If any of you are like me, the prospect of getting rid of any of your books is scary and unwanted. It doesn’t help that I’ve always dreamed of having my very own personal library. Every book I give away seems to chisel away at that dream. Not to mention my lack of riches. You know, the riches that would buy the kind of space needed to house a personal library.

As it so happens, I just moved in with a friend and the space I have for books just got even smaller. I was suddenly faced with reducing my book collection (somewhere between 700 to 900 books, based on my Goodreads account) by a substantial amount. It was… Well, I still don’t like to think about it. But I’ll give you a tip. Do your book purges when you’re tired and only have a limited amount of time to get it done. I was a lot less likely to 1) start re-reading books as I went and 2) be sentimental. Not that there isn’t a place for sentimentality in a purge but, in the past, I’ve hung onto books for the weakest of reasons. This time my exhaustion made it easy to ignore that little voice inside urging me to KEEP THEM ALL.

In the end, I had two full bookcases marked to go. Eep! I’ll be honest, this is where I’ve faltered in the past. If I don’t get them out of the house fast enough, I break down and put a good portion of them back on my shelves. Good thing this time they had no opportunity to talk me into keeping them. The day after I finished sorting through them all, I had a big yard sale which included the books. At that point I was more interested in lightening the load we had to lug around town to different donation centers than making any money, so we put out big bags and offered to let people fill a bag with as many books as they fit for $2.

The book corner at my yard sale.

Note: This is a pretty awesome idea and I recommend it if you’re having a yard sale and mostly just want to clear house. Unfortunately, it wasn’t all that successful in this case. That or I just had too many books. Either way, the day went fast and the book pile never seemed to get significantly smaller.

Right after we set up shop, one of my neighbors wandered up the driveway with one of those folding portable grocery carts. It was Community Yard Sale weekend and she was making the rounds. She got very excited about the book pile. My friend (the one I moved in with), Mo, told her to not to worry about a bag, “Go ahead and fill your cart with as many as you want!” Neighbor Lady was dismayed and insisted she use a bag. Despite our reassurances that we didn’t mind, she felt like she’d be robbing us. Ha!

Eventually she filled her bag and headed off down the street, thanking us profusely as she went and promising to return later. When we saw her on her return trek, not long after, Mo told her to come back at noon when we’d be closing up and she’d be welcome to fill her cart with as many books as she could fit.

Meanwhile, as I said, book sales didn’t go so well. Pretty much everything else of value disappeared before noon but not those damn books. (Yes, I loved them and it was hard to give them up but at that point I was just dreading having to box them all back up and lug them across town to the library. Books are heavy. Damn books.)

But shortly before noon there she was, trekking down the street in our direction. She was extremely appreciative and as she pawed through the books she kept stopping to make sure it was really OK, “Are you sure? I’ve got a lot of books here!” “Yes, I’m positive.” “Are you REALLY sure?” “Really, really sure. I’m just happy someone else will get some enjoyment out of them. I promise!” And so it continued from there. Every few minutes she’d stop and ask again.

People came and went while she continued to pile books into her grocery cart. At one point Mo rearranged the books in the cart to free up some space for her making us all laugh. But finally she had filled it up and was once again thanking us profusely. It was at this point she insisted we all give her our attention.

You see, it turns out she’s had a very bad year. First her husband died, which was horrible but not terribly unexpected given their age. But then her (22 year old!) daughter had gotten cancer and died as well. Yes, a very bad year. She talked about how hard it’s been to adjust to life without them. How you aren’t supposed to outlive your children. How expensive things like that can be. And how hard it is to escape all of that.

But now? Reading these books will help give her a little escape, a way to occupy her mind with something other than what she’s lost. So, when she said she was grateful to us and went on and on about how much it meant to her, she really meant it. We had given her something to look forward to at a time when she doesn’t have much of that. Then she gave both Mo and I big hugs and, as we fought off tears, she trudged off down the road pulling her cart o’ books.

Books comfort me in a way few other things do. Even the ones I don’t love as much as others are hard to lose. But if you have to get rid of books? Knowing they’re giving someone else pleasure and an escape she so desperately needs? Not a bad way to say goodbye.

A couple weeks ago I had a sudden desire to reread a couple of my favorite regency romances. No matter how often I read them, I’m always amazed how much they entertain me. You’d think a story you know by heart wouldn’t still elicit the same chuckles and tears it did as when you first read it. But they do.

