AAR Top 100 Romance Poll is UP!!

The Top 100 Romance Poll has been published and you can find it here and then you can read the analysis here and then you can go and talk about it here.

Helpful little mite, aren't I?

By the time stamp you will see I am up and I slept through the entire night. I'm off to run a thousand and one errands that I never get to do so I will catch up with you guys later.

Have fun!

Inbetween

First things, my guest review of Ice Storm by Anne Stuart is up at The Good, The Bad and the Unread so hope on over there if you are fence sitting on buying this one. Humungous Thank You to Sybil for sending me the ARC.

Okay, next post I'm going to spill how I feel about Lover Unbound - like I said, it worked for me but I wasn't invested in any of the characters and I knew V wasn't going somewhere I would have maybe liked to see. I'm happy for the most part and 'get' it but there are just too many weird laws or rules and it all needs to be pushed at. I'm still working things out in my mind so hopefully I can come up with something coherent.

I sent in my AAR Top *mumble* ballot. I way over thought the whole thing. Basically, if I hadn't read the book in the last 10 years I didn't put it on my list except if I actually remember more than one scene. Thus, A Rose In Winter by Woodiwiss made it on the list because I swear I remember almost all of it.

Let's just list them up:

Lord of Danger Anne Stuart This is the ultimate Stuart for me. I love every teeny tiny bit of this book. The hero has a bit of beta in him which in an Anne Stuart hero is rare. If you have never tried Stuart and have been thinking you would like to I would highly, highly recommend this title. Yes, it's a historical (which I really don't read much of anymore) but it's just Mmmmwah!!

Dream Man Linda Howard Favourite hands down. This book was released when paranormals were as hard to find as my keys on any given day of the week. I can't remember the name of the psychic thing but it was so well done and I loved how the heroine fought the hero every step of the way. Dane was pure alpha and wasn't above being a complete asswipe. Still when he found her after a vision and realized just how much they took out of her physically, he took care of her. *sigh* Loved it! With such a well written paranormal out in the market so early, is it any wonder that those of us who love them don't just love *all* of them. They have to be excellent!

Dream Fever Katherine Sutcliffe If you have never read Sutcliffe and would like a gritty New Zealand historical to read then find this book as soon as possible. Not for those who have problems with the heroine being hurt after meeting her love.

Lover Awakened J.R. Ward (1st) As you can see I had to mark certain titles within an author group because the titles confuse me. I know this is Zsadists book and I remember saying when I finished that the book had to be in my top 10 favorite books. And it is.

Moonrise Anne Stuart This was one of her books that was printed under general fiction and it blew me away. I still pick this book up and thumb through the pages when I'm not finding anything to read.

Ride The Fire Pamela Clare I blogged about this one and it's just one of the best western/frontier type of romance I have ever read. There was even a baby in the story but it didn't make a peep and the love that grew between the H/H was hot.

Caressed by Ice Nalini Singh Paranormal with a hero so yummy and wonderful. Judd just made the love story sing and he was well matched with a female who just couldn't let him go, even though the were in her didn't recognize him as her mate. Brilliant!

Mr. Impossible Loretta Chase Don't panic, Lord of Scoundrels in on my list but Mr. Impossible has a hero who was so charming and funny and who fell in love with a woman with a brain. Yep, he loved the way she thought. I adored him.

For My Lady's Heart Laura Kinsale This story was hard to put on the list because the beginning dragged but when the H/H are finally together again it's just a wonderful love story. A truly noble knight falls in love with a woman of power and she isn't above using it to get what she wants.

Now You See Him Anne Stuart I love so many Stuart books but this is one that I will pull off the shelf for one scene alone. After the H/H fall in love they are separated and the hero believes it is for her own good. He drinks too much one night though and calls her - the scene is full of longing and I loved it. Once I finish the scene, I can't stop reading so I end up reading the rest of the book.

Time Enough for Love Suzanne Brockmann Best Time Travel romance ever written. I have a 'no bullshit' zone when it comes to TT so it's very hard to impress me. This one worked perfectly and I have no real need to read TT because I read one that made logical sense. I find most TTs don't take consequences of TT into consideration.

