the first sex scene in the e-novella  FORBIDDEN MAGIC:

That was WAY too hot for me to be reading at 11:30 am…

Okay then. Perhaps I’m doing this right

So I’m reading books for the RWA RITA contest. I’m not supposed to talk about these books so I’m not going to name the author or title.  I just started my second book by an author who tends to be hit or miss for me. Some of her books I enjoy,  some I  barely finish, or only finish because I’m stuck somewhere like in a doctor’s waiting room.

But this book has really caught my attention.

Which brings me around to just how weirdly subjective taste can be.  The premise of this book–marriage of convenience–I usually find doesn’t work for me in a single title romance. Category is fine because the shorter formats of categories need a cliche to throw the hero and heroine together fast enough and jump start the romance. I usually find that trope tedious in a longer book, yet this time, I’m hooked.

And that’s got my thinking that I need to go back and start looking for more of the authors I consider hit-and-miss. I think I’m missing some real gems simply because I have less reading time in the last few years and have gotten pickier. But I’m missing out.

How about you guys? Do you have hit and miss authors on your to-buy lists?

I hate being out of the loop, but I haven’t been keeping up on new or exciting books lately. Heck, I met Biker Witch in Barnes and Noble yesterday and never even looked at books.

I know–blasphemy!

Broken Leg Boy wheeled himself all over the store while Biker Witch and I had coffee and chatted. BLB looked at a ton of books, then wheeled himself over to join us with a book on his lap he planned to buy.

Biker Witch bought  the book for him. I feel I must point out here that she totally spoils her nephews.  She claims it’s because he broke his leg, had surgery, etc. But I know the truth–she likes spoiling them all.

Anyway, I’m wondering what you guys are reading that has you excited? I have a stack of contest books I need to read, but I can work in a couple books in between

Shoot, I already am late posting after only one day back! I’m afraid it’s just going to be like this for awhile. I can’t get caught up on anything. I’m desperately trying to get a solid routine going, but it’s a challenge.

I mentioned on my FB page that I read Rachel Vincent’s Soul Screamer Series. There are five books so far, and i really enjoyed them. I also just finished Laura Wrights e-special (novella) ETERNAL BLOOD, that was a quick, sexy and dramatic read.

I had planned to do more reading this year, but I don’t know. I’m spending a lot of time watching TV with Broken Leg Boy. We’ll see.

What are you guys reading? What are your reading goals this year?

**My blog didn’t post as scheduled.  The server seems to be having issues. Pretty much how my entire professional life is going right now…**

I just read a damn good self published book.

SPACE IN HIS HEART by Roxanne St. Claire. I think it’s worth checking out if you enjoy contemporary romance. She had the book professionally edited, and it shows. Plus Rocki is a good writer Rocki’s story of how this book came about is over on Murder She Writes if you’re interested.

I just have to say that the choices that are happening now in publishing are fantastic. I love it both as a reader and a writer.  But it’s also true that while there are some self published gems like Rocki’s book, there’s also more garbage out there too.  But more choices makes wading through a bit of garbage worth it, I think.

Okay, next I’m going to reread an older book, Jim Butcher’s STORM FRONT just to see how he developed the story.

What are you guys reading? Any thoughts on self published books?

I’m over at Vampires, Werewolves & Fairies, Oh My! today if you’d like to drop by.  It’s a great site, so if you have a chance, stop by and take a look!

Okay, so yesterday I finished the draft of my newest proposal. I was rather stunned. It needs a some revision and a lot of polishing, but I have to say it’s been a long time since I’ve enjoyed writing this much.

Sometimes we just need a change of pace.

But once I’m done I’m going back to the dragons, which my agent is now calling “our dragons.” That really cracked me up.  I’ve been with my agent a long time for a reason

Okay on reading. I finally broke down and bought NEW YORK TO DALLAS by JD Robb on my Kindle. I don’t like to spend $14.99 on my Kindle–I guess because it’s not a physical book.  But I am glad I did! I really enjoyed the book. There is something deeply comforting and sexy in the way Eve and Roark’s relationship has evolved over a bazillion books (or however many books JD aka Nora has written).

But I’m at a loss of what to read next. I’m just…pickier these days, I guess.

Okay tell me what book you’re reading, or you know, just chat about anything you want.

Before we get to reading, let’s talk about colds. Why is a man’s cold always worse than the woman’s? I’m talking about YOU, Wizard!

If you’ve never seen man cold, hop over to You Tube and watch it here I made Wizard watch it again last night. He laughed even though he really is miserable. I have a milder version of the cold he has.

Okay books. I’ve been in another slump, I’m even wondering if I need to take a break from reading paranormal for awhile.  I took a few days off reading just to clear my head. But I plan to start Monica McCarty’s THE HAWK tonight (which is really last night, since I wrote this blog Wednesday night.)

What about you all? What are you reading?