What Am I Reading?

My life is not all cams -- pandas and the world of explore.org. I somehow still squeeze in reading, finishing a book or 3 a week.

I've caught up on my must-read authors: Sherrilyn Kenyon, J.D. Robb, J. Kenner, Lexi Blake, Shayla Black, Maya Banks, Lauren Dane and several others.

Good Reads

It was a week with a few of my favorite authors.

When was the last time you read a story by Johanna Lindsey? It's been quite sometime since I read a "historical" romance. I think I've been reading too many paranormal and "erotic" romances. I had a great time visiting with Johanna again as she spun her tale -- WHEN PASSION RULES. It's about a princess who was stolen when she was just a babe, trying to take her rightful place in a fictious monarchy and her budding romance with her knight in uniform. No, there were no Mallories in this story. It's a totally standalone story.

After Johanna, I moved into the present. I spent some time with Catherine Coulter's Dillon and Sherlock -- SPLIT SECOND. I always like catching up with them, their son, Max and their top-notch team of agents. I think Dillon was playing matchmaker as the fuse between Lucy and Cooper slowly got lit. The novel had three cases for these agents to handle -- venti, grande and tall (never understood why Starbucks couldn't stick with Large, Medium, Regular/Small). For the main case, Catherine created a killer that was related to a famous dead real-life serial killer. Who knew this infamous killer had a progeny? It was fun riding along. Find out how Lucy ensures we can continue to spend time with Dillon in future books -- keeping my fingers that Catherine Coulter continues this series.


I just finished the 2nd book of Iris Johansen's Eve Duncan trilogy -- QUINN. Iris has been writing about Eve, Bonnie and Joe for many years. Eve developed a unique talent. When a skull is found and there's no matching DNA to tell who it is, Eve can build up a face from the skull. Iris is wrapping this series up with the final three books -- the three main characters that span all the books: Eve, Joe Quinn and Eve's daughter Bonnie. I guess I should have waited until BONNIE comes out (Oct 2011) before reading EVE (several months ago) and QUINN. Both EVE and QUINN end with cliff hangers. I couldn't help myself. It was out, and I had to read it. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that we get a great ending with BONNIE. It's good that I have a ton of books I can read while waiting for it. Wonder what Iris is going to do after this? Will she continue to write with her son? Those are good reads, too.

What books have you read in the last week or two?

Android Nook & Kindle

As I do have books at the Nook and the Kindle, I downloaded the apps for my Android phone.

Nook by Barnes & Noble

It's not very intuitive for turning pages since I got use to using FBReader and iReader. It would be ideal if it used the Volume/Ringer Up and Down and the track ball to assist in turning the pages. I needed to swipe right to left turn to next page and the other way to go backwards. Tapping works but not consistently.

The formatting of the books are inconsistent. I opened one book where on some pages it was single spaced and other pages are double spaced. What's up with that. In another book, you see light line borders around the paragraphs. Not all links work. Not all books have chapter links.

You do get NOOK FOR ANDROID QUICK START GUIDE. I thought it might quickly tell me how to navigate around a book. It does not tell you anything. It's promotional thing.

This program needs a lot more work before I might use it.

Kindle by Amazon

The page turning controls are the same as the Nook. At least the problems I found with the Nook do not exist with Kindle for Android -- formatting and chapters links.

It's good that Amazon kept the functionality of Kindle for the PC, iPad and Android consistent.

Thumbs up for Amazon.

One of these days, I'll do a quick review of Borders ereader app. Hopefully, the program stays around as the store fronts are slowly disappearing.

Bottomline for me... I'll be converting my books to a consistent format using Calibre and find that one ereader app that I like. I'm still playing with the apps. It may be a different app depending on the platform -- pc, iPad, Android. It will not be Nook or Kindle as they don't like books from other sources.

Count Me In for the "No DRM" Camp

I never had problems with DRM (Digital Rights Management) ebooks.

I've been reading ebooks since 2005 when a co-worker showed me her Treo. I had a Sony Clie then, and they both had the same operating system -- Palm OS. 5 years of reading ebooks with no problem.