Okay, so that is how I feel about my top 10 books. The rest might be self explanatory:

All Through The Night Connie Brockway
Slave to Sensation Nalini Singh
Gone Too Far Suzanne Brockmann
Lord of Scoundrels Loretta Chase
Anyone But You Jennifer Crusie
Lover Eternal J.R. Ward
The Secret Julie Garwood
Devil in Winter Lisa Kleypas
Worth Any Price Lisa Kleypas
Glass Houses Anne Stuart Sorry, just thought I would mention that this book is a departure for Stuart in that I remember there being humour.
Night Watch Suzanne Brockmann Was the perfect romance between two people who knew how to communicate. One of her best.
Duncan's Bride Linda Howard
Bet Me Jennifer Crusie
Fairest of Them All Teresa Medeiros I loved the brutality of the second half of the story. Some definite drama and I do like my drama!
Cry No More Linda Howard
A Pocketful of Paradise Kathleen Kane Again, a paranormal written before they were even considered a genre. There were three of her books that were just excellent and I wish she would write in this genre again.
Perfect Judith McNaught
Public Secrets Nora Roberts
Night in Eden Candice Proctor
Ice Blue Anne Stuart
No Rest for the Wicked Kresley Cole
Texas Glory Lorraine Heath
A Rose in Winter Kathleen Woodiwiss I mentioned above that I remembered most of the scenes so I felt safe in listing it. It was either this or Shanna but I could only remember one scene in Shanna so I let that one go.
Morning Glory Lavyrle Spencer This is one story that I think will stand the test of time. There was something gentle and giving in this story of two social misfits finding love and then becoming part of their small town community.
Honor's Splendor Julie Garwood


Phew! So I think there are 34 titles here. I had up to 40 something but again if I couldn't remember the story then I didn't put it on the list.

So, for the most part I'm very happy with this list although I know I could have put at least another 10 titles in by Stuart but I decided to put in titles that showed different aspects of her writing.

I don't know about you but this just drives home the point that I need new auto buy authors pronto!!

A Sitch Post

First

AAR AID ENDS by Noon Today

So if you were waiting till the last minute consider this your wake up call!
There is a link to the right, that flashing AAR cube will take you where you need to go.

If you noticed the title on this one you will see the word that Ward uses that grinds through my brain like broken glass.

Anyways, I'm obviously reading Lover Unbound and I"m on page three hundred and something so only like a million and a half pages to go. I'll finish before Christmas. So far nothing about the story has bothered me but I know from spoilers that something big is coming. Maybe having next to no expectations helps.

I'll tell you this much, Ward can weave one hell of a tale. I started the book feeling 'meh' and a chapter in and I was hooked. Hopefully I'll finish the book tonight and then I'm going to go through and read every ones take on it.

Renee, dear reading twin, have you read this one? I would like to read your thoughts if so or were you waiting for mine?

On a completely different front I have a question. Any of you have reading glasses?

I went about a year ago and had my eyes tested and the doc said the peepers were perfect (peepers, tell me I'm not being influenced, true?). Being a prospecting kind of doc he put up these lenses to show me the difference if I got reading glasses. Ohhhh, ahhhhhh, I can see the pretties even better! I asked my obvious question which was, 'would the glasses weaken my eyesight?' He told me no, they would just be like a power boost for my eyes.

The good news is I only need the glasses when I'm reading Ward (the small print is beyond tiny) but I can only read for about two hours and then my eyes start to blur. Right now, I can barely see the computer screen so yeah, I'll apologize now for any wacko things that are in this post.

Hey! I'm partially blinded not deaf and I totally heard that.

If I had to stay up for the next few hours and try to be normal (watch TV, drive) I wouldn't be able to because everything is blurred and almost double.

So if you have reading glasses, does this happen to you? Bobby has worn glasses since he was very young so he doesn't know what it's like to not wear them. I swear my eyes can't breath which I know is stupid but, it's the only way to explain it.