The one problem? I got these books from what I like to call my grandmother’s pantry of books – she had what, to a young girl, seemed like shelves and shelves of books from ceiling to floor in her “extra” pantry area – years and years ago. They’ve made each move with me and I’ve read them over and over again. They’re not in the best shape. Most of them are held together by layers of tape along the binding both on the outside and inside the book. Almost all have loose pages here and there (with one or two coming loose with each new reading) not to mention the pages that are actually disintegrating. In one of them only one tiny piece of the last paragraph is still legible. Luckily I’ve read it so much I don’t actually need the page to read the words anymore.

Well, with this last reading, I decided it was time to search down “new” copies of the books before they turned to dust in my hands. I’ve found most of them through various web sites… Only after I ordered physical copies of most of them, I also found two of my favorites in e-book form on Regency Reads! I, like most ardent readers, like having a physical copy of my favorite books. It’s not even about holding it and smelling it and whatever weird fetishes we readers have. For me it’s the smile it brings on my face to look across the room and catch sight of it on my bookshelf. The sense of re-discovery I get every time I pick it up again. There’s nothing that beats that feeling.

BUT. Holding a book that’s falling apart as I read it has also made me realize how good it feels to buy an e-book version of that book and know that I’ve got a pretty reliable backup of my one of my favorites. And, oddly enough, it’s also a way for me to give a little money to an author who has entertained me countless times over the years. Like I said, these books are family hand-me-downs. Yes, the author got money for the book sale at one point, but whatever portion of that $1.75 she got back in the day can’t possibly be enough for the joy I’ve gotten in return.

So, after re-buying new physical copies of the books, I bought copies of the e-book versions too! And more. There’s something about the way Maggie MacKeever tells a Regency story that just clicks for me. I don’t know why I never thought to seek out her other books before now but, man, I’ve been eating them up ever since I found Regency Reads!

And I can’t wait to try some of the other books offered on the site. The great thing is they’ve got the e-books in PDF, MSReader, Mobipocket, ePub, Palm, HTML, Word, RTF, Rocket, and Hiebook. Pretty much any format you might need depending on what eReader you have (or if you’re just reading on your computer). Plus they’ve got two samplers so you can get a little taste of all the various authors who have e-books available on the site. And most of the books themselves have a sample available so you still have a chance to try before you buy. Most are priced at $5 with some only costing $3 (seems to be determined by the length) which is certainly less than I pay for most of the romances I typically buy.

If you’re looking for a place to find good e-book regency romances,
check out Regency Reads!

I started participating in Read To Me Tuesday last week on Tumblr. Since I enjoyed it, I’ve decided to make it a regular thing… at least until I run out of good passages to read. And it only made sense to post my readings here as well. Think of it as a little Storytime with Rae to start out your Tuesdays.

Today’s reading is Chapter 3 from MaryJanice Davidson’s Undead and Unwed:

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

PS: Let me know if you enjoy it and think I should continue with it. And if you have a suggestion for something I should read, share in the comments!

Whew! I made it. So happy that I actually kept up with my list of 2009 books thanks to this site and Jody and Goodreads. 170 books isn’t bad, right? I think I would have had more had I not slowed down the past few months.

I’m going to try and bump it up to 200 books in 2010. Let’s see if I can do it! I suspect giving myself a Kindle for Christmas is probably a good first step. The ease with which I can get books now is a little scary, I’m kind of afraid for my wallet.

As usual, if there are any books on the list that you’d like me to review, let me know in the comments. (Look for reviews of a few from the end of December in the next few weeks.)

(December)
170. Life’s That Way: A Memoir by Jim Beaver   Dec 30
169. Believe by Victoria Alexander   Dec 29
168. To Desire A Devil (Legend of the Four Soldiers, #4) by Elizabeth Hoyt   Dec 27
167. A Local Habitation (October Daye, #2) by Seanan McGuire   Dec 26
166. Born of Ice (The League, #3) by Sherrilyn Kenyon   Dec 26
165. Frostbitten (Women of the Otherworld, #10) by Kelley Armstrong   Dec 25
164. The Ultimate Gift by Jim Stovall   Dec 13
163. The Man Who Invented Christmas by Les Standiford   Dec 09
162. The Christmas Box Evans, Richard Paul   Dec 06
161. Zombie Blondes by Brian James   Dec 04
160. Specials (Uglies, #3) by Scott Westerfeld   Dec 01

Continue reading for the rest of the list.

