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


Friday, January 14, 2011

Friday, Finally.

While I should be thrilled it's Friday, I'm just kind of blah. I've been feeling anxious about work this week and for no real reason that I can discern. Sometimes life is not logical. I took today off. My head has been buzzing and I just couldn't face going in. I have also been having trouble sleeping and last night I was so cold my teeth her chattering. I tried blow drying my socks and putting them on to warm my feet which were like ice. When that didn't work I ran hot water in the tub and tried that. I even tried to convince the cat she should lay next to me (which is no easy feat).

Ugh. I was also in a mood because while usually us parents read while our kids are in riding lessons (it's really quite amusing to see three parents sitting with noses in a book), last night this friend of one of the other girls came and she spent the whole lesson talking this mother REALLY loudly and about stuff that was way TMI. 60 min. of non-stop commentary about everything from seeing her father's penis when she was two to the love-life of her friend. I was seriously considering going to sit in my car and burn gas to stay warm. Muttering "shut up shut up shut up" under my breath didn't seem to be helping. So my week has sucked basically. LOL It has to get better right?

The Red Thread of Forever Love by Nicole Kimberling (96 pages)
Loose Id

Hank is a Canadian in Japan working on a book on Japanese folklore. Unfortunately he's picked up a rather amorous demon he calls Fingers. Fingers is constantly trying to molest him and he's not sure if he should tell his translator Tachibana or not, or if he'll think he's weird. Meanwhile you find out that Tachibana's attraction to men causes Fingers to manifest. Over the Christmas holiday they head out of the city to research some stories and things escalate until Tachibana can no longer keep his secret and to save Hank's life he has to reveal that he's the source of the yokai. This was a very very funny book and of course there are lots of references to Canada and Canadian culture so I loved it. Fingers was funny and reminded me of a youngster who just wanted someone to love them, although when push came to shove he could be brave. Tachibana was also a great character, his thought process was interesting. The whole Japanese thing of being something on the surface and something else underneath really came through. I loved how you got to know both of them even though it only took place over a few days. I highly recommend this when you are looking for something light and something set in somewhere NOT North America. The little Japanese touches were nice to read. I think my favourite line was when Fingers is trying to convince Hank he can be with him forever.
“Caldwell-sensei, will you marry me? I will come to Canada and join the RCMP. Together we will fight crime and drink Crown Royal whiskey and eat maple syrup on our pancakes every day.”
I nearly died laughing because I swear that's what Japanese think of Canada. Although maybe they throw in Anne of Green Gables too. :-) After I calmed down from my hissy at the riding school, I stayed up too late reading this. I tried to read it there, but it wasn't fair to the book or me to attempt it with the non-stop monologue beside me.

Of One Mind by Elizabeth Brooks (108 pages)
Torquere Press

I picked this up because it's the prequel of sorts to Of Sound Mind which was part of the Charity Sip blitz. In the future, once you hit majority, you go to the priests and register to find your mate. Once you are found and connect you are bonded for life and if one dies, the other dies. However Jereth doesn't like the idea and is trying to find his mate the old fashioned way. He's sure she's out there. However he's now 35 and finally decided to try the priests. Meanwhile Caris lives with his abusive brother in the poorest scariest part of town. With the help of his lover he's managed to save enough money to register and prays that his mate will save him. When Jereth finds Caris is his mate, he's sure it's a mistake, he doesn't want a man. Caris is crushed and badly beaten by his brother. Jereth goes to apologise and finds Caris badly injured and rescues him. However he refuses to just mate, he wants to "fall in love" the old fashioned way. Caris is not happy with his but agrees to play along. I loved Caris and I have a soft spot for the abused poor waif however I wanted to slap Jereth more than once. He had his reasons and fears for not mating, but he was also just stubborn. He was so frustrating but it all works out of course. :-) The world was interesting, more or less like ours but with this mate system which sometimes seems like it would be a lovely idea, except for the dying part. I really enjoyed it.

I'll Run Away for the Holidays by Stephani Hecht (83 pages)
Amber Allure

Scott agrees to drive from Florida to Michigan to spend Christmas with his friend Madison's family. He's not thrilled when he realizes her younger brother Anson is riding with them. Anson came on to him 3 years ago when he was only 18 and Scott 23 and he rejected him. He sees Anson as his friend's bratty brother. However Anson has grown up and seems to delight in goading Scott. Finally to prove he's not the stick in the mud Anson claims, they end up in Anson's hotel room and Scott realizes that Anson's not a kid anymore but a man he kind of likes. When they get home they are faced with alcoholic Aunt Nora making inappropriate comments, Anson's mother who's still pissed that Scott ran over their turtle three years ago, tension between Anson and his Dad and a grandfather who's moved in. There's lots of Christmas drama and when Scott is afraid to open up to Anson he feels rejected and takes off but gets some great advice from Gramps. I know I complained about the "too perfect" family before and this one is more to my liking. They aren't completely dysfunctional, there is love and acceptance, but it's not a Folger's commercial either. Maybe it's a bit over the top, but I found this kind of family more real and appealing than one which I could never live up to. I liked how Scott was forced to adjust his thinking about Anson and get past that image he had in his head from three years ago. It was a cute read, with some touches of humour and some sweet touching parts too. A really nice read which although it's set at Christmas it was fine to read after the fact.

26 comments:

Average Reader said...

Wow, Tam, these all sound good. That line you quoted,

“Caldwell-sensei, will you marry me? I will come to Canada and join the RCMP. Together we will fight crime and drink Crown Royal whiskey and eat maple syrup on our pancakes every day.”

is so funny! The author has such a great sense of humor that I'll read her non-mm (Happy Snak, general science fiction, was priceless). I haven't read this one yet, but I'm looking forward to it. It's going to go to the top of the TBR list.

