Save Hill of Tara

Sign the petition and save Ireland's Hill of Tara.

The Time Traveler's Wife Movie Art and Trailer

I loved The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger and can't wait for the movie, opening August 14th! The movie art and trailer are fantastic!

Did you enjoy the book, The Time Traveler's Wife?

What do you think of Eric Bana and Rachel McAdams as Henry and Clare?

Did you feel that Henry "ruined" Clare's life?

Did you find the story difficult to follow because of the time travel?

What is your most memorable scene in the book?

Are you looking forward to the movie?

http://www.thetimetravelerswifemovie.com/

My Soul to Take by Rachel Vincent

A new YA series by best-selling author Rachel Vincent. My Soul to Take, out August 1st, 2009

According to Jane by Marilyn Brant

According to Jane, another book I can't wait to read!

I had the pleasure of sitting next to Marilyn Brant during lunch at the RWA conference, and had a lovely discussion about Jane Austen's novels, both agreeing that Pride and Prejudice is our favorite. It wasn't until the end that I found out about her debut novel, According to Jane. It won RWA's Prestigious Golden Heart Award in 2007 and is due in bookstores September 29th.

It begins one day in sophomore English class, just as Ellie Barnett's teacher is assigning Jane Austen's "Pride and Prejudice". From nowhere comes a quiet 'tsk' of displeasure. The target: Sam Blaine, the cute bad boy who's teasing Ellie mercilessly, just as he has since kindergarten. Entirely unbidden, as Jane might say, the author's ghost has taken up residence in Ellie's mind, and seems determined to stay there. Jane's wise and witty advice guides Ellie through the hell of adolescence and beyond, serving as the voice she trusts, usually far more than her own. Years and boyfriends come and go - sometimes a little too quickly, sometimes not nearly fast enough. But Jane's counsel is constant, and on the subject of Sam, quite insistent. Stay away, Jane demands. He is your Mr. Wickham. Still, everyone has something to learn about love - perhaps even Jane herself. And lately, the voice in Ellie's head is being drowned out by another, urging her to look beyond everything she thought she knew and seek out her very own, very unexpected, happy ending.

Although Marilyn and I agreed on our favorite novel, there was some debate on the better film adaptation of Pride and Prejudice. I'm firmly in Kiera Knightley and Matthew Macfayden's camp while she votes for Colin Firth, but she does believe that Kiera Knightley's version introduced young people to the story that wouldn't otherwise know about it.

Which is your favorite?

Goddess of the Hunt by Tessa Dare

Romance isn't my thing, but overall, Goddess of the Hunt, is a nicely written debut novel, and worth the time if you've been away from the genre for awhile. Recommended.

19 year old Lucy Waltham, a tomboy in 19th century England, decides she's going to practice the art of seduction on her brother's lifelong friend Jeremy Trescott, in preparation for ensnaring a future husband. It's a fun story that, at times, made me laugh out loud but half way through I remembered why I don't read romance. It's predictable, corny and cliche, but that's just me. It's still worth reading for the smooth, thoughtful execution. I didn't fall in love with the characters, but certain descriptive elements were threaded throughout with great style. Jeremy's "Look" and how Lucy's clever, clever feet found their way bumped this book up to 4 stars. There's a very nice book two "hook" involving Sophia, but I don't know if I'll read it. Perhaps I'm jaded.

My romantic synopsis: They meet. They fall in love even though they deny it. They have conflict throughout the novel that would otherwise be resolved if they were normal people capable of communication (key point). They come to their senses. They live happily ever after. I mean, really. It's only interesting if someone loses an eye.

A favorite for the sweet flair of "clever, clever feet". I actually said "Aww..."

Destined for An Early Grave Book Trailer

I met Jeaniene Frost yesterday at the 2009 "Readers for Life" Literacy Autographing, and not only does she write incredible books, she is an incredible person. She's friendly, and beautiful--the picture on her books does not do her justice. She's starlet stuff! I was hoping to get the next installment in her series, Destined for An Early Grave, but she couldn't bring it to the signing; however, she did tell me how to find the book trailer!

The Time Traveler's Wife Movie Trailer

The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Neffenegger, one of my all time favorite books, has been made into a movie staring Eric Bana and Rachel McAdams. It looks great, but then I'm biased. Drop me a line letting me know what you think of the trailer, the idea of book to movie and the stars chosen. Thanks! And happy reading!

Mark of the Demon by Diana Rowland, 5 Stars

Mark of the Demon by Diana Rowland, 4 stars, Great Debut Novel

This book easily piqued my interest and kept me turning pages to find out what happened next. To the exclusion of all things, I finished it in one day. If you enjoy urban fantasy, you'll love this urban fantasy suspense thriller. In Mark of the Demon, I got lost in the magic and didn't analyze the writing, dialogue, characters and world building-although all these things are skillfully managed. I loved this book because it took me AWAY from thoughts of writing and just let me enjoy. I had no choice. I was sucked in!

The main character, Kara Gillian, is a witty detective by day, a demon summoner by night. She's worked hard to get where she is and she's good at it, but the character is sympathetically written with vulnerabilities. She isn't the perfect, beautiful heroine doing the job with a tough obnoxious attitude, unrealistically killing multiple baddies three times her size. (I don't like those kinds of characters.) Kara is totally believable as a demon summoner detective with Fraggle Rock as her ring tone.

The story opens with her successfully summoning one of the highest level demons. She's finally getting the break she's been waiting for in the police department: heading the task force for the Symbol Man's serial murder case, and she must learn to handle herself among the men assigned with her, and solve the crime as quickly as possible. But something goes strangely awry during a routine summoning, and Rhyzkahl, an intensely powerful angelic creature appears. Oops.

The plot is original, and the suspense had me going all the way to the end. The story was perfectly paced, not long winded. Knowledge of police work is evident, and I loved the interactions between Kara and FBI Agent Ryan Kristoff.

Just an all round sexy, exciting, fun read! Blood of the Demon will be out in Spring, 2010, so I'm sure some pressing questions will be answered. I hope.

Congratulations, Diana!

More Like Guidelines Than Actual Rules

Rules become guidelines in Ghostbusters and

Pirates of the Caribbean, two movie classics.

In the Ghostbuster clip, the line is around

1 minute 30 seconds, but the entire scene

is hilarious. Enjoy!

Vampire Diaries Extended Trailer

The Vampire Diaries, a new series from Kevin Williamson, the creator of Dawson's Creek and Scream and based on the best selling novels by L.J. Smith, will air on Thursday evenings starting this fall at 8 o'clock, the pilot tenatively set for September 10th.

I think I'll give the series a try for two reasons. Every Thursday evening at 9PM I'll already be parked in front of my big screen watching the Winchester boys of Supernatural- Jared Padalecki and Jensen Ackles- as they fight Lucifer himself in the fifth and final season of the show. So why not start in on the other worldly fun an hour earlier with Ian Somerhalder as Damen Salvatore, the dark, sadistic brother that wants Elena's blood? Er, heart? Vampire Diaries looks like Trueblood for the young adult crowd.