I started worrying when Palm decided to come out with a new operating system in 2009. Palm said new OS will still run old programs. This did not sound good. Hopefully, Palm or its software developers would come up with something better as I would not be changing my device for another year.

It's a year later. Palm is not doing good. It was being trounced by iPhone and new Android devices. Latest scoop, Palm has been acquired by HP. Who knows what's going to happen? No worries, I've jumped Palm ship. Instead of trusting Palm, I was hoping the owners of eReader and Mobipocket would come through with software on the Android platform. iPhone is not in my future because of carrier and poor NYC service area.

What really pushed me to not become a fan of DRM was the acquisition of an iPad last month. Yes, I wrote that I was not going to get one, but I have one. Since I had over 600 ebooks that were DRMed eReader (.pdb) and Mobipocket (.prc), I wanted the ability to read them on the iPad. I had to de-DRM the books in order to convert them into another format that could be used on the iPad.

After the iPad acquisition, I got a new phone -- an Android one. Mobipocket did not come through on Android. eReader did. Regardless of these two vendors, I was able to find a reader software that enabled me to read my DRM books -- iReader. I'll still be testing other software until I find one that I'm totally happy with.

Another ebook headache -- I've not been able to buy any books from my preferred vendor, Fictionwise. They are waiting for their distributor, Ingram, to iron out the agency-model pricing with the publishing houses. There goes the idea of acquiring books from a single place as I've not been able to buy a book for two months nor download some of my purchased books. In the meantime, I'm buying from other vendors. I still need to read and am no longer purchasing physical books.

Regardless, the books I buy belong to me. I do not want to be locked down on which device or format I'll be reading my books. Nor do I want a vendor to control where I get my books and where I can read them either. I'll be de-DRMing all my books so I can convert them into any format to read on any device I want.

This customer is QUEEN!

My new adventure is working with Calibre, library management software, to load and convert my ebooks that are constantly growing. I also need to figure out what device has what :)

iPad as an Ebook Reader

I was waiting for reviews about iPad, especially as an ebook reader device. After reading what these folks have to say, iPad will not be in my future.

Will Apple's iBookstore be Publishing's Waterloo
The iPad: A Hella Long Journal and Review
10 hours with the iPad: Why the iPad Is Not a Kindle Killer

I'm happy with the equipment I have now. The iPad, Kindle, Nook or Sony eReader does not offer me anything I need beyond what I have now. As I like traveling real light, my Palm Centro is my ebook reader device of choice. I am currently researching a possible replacement for the Palm Centro as there are new phone choices out there.

What are your thoughts about the iPad? Is it in your future?

Movie Marathon

It's been a wonderful weekend. The house was all mine. I don't get the place to myself very often. I decided it was going to be movie weekend. I also had a hankering for fish filet since I saw the commercial last month and the promotion was going to end on Sunday.

I started my movie marathon not with a movie but a series I needed to finish as I've kept my friend's DVDs long enough. I finished Dexter Season 1 two months ago. I cut work early on Friday and plopped Dexter Season 2 into the player. I stopped about 4am at Season 3 disk one after 3 episodes.

I didn't ask for one, but my brother gave me a wake up call at 10:30am. As it was a bit too early for filet of fish, I cleaned my bedroom a bit and a quick vacuum, an hour's worth.

Destination: McDonald's for two Filet of Fish and a large chocolate milkshake. Yummmmm.I don't know why, but I should get out of the house more often. It was warm enough for me to drive with the windows down and I was only in a t-shirt. I loved my drive to McDonald's. The roofers were banging away on some of the roofs in my section. I guess others had leaks besides moi. Kids were out. Walkers were walking. Dog walkers were following their dogs. Golfers walking the many greens in the neighborhood. Forsythias, everywhere, were a beautiful yellow. I even saw daffodils here and there. Soon, the landscaper will be putting blooms around the section markers. Spring is surely here!

