Reading – Page 2

This Month I’ve Read…

1 Comment / By celiamulder42@gmail.com

While trying to find a nearby apple orchard that also has a corn maze, I realized I haven’t posted about the Julie James series I am reading (those two things are related through a series of mental leaps I don’t expect you to follow). I have been devouring these books like pumpkin donuts all month, one right after the other, they are that good.

I met Julie James almost two years ago at the RWA Chicago-North Spring Fling conference. I got the fourth book in the series and had it signed by her. Though it took me a while to get to read it (my to-read shelf having expanded to an entire bookcase over the past year), I still remember what drew me to her books in the first place. It was the way she described the opening of book one, Something About You, in which the heroine is kept awake all night by a marathon booty call taking place in the next room – a booty call that ends in murder.

Obviously I had to read it. And the next one and the next. I’m now on the sixth and most recent book. I’m not sure what I’ll do when I finish it except hope that there’ll be another released soon!

Check out Julie’s books for yourself by following the link here!

There’s Some Weird Stuff Out There

By celiamulder42@gmail.com

This is the beginning of another blog post series I’m embarking on. In this series I will fill you in on some of the strange and unusual sub-genres that exist within romance. You don’t have to be a romance reader to know the basic ones – contemporary, historical, chick lit, erotica, etc. Those aren’t what I’m talking about. I’m not even talking about the cross genres, YA paranormal romance for example, or stand alone books that don’t fit into any category. I’m talking about sub-genres that have multiple books within them, as in more than one author thought it was a good idea to write this type of romance novel.

The first category I’ll be exploring is one that, if you know me at all IRL, you’ll have heard me talk about because I cannot get over that fact that this is a thing: Dinosaur Erotica. As in books that feature a human-dinosaur relationship.

Let that sink in for a moment. Human-dinosaur romantic/sexual relationship.

Here are some of the books in this sub-genre:

Taken by the T-Rex by Christie Sims (she is actually dinosaur erotica’s most prolific author and has a whole range of books about a whole range of dinos)

Space Raptor Butt Invasion by Chuck Tingle (a series of dino/man erotica set in locations from outer space to a corporate boardroom)

Seized by the T-Rex by Roxy Stone (a dino horror erotica)

A Billionaire Dinosaur Forced Me Gay by Hunter Fox (the second book is set in space)

Jurassic Jane Eyre by Carrie Sessarego (this is exactly what you think it is, Jane Eyre travels back in time to the Jurassic period)

And many, many more. Most with ridiculous, overt, pun-filled titles. I can’t say I’d recommend any of these books but they do serve as a fun tidbit to share at parties when the conversation lulls.

I do have to give a special shout-out of to Smart Bitches Trashy Books for first introducing me to dinosaur erotica. My life has never been the same.

This Week I Read…

1 Comment / By celiamulder42@gmail.com

I completely spaced out and forgot to post this Tuesday. I was sitting on the couch, thinking there was something I needed to do. I decided it was take a nap. So now here I am, posting my this week’s reads on Thursday (don’t even ask about yesterday, I have no excuse).

I finished the Princess Diaries! The last two books were so good I couldn’t stop reading. I spent all of July 4th with my face buried in book 10.

First up there was Princess Diaries IX: Princess Mia, then Princess Diaries X: Forever Princess.

And finally, the one I’d been waiting to read for months, the reason I started this reading adventure – The Princess Diaries XI: Royal Wedding.

I was curious to see if, years after the last book was released, Meg Cabot could keep the story alive. And you know what? She did. It was like visiting an old friend you have n’t seen in a while and picking up as though no time at all had passed. I loved seeing what happens to Mia (and everyone else) after high school. It was fun and funny with just a hint of the very ridiculous.

