New Releases 11/25

Some of the new releases hitting shelves this week are:

Your Heart Belongs to Me by Dean Koontz

Arctic Drift by Clive Cussler

Divorced, Desperate, and Dating by Christie Craig

Magic Bullet by Andrew Neiderman - new thriller from author of Devil's Advocate. He's also the ghostwriter for VC Andrews

Succubus Takes Manhattan by Nina Harper - follow-up to Succubus in the City

New releases on DVD:

Hancock

Fred Claus

A Colbert Christmas

Sorry I've not been on the ball lately. Will try to do better : )

Hot Bond

I'm heading out to see Twilight tonight, but I thought I would post a little something about the new Bond flick, seeing as how I saw that one last Friday and all. 

Now first let me say that I am not a Bond fan - or at least I wasn't. I've tried to watch some of the Sean Connery ones and while I find the man extremely attractive, the movies just never did it for me. Maybe I was too young and maybe I should try again, but who knows. 

A friend of mine always sees the new Bond flicks with her dad. A nice tradition. When Casino Royale came out on dvd, though, I had invited her over and her one request was that we watch the movie. I moaned and groaned and eventually gave in. And surprise, I loved it! My mom owned the movie and last time I went home I made my little sister sit down and watch it with me as well. And she loved it! And then I bought a copy for myself.

I thought maybe my Bond perception had been wrong all along and tried to watch one of the Pierce Brosnan ones and discovered that no, I was not wrong. I couldn't even watch the whole thing it was so bad.

So, Daniel Craig and the new production/directing team are the reason that I am now a Bond fan. Craig oozes charm and is hot as hell - I'm sure anyone will agree with me - and the new tone of the films is much more serious than in past years. This is what I really like - Craig and the tone. The fact that the hoky, cheesy, sexy spy is gone and this new charismatic and mysterious and serious sexy spy is the new image really works. It is, in a sense, what has been done for the new Batman films. They took out the prior aspects that made the films almost cartoonish and put in the serious action stuff that was lacking. 

So, some people have commented on plot holes in Quantum of Solace, I had no issues. It was fast paced and packed with action, as it should be, and Craig is magnificent to watch (I recommend seeing him on the big screen always) and the Bond girls were cool rather than just eye candy for men. I've heard that Craig is signed on for four more films so we should learn more about this mysterious organization in the future. Also, Dame Judy Dench is awesome and always has been. I love her as Bond's boss!

So, my rambling babbling Bond rant is at an end, but take it from me, a Craig/Bond girl, it's well worth the watch and is on my "To Buy" list!

Computer Woes

Overall, I have to say that I love my computer. I just don't love other peoples' computers or their reliance on them or their tendency to screw things up. Or my tendency to screw them (computers) up. Anyway, I just realized that I hadn't received some stuff that I ordered and it wasn't even showing that I ordered it in the first place. I know I did. I specifically remember ordering. I do not recall (and I think I would) placing something on the wish list rather than ordering. In fact, I recall quite clearly submitting and confirming the order and mailing address. 

Hm.

Anyway, I tried again. We'll see what happens. 

Other headaches (literal and otherwise) to deal with now and it is freezing cold out. Still trying to squeeze in some 2008 releases for consideration for my best of list, but I also have regular review books to read. Anyway. For my amusement, I cracked open my recently received copy of Nina Haper's Sucubus Takes Manhattan. 

Harper debuted back in March with the first in this series, Succubus in the City. It's a hilarious urban fantasy series about, Lily, a succubus in the service of Satan. Here's my review from the Bookbitch archives:

Lily and her friends are some of satan’s top minions. Lily lures men through lust and delivers them straight to hell, after sleeping with them of course. Her life has left her longing for true love, though, and she may just have found it in sexy PI Nathan Coleman. Problem is, her cover may be about to be blown. A group of serious religious fundamentalists seems to be gaining some inside information about the ladies and their occupations. Their goal is to eliminate the women by any means. The ladies are tasked to discover the demon mole who’s been doling out clues to the mortals, and deliver him straight to satan herself. Harper’s debut has the perfect blend of romance, mystery, and paranormal elements, making it a fun and light addition to the urban fantasy genre. It’s a hip first installment to another original new series.

And Succubus Takes Manhattan picks up right where In the City leaves off. I won't spoil it for you, because you really should check out the series yourself. It's perfect if you're looking for some fun, light reading. I can tell you that right now, that's exactly what I need!

Succubus in the City is available right now and Succubus Takes Manhattan is set for release next Tuesday. 