After yummm lunch, I continued my Saturday movie marathon finishing up Dexter Season 3, 2012 and Precious. I got an early night -- 2 am :)

8:30am Sunday. Why am I up this early? I thought I would take a bathroom break and jump back into bed. Not. I headed out to McDonald's and got me a Egg McMuffin, Hash Brown and coffee :)

I wanted to continue my movie marathon, but my DVD player did not want to work. Instead I hopped on the internet to catch up on the past two days. I also put in a load of laundry which was created from my quick cleaning yesterday. Idiot me finally figured out what's wrong with the DVD player. In computerese, I had a picnic -- problem in chair not in computer. I needed to hit the "PLAY" button; I took for granted the autoplay of a new disk. Woot! Next up was Hurt Locker, Law Abiding Citizen, Where the Wild Things Are, and New Moon (background movie really while doing other stuff).

Since my sis was not here, I had to water the plants, take care of the recycling/garbage and wash the dishes in the sink.

I didn't just watch the boob tube all weekend. Alexis Morgan's DEFEAT THE DARKNESS and Joss Whelan's BEYOND THE NIGHT kept me company during movie breaks. Hopefully, I'll finish these books this week. I did find a craft project that I could do while watching my movies. Just need to sew a seam to complete it. It could possibly be the first project I completed in I don't know how many years.

Movie recap...

Dexter: I'll have to place a Netflix order to catch up on the rest of the Dexter seasons. No, I do not subscribe to the premium movie stations.

2012: Do you think the heads of states have a plan for Dec 21, 2012?

Precious: YOU decide what you want to make of your life. Go, Precious! I might look for Sapphire's PUSH next time I'm at the library.

Hurt Locker: Don't know why we're still over there if we're not wanted.

Law Abiding Citizen: I knew Gerard Butler was in the movie but did not know he was the "bad" guy. He plays a good one.

Ninja Assassin: All that flying blood and body parts.

Where the Wild Things Are: Imaginary friends can help you figure things out. I'm going to do a quick read of this next time I'm at the library or bookstore.

New Moon: The wolves have better bods than the vamps. Alice: "As soon as you put the dog out." Did you ever noticed that Bella never really looks at Edward when she talks to him, especially the scene where she stops Edward?

Shiloh Walker's Upcoming Release - BROKEN

Author of The Hunter series, Shiloh Walker has a new book coming out next week, Tuesday, March 2, 2010.

BROKEN

Shattered

Quinn Rafferty is working as a bounty hunter and bail bondsman in St. Louis when a new neighbor catches his eye. He’s tempted by her beauty—but he knows from experience that anyone desperate enough to live in his building is damaged goods. Besides, he has his own soul to mend before he can worry about anyone else.

Desperate

Sara Davis is on the run, but not for the usual reasons a woman goes on the lam. She’s not an abused wife, and she’s not a criminal. But she does have a plan for her future. And as much as she finds herself attracted to her gruff, tough neighbor, she can’t risk telling him the secrets she’s hiding. There’s just too much at stake.

Driven to desire…

But Quinn must get closer to Sara when she turns out to be the target of his new missing persons case, and he discovers that there is something more complex and dangerous to her than he thought. Now, both Quinn and Sara will have to expose their true feelings—as well as their fragile hearts—if they hope their love will survive…


EXCERPT

He opened the door—

And stopped dead in his tracks as somebody all but fell into his arms. Somebody…a woman. And not Theresa.

He caught her just above her elbows, automatically steadying her.

“I’m sorry,” she said, her voice soft and low.

Then she lifted her face and Quinn found himself gazing into the biggest, brownest eyes he’d ever seen in his life. Feeling a little dazed, he studied her face while she stammered out another apology.

Quinn barely heard it.

He was too busy staring at her mouth. A very pretty mouth, a cupid’s bow mouth slicked with deep, vibrant red. Under his hands, he could feel silken smooth skin and unable to resist, he stroked a thumb along her inner arm.

