Special thanks to Leontine from Leontine's Book Realm for the super header.


Wednesday, April 14, 2010

Hump Day yet again

Work is back to boring. Just a few things getting ready for our meeting out of town next week. I'll be gone Monday noon to Wednesday night. I think I have to wait over 90 min. in the Toronto airport for the shuttle. Ugh. Normally I wouldn't care. Curl up somewhere with my books and tune out the world, but I think I'm flying with colleagues so I'll have to pretend to be friendly. I'm so anti-social. LOL So I've read a couple of things this week.

Promises by Marie Sexton (216 pages)

Jared lives in small town Colorado where he helps run the family store. He's out but there's really no date material in town. Matt, the new cop in town comes into the store and strikes up a friendship with Jared. He claims he's straight (despite giving some mixed signals) but they become best friends and even though Jared is in love he values their friendship. Finally Matt cracks and admits he likes Jared and they start a relationship which comes with a whole other set of problems including Matt's homophobic coworkers, Jared's fear of facing the town not as a gay man but as a gay man with a boyfriend, and various other impediments to their happiness. I really enjoyed this a lot. I liked how Jared seemed like the one completely comfortable being gay until he suddenly had to face people as part of a gay couple and how Matt knew what he wanted and was willing to put up with to get it. I also liked Jared's SIL who while she was a bit pushy she wasn't obnoxious about it like some female characters. So on the whole I can't find much I didn't like about this book. Definitely worth a read.

Just a Touch of Frost by Kiernan Kelly (33 pages)

Jack Frost (twin brother of Kris Kringle, son of Zeus and one of the Fates) has been wandering the earth alone for millennia after being cast out of Olympus when he was falsely accused by Hades of making a play for his wife. He's decided the only way to end his loneliness is to start an ice-age on earth and get Zeus to notice him and strike him dead. But he meets Matt who can not only see him despite his invisibility spell but touch him, most people freeze. When Jack takes off to get some ambrosia so he can keep Matthew permanently, Hades kidnaps Matt because he wants Jack to be miserable too. When faced with this Jack has one thing to say “Let’s just say that Hell is about to freeze over.” This was a cute story with lots of Kiernan's humour. I have to admit I snickered along with Hades here:
“Where’s Matt?” he asked through gritted teeth. “If you’ve harmed one hair on his… “
“Head? Chest? Legs? Ass? Back? Be specific, Jack…the boy has more hair than an angora sweater.” Hades chuckled nastily.
So it's a fun little read. It says it's a Christmas story and yes, Kris Kringle is Jack's brother and it ends with one Christmas scene but the story doesn't revolve around Christmas at all.

20 comments:

Jenre said...

Both of these sound good. A great reading few days for you then, Tam.

More boring meetings? Poor you. I prefer to travel alone too then I can bury my head in a book and shut out the world, so you're not the only anti-social one, lol.

Tam said...

They were both good Jen. I'd heard lots of positive things about Promises and had it for a while but finally got to it.

Glad to see I'm not the only one who prefers to travel alone. :-)

Chris said...

I like to travel alone, too. :)

Loved Promises! A-to-Z was good, but not quite as good. And then there's a free short on the Dreamspinner blog (the link's in my reviewette for A-to-) about M&J that takes place after that book.

Tam said...

I'll definitely have to get that one Chris. I know people said they didn't like it quite as much but that it was still good.

I think all addicted readers like to travel alone. It's uninterrupted reading time. :-)

Tam said...

Huh, I just noticed both books I read had a character named Matt. LOL Oooooooh. I'm starting again.

Chris said...

Hee hee - I had noticed that...

Lily said...

I read Kiernan's story a while back. Pretty cute.

Promises sounds good. Added to TBB.

I much prefer traveling alone. Well, me, my reader and my ipod. Just the three of us!

Tam said...

LOL We are such a bunch of anti-social travellers. I don't mind travelling with my daughter but then we are both kind of in our own little world until the "I'm bored" starts up.

wren boudreau said...

I loved "Promises", and enjoyed "A to Z".

My husband complains that when we travel he might as well be alone, since I just hunker down into a book. I'd probably do the same thing to co-workers, too. "So, what are you going to do while we wait? I'm going to read a bit."

I also like to have the music up loud when I'm driving, which usually forestalls conversation. Recently I made a 4-hour drive with a woman who is somewhere between acquaintance and friend, and she TALKED the WHOLE TIME! When we arrived at our destination I had to sit in a quiet room for a while just to get my equilibrium back!

Chris said...

I feel for you, Wren! I'd have to go to my happy place after that drive, too.

ver: moogfu - like googlefu, only involving synthesizers...

Tam said...

I think I'll take your advice Wren although then they'll say "Oh, what are you reading?" and I either have to explain Fathom's Five with the nekkidy guy on the cover or a yaoi novel. LOL Maybe they'll learn not to ask.

And yeah, definitely music in the car. I'm really looking forward to driving down to DC by myself this summer. Although I have to get that little gadget in my car radio fixed that lets me plug in my ipod. I'd go berserk with only radio stations.

wren boudreau said...

Ooo. Moogfu would be so helpful. Or not.

Tam, when people ask what I'm reading I say things like "It's a bodice-ripper" or even just "Romance." Most people don't want to know more than that. If I've judged my audience correctly, I might tell them "Urban Fantasy" or "Paranormal Romance" b/c non-readers won't get it and usually won't ask. Sometimes I can just say "It's about Vampires" and I can see their eyes go blank.

I'm pretty good at alienating people.

Wait. Is that my superpower? And do I want it?

Tam said...

I'm at the point where I don't really care. Maybe I'll use the "Japanese romance". That should confuse the hell out of them. LOL

My super power is simply reading books with characters with the same names or similar themes. Totally useless.

Chris said...

Used judiciously, that could be a might superpower, Wren!

wren boudreau said...

Japanese Romance would be a great alienator!

I would only use my power for good, Chris.

Janna said...

I'm snickering about the above. Mainly because I'm glad I'm not the only weird one with my urge to read, especially when in company ;)
And I just hate people who talk and talk for hours, but really have nothing to say.

Both sound as good reads, Tam! I have the first book waiting for me, probably bought immediately after I read one of Chris' reviewettes :)

Average Reader said...

These both sound good. How funny that the same character name shows up in both stories (and a relatively normal name, though)!

Tam said...

We are quite the anti-social group Janna. LOL Yeah, talkers with little to say are annoying.

It's my innate talent to find those books Val. LOL I'm almost afraid to see what I'll come up with next.

Kris said...

I'll be flying for nearly 24 hours to get to California in October. If anyone attempts to talk to me I will be ripping peoples heads off.

Tam said...

LOL It's easier to be rude to strangers. Ipod headphones are great, even if it's not playing anything.

I found out it doesn't look like anyone I work closely with will be on my flight so I can pretend I don't know them. LOL