The Ultimate Gift
by Jim Stovall

I finished this book last weekend. And, while Christmas preparations kept me busy the last few days, that’s not why it’s taken me so long to write this review. It’s that I was disappointed. The librarian who recommended the book to me so was so enthusiastic with her praise. As a result, I expected so much more than I got.

I got teary a few times so the book’s got something. It’s just not a lot. Or rather, I can see exactly how they got a TV movie out of it. It’s the perfect outline for a script. But, as a book, it did – and pardon me for dragging this saying out – too much telling, not enough showing.

In the story, Jason Stevens the spoiled great-nephew of newly deceased billionaire Red Stevens finds out he must complete a year’s worth of tasks in order to collect his inheritance. With each task that he completes, Jason finds his view of the world challenged and his attitude towards those around him changing. Though he’s tempted to give up several times, he keeps pushing so that he can finish the year and receive The Ultimate Gift.

Sounds good, right? The inside flap on the front of the book invites us to, “Join Jason on the Journey of a Lifetime!” More like join the narrator (not Jason, FYI) as he wonders how Jason is doing on the journey of a lifetime but has to wait until Jason returns every month to fill us in on what happened. It’s frustrating, to say the least, that we never actually get to see any of Jason’s journey. The book certainly wouldn’t be as short if the author had fleshed it out and actually followed Jason instead of Red’s lawyer but it would be a lot more interesting.

Like I said, I did tear up over the things Jason learns and I like the overall message of the book. I don’t doubt that Jim Stovall is a good motivational speaker. I suspect his non-fiction books are probably outstanding. That said, I’d think twice about picking up another of his fictions. In fact, there’s a sequel to this book called The Ultimate Life but, since it appears to be told in the same manner as The Ultimate Gift, I think I’ll pass.

I will say this, there are a lot of people who really, really love this book. So, while I’m not ever going to recommend it to anyone, I do think those who were already interested in it reading it should give it a try. It’s a fast read and the overall message is worth remembering. And if you check it out from the library, you always have the option of buying it later if you end up loving it as much as my librarian did.

The Man Who Invented Christmas: How Charles Dickens’s A Christmas Carol Rescued His Career and Revived Our Holiday Spirits
by Les Standiford

“Celebrating Christmas without some reference to A Christmas Carol seems impossible, a remarkable fact given that the book was published more than 150 years ago. Indeed, the resonance of the story has remained so strong through the generations that commentators have referred to Dickens as the man who invented Christmas.”

I first found The Man Who Invented Christmas: How Charles Dickens’s A Christmas Carol Rescued His Career and Revived Our Holiday Spirits last year as I was wandering through Barnes and Noble randomly picking titles off shelves. I was intrigued by the title and I skimmed through a few pages. But I already had way too many books in my pile for someone who still had a lot of Christmas shopping left to do. Which is why the Christmas Reading Challenge seemed like the perfect reason to seek it out again.

The book is very interesting but the title is misleading and I found myself disappointed it didn’t spend more time focused on how A Christmas Carol “revived our holiday spirits.” The author certainly convinced me Dickens’s Carol played an important part in the revival but, based on the title of the book, I expected it to have a much more significant role.

Nonetheless, I enjoyed it. It’s not a light read. The author is from academia and though he notes at the end of the book that he didn’t indeed it as a formal work of scholarship, I think you can take the man out of academia but you can’t take the academia out of the man. So, while he may not have intended it as a work of scholarship, some of the writing is still more formal than informal. That combined with pieces that he was quoting from Dickens and his contemporaries, made some passages of the book a little challenging. I come from an English background and I still found myself reading portions of the book out loud so I could understand the point being made.

Continue reading for more of my thoughts on The Man Who Invented Christmas.

The Christmas Box
by Richard Paul Evans

Like Jody, I’m participating in the Christmas Reading Challenge and The Christmas Box marks the first of my three books. Coming in at 125 pages (give or take, depending on your publication version), this is a very quick read and very enjoyable. I wasn’t quite as blown away by it as I expected based on what I’d heard but it’s definitely a heart-warming tale about a parent’s love for his child and taking time to appreciate what you have.

The book opens with a young family exchanging their cramped residence for the mansion of a wealthy widow who desires companionship more than she actually needs the young couple to cook for her. Our narrator, the husband, works long hours making his new business a success. But it doesn’t take long for the family to bond with Mary, the widow, and grow close to her, especially as they share the joys of the holidays. By the story’s end, Mary has taught the young family about the first gift of Christmas and the importance of the season.