This Week I Read…June 30th Edition

By celiamulder42@gmail.com

Welcome back to another edition of “This Week I Read.” First up was, surprise, The Princess Diaries Volume VII: Party Princess by Meg Cabot. I’m moving into the books I don’t remember as well, which only adds to the adventure. I mean, how did I forget Grandmere’s play?! It is a triumph my dear, a triumph.

I did take a break from the Princess Diaries this week because I watched the movie The Duff. I read the book, The Duff by Kody Keplinger, a few months ago so I was excited about the film. It did not live up to my expectations at all. See, the brilliant thing about the book is it deals with real issues, not issues adults think are appropriate for teenagers. The book is full of swearing, sex, alcoholism, bullying and more. The movie takes on some of that, well the bullying part, but makes it a cliche commentary on high school hierarchies that is disappointing and ineptly dealt with. The controversial material that makes the book one of the best contemporary YA novels I’ve ever read is dumbed down and ignored. No one is going to argue that cyberbullying is ok. But seventeen year olds who hate each other having meaningless sex and hiding it from their friends? Things just got interesting. So, obviously, I had to reread the book .

This Week I Read… (June 23rd Edition)

By celiamulder42@gmail.com

You may have guessed it – this week I read the next two books in the Princess Diaries series by Meg Cabot.

First up was The Princess Diaries Volume V: Princess in Pink, followed by The Princess Diaries Volume VI: Princess in Training.

The fun thing about rereading books is that I generally remember the beginning and the end but I have no idea how the book goes from point A to point Z. Perhaps I have a bad memory. More likely it’s because I have so many books floating around in my head, it’s hard to remember all the nuances and plot twists. I can hardly keep those straight for the books I’m writing, let alone all the ones I read!

This Week I Read…

By celiamulder42@gmail.com

You are about to see how busy my life had been over the past week:

I only read one book.

Gasp.

The Princess Diaries Vol. 2: Princess in the Spotlight by Meg Cabot. This has always been one of my favorites in the series. In fact the first three books are, in my opinion, the best. Volume 2 in particular, though, has lots of wonderful early 00’s pop culture references that perfectly align with my own middle school/high school memories. It’s one of those books that will always be special to me because of when I first read it and my teenage-hood nostalgia.

What did you read this week?

This Week I Read…

1 Comment / By celiamulder42@gmail.com

Even though it was a crazy busy week, I still fit in time for reading (how can I not when my TBR shelves continue to grow?). Here are the books I read:

Bedwetter by Sarah Silverman. If you, like me, love comedy memoir, this is a must read. It was hilarious and obscene, with lots of photos. I loved how honest she was about her life, particularly when she was talking about some of her moments of shame and the hate mail she’s received.

The Princess Diaries by Meg Cabot. In preparation for reading the eleventh book in the series, I am reading the first ten (as one does). I forgot how great these books are! They are fun, funny, and addicting in the best possible way. I forgot how much I love Grandmere. If you’ve only seen the movie, you’re missing out. Let’s just say the book Grandmere has tattooed eyeliner, drinks sidecars like they’re water, and dresses from head to toe in purple.

What are you reading this week?

In other, related news, my review for Plus One is up on the Smart Bitches, Trashy Books site! Click here to read it: Plus One Review by Celia

This Week I Read…

1 Comment / By celiamulder42@gmail.com

As part of my goal of reading 100 books this year, Tuesday posts are now going to be all about my literary adventures from the past week.

I read Plus One by Elizabeth Fama for the RITA Reader Challenge that Smart Bitches, Trashy Books puts on every year. It’s a YA, urban fantasy book and, though I’m still working on my review, spoiler alert, I thought it was fantastic. My review will be up on the SBTB site sometime in the next few weeks.

I also read What We See When We Read by Peter Mendelsund. This is essentially a essay on what happens in our brains while we read. However, the book separates the essay into bite sized, manageable pieces and includes tons of illustrations. The unique construction made for an interesting and enjoyable read.

Check back next Tuesday for the next edition of This Week I Read… In the meantime, what are you reading?