Reading Goals

When I was a kid, lo so many moons ago, I used to read like a fiend. The first time I read Gone with the Wind, I read it in about a day and a half, around classes. I used to read three or four books a week. But then I had kids and time became a little more precious (and a lot more of my reading consisted of Goodnight, Moon and Winnie the Pooh.) Little by little, I stopped reading (EEK!)

But then last year I got a Kindle. Since then, I've rediscovered my love of reading. I love that I can slip it into my purse and I've got some fifty books to choose from on it - I'm building my Kindle library slowly, but it's getting there. And it's been a godsend when I go to get my hair colored.

Last winter, I plowed through Sabrina Jeffries Hellions of Halstead series. Come summer, I devoured Julia Quinn's Bridgerton series. On vacation, I brought something like twenty books with me, and didn't have to worry about them weighing my luggage down. Ahh... I missed reading and I'm so glad I came back to it. :D

And it's not just limited to ebooks. I buy Janet Evanovich's Plum series in hardcover - although this year, my daughter gave me the nineteenth book for my birthday. I coveted the Bruce Springsteen bio for weeks, showing remarkable restraint in not buying it because I was sure I'd get it for Christmas. And my husband came through. It took me more than a day and a half to read it, but I savored every last word of it.

I'd forgotten how much reading carried me away. And honestly, part of my reason for getting away from it was simply that I didn't read as a reader any longer. I read as a writer. Plot holes. Grammar problems. Typos. Faulty research. It all jumped out at me until reading became more of a chore than a joy. But somehow, I've managed to rediscover reading as a reader. And while I won't set a goal for number of books I read, I do hope that it will top last year's, which came in around 75 books. That's not a lot for some people, and once upon a time, I'd have scoffed at such a low number, but not now.

So I'm starting off this year with Charlaine Harris's Sookie Stackhouse novels. I'm about halfway through the first one and even though it isn't a genre I usually read, I'm enjoying it. My husband is a fan of True Blood and he's the one who suggested the first book, so I have him to thank. Just like I have to thank my Kindle for rekindling (no pun intended) my love for books. :D

And Another Two Weeks Passes...

Without a new post from yours truly.

Great. I suck, don't I? And when did Blogger change? I'm not so sure I like it. But then again, I don't really like change much to begin with, so that comes as no surprise.

So, where to begin? Hmmm...

I've been busy putting subs together for Stolen Promise, which is nice. Keeps me busy. Keeps me out of trouble. What? Why are you laughing?

I've also been revising Don't Tempt Me, which is the second book in the Mordainia series (Stolen Promise being the first) and doing some interesting research in the process. Last Sunday found me researching gunshot wounds, knife wounds, late 18th/early 19th century treatment for both, and anatomy. I ended up ordering a copy of Gray's Anatomy because my knowledge is sadly lacking in that arena. This is how used to living with a writer my husband is - not only was he not the least bit phased when I asked him if he'd rather be stabbed or shot, but he had some great suggestions about exactly where on the hero's body would be a good place to give him a serious (and yet not fatal) wound. And when I told him I needed a copy of Gray's Anatomy, he didn't bat an eye. He is awesome, isn't he? I love being a writer, we get to do some cool things in the name of research. :D

I also got to see Bruce Springsteen in concert again - my brother and I saw him at the Prudential Center (affectionately known as "The Rock" in these parts. :D) last night and it was amazing. Not only is The Rock a helluva lot easier to get to than I thought, and it's a nice arena, but Bruce was AWESOME! It's so amazing to go to one of his shows - energy like I've never felt flows through whatever venue he's playing. I've seen him at Giants Stadium, at twice Continental Arena (which I actually think is called the Izod Center now, but who cares?) and at The Rock and he puts on the very best live show I have ever seen (and I've been to a LOT of concerts.) I'm seeing him again at the new Giants Stadium (which is technically called MetLife Stadium, but since I think the Jets should go embarrass themselves back in NY and get their own damn stadium, I still call it Giants Stadium. Ahem...) in September and I can. Not. Wait.

So that's what I've been up to. A little this, a little that... you know. Life. It's keeping me busy. And that's a good thing for me, just not so good for the blog. :D

Some Sunday Awesomeness!

It's Sunday, of course, and that means I'm watching the New York Giants demolish the Oakland Raiders (Go Big Blue!) I don't normally post on Sunday, but since I didn't do a Friday one... I guess I owes ya!

On October 2nd, I was lucky enough to be at the Meadowlands - at Giants Stadium, to be precise - where Bruce Springsteen was performing the second of the last shows to be played at the stadium. It will be torn down next year and the Giants will christen the new stadium while the old one becomes a parking lot.

Bruce wrote this song specifically for these last shows... give it a listen. It's awesome!!!! (I apologize for the size, but I can't figure out how to make it smaller - sorry. :D)

Another Monday...