Like I said, I really enjoyed this short story. The shortness, however, is exactly why I didn’t find it nearly as touching as I expected. I just didn’t have time to get emotionally connected to these characters so, while I could appreciate the story, I felt almost detached from it. Although I do think parents are more likely to feel the deeper connection I was missing. If I ever have children, I’ll have to read it again and see if my perspective changes.

I have a confession. Until I read more about the book on his site, I believed Richard Paul Evans was sharing a story from his life. His wife’s name is the same as the wife in the story, Keri, as is his daughter’s, Jenna. I can’t remember if that info was in the included little author bio or not but, given the narrator is male and never identifies himself, it felt like Evans was telling the story himself. Especially since there’s a note at the end of the book about the actual statue included in the story. All these things combined gave the story an air of non-fiction.

Not that it changes the effect of the story but I had to admit I felt quite silly when I did a little more research and discovered the truth. Evans did originally write the story as an expression of love for his children and only ever intended it for family and friends. I imagine that’s why he chose those names and, indeed, wanted it to feel like he was the one telling the story. In a way, knowing that gives the book a little extra special meaning.

If you’ve never read The Christmas Box and are looking for a quickly holiday read this season, I suggest you give it a try. Especially if you’re a parent!

Rosemary and Rue
by Seanan McGuire

I wasn’t quite sure what to expect when Rae asked me to review a book written by a friend of hers. Of course I trust Rae’s opinion completely, but as she mentioned in her review of Rosemary and Rue by new author Seanan McGuire, it’s hard not to be biased when the author is a good friend of yours. So it was with a small amount of trepidation that I started in on Rosemary and Rue. After finishing it in a mere 2-1/2 days, I am happy to report that Rae wasn’t just being a good friend, and Rosemary and Rue is indeed a fantastic read!

The story takes place in San Francisco, but is set in the world of faerie, and tells the story of half-human, half-Fae Toby (October) Daye. Toby has been doing her best to live a solitary human-life, but a murder and a binding spell force her to return to the world of Faerie.  Literally unable to do anything but, Toby begins a hunt for the truth about the murder, but uncovers much more than she bargained for along the way. A twist at the end of the first chapter had me hooked, and from there I couldn’t wait to find out what was going to happen to Toby as she worked to uncover the killer.  And since Toby is actually racing against time in her quest to solve the murder, the story never slows.

As someone new to the world of Faerie, I was somewhat confused by all the various beings and races in the story, although I suspect that if I were already familiar to this world, this wouldn’t have been the case. Which leads me to the one thing I felt was missing from this book, which is a glossary. There is a handy pronunciation guide, but I for one would find a Faerie Dictionary a much more useful tool. But that’s just a wish from a Faerie newbie and has nothing to do with the actual story.  Which, as I mentioned is great.

Seanan has created a rich and layered world that exists right along side of our own, and is populated with truly fascinating characters.  Toby is smart, strong and brave, but she’s also the type of character that you can’t help but thinking “I want to be friends with this girl”. On the surface, Rosemary and Rue is a supernatural mystery, but it’s also a story filled with heart that touches on issues that many of us struggle with in our daily lives.  I believe anyone who enjoys a well written, riveting supernatural tale will thoroughly enjoy Rosemary and Rue.

Demons Not Included: A Night Tracker Novel
by Cheyenne McCray

I had numerous problems with this book. The entire time I was reading it (it took me several days — almost unheard of for me — because I had to force myself to finish it), I kept wondering why I was keeping with it. I’d have been happier if I had just put it down but I spent the money so I was determined to try and like it.

Didn’t happen. The characters and the world in which they exist lacked any real depth. Even the protagonist was a bit of a Mary Sue. I couldn’t connect with any of them. I got sick of the author trying to convince me someone was quirky and fun just because of the clothes she wore.

I read a lot of these type of books so I don’t actually mind if the book is predictable. However, if I figure out where you’re headed within the first few chapters and it takes the protagonist the entire book to put two and two together? That’s just bad. I spent the entire book being annoyed she’s supposed to be this great paranormal PI and she couldn’t put the simplest of clues together. At least make her suspicious! Even if she can’t prove it to anyone else. That would stop the reader from having to buy that this is a tough mystery to solve.

So, yeah, I wasn’t a fan. I think I’ll be passing on any additional Night Tracker books.

In the past week and a half, I have completely re-read Janet Evanovich’s Stephanie Plum series. I had forgotten just how much I love these books. They are just so much fun. It sounds ridiculous but I love them so much I almost want to re-read them again. Now. Instead I’ll bide my time for the next two weeks until the newest book in the series, Finger Lickin’ Fifteen (pictured), comes out.

