Slightly Quacky: Liv a Little

I like reading. Always have, probably always will. It started with easy stuff, like Nancy Drew and the Animorphs. Then my third-grade teacher gave me Watership Down by Richard Adams. I almost always list that one on my favorite books list because it changed my life. Watership Down is about four hundred pages long. At eight years old it took me three days to finish. I loved it. Loved the story, loved the characters . . . loved that I was no longer bound to the children's section. I could roam free.

Roam I did. I liked mysteries, fantasy, and science fiction best. In truth, I still like SF/F best, but I have a love/hate relationship with mysteries. They're no fun if I can figure out who the culprit is. Unfortunately, I used to be a dense reader but as I spend more time writing analysis of stories I get better and better about picking up on small clues.

My first romance was some book my mom left lying around. This is a dangerous thing to do around a voracious book reader. If s/he is bored, s/he will pick your book up and read it no matter how lame it sounds. I tend to read straight romance less than many of my other preferred genres because I like to relax with it. I also get attached to my favorites and keep reading those instead of new ones. (The Bride by Julie Garwood. The Viscount Who Loved Me by Julia Quinn.) Plus I'm too young to be over the embarrassing covers. (My mom's attitude is, "My coworkers don't read. Why would I care what they think about my book?")

However, I do like my other books to have strong romantic elements. I enjoy having a couple to cheer on! If I have no couple, I'm likely inventing sexual tension. Oh yes, and I read shoujo manga. Chock full of relationships, those are.

When I'm not reading, I'm watching movies, hanging with friends, or studying. I'm an undergrad honors student. I play percussion. I draw. I write. I edit. I can talk about chocolate chip pancakes with unbridled passion. I named my car Ibby because I thought it fit her well. I get notions like this quite a bit. I can use my toes to open drawers and remove or put stuff inside of them. I collect Good Luck CareBears. I can't sing in tune but I do it anyway. I buy shoes. I suck at talking about myself. This took ridiculously long to write and it's still lame.

Tags: Liviania, Slightly Quacky, TGTBTU Reviewer Intro, The Pond

It’s Lime Time

I figure it's about time for this... so here goes. Limecello would like to say she's a small girl with big attitude, but that wouldn't really be true.She's exceedingly indecisive and has no spine. Strangely enough, she's opinionated. But dislikes conflict. And dislikes drama even more.

She's something of a food snob, and likes to rant about book and non book type things. [She's a equal opportunity ranter.]

99.99% of her reading is in the romance genre, and the .01 percent is comprised of YA and Classics. After only reading classics, she burnt herself out on Thomas Hardy and was depressed for a while. Luckily, romance saved her. She decided to read romance in college because she wanted something light and fun. Due to her love of classics, she read solely historicals, and had to branch out when she exhausted the historical romance collection at her local library. She's glad she did. At any given moment, Limecello is generally reading 4-6 books at the same time. She's also not quite sure why she's writing in the third person.

She cares about world events, and is for the One Campaign, (RED), Save Darfur, and Free Rice. She likes sparkly things just as much as books, and will be happy to answer questions you may have. (But why would you?)

Tags: Limecello, Slightly Quacky, TGTBTU Reviewer Intro, The Pond

Laura J. Intro

I'm Laura J and I love to read.

Well, it hasn't always been that way. Thanks to an over zealous teacher back in third grade, who made us only read non-fiction historical or biographies, my reading experience was pretty much nil. Fortunately, a good friend of mine told me about a book she thought I should try. That book was Mary Janice Davidson's Undead and Unwed. I'm sad to admit, but it took me about 3 months to finish the book. By the time I finished though, I was grabbing up all her other books and lots of others. I was hooked on reading again. A dream come true for my mom whose second home my entire life was the public library.

I love reading contemporary romances, erotic romances and some cozy mysteries. I definitely want a "happy ever after" in the books I read. I also love my books to have some comedy in them. I don't like heavy suspense at all. I can get that from the evening news. I have read a couple of historicals, but don't really care for them. Some of my favorite authors are LuAnn McLane, Janice Maynard, Karen Kelley, Bonnie Edwards, and Leslie Kelly.

