3 posts tagged “books”
Show us something that's been on your mind a lot.
In my defense I neither read the title nor looked at the front cover when I bought this. I turned immediately to the back cover to ascertain what style of romance this was--namely was it one of the weird lots o' booty right up front, no plot, or damsel rescued from the sexual trauma of rape (yes, these things still do that and I NEVER read those)--and since it wasn't, I snapped it up.
I'd been reading it for several minutes before I even bothered to look at the front cover. Ugh. Talk about a completely unimaginative title and cliche imagery. No hiding what I'm reading with this in my hands.
So yes, I am reading this book and am totally eating it up--so much so that I purposely left it at home so that I wouldn't be tempted to try to read it while I was stopped at lights on the drive to the office.
The novel opens with a suave, ah, ahem, highwayman attempting to rob a carriage with two women passengers. One, the Dowager Duchess, is immediately struck by his resemblance to her favorite son--who was killed at sea 29 years ago. The other, Grace Something-or-other, finds herself thrust into his arms (yes, I said thrust) and the electricity between them takes her breath away. He kisses her. Of course he does.
Turns out that the highwayman is actually the duchess' grandson and technically the first in line to become Duke, which will displace the current Duke, who is the Ducchess' grandson by her least favorite son. Grace, the Duchess' companion, finds herself in the middle of a tenacious situation--her livelihood depends on the "good" graces of the old woman, but as a friend (really just a friend) to the current Duke and his fiancee she feels terrible that he stands to lose everything he has built and been prepared for in life. And then there is Jake, John Cavendish-Audley, the long lost Duke of Wyndham, whose passionate kisses have shaken Grace to her core. And while he wants nothing to do with his family's title, Jake is drawn to the lovely Grace, both disturbed and inspired by his feelings for her.
But Grace knows that the Dowager will never stand for a union between her family and her lowly companion who is, after all, little better than a servent. With so much against them, Grace and Jake play with fire, but surely they are not so foolish as to fall in love?
I know! It's totally cliche and over the top, but I'm telling you, it's melt in your mouth lovely. I mean, the kisses! And the touches! And the looks! (And I haven't even made it to one sex scene yet!) And the romance...sigh. Good stuff, people.
i just finished adding my current reading to my books list and realized for the first time that i've been reading nothing but memoirs for nearly a year.
i know that's not exactly "this just in" breaking news, but it's strange to realize that all my fantasy and sci-fi and fiction--long time lovers and friends, you see--have been cast aside without even a moment of recognition until now. true, i am very interested in memoir as a form and yes, my thesis project was in creative non-fiction, so it makes sense that my attention would turn in this direction, but that i haven't picked up a romance novel, even anne of green gables, or my well-worn copy of the hobbit in over a year is certainly a departure for me.
and yet i've been feeling like each of the books i've picked up recently and for a while was put in my way for a reason, for the bit of much-needed wisdom i was able to glean from the writer's experiences, and i realize now that i've obviously been seeking them out as much as they have been falling into my lap. funny the little patterns of behavior we perpetuate without even knowing it, eh?
anyhow, my most recent complete read is Wins, Losses, and Lessons by Lou Holtz. for those of you who have were never touched by the glory of Notre Dame football and the fabled history of that school, you poor things, Lou Holtz was the most recent in a long line of legendary coaches that made the Dome their home. however, if you are or were ever an athlete, or if you love the concept of team sport or love just watching any sport at all, i highly recommend this for a quick read. (quick note: i had the notre dame bug in the late 80s, early 90s when a few aunts and uncles attended and graduated from there. my uncle donald was a cheerleader for ND and got to travel for the games. for her 3rd halloween, my little sister dressed in an officially licensed, pint-size, NR cheerleading uniform. go Irish!)
lou manages to distill his life into a collection of the many reasons that team sports are such an amazing learning experience and how they can be rewarding in more ways than you would expect. the book is not about Notre Dame, by the way, but rather Lou's journey to that point. he has a great many lessons to share, about faith, hope, and heart--both in and out of football. i was suprised to find out how devout a Catholic he is and how much that had to do with his desire to coach at Notre Dame--but i was also surprised that i enjoyed the book without feeling as if i was being preached to. it was interesting to hear his take on faith and prayer, and its place in his life. i'm just not accustomed to hearing people speak so openly about that, let alone men.
oh yeah, one more thing....the football anecdotes he recounts are fan-f'ing-tabulous.
"I got a lot a' faith in the RZA."
She went out for a Red Bull, and met up with a stripper named Joaquin, never to be seen again.
They told me it was for my own good.
***
alright, folks, the above are hereby copyrighted by yours truly as each are appearing in one or another of my stories. i was wondering, though, what's the best first line of a book/story that you've ever read? i still remember listening to oprah winfrey talking about toni morrison's Paradise, the first line of which is, "They shoot the white girl first," and thinking that IS a good first line...intriguing, shocking perhaps--a real signpost that lets the reader know where they will be expected to go on their journey. i never went back and read the book though--sort of worried that it wouldn't live up to expectations, though i still may give it a try one of these days.
so, any thoughts? do i need to hold a contest like faerie wings to drum up some response? i would...i thought about doing it actually...but i don't have much in the way of prizes to offer, that is unless some of you are interested in one of several wonderful, rescued mutts that need a good home. any takers?