And, ugh, sorry to hear about the blah week. That icy-foot thing happens to me sometimes. I'll usually double up on socks and it works out. Of course the winter temps where I am are usually only about 40F / 4.4 C

Tam said...

I think you will really like Red Thread Val. Nicole writes good funny. They were all good even if Jereth was frustrating me to no end. :-)

It wasn't that cold here (-10C or so), but our riding barn is not well heated and is probably about that temp where we sit and wait for 2 hours. So I think I was just too chilled to the bone.

Chris said...

I'll definitely have to read the first one! The second one doesn't interest me. Really enjoyed the third one! :)

Ugh, sorry you've been having such a crap week. Here's hoping that you get warm and calm and have a great weekend!

Tam said...

The second one may not appeal to everyone but I liked the Charity Sip one enough to follow it up. I likely would have liked it even more if I'd read this one first.

I'm considering starting a fire in the fireplace today. Maybe psychologically it will warm me up.

wren boudreau said...

I've been experiencing the blahs, too, so I can sympathize with you there! A fire is a good idea - both physically and psychologically. There's something about the crackle and the flames and the colors..

Tam said...

I'm sure part of it is post-holiday let-down Wren combined with knowing there is still a good stretch of winter in front of us. I will get the fire going and climb under my daughter's new fleece blanket she got for Christmas.

Lily said...

So sorry about the blah week. Hopefully relaxing in front of the fire will lift your spirits.

We've been having an unusually cold winter here to the point of running the heater all night and part of the day. In the past a couple of hours during the early morning to get the kids off to school was enough.Brrr... the cold is not my friend. My daughter sent me a picture of the parking lot at her apartment complex, all the cars covered in inches of snow and no paths plowed cause it was falling too fast. Definitely not my thing!

I've got the 1st and 3rd in my TBR and since I enjoyed the sequel I'll have to get the 2nd. They all sound enjoyable.

Chris said...

But Lily, you live in the only US state that hasn't had snow this winter! So lucky! :D

I'm definitely feeling the blahs, too. *sigh*

Jenre said...

Sorry you've had a crappy week :(. Sometimes it gets like that, doesn't it?

Do you have to have read the other 'red' books by Nicole Kimberling to enjoy this one? It sounds good but I'll need to read the others if it's part of a series.

I really liked Of one mind the whole telekinetic thing just appealed to me and I too have a soft spot for the waif who needs rescuing.

Hope your weekend is better for you. I'm off to look at kittens tomorrow. I don't know who is more excited, me or the kids :).

Tam said...

They were all good reads Lily. We have been quite lucky, we've managed to miss all of the snow storms and the weather is seasonable. It's SUPPOSED to be -7C up here now, which is much better than -25. It's been a rough year for places in the US though.

Tam said...

No, this one is a stand alone and not related to the Primal Red series Jen.

Ah, who can resist a waif in need of rescue. :-) Have fun looking at kittens. There are two at the riding barn who love to sit on our laps (or our lap tops) and they are so small and cuddly. Hard to imagine my monsters were ever that small.

Lily said...

Chris, I'm definitely grateful it hasn't snowed here!

Hope you get over the blahs quickly. :)

Anonymous said...

Sorry you've had a sucky week. I hope you have a great weekend.

Janna said...

Ow, I'm sorry you had such a bad week. I hate people who just talk for the sake of hearing their own voice. Poor you! I hope you have a much better weekend, Tam.

Tam said...

Thanks Eyre and Janna. I just had a nap. Not sure that was a good idea since now I have a headache. Sigh. I don't usually nap.

Patti (@TheLoveJunkee) said...

Sorry you're having a rough week. I get cold too and put my stuff in the dryer. In our old house we had a gas floor furnace and I'd set my clothes on top of that for a few secs to heat up -- until I burned a pair of pants!!!

Tam said...

Ooops. LOL The dryer is always a good option but I was too lazy to go all the way down to the basement. I woke up sweating from my nap with a cat wedged on both sides, they never cuddle but today was their day I guess.

K. Z. Snow said...

It's been a grueling winter, hasn't it, Tam? Not surprising your off-mood has spilled over into your attitude toward work. Those kinds of feelings have a way of blanketing every aspect of a person's life.

I have no idea what the best pick-me-up is, especially when we know there are weeks and weeks of cold and snow still ahead of us. I wouldn't be surprised if half of North American poured into Florida before the winter is out!

Hope you feel more chipper after the weekend.

Tam said...

Thanks KZ. Lily will be surprised when we all show up on her doorstep. :-)

Lily said...

KZ and Tam, make sure you guys call ahead. We may close down to avoid that pesky snow from coming in. :D

Michelle M. said...

Hot water bottle - you simply must get one! That's what keeps my feet toasty warm at night. Especially since Harry is a snowman and never gets cold.

Hope you have a relaxing and warm weekend.

Polt said...

My GOD, your hottie of the day....I didn't read any of your post because I could NOT draw my eyes away from you hottie of the day.

*Siiiiiiiiiiiigh*

HUGS...

Tam said...

I used to have a hot water bottle Michelle but I can't find it. I wonder if it had a leak. Doesn't Harry come home from hockey freezing cold?

River is really purty Polt.

Michelle M. said...

No - probably because he stays after and drinks with the guys. All that beer warms him up : ).

Stephani Hecht said...

I hope this week is better for you.~hugs~

Tam said...

Thanks Stephani.