Top Selling Tuesday . . . on Thursday

As promised, here is the list of Christina Dodd's books:
Historical Novels -- non-series

PRICELESS
TREASURE OF THE SUN
THE GREATEST LOVER IN ALL
ENGLAND
OUTRAGEOUS
MOVE HEAVEN AND EARTH

Medieval Series

CANDLE IN THE WINDOW
CASTLES IN THE AIR

Knight Series

ONCE A KNIGHT
A KNIGHT TO REMEMBER

Well Pleasured Series

A WELL PLEASURED LADY
A WELL FAVORED GENTLEMAN

Princess Series

RUNAWAY PRINCESS
SOMEDAY MY PRINCE

Governess Brides Series

THAT SCANDALOUS EVENING
(Pre-Governesses, but includes a
character of interest.)
RULES OF SURRENDER
RULES OF ENGAGEMENT
RULES OF ATTRACTION
IN MY WILDEST DREAMS
LOST IN YOUR ARMS
MY FAVORITE BRIDE
MY FAIR TEMPTRESS

Switching Places Series

SCANDALOUS AGAIN
ONE KISS FROM YOU

The Lost Princesses Series

SOME ENCHANTED EVENING
THE BAREFOOT PRINCESS
THE PRINCE KIDNAPS A BRIDE

Romantic Suspense:Lost Texas Hearts Series

JUST THE WAY YOU ARE
ALMOST LIKE BEING IN LOVE
CLOSE TO YOU

The Fortune Hunters Series

TROUBLE IN HIGH HEELS
TONGUE IN CHIC
THIGH HIGH
DANGER IN A RED DRESS

Paranormal:Darkness Chosen Series

SCENT OF DARKNESS
TOUCH OF DARKNESS
INTO THE SHADOW (7/2008)
INTO THE FLAME (8/2008)
The Chosen Series
STORM OF VISIONS (8/2009)
STORM OF SHADOWS (9/2009)

This printable PDF document is a handy tool to have if you are a Dodd fan . . . although, if you are, you probably already know all that! BUT, if you'd like to try her books, the contemporary paranormal books are in high demand right now. She writes about Varinskis -- which are beings that can change their form. Mostly, it's humans changing into wild animals. And, like I said in the Tuesday post, ONE customer wiped out our (almost) entire collection! BTW, she does have one book that is out-of-print, Lady in Black.

Wordful Wednesday

"There it is, on the right!"
"Ah! The Dog Whisperer, time to find a nice hole for this puppy!"

Top Selling Tuesday

Last week, one customer almost wiped out the books by Christina Dodd! The author has had at least 17 romance books on the bestseller list. She is the winner of the Golden Heart and RITA awards, MAJOR for the Romance industry I tell ya! She has numerous series books, and well, too many for me to write about today.

Not that I'm not into Christina Dodd, but . . . well, since a blog should be kinda personal, I'll just let put it out there. In the past week, our family has had to deal with two very tragic deaths. Last Saturday, my husband's 28 year-old cousin was killed in a car accident. Then on Sunday, my son's football teammate was killed in a riding accident. He was 10. So, we've been through one memorial on Saturday, a wake/rosary last night, and today is the funeral. My heart is aching with pain for the families -- each boy was an only son. I'm sorry, but I just cannot keep my mind on anything other than these families . . . so I'm thinking of putting the rest of this off until tomorrow. Please come back and I'll have her books with appropriate series titles listed. Thanks for understanding.

Manic Monday

Now I know why I title this Manic Monday! I "forgot" how much time and research it takes to look for Tuesday releases in the publishing world. Do you KNOW how many books -- not just new, but reprints, paperbacks, library bindings, large print, etc. -- are put out every Tuesday??? Well, dummy me should have prepared a week ago, but I didn't! So here is a rundown of SOME of Tuesday's releases for May 5, 2009. I chose books that either fit the chick lit genre, or books that I know all would be interested in, such as bestselling authors or popular series.

Books I would read because of their chick lit appeal:

Pretty in Plaid: A Life, a Witch, and a Wardrobe, Or, The Wonder Years Before the Condescending, Egomanical, Self-Centered Smart-Ass Phase by Jen Lancaster (The title alone qualifies as chick lit! I kid you not, this is the title!!) This book is a memoir.

Dead and Gone (Sookie Stackhouse, Book 9) by Charlaine Harris, hardcover.
Also by Harris, a reprint of a 2002 hardcover, Last Scene Alive, Aurora Teagarden Mystery paperback.

BabyCakes: Vegan, Gluten-Free, and (Mostly) Sugar-Free Recipes from New York's Most Talked About Bakery by Erin McKenna, hardcover, cookbook. Again, if the title fits . . . .

Under Her Skin by Susan Mallery -- paperback
Flowers on Main by Sherryl Woods -- paperback
The Guernsy Literary and Potato Peel Society by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows -- paperback (reminds me of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood)
Chasing Harry Winston: A Novel by Lauren Weisberger -- paperback (woo-hoo!)

Authors of note:
Hardcovers: Pygmy by Chuck Palahniuk
Brimstone by Robert B. Parker
The Last Olympian (Percy Jackson & The Olympians, Book 5) by Rick Riordan

Paperbacks: Mahogany by Stuart Woods
Resolution by Robert B. Parker
Phantom Prey (Lucas Davenport) by John Sanford

DISCLAIMER: This in no way, shape, or form is the entire list of Tuesday Releases for May 5, 2009!!! I'm looking for popular interest books or specialty books only. I would LOVE to include all new authors or fellow bloggers who are having a book released, feel free to comment --- shout-out --- your book here! Keep Reading!

