Just a Few Random Thoughts for Monday

I’m in the outer reaches of the DC area, so I’ve spent the better part of the month snowed in. One would think that this would give me ample time to think of some deeply profound solution to some dilemma menacing online romancelandia. However, I haven’t been feeling terribly menaced lately. My reading life is happy. Once we got power back and removed the ginormous tree from the roof of the house, non-reading life starting being none too shabby either. My only major dilemma lately has been trying to convince my cat that the several feet of snow covering HER deck and preventing her from taking her morning walk was not put there by me as part of an evil plot. If looks could kill, a tiny 6 pound calico would have done me in weeks ago.

But that has nothing to do with romance. In an attempt to keep from going stir-crazy, I have found some truly wonderful things. Not just, “Oh, that’s nice,” but wonderful in the, “OMG! You need to read/browse/look in the general direction of this now!”

The Uncrushable Jersey Dress – Magdalen tweeted about this one and I am so glad she did! This blog, dedicated to Betty Neels novels, is a warm and absolutely hilarious tribute to Neels’ work. I’ve read and enjoyed several of Betty Neels novels. They’re fun, in a retro sort of way, and the authors of this blog seem to have near-perfect comic timing when they describe the plots of various books. I love the illustrations they choose to go with some of these entries, too.

Black Sheep – Yes, this is the novel by Georgette Heyer that I probably should have read long before now. It’s been out there longer than I’ve been alive, but I’m only just now discovering this treasure. And treasure it is. The book centers around Abigail, considered a spinster at 28, and her attempts to prevent her niece from marrying a most unsuitable fortune hunter. In trying to prevent the match, Abigail meets the fortune hunter’s scandalous uncle Miles. The not-so-reformed Miles and Abigail are both delightful, intelligent characters, and their courtship made me smile. The various plots of the book are pieced together quite skillfully. Bottom line? If you don’t have power, this book is totally worth a couple of batteries for the flashlight!

Cherry Chocolate Chip Pecan Cookies – When I’m not out hauling brush or cheating death on icy highways, cold weather makes me want to bake. And this online cookie recipe , sent to me by one of my friends, is truly addictive. The flavors mix well and they contain just enough fruit and nuts to allow me to delude myself into thinking they’re healthy. To bring things back to romance novels, I’ll just point out that reading with the book in one hand and cookies in the other tends to take one’s mind off the many feet of snow that need to shoveled out there!

Feminist Critique of Romance: Ur Doin it Wrong – I found this recent post over at Racy Romance Reviews very intersting reading indeed. It’s hard to summarize without giving everything away, so just go check it out.

It Made My Day – The little stories people share on here aren’t necessarily laugh out loud funny, but a lot of them are sweet and goofy, so they make me smile.

And last but not least…

The TBR pile – Most of us have at least a small one. Exploring it is the perfect way to while away the cold season! Though the pile at my place is huge, and the calico may well get her revenge by knocking it over on me.

-Lynn Spencer