Oh and another wonderful moment? I went to the doc for that rash that popped up on my throat that was like the one on my tummy and was told that the cream I was using had too many steroids for use above the neck. Side effect? Acne.

Oh. My. God.

I'm a pimple person.

The damn rash is gone but the acne is brutal. Here's hoping it passes soon because it's ugly.

And docs know nothing about rashes. Yep. My doc said that even dermatologists don't know rash from rash so I got the 'can't cure it but we can tame it speech'. Of course, other symptoms would mean something but a rash, is just a rash is just a rash.

Wonder what blurred vision would net me. Khidding!

If you haven't been to Ames, she's getting a new puppy! Squeeeeee!!! You have to go check out the teeny tiny little pumpkin of love. She's looking for help with names. So far Esmeralda and Natasha are hitting my brain. Must be in a traditional frame of mind. I wonder if she would like Pumpkin?

All right, that's me for the day. I'll either post my pitiful Top *mumble* list for all to laugh at or I'll have finished Lover Unbound and feel the need to rant or just say 'hey, it worked for me'.

Shout out to the Southern California bloggers - you are all in my thoughts and prayers.

And where the fuck is Mailyn!!!????

Has anyone heard from her?

I just want to know she's still with us. I know she gets into creative surges but I haven't seen anything posted on the blog but maybe she is working on her other sites.

If you hear from her tell her Cindy is thinking of her.

How About Top 30 ish?

Good news is I have now started my Top 100 list. Bad news is my memory isn't making it easy. I need to find the readers journal I kept before I started blogging. I'm telling myself I know where it is so uh, hopefully.

I have 38 titles so far and some have been pulled off already. Also, I'm wondering about books I haven't re-read in years. Or heck, those that I can't remember the plots to! I read every McNaught book but the only one I really remember is P - crap. It's one word. OH!! I think I loved the one with the hero almost getting killed by the heroine's family. I'll be looking that up as soon as I'm done here.

So I'm fumbling because I keep thinking, if the story was that great, if I loved it so much, shouldn't I remember it? I was telling Kristie the last time she visited that in my book journal I only kept brief notes. I had marked a book as a keeper and it had been read 3 months before. I couldn't tell you the first thing about it. Seriously.

Which in turn has me wondering about long term memory verses short term memory. They talk about the memory going when you get older so are the books I read years ago really the best of the best because I remember them or is it just because I was younger and thus had more time to crank it into long term memory? My short term memory blows nowadays so how does any book have a chance to make it into long term memory? I guess it would be pretty damn special.

Ride the Fire by Pamela Clare is on my list and I read it in the past two years so obviously my short term isn't fried. I know this because I have not re-read the book but I still remember so much about it. Then again, I don't remember scenes per se as the feel of the story and the setting and that it was my kind of romance.

I'm wondering about Shanna by Woodiwiss. I really don't remember much about this story and I think it made me mad at points but it's been years since I read it and I have no wish to drag it out right now.

That said, I'm putting A Rose In Winter by Woodiwiss on the list because I remember many of the scenes. Not word for word, but I remember the poignant parts.

Then - I know I loved Darkling, I Listen by Katherine Sutcliffe but again, no clue. I think she is a reporter and he is a fallen movie star. Other than that, I got nothing. So I'm thinking it shouldn't be on the list.

So there is just some of the method to my madness on how I'm approaching the poll.

Another thing. I have many books that are category stories that I would want to put on the list but I have noticed (at least in my section) that people aren't really doing this. Doesn't matter though. It's my Top *mumble* list so there will probably be the odd category.

And finally, (I heard that sigh of relief) I know that many of my choices don't fall on others ballots. I'm really only looking at a third of them and have glanced at others but I have more than a few titles that I haven't seen anywhere else.

And just for my own edification (I didn't know I would ever be able to pull that word out and use it) can someone tell me how The Thorn Birds ends? I rented the DVD about a year ago and wanted to throw things at the TV. As it's getting close to the end, the DVD cracks up - scratches or something so I never saw how it ended. I got to the part where the son dies and the priest guy finds out but uh, I don't see how this story could end happily.