Sorry I've Been Away

So Monday was my boyfriend's birthday and then yesterday I was just being lazy. 

No but really. It's almost time for me to get in my Best of 2008 list for the BB and I'm scrambling to read some of the new releases I haven't had  a chance to get around to yet. Not that my list doesn't have a whole bunch to whittle down already. 

Monday I finished Jack O'Connell's The Resurrectionist. I have to say, I just didn't get it. Not one bit. I'm not even going to attempt to sum up the book here or for a review. I just didn't get it. 

Yesterday I began reading Terri Persons's Blind Rage. Rage is the sequel to Persons's Blind Spot, which I wrote about here. I didn't read as much as I wanted to yesterday thanks to the cleaning cycle on the stove. 

Yep, excuses, excuses. Our stove was in desperate need of a cleaning, but I HATE, LOATHE, and DESPISE the smell of the self-cleaning cycle. I was waiting for a day when I could be somewhere else and avoid the smell altogether, but since I work from home that's a bit difficult. Anyway, nasty smell = headache = hard to read that book that I really wanted to get to. 

There are still a few others that I want to get to before I send in my list on Nov 30. We'll see if I am successful. Like I said, I've already got at least 15 on my list to be narrowed down to 10 so it's really not as if I NEED more, but... So, back to the reading and the working and the real life stuff. 

Hi, guys

Sorry no post from me today, it was my other's b-day. I took him to lunch and baked him a cake, and played DD for a trip to Dave and Busters. 

See ya'll tomorrow. 

New Releases 11/18

Here are some of the books set to hit shelves this week:

Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell - latest NF from the author of The Tipping Point and Blink, a guaranteed bestseller

Private Patient by PD James - an Adam Dagliesh mystery

Dashing Through the Snow by Mary and Carol Higgins Clark

Cross Country by James Patterson

Why We Suck: A Feel Good Guid to Staying Fat, Lazy, and Stupid by Dennis Leary

New on DVD this week:

Bones Season 3 - finally! I've been watching season 4 without having seen ANY of season 3. 

WALL-E

Tropic Thunder

Priceless - starring Audrey Tautou

Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants 2

Zombie Diaries

New reviews up at Bookbitch.com:

The Wild Road by Marjorie Liu

The Face by Angela Hunt

Yep, it was a slow reading week for me - thanks to a stressful work week. And today was the first time in weeks that I got 8 hours of sleep - yahoo!

On a quest

You might recall that a few weeks ago, during my Halloween Horror Reading Marathon, I read Dan Simmons's 1985 debut, Song of Kali. It was amazing and like all amazing books in a genre has ruined me for horror for a bit. I'll get over it. In the meantime, though, I decided that I need to find a copy of Simmons Stoker winning Carrion Comfort, which, surprisingly, is now out of print. Boo. 

There was a beat up copy at our local used bookstore last time I was there, but since I am so picky about the quality of my books, I passed on it thinking I could find it elsewhere. Not so, stupid, Becky. I called a couple of other used bookstores in the area (minus the one who's owner is supposed to be a total ass) and no one had it in stock. I tried the first bookstore again and they didn't even have it in stock anymore. 

Finally, out of desperation and with no idea what I am getting, I ordered it online. And now I wait. I'm quite sure, though, after reading The Terror and Song of Kali, that it will be worth it. And in the meantime, I now have Lovedeath, Summer of Night, and Children of Night as well as the upcoming monstrosity that is Drood to tide me over. 

And since I do not have said book as of yet, here is the PW review from way back in 1989 if you are curious as to why I am searching for it so:

The second novel by World Fantasy Award-winner Simmons ( The Song of Kali ) is a 636-page epic that draws on a variety of genres--horror, science fiction, political thriller, Hollywood roman a clef. It centers around a small number of "mind vampires" who can subjugate other people to their wills, read their minds, experience through their senses. The immensely powerful vampires use others, often bloodily, and often in frivolous "games" (hunting human prey, chess games with human pieces, and so on). Opposing them are Saul Laski, a psychologist and concentration-camp survivor, who is devoted to tracking down the Nazi vampire von Borchert; Natalie Preston, whose father inadvertently and fatally crossed the path of a pawn of the ancient, dotty vampire Melanie Fuller; Sheriff Bobby Joe Gentry, dragged in while investigating the multiple murders that marked the departure of Melanie Fuller from Charleston; and a host of other normals and vampires whose lives impinge on those of the principals. While he could profitably have trimmed the novel by a third, Simmons has produced, overall, a compelling thriller.