Snip-it Saturday 5/2/09

I am reading The Devil Wears Prada by Laura Weisberger. I cannot believe I've never read it before! It is an exciting tale about a poor, enslaved assistant to a wretchedly mean fashion editor. The setting is New York City, of course! Andrea Sachs is the lowly assistant to Miranda Priestly, the editor to Runway magazine. Andrea is a writer who longs to work for the New Yorker (I can identify with that!). She lands a job that "a million girls would die for" working for Miranda because rumor-has-it that surviving one year with Miranda will land you ANY job. So, Andrea accepts her one year of torture. I chose the following snip-it because in this scene, after several months of trying to keep her identity and not give in to the fashion hype all around her, she accepts her first bags of Closet discards. Jeffy has brought the bags over and Andrea feels the love!

The second, even more bulging bag spilled forth a stunning array of shoes, bags, and a couple of coats. There were two pairs of high-heeled Jimmy Choo boots -- one ankle- and one knee-length -- two pairs of open-toe Manolo stiletto sandals, a pair of classic black Prada pumps, and one pair of Tod loafers, which Jeffy immediately reminded me to never wear to the office. I slung a slouchy red suede bag over my shoulder and immediately saw the two intersecting "C"s carved in the front, but that wasn't nearly as beautiful as the deep chocolate leather from the Celine tote that I threw on my other arm. A long military-style trench with the signature oversize Marc Jacobs buttons topped it all off.
"You're joking," I said softly, fondling a pair of Dior sunglasses he'd apparently thrown in as an afterthought. "You've got to be kidding."

Thus, begins her love affair with fashion! I am particularly drawn to the book, because Andrea is a normal girl. She worked hard in college and now is thrown into this materialistic, fashionista world, surrounded by models and "fake" people. But, Andrea holds out as long as she can, not giving in to the hype. Okay, so we all saw the movie, but really, the book is an entity all it's own. Andrea's character is so much more down-to-earth and likable in the book. Miranda Priestly does not overpower the scenes, it's all about Andrea trying to please her, to do her job. Yes, she hates her, but the light at the end of the tunnel is the New Yorker. So, as I read on, I can't help but feel a dreaded outcome . . . will she last the year? Will Miranda actually make the call for her to the New Yorker?? I must continue reading!

Speaking of bags of goodies, my friend Saundra is hosting her very first giveaway! Love Pampered Chef? Well, head on over to her blog and enter! You MUST read about the bag of loot she is offering, amazing! I feel an Andrea-moment coming on . . .
An Italian Mamma Gone Crazy or click on her button to the right!

And now for a little beach fashion news:

Hurley and Bar Refaeli (THE swimsuit cover model/designer for this year's SI Swimsuit Edition) teamed up to design The Little Black Bikini which debuts today at hurley.com/lbb. I don't know about you, but I promised a LONG time ago, that I would NEVER wear a bikini! If you are one of the, oh, let's say, 200 SoCal ladies who CAN pull this off I say "Go for it!" (as I secretly hate you . . . JK, I don't hate you, I just "hate" you) The Little Black Bikini is a limited edition piece retailing for $120.00. And by June 2, it will be available at select Victoria Secrets stores.

Which brings me to this: PANIC!
TMI alert --- in the past three years, I have gained about, oh lets say, 20 pounds!!?? Give or take a few, okay, give a few more . . . my point is, how in the heck am I gonna be in beach mode with this gut? Salad-city, here I come! I am totally living at allrecipes.com under the Healthy Cooking button, what else can I do? I will stock up on V8 juice and swear off Corona's (for a while). I will speed walk my treadmill EVERY DAY! I will cut out and paste the cutesy, Little Black Bikini right on the fridge door -- THIS is what all those little blonde girls will be wearing at the beach, lady! I can at least lose 10 pounds so as to not embarrass my kids! It's me or the moo-moo, which I'm sure is very flattering, for some people, but not for me. I will channel my Gidget-self, spend hours on the treadmill watching reruns of the adorable Sally Fields -- who still has an awesome girly figure, BTW -- and then sip my V8 as I read. And I musn't forget my Hungry Girl cookbooks! I will LIVE in the salad section, I'm telling you! BTW, Keep Reading!

Why is this so difficult?

Who would have known that naming a blog would be so difficult? The names I wanted are "taken" and yet the owners have not updated in over a year! I want to write about two things I love, books and the beach (obvious Chick Lit link, right?) Naturally, I will post about Books for the Beach, a blog taken and not upated since 2008. I am a devout Beach Reader, name taken with ONE post in 2005. Then, I thought of my admiration for Gidget, the girl who is all things beachy. So, I tried Gidget Reads . . . and did a little research on the "real" Gidget, Kathy Kohner Zuckerman. That got me a little "scured," will she try and sue me if I use it in my blog address? So, I changed it again. All this time, I'm hoping that it is not screwing up -- I mean messing up -- anything in my posts. If you follow me, I have changed/edited the blog name and address at least 8 times since yesterday!!! I knowwww . . . who would have thought it would be so difficult. And I STILL want Gidget Reads as my address . . . any ideas from all you seasoned bloggers out there? What's a girl to do?


Lonely as the birds on the beach in wintertime, who am I in this great big blog world?