Bits and pieces

Bit #1: On the publication of Gobsmacked by one LB Gregg

For those who don't know, I'm terribly fond of LB. Adjectives that spring to mind are hilarious, kindly, impulsive, opinionated, kindly, loyal, sweet, hilarious and kindly.

Well, she's got a book out! You will no doubt read many many good things about this booky on the intertubes - so I will say only one thing. Very quietly and confidentially in your ear'ole. Subtle like. Just between the two of us.

Are you listening?

LB writes really good sex scenes.

Go forth. Buy.

Bit #2: On the fickleness of Tumperkin's reading habits

I am being a skittish reader recently. I started Games of Command by Linnea Sinclair, Lover Revealed by J R Ward and No Rest for the Wicked by Kresley Cole - all new to me authors - and have abandoned them all after a few chapters. (See bit #3). I do intend to go back to them. But I got The Seducer by Madeline Hunter (also a new to me author) and that really was much more my cup of tea. But then, even though I was enjoying The Seducer, Simply Magic by Mary Balogh arrived. It's a Balogh I'd never much fancied but every now and again I buy an unread Balogh and invariably get hooked. So The Seducer has been shelved till Simply Magic is finished. In the meantime, Scandal by Caroline Jewel (also new to me; recent rave reviews) has arrived and is looking at me temptingly, along with the latest Lynne Graham which I will shoehorn in one evening because I Must Read All Lynne Grahams.

I'm quite excited about the Madeline Hunter find. The Seducer is a bit of a B-read overall so far but the first chapter was utterly fab. High stakes and humiliation. Nice.

Bit #3: On why I struggle with paranormals (again)

I've mentioned before - ad nauseam - the difficulty I've had with paranormals. I sort of want to get into this sub-genre but I've not found a lot that work for me.

There are exceptions. I really loved Mathilde Madden's Silver Werewolves trilogy and the less conventionally attractive picture she painted of lycanthropic life (I've been meaning to post about this trilogy forever - maybe one day). However, I do struggle with the more conventional paranormal reads I've tried.

In some ways, this surprises me. I love fairy tales, after all.

In other ways, it doesn't. I'm not a fan either of sonorous prose or of sarcastically humorous voices, both of which feature fairly heavily in the genre, from what I've seen. It's telling that the stuff I've enjoyed hasn't been in either of those veins.

But that takes me off the very short point I want to make. I had A Moment a few months ago that sort of summed up what I find difficult with this genre. I was sitting on the sofa reading a paranormal and quite enjoying it. Meanwhile, le grand fils was watching an episode of Transformers. Suddenly, one of the characters in the cartoon delivered a few lines that explained how some absurd facet of the Transformers-World works. Dismayed, I looked at my book and thought Basically, I'm watching Transformers.

Bit #4: I'm not going to be here for a bit

Mid-term break in Britain so we're away for a week. Hillwalking and pubs. This is very much the usual when the Tumperkins go away en famille for short breaks.

We will also be going on a bear hunt, due to the fact that the le petit fils adores Michael Rosen's masterpiece.

Incidentally, Mr Tumperkin doesn't look like Tin Tin, but the littlie is a blondie and he does like Sho-duz. This is an edict he issues whenever he wants to experience a better view of the world.

Daddy! Sho-duz!

Enjoy your week, nutcases.