Her skin was soft, soft and warm. He was also pretty sure she had the creamiest, most flawless skin imaginable. Her shoulder-length hair was a shade caught between blonde and brown, nondescript, but for some reason, he found himself thinking about tangling his fingers in that hair and holding her head still while he kissed that red-slicked mouth.

Well, hello…

Read the rest of the excerpt here…

Did you get enough? No? Shiloh has been offering snippets here:
Broken... Random Snippet #1
Broken... Random Snippet #2
Broken... Random Snippet #3
Broken... Random Snippet #4
Broken... Random Snippet #5
Broken... Random Snippet #6

Go buy the book by March 6 and you could win a Nook. For details, go here. Good Luck!

Borders

No, that the geographical ones, but my favorite bookstore.

Why? They have a frequent buyer program which does not cost you anything to join. They are good in sending discount coupons, nearly weekly, to members. If you spend $150.00, they will send you a $5 off coupon for your next purchase.

But this is not why I'm blogging.

Ever since I started buying ebooks, I've not step foot into my local Borders. I had to go this time because I knew I could not get the Dark-Hunter Manga as an ebook.

I parked and opened the first door. I saw a discounted dinosaur book which is a great gift for my nephew's upcoming birthday. As I stepped further into the store, past the front where they always do the promo for the new stuff, nothing was the same. They have reconfigured the central shelves layout. Now I have to relearn my local store. It was like visiting an out-of-town Borders. All the categories and stacks got moved around. They are no longer rows and rows of shelves. Borders created a square-like area for these sections -- Young Adults, Mystery, Sci-Fi, Romance, Graphic/Manga. Teens must really be reading now given Harry Potter and Twilight. I've never such a prominent area for Young Adults.

Instead of recommendations in each section, maybe they are still there but I did not notice, they had a wired display like this. If you don't know True Blood based on the Sookie Stackhouse series by Charlaine Harris is the biggest buzz since Twilight. I will admit I tried one of her books. It was not my cup of tea or I was not in the mood for it and never tried again. Don't get me wrong, I'm a big paranormal fan. I've read majority of the books or have them on my TBR that are on that display. Though I don't get what Janet Evanovich Plum series is doing here.

Some square areas had weird end caps. Like J.R. Ward's series was an end cap in the Mystery section. I wondered if they moved her to this section as the hard-core romance community did not like the direction her books were taking -- more urban fantasy than romance. So I check the Mystery shelves for her books. Nope, not there. I went to the Romance section to see if she was still there. I only found one.

I read somewhere that Borders has decided to order less stock from the publishers. This way it's less inventory that would need to be returned to the publisher or gets discounted. I think it's true. I generally help out, unpaid, by restocking when I see the holes in the shelves. I would find the books hidden behind what's displayed. There were none to be found. I think all of J.R. Ward's stock was on the floor. All of Sherrilyn Kenyon's was also front and center. Nor any for Christine Feehan.

What changes have you seen in your local bookstore to whet your appetite to buy more books? Or have you gone almost electronic book, like me, or the audio route -- you know downloading from iTunes?

Sherrily Kenyon's Bad Moon Rising Tour - Foxwoods Stop

Now, when did I gas up the car for 160 mile drive to Foxwoods Resort Casino. It must have been Saturday. Tis very sad that I have lost all sense of time.

On Sunday, August 9, I headed out of the house at 11:15am to insure I got Foxwoods before the event started at 3pm. I'm glad I left early as there were many parts of I-95 in CT that was congested. Holter Graham kept me entertained during my drive out and back (@320 mi roundtrip). I got to finish 5 more disks of the 19-disk ACHERON. As I listened to the 1st five disks on my last trip to Foxwoods, I will need another trip to finish the book off. It might be next year.

Like last year, I found immediately where Sherri's signing was going to be held. I couldn't miss this sign once I came in from the garage. When I got to the Grand Pequot Ballroom, I had to do a doublecheck as the signage on the ballroom was advertising "Deal or No Deal". As there was a line coming out of the ballroom and I recognized the visage of a Kenyon minion, I was assured I was in the right place.