If you’ve never read these books, you owe it to yourself to check them out. One of the things I re-discovered in this re-read, is how much I love reading certain passages out loud. Granted I like reading pretty much any book out loud but well-written books like these that often make you laugh at loud just make it all the better. Take the following passage from One for the Money. I loved it so much I read it out loud to myself multiple times and then I brought it into the office and read it to one of my co-workers. See if you enjoy it as much as I did.

This first piece is just to set up what’s happening, another bounty hunter is “commandeering” Steph’s car… which she “commandeered” from Joe Morelli:

“Christ, Beyers, you can’t just come into a lot and take someone’s car! That’s stealing. You’re a goddamn car thief.”

“So?”

“Where’d you get the keys?”

“Same place you did. Morelli’s apartment. He had an extra set on his dresser.”

“You won’t get away with this.”

“What are you gonna do, call the police?”

“God will get you for this.”

“Fuck God,” Beyers said, sliding behind the wheel, taking time to adjust the seat and fiddle with the radio.

Arrogant bastard, I thought. Not only is he stealing the damn car, but he’s sitting there flaunting his ability to take it. I grabbed my defense spray and bolted out the door and down the stairs. I was barefoot, wearing a Mickey Mouse nightshirt and a pair of Jockey string bikinis, and I could have cared less.

I was through the back door with my foot on the pavement when I saw Beyers turn the key and step on the accelerator. A split second later, the car exploded with a deafening blast, sending doors flying off into space like Frisbees. Flames licked up from the undercarriage and instantly consumed the Cherokee, turning it into a brilliant yellow fireball.

(Evanovich, One for the Money, 1994, chap 12, page 256)

Two pages later, the police and other emergency vehicles have arrived. One of the cops, Dorsey, sees Steph and comes over to talk to her. She explains about Morty and the car:

I figured I’d embellish the truth a little, since the police might not be up on the finer points of bounty hunterism and might not understand about commandeering. “It’s like this,” I said. “I went to see Morelli’s mother, and she was very upset that no one was running Joe’s car. You know how bad it is for the battery to let a car sit. Well one thing led to another and the next thing I’d agreed to drive the car around for her.”

“So you’ve been driving Morelli’s car as a favor to his mother?”

“Yes. He’d asked her to take care of it, but she didn’t have time.”

“Very noble of you.”

“I’m a noble person.”

“Go on.”

So I did. I explained about Beyer’s wife leaving him, and about how he tried to steal the car, and how he made the mistake of saying “fuck God,” and then the car blew up.

“You think God got pissed off and fried Beyers?”

“That would be one theory.”

(Evanovich, One for the Money, 1994, chap 12, pages 259-260)

Ha! Love it. I always forget she’s going to bring up the “Fuck God,” and it never fails to crack me up.

The other reminder re-reading served was how much I’d love to see these characters on my TV screen. I don’t often try to imagine something I’m reading in a different format. But every so often a set of characters is so great, I can’t help but wonder what they’d be like if brought to life in 3-D.

I don’t know if we’ll ever see it. Mostly because TriStar bought the rights to the first book before it even hit the shelves and we still haven’t seen anything come of it. Janet’s FAQ says that a script has been in the works for years and that surely can’t be good. Of course, I think the reason they can’t get a good script out of this is probably because it’s a much better first for the small screen instead. I’m sure TriStar owning the rights probably mucks up the works of that ever happening. Damn it!

As is typical whenever Jody and I get on the topic of Stephanie Plum, we start talking about who we’d like to see cast as these characters. And! When I twittered about finishing my re-read, @Cinematt01 asked me about the same thing! Funny how that works, eh?

While in the past I agreed with Jody that Lauren Graham would make a great Stephanie, now I wonder if she’s almost a little too “pretty” for the role. Which is probably ridiculous. She would be great at capturing Steph’s voice though. Take the passage above, Lauren would definitely be able to pull that off and have you rolling. (An aside: Janet’s latest poll about who should play Stephanie Plum if the movie were to be made has Lauren listed! Most people think Sandra Bullock is better suited to the roll, though, and I can see that. Except, and it pains me to say this, she’s a little old for the roll at this point.)

It’s a little tougher for me to cast the guys. In fact, I need to think on it some more. While I’m thinking, I thought I’d throw it out there for you guys. If we made the Stephanie Plum series into a TV show, who would you cast as your favorite characters?

PS: Don’t forget that you can still enter the Name the Book contest for Book #16!