And I'm back!

I didn't post on Thursday because what I wanted to post, I just couldn't get to (trust me, it'll make sense in a moment.)

I didn't post on Friday because I was running around trying to find a babysitter because mine BAILED on me at the last minute, and the hubs and I had Springsteen tickets. My mom, the hubs, and I were supposed to go with my brother, his wife, and her brother. So, after some heated arguing over who would stay home with the kids - my mom pulled out the Because I'm your mother and I say so card and won the argument. Or lost it, depending on how you look at it. She sacrificed her ticket (to the Girl - who was thrilled beyond all rational reason to get to see Bruce in concert. She loves him almost as much as I do.)

So come Friday night, me, the hubs, and the Girl (and my brother, his wife, and her brother) were all at Giants Stadium. The concert kicked some serious ass, as Bruce did Darkness on the Edge of Town in its entirety, along with about 20 other songs (including some I thought I'd never get to see him do live.) The rain held off until just before the encore, and even when it fell, no one cared. It was Bruce. It was the Meadowlands. It was awesome!!!! And there is no way I can ever thank my mom - she's the best, she really is.

And that brings me back to why I couldn't post on Thursday.

I received a wonderful review from Coffee Time Romances and More, only some jerk(s) hacked into their system (really, some people need to get out of mom's basement and get a life) and my security software wouldn't let me see the site, so I couldn't link to it.

Here's part of it:

You Belong to Me is a whirlwind of a book. There are so many diverse emotions in this fast-paced book that I was captivated with everything encasing Brenna. Kimberly Nee immediately pulls this reader into the story. I was mesmerized with the whole setting and could share in the pain inflicted on Brenna. I wanted to reach out and console her. The storyline is absolutely real and breathtaking. It was evident that Tony went out of his way to show Brenna how to trust again. The two have incredible energy that slices deep within the pages in this overpoweringly addictive read.

And the rest of the review is right here. Yay!

It's nice to start off the week with a little good news, isn't it?

And now, it's time for me to get to work. Tiger Eyes is thisclose to being ready to go out the door, and I want it off my desk. Now.

BRUCE!

The last rock concert I was at was waaay back in 1999 - August 6th to be exact. I know this because I still have the ticket stub. It was that summer that Bruce Springsteen set a record for the number of consecutive shows he did at what was then known as Continental Airlines Arena (now, if you're a New Jersey lifer, like I am, it's probably still known to you as the Brendan Byrne Arena. It's now called the Izod Center and don't even get me started on what I think of that. Or, I could just make it easy on ya'll and call it the Meadowlands. And yes, the air really does kind of stink up there. It's Jersey, whatdaya expect???)

I've been a die-hard Bruce Springsteen fan since 1984, when I was 12 and I bought Born in the USA, but I'd never had the opportunity to see him live and with the E Street Band. I was too young when Born in the USA came out, and then the E Street Band disbanded. So when 1999 came around and the E Street Band was back together again, you can probably guess how thrilled I was to score tickets to one of those shows.

Since 1999, I've had two children, so my concert going has been pretty much non-existent. But, when tickets went on sale in February, my husband and I figured "Why not?"

I ran into the same problem a lot of others did with the online Ticketmaster site, where people were directed to a sister site owned by Ticketmaster, but offering tickets at a super-inflated price. But, fortunately I like to cover all my bases, so in addition to the computer, both of us were dialing like mad as well. And we got tickets. Insert happy dance here.

And it was one of the best shows I've ever seen. Ever.

Bruce still kicks ass and the energy at one of his shows is astounding. There's nothing in the world like a Springsteen concert. Nothing. At. All. He did a great blend of old and new stuff, and even took a few requests. He opened with Badlands, which fired the crowd right up. Born to Run was played with the house lights on and the crowd drowning him out. Rosalita was the last song of the night, with the house lights on and the crowd drowning him out. I lost my voice on Thunder Road, but managed to still sing along with The Rising and Prove it All Night. Outlaw Pete and Working on a Dream were awesome, and Sunny Day is as good live as it is on the CD. Seeing him live reminds me of why I love his music, and why I'm such a Springsteen fan. It was hard to stay still and impossible to remain seated. The moment he took the stage (an hour late, but it was well-worth the wait), thousands of people were on their feet. When he left the stage, they were still standing.

And get this, the drummer for the E Street Band is Jay Weinberg. He's the son of the original E Street drummer Max Weinberg. Now Max has been unable to play all the concert dates because of his commitment to Conan O'Brien's show, so his son's stepped in to fill the role. This kid is phenomenal! He's 18 years old. Yep, 18. And he about blew me away.

It was amazing. It was incredible. It was one of the best concerts I've ever seen (did I say that already???) and I can NOT wait to see him again.