Unlike last year which was the big splash for ACHERON in 2008 (photos), the ballroom lobby was where you just purchased BAD MOON RISING and received a ticket to attend the Q&A and author signing. I, like Sherri, was shocked to find out you must purchase BMR in order to enter the event. When I double checked with Foxwood staff, I walked out to decide what I wanted to do. As I took a picture of the signage, I double checked it. Yep, the small print says you must purchase BMR in order to enter the event. Even though I bought my copy of BMR with me, I re-entered and purchase another copy. I really wanted to see Sherri and her co-hort, Dianna Love.

The room was a bit smaller than last year, still big though, and did not have the book covers hanging from the ceiling. Instead the book covers were leaning against the wall upfront.

Dianna Love introduced Sherri. Sherri did here Q&A. Dianna kicked out Sherri to start the signing. While Sherri was signing anything and everything, except a check, Dianna entertained the group in the ballroom with giveaways and vinnets about her travels with Sherri.

It was very entertaining how Dianna did the giveaways this year. Instead of using tickets we generally receive at the events, Dianna decided to use the event signing numbers that Foxwoods distributed. The pages of BAD MOON RISING was used to find the winning number. Dianna would open the book to a specific page number. There were many shouts for specific numbers, "even" and "odd". Then Dianna got the audience to scream "STOP" while she flipped through the pages. It was a fun time.

What was given out you wonder: Simi Birthday Cards, Bite Me Glo Bracelets, Marked by Fang T-Shirts, BMR Poloshirts, Kenyon Menyon lapel pins, Daimon lapel pins, Simi lapel pin, Acheron lapel pin, Tabitha Drawstring Backpack, DH Slapbracelet (even a blonde can operate - Dianna said that), Bad Moon Rising Tote Bag, Born of Night Galley, all the hanging bookcovers from last years ACHERON event, BMR promotion posters and placard and that BMR Bookcover hanging on the stage.

It was great playing catchup with Simi aka Kimmy and meet new minions. I waited until the end to get my books autographed as I think I've finally had Sherri sign all the books I have. Gotta check my bookshelf.

As I made my way back to the garage, I looked at my receipt. There was nothing about final sales or no return policy on books. It may not be right, but I returned the book I bought. I just did not feel right paying full price for a book I can get at a discount, especially a hardcover.

I will not blame Sherri for how the venues decide to handle her signing. It taught me a lesson to always check with the venue on their signing event. If Sherri knew ahead of time, she would have posted it. Well, for Foxwood, Sherri did not know until she arrived at the event herself.

Click here for more pictures of the Bad Moon Rising Tour - Foxwoods.

R Books, PG-13 Website Does Not Compute

I was reading my NYTimes Today's Headlines and this caught my eye:

YouTube Blocked in China

...and this brought to mind the many complaints I see on message boards and websites. "Why does the author write R-rated books but we (fans) cannot post using R-rated content?" "Why is the author censoring what we say?"

First, the site belongs to the author and he/she can set whatever rules he/she wants.

Second, the site is a marketing tool for the author. It's to promote his/her books.

I experience censorship everyday when I connect to the internet through my company's VPN (Virtual Private Network) or the client's network. Companies do not want their network used for non-work related sites. You are on company time and should be doing company work. Of course, that is not true. I'm glad my favorite authors' sites are not banned. I need an occasional break. For some fans, the work place may be the only connection they have to the author on the worldwide web.

Parents put software on computers to censor the internet sites that kids can accidentally or intentionally go to. Parents who like to read the authors book can feel safe that the site is kiddie safe.

Yes, there are countries that ban internet sites. Wikipedia has a pretty good article about it -- Internet Censorship.

In order to market themselves and make it accessible to the biggest audience, authors make their website PG-13 or even PG level.

And to tell the truth, I really don't want to read the @#!!&@ language some are using these days.

Going Graphical

Happy Friday the 13th -- the first of three to come.