When I'm not reading I'm busy transporting three active kids here, there, and everywhere.  Of course, I usually have a book in the car with me, which annoys the heck out my oldest child. I am also married to a pretty fantastic guy who puts up with a lot of, "I'll start supper just as soon as I finish this chapter." I have been a clog dancer for about 6 1/2 years and during breaks we read and discuss books. I also volunteer with a parade for one of the country's largest festivals and I volunteer with our church to set up a stage where our preschoolers get their bible lessons.

So tell me - what do you do when you don't have your nose in a book?  Any fellow cloggers out there?

Tags: Laura J, Slightly Quacky, TGTBTU Reviewer Intro

Some frequently asked questions about Shannon C.

So I am one of the newbie ducks around these parts, and I thought it would be nice to answer some questions I have received from alert readers so you can get to know me better. Or stalk me. It all amounts to the same thing.

Q: Who are you and why are you qualified to review romance?

A: I'm a twenty-something college student living in the midwest. I read a lot, always have, and it was either start reviewing books formally or suffer the shouts of, "For God's sake, Shannon, it's just a book!" I read a lot, I know what I like, and I'm a decent writer, so thus reviewing seemed natural.

How'd you get stuck on this crazy train?

I sold my soul to Sybil.

Really?

Yes. She keeps it in a jar and she polishes it every day until it shines.

You are so full of shit.

Well, yeah. Actually, I met Sybil on a yahoo group, where we discovered that basically we have nothing in common, reading-wise. From there it was only a matter of time before she persuaded me to join the pond.

I am hot, sexy Russian bride. Will you marry me and take me to America?

No.

I notice you read a lot of paranormals.

Yep. My first love has always been fantasy, followed by science fiction and romance. When I started reading romance pretty exclusively over the past couple of years, I realized paranormals could provide me with that touch of magic I like while still giving me a good love story.

Who are some of your favorite authors?

I have tons of favorite authors, largely depending on what day you ask me. Lois McMaster Bujold, Lynne Connolly, Marjorie M. Liu, Samantha Kane, Meljean Brook, and Jean Johnson are my current pics.

I am the financial officer for the Prince of Nigeria, and we just need your account number so we can borrow your bank account to store several billion dollars worth of illegaly gotten money.

You can't have mine, but I will happily give you the names of some of my exes.

What makes a good romance?

First, I need a strong heroine. I don't need her to kick ass and take names, but she should at least be smart, and she should be a good foil for the hero. I don't read anything so that I can live the heroine's glamorous life for a while. Romance isn't the way I inact my fantasies, and I don't like it when I feel authors treat it as such. As for heroes, I think anyone can write a roguish rake, a Navy S.E.A.L. or a brooding vampire. My favorite romances are ones with characters who are different, unique, and don't always stick to type. I especially love a well-written beta hero. (He doesn't have to be a wet rag and he shouldn't let the heroine walk all over him, but I enjoy reading about the quieter, more easygoing types.

What plot devices do you like?

I love friends-to-lovers stories. I'm fond of mail-order brides and marriage of convenience plots, and I love the I-want-her-but-I-can't-have-her type plots.

Any plots you think are overdone and can't stand?

I have relaxed my stance on the concept of fated mates from outright hatred to mild irritation. But only because I've read a few books where that concept was done well. Mistaken identity books hold no appeal, because invariably I'm not convinced by the rationale that the characters use to not reveal what's going on. I haven't read a secret baby book, and probably never will, because most of the premises rely on the characters behaving in really stupid ways. I kind of feel the same way about amnesia books, too. No real appeal there.

I can help you increase the size of your penis.

Not bloody likely, but again, I will happily point you to some of my exes.

Which duckie's reading tastes closely match your own?

That's hard. Gwen and Devon and I have similar tastes, although we don't match exactly. (Gwen likes Christine Feehan, for example, whereas she leaves me cold.) But Devon and I do have similar reviewing styles, which is really nice.

So there's my FAQ. If you have questions for me, preferably questions like, "How can I give you large sums of money for no apparent reason?" feel free to ask in comments.

