Thursday, July 22, 2010

Hi Ya!

Hey guys!!

Hope you are staying cool in this awful suppressing heat. I'm loving it because it's pool time all the time and I bought these drops that help prevent swimmer's ear (I got SE in both ears last year and it cut into my swimming time like nothing else) so yeah, I'm all in!

Updated - famous last words. I got Swimmer's Ear the next night and the weekend was so brutal it was all I could do not to puke. So now I have stronger drops for my ears but I will definitely be wearing ear plugs from now on. Not wanting to do anything for 5 days including swim in the pool sucks giant spider donuts.

Good news - I bought books and I'm talking books I'm very excited to start reading.

I should note the movements of people for the last few weeks has crimped my reading and that is why I'm still clutching my Anne Stuart ARC to my chest. I'm half way through and loving it but I'm doing up a review for Sybil at that crazy Duck place so I'll post when I get it finished and when Sybil puts it up.

Update 2 - I finished the Stuart and have written the first draft of the review - I haven't written a book review *cough* in so long that it's like extracting teeth.

Books:

I'll start with the fact that Chapters had their buy 3 get the 4th free sale and damn, I'm a slut for a book sale although I did only buy 4 at one time. Not realizing we were in July I was shocked I had missed a few great titles but I quickly fixed that oopsie.

I have three auto-buy authors - Anne Stuart (*gasp* I know, I'm so quiet about my love!), Kresley Cole (her next book comes out August 24th, the day before my birthday - how sweet that she thought to get me a gift!) and Nalini Singh (Bad Cindy hasn't read the 2nd Archangel book cause I'm not sure I'm sold on the premise. I do own the book though).

Now for those authors out there *crickets*...

Like silence is going to stop me.

For those who get author newsletters and think 'meh', I have to say that Kresley Cole's last one managed to get under me 'meh' feeling and got me to buy some books by an author I have yet to read.

How?

She recommended them.

I know, right!

I'm not usually so susceptible to suggestion. *cough, wheeze*

See, I started to read the newsletter because I needed to know when her next book was coming out. (Aug 24th, just in case you haven't heard) and I got swept up in my glee and kept on reading. Hey, while I wait for that book I'll climb over customer service to get to (yes, there is a story there), why don't I try Gena Showalter's Underwater series.

What's that now? Something to get me through in-between auto-buy books?

I'm in!

I mentioned the sale, right?

'kay.

I bought all three (dang, wonder if it's a trilogy or if there will be more - I'll check that later - Great Scot!! It's bigger than a trilogy and one of the books is a combo of the other two I bought - crap!) of Showalters Underworld series books. The Darkest Pleasure, The Darkest Night and Into the Dark.

Why?

Cause Kresley Cole told me too.

The awesome power of the newsletter.

Jennifer Ashley's Lady Isabella's Scandalous Marriage came out under my radar but then, I get this author mixed up with Amanda Ashley (who's on my 'no buy' list for stupid reasons like vampires wanting to be cured - it was years ago but for some reason that ending stuck with me. Sorry, I have no clue which book it was). This is the author who wrote the Madness of Lord Ian and since I really enjoyed that one I thought I might try this book. Although if I remember rightly I didn't really like any of his brothers. We'll see.

Oh, and there happened to be a paranormal on the shelf by Jennifer Ashley called Pride Mates which promptly dropped into my hot little hands.



And then out of no where, I decided to buy a Tessa Dare book - it's called Twice Tempted by a Rogue. *shrug* I've heard mostly good things but I'm not sure she's for me. Guess my subconscious decided I needed to actually read one of her books before the final verdict.

Finally - Nalini Singh's Bonds of Justice cause like I said above, auto - buy author.

And a book I read in 8 hours over one day (I haven't sat and read a book in a day in years) Lisa Kleypas' Love in the Afternoon. It was a great book and well worth spending time with.

Okay, that's it for now. I'm a touch grouchy and tired so I'll sign off.

H0pe summer is being kind to ya!

9 comments:

Marg said...

I got out of practice at writing book reviews too, and it is very hard to get back in the groove.

Hope your ears get better soon, and that you enjoy the rest of your summer. We are shivering a bit here, so am jealous of the idea of being able to swim etc!

CindyS said...

Thanks Marg - I get jealous when your Spring hits too but hey, I think we're supposed to love Seasons - I would prefer summer, summer, summer and summer.

I'm writing up the Anne Stuart one and I'm having a hard time remembering how much of the story to tell. I don't like to tell much about the story but since I liked the book and would think others would also - I need to come up with something compelling. And compelling I'm not! ;)

Cindys

Amy said...

Egads, I used to get swimmer's ear back in my lifeguarding and competition days and it sucked big hairy donkey balls. I'd spend most of the summer nights, alternating which side of my head I laid on with drops in them so they could equally get treated.

I can't wait for the Anne Stuart book! And I have a couple of Gena Showalter's books on the tbr, but haven't tried them yet. My fix these days is the Mercy Thompson series by Patricia Briggs -- hubba hubba!

Rosie said...

I had two bad ear infections last year in the same ear. Turns out my left ear is deformed. Now I wear plugs when I swim, they literally screw in, and I haven't had any problems.

I read PRIDEMATES by Jennifer Ashley last year when it came out. It was great.

You have an AS ARC???? I'm so green right now.

CindyS said...

Amy - phew! Then you obviously know my pain - Bob's never had infections in his ear so I'm not sure the sympathy was quite what I was looking for ;) I hope you love the Stuart - I did a little jig when it showed up in the mail. I'm going to read Bonds of Justice by Singh next - have you read her? I have Brigg's books in the TBR pile and I was reading your thoughts and dang if they didn't get bumped up on the pile ;)

Rosie!! How are you doing!? I swear, the past few years have been the year of the 'ear' - the people I know have ended up in the hospital but I'm thinking those are inner ear infections. Right now I know the ear is still swollen because I have yet to hear that odd sound that lets me know water is in it. Swimming the front crawl does not help the ear either! I have silicone ear plugs from last year - I have to dig them out but I wouldn't have been able to put them in until this weekend anyways - the pain was rough.

And Sybil is soooo good to me. I think you'll really enjoy the Stuart - and then another comes out Sept 1 and then Oct 1 - SWEEEEEET!!

CindyS

Kristie (J) said...

Loved Love in the Afternoon - as well as the rest of the Hathaway series so if you haven't read them yet - get reading girl.
I read and finished Lady Isabella's Scandalous Marriage in one day = loved it.
Pride Mates was OK but I prefer her historicals
And I have Bonds of Justice in the TBR pile.
And what with the hot summer we've had so far, that really bites about the ear infection :-(
Sybil was good to me too - and I already sent her my review for a 'special' book *evil grin*

C2 said...

Swimmers ear is the worst ever, you poor thing. :(

I like the Lords of the Underworld series and I enjoyed Pride Mates. I have Lady Isabella but haven't read it yet. Bonds of Justice was very good and so was Love in the Afternoon.

Anonymous said...

Ugh, SE is the absolute worst! I hope you feel better soon. Gena Showalter's books covers are so provocative. I'm definitely going to check them out. Thanks for the excellent reviews!

nath said...

So happy to hear from you Cindy!! :D How did the anxiety clinic end? I hope on a high note :D

can't wait to read your review of the Anne Stuart :D

Those are some great buys you got :D So happy you enjoyed Love in the Afternoon! it was such a great book :D

Give the 2nd book of the Guild Hunter series by Nalini Singh a chance, Cindy. I wasn't sold on the first one, but the second is much better :D