It's been a while since my last blog. This month must be graphical one. I just attended New York's Comic con. I volunteered at Sherrilyn Kenyon's booth and ran up and down the aisles of the Exhibition Hall picking up loot for my brother, my nieces and nephews and a peer. Yes, I got some goodies, too. Many of the publishing houses had a presence and were giving out free books. Gotta love FREE. You can check out the minimal pics I took here: NY Comic Con 2009.

In order to capture a new audience, many authors have had their novels retold in graphical form. Christine Feehan had one of her short stories depicted into a manga -- Dark Hunger. Marvel Comics is releasing Sherrilyn Kenyon's Lord of Avalon in comic form. Sword of Darkness was done last year, and Knight of Darkness, Issue #4 will be released in two weeks. Laurell K. Hamilton's Anita Blake series is also in comic form by Marvel. They are up to the Laughing Corpse. In late April/early May, we get to look forward to Sherrilyn Kenyon's Dark-Hunter series come out in Japanese manga form. It's being produced by Dabel Bros and distributed by St. Martin's Press. The DH Manga will start with Night Pleasures, Kyrian and Amanda's story. Though we will only get the first half of the novel in April/May and have to wait until September to get the other half. Keep an eye out for it at your local book and comic store. If you're interested in seeing sample of pages, you can check them out in Sherrilyn Kenyon's DH Manga Picture Album.

Dabel Brothers is a very interesting company. They have taken many well-known authors in the science fiction/fantasy arena and retold their stories in graphical form. The company has had its ups and downs. Due to a breakup from Marvel Entertainment, they've lost the rights to Laurell K. Hamilton's Anita Blake Vampire Hunter, George RR Martin's Hedge Knight, Orson Scott Card's Tales of Alvin Maker and Wyrms, Raymond Feist's Magician Apprentice, and Kinley Macgregors' (aka Sherrilyn Kenyon) Lords of Avalon. They are back with Jim Butcher's Dresden Files, Patricia Briggs' Mercedes Thompson, Dean Koontz's Frankenstein, George RR Martin's Wild Cards, Robert Jordan's Wheel of Time and the newest one, The Warriors. I love the movie.

However, this author is different. Marjorie M. Liu does not have any of her novels going graphical. Instead, she writes for Marvel Entertainment. She has written a novel called X-Men: Dark Mirror. I recently was able to obtain a copy. Marjorie will be finishing up the Marvel series NYX: No Way Home this week. Announced this week at NY Comic Con, Marjorie will continue working with Marvel on a new series Dark Wolverine. Go Marjorie!!! And, Marjorie continues with her Dirk & Steele series and her new series Hunter Kiss.

Contract Between Author and Reader

I came across a forum discussion about "Writer/Reader Contract". It's funny as it came at a time I just finished a book that is taking a beating from fans for the series.

I have to say the publisher and author did not come together on the marketing of this book. Only about a third of the book was about what was in the blurb, title and cover of the book. The funny thing... I don't even know what the blurb actually says. I got the ebook. It was an "autobuy" author. I totally enjoyed the book, and it's a good continuation of the series started five books ago.

I also hang on several author's forum and fan forums which discuss the books I read. Lots of readers post what they want the author to do, how the story/series should proceed. I get somewhat annoyed with these type of posts because the readers say if the author does not go this way I'm going to stop reading.

Who's story is it? Who is suppose to be writing the book?

The author's responsibility is to write the best story he/she can -- do what your muse says and not the readers (and preferably not your publisher).

The reader's responsibility is to keep an open mind and enjoy the story. Let the author take you into their world. If you can't, then just drop the book and move on. Stop moaning about how the author did not meet up to your standards and expectations of the book. It's not your story but the author's. Maybe it's time to part ways as author and reader have taken different forks in the road.

As each story the author shares with the public, he/she will keep current fans enthralled, pick up new fans and, sadly, even lose fans. The world still spins. There are still lots of authors out waiting for you to find them.

Professional Organization Recommendations

I joined one because it has some great resources that I need when I need it. Like all things you join, you get on a mailing list for updates. As these updates are not high priority reads, they go into the "To Read Email Pile And May Get Deleted If It's There Too Long". I decided to open the latest one instead of just letting it grow mold. It's book recommendations and some of it tickles my funny bone. I generally don't read any additional work material than I need to, but I might hunt some of them down if I remember when I'm at the library.