Tags: does Shannon ever shut up?, duckies, ShannonC, Slightly Quacky, TGTBTU Reviewer Intro, The Pond

Legally Quacked: Sandy M

Sandy M's Daydream

Once upon a time a TGTBTU reviewer was a young (snort!) girl named Sandy who lived in a lighthouse on the California coastline. Sandy loved to read thanks to an elementary school teacher. She loved Trixie Belden and Nancy Drew as a kid, but after a while, life began to change for her.

One day Sandy discovered romance novels. GASP! These books were so different from what she was used to! She loved how the hero took control and loved the heroine no matter what. Of course, now she knows these are called '80s bodice rippers that most of today's romance readers don't care for. But to Sandy they will always have a place in her heart because they were her first romance books.

Then college intruded. Suddenly, there was a period in Sandy's life when there didn't seem to be enough time for reading. College had more of her than the heroes and heroines she loved so much. For years Sandy put her education first (cough::partying::cough) . But she got through them and is now a self-employed court reporter.

Sandy was finally able to pick up more books and get back into the reading habit. She discovered Nora Roberts, Linda Howard, Iris Johansen, Sandra Brown, and she also got into the legal thriller world of John Grisham, Scott Turow, and the like. Thank goodness her occupation gives her some free time, because one day after trading books with an online friend, she found a historical romance chat group and from that moment on her reading world expanded. She learned of such authors as Julia Quinn, Mary Jo Putney, Catherine Anderson, Melody Thomas, Victoria Alexander, and so many others.

Not long after this Sandy picked up a book by one of her favorites, Linda Howard's Son of the Morning a book that threw the heroine back in time to meet her hero. Sandy was enthralled and began looking for any time travel book there was to find. From there Karen Marie Moning, Diana Gabaldon, Lynn Kurland, Sandy Blair, among others, were added to her wishlist, and then came the werewolves, the vampires, the ghosts, the witches by such authors as Kresley Cole, Amanda Ashley, J.R. Ward, Susan Krinard, and a host of others.

Now with a library of her own in her cozy lighthouse, Sandy reads about 20 books a month while waiting for her knight in shining armor to travel through time and carry her away to their Happily Ever After.

The End

Tags: Sandy M, Slightly Quacky, TGTBTU Reviewer Intro, The Pond

Slightly Quacky: Devon

Once upon a time I learned to read Who's Afraid of the Dark by Crosby Bonsall and I was off!! A whole new world opened up. I read everything I could get my hands on, from my mother's Good Housekeeping magazines to Are You There God? It's Me Margaret by Judy Blume. Talk about a new world! It was 1982, and I was the oldest. (Periods= scary!!)

From early on I had a preference for mysteries, ghost stories and books about pioneer girls. I remained a voracious reader throughout my adolescence and eventually fulfilled my destiny of getting a BA in English and my very own MLS. I've been a children's librarian for almost 10 years, trying to help kids find that book that will start their own reading obsession.

But a funny thing happened along the way. With all the reading I was doing for school, being intimately involved with books during my workday and (let's be honest) all the partying, I found myself reading for pleasure only very rarely. Then came kids. Exhausted and desperately in need of an outlet, I checked my first Sherrilyn Kenyon out of the library. Vampires! Humor! Action! True Love! Hot Sex! Oh, the rapture! Once again, I was off and running.

I will read almost anything if it strikes me and the mood is right. I have a definite preference for paranormals (especially vampires). I enjoy historicals as well, and lately I find myself reading more and more contemporaries (particularly of the Harlequin variety). I like 'em hot, but sometimes I long for a sweet romance with the focus on relationship development. I enjoy humor and wit as much as tortured angst. Yeah, I'll try anything once, as long as it can hold my attention and sweep me away from the everyday. If I wanted reality, I'd read a newspaper every once in awhile.

What interests me most is figuring out what makes a book work. That mix of compelling characters, internal/external tension, plot and romance conventions that can completely sweep me away. How can a book make me suspend all disbelief? How can a book make me overcome all my feminist objections and make me root for these people?

In my reviews I hope to express what made a book work for me. Hopefully, I can find other readers find some new and different "happily ever afters" that will work for them.

Tags: Devon, Slightly Quacky, TGTBTU Reviewer Intro, The Pond