HRs Best Sellers:

A Survival Guide to Managing Employees from Hell: Drawing from real-life stories, this helpful and humorous guide provides readers with practical advice for handling a wide range of difficult types.

Eat That Frog: is a high content fast-read that synthesizes and distills the very best ideas and insights on time management into 21 logical, immediately applicable steps.

180 Ways to Spread Contagious Enthusiasm: gives you 180 morale-boosting ideas to help you bring more caring, communication, respect and appreciation to the workplace.

Working with You Is Killing Me: This is an authoritative manual that provides valuable insights for turning conflicts in the workplace into productive working relationships.

Crucial Conversations: offers readers a proven 7-point strategy for achieving their goals in all those emotionally, psychologically, or legally charged situations that can arise in their professional and personal lives. The authors of this book also have this as a training course. My work thought we would all benefit from this. I took it. It's an okay course. Some of it I do already. Some of it you really need to practice. Some of it you need to be brave enough to confront. So I actually own a copy of this book and it's nifty extras. Have I opened it since I return from the course? Nope.

Featured books this week:

Snakes in Suits

My Secret Life on the McJob

Sin, Sin, Sin

I read a blog from the author Mary Stella who said you get higher traffic on your blog if you talk about Sin. Wait second... rewind... now that I think about it. It's sex and not sin.

This is a very good time to talk about Sin. The Dark-Hunter named Sin that is. I can't wait until his book comes out -- 5 more days. Tuesday, August 7 cannot get here fast enough.

....and I get to meet Sin's creator *keeping my fingers crossed* Sherrilyn Kenyon Tuesday night. She will be autographing Sin's book, Devil May Cry at Menlo Park Mall in Woodbridge, New Jersey.

I've dedicated my MySpace Profile layout to Sin. Don't you just love that mug. If you interested in getting a similar MySpace layout, you can go to this page. I've put together a MySpace layout for Sin.

Enjoy!!!!

Love Thy Library

I lived in my town for 9 years. About two years ago, I decided to finally take advantage of a free service. I am so lucky that I live in a town that has a great library and belongs to a great library network. Why?

It's is open seven days a week during the school year. That's September to June. In the summer, it's open 6 days a week.

It is open late, till 9 pm, on three of those days.

It has a good number of computer stations so you can access the internet if only for an hour. This is great for people who do not have their own computer at home. There's even a separate room with computers for kids who have to do school work. They also have a print capability but you have to pay for it.

It has wireless network access if you bring in your laptop. This was great when I needed a change of venue because I got sick of my home office and needed people around me.

It has a great selection of books. They order multiple copies of the NY Times Best Sellers books. You can be put on a waiting list if a book is out but you have to pay for that service.

It has a great audio selection of books -- CDs and cassette tapes -- and DVDs. Yes, it even has music CDs.

The library also has a small selection of books for rental. Why you may wonder? I actually took advantage of this recently. I really wanted to read J.D. Robbs' Born in Death and did not want to wait for a return because I would be at the bottom of a long list of people. I rented it for a day and it cost me only 25 cents. Yes, I finished it the same day I took it out.

My neighborhood library is part of the New Jersey Library system which has recently started to lend out electronic audio books. You are notified when your book is ready and you download it to your computer and/or MP3 player to listen to it. The NJ network also has lots for databases that I can access. I need to get familiar with it.

The library system that I really like is the New York City Library system. That's the library system I grew up with. So it kind of spoils you for others. Since I no longer live there nor work there, I don't have access anymore unless I want to pay for a library card. Gotta love your family. My siblings work in NYC and, therefore, have free access to NYC library network. I take advantage of my siblings access to borrow NYC wide selection of ebooks and audiobooks. It also gives you access to the a wide variety of databases. It saves a trip into the city to do research.

If you've haven't visited your local library recently, you might want to check it out. You never know what you may find there. See your tax dollars at work.