random thoughts, some nuts and bolts
Archive for August, 2006
on Romance Novel Meme
Aug 24th
AAR Top 100 Romance Novels Meme
I don’t know what year this top 100 is… *shrugs* I don’t wanna search AAR for it. ^^; Oh and I got this meme from here.
Bold are read. Italics are in my TBR pile.
1. Lord of Scoundrels by Loretta Chase
2. Flowers From the Storm by Laura Kinsale
3. Welcome to Temptation by Jennifer Crusie
4. As You Desire by Connie Brockway
5. Bet Me by Jennifer Crusie
6. Dreaming of You by Lisa Kleypas
7. Outlander by Diana Gabaldon
8. Over the Edge by Suzanne Brockmann
9. All Through the Night by Connie Brockway
10. Sea Swept by Nora Roberts
11. It Had to be You by Susan Elizabeth Phillips
12. A Summer to Remember by Mary Balogh
13. Morning Glory by LaVyrle Spencer
14. The Proposition by Judith Ivory
15. A Kingdom of Dreams by Judith McNaught
16. Ravished by Amanda Quick
17. Frederica by Georgette Heyer
18. Mrs. Drew Plays Her Hand by Carla Kelly
19. MacKenzie’s Mountain by Linda Howard
20. Mr. Perfect by Linda Howard
21. The Grand Sophy by Georgette Heyer
22. Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
23. The Bride by Julie Garwood
24. Devil’s Bride by Stephanie Laurens
25. To Have and to Hold by Patricia Gaffney
26. Born in Fire by Nora Roberts
27. Winter Garden by Adele Ashworth
28. Gone Too Far by Suzanne Brockmann
29. The Viscount Who Loved Me by Julia Quinn
30. Saving Grace by Julie Garwood
31. My Dearest Enemy by Connie Brockway
32. In the Midnight Rain by Barbara Samuel
33. The Windflower by Laura London
34. Naked in Death by J.D. Robb
35. Whitney, My Love by Judith McNaught
36. Nobody’s Baby but Mine by Susan Elizabeth Phillips
37. A Knight in Shining Armor by Jude Deveraux
38. Paradise by Judith McNaught
39. The Shadow and the Star by Laura Kinsale
40. Dream Man by Linda Howard
41. Out of Control by Suzanne Brockmann
42. Silk and Shadows by Mary Jo Putney
43. See Jane Score by Rachel Gibson
44. Shattered Rainbows by Mary Jo Putney
45. Thunder and Roses by Mary Jo Putney
46. The Duke and I by Julia Quinn
47. Heart Throb by Suzanne Brockmann
48. For My Lady’s Heart by Laura Kinsale
49. Honor’s Splendor by Julie Garwood
50. Lord Carew’s Bride by Mary Balogh
51. Untie my Heart by Judith Ivory
52. Dream a Little Dream by Susan Elizabeth Phillips
53. The Secret by Julie Garwood
54. This is All I Ask by Lynn Kurland
55. Slightly Dangerous by Mary Balogh
56. One Perfect Rose by Mary Jo Putney
57. To Love and to Cherish by Patricia Gaffney
58. Kiss an Angel by Susan Elizabeth Phillips
59. Heaven, Texas by Susan Elizabeth Phillips
60. Venetia by Georgette Heyer
61. Daughter of the Game by Tracy Grant
62. The Prize by Julie Garwood
63. Reforming Lord Ragsdale by Carla Kelly
64. Prince Joe by Suzanne Brockmann
65. The Notorious Rake by Mary Balogh
66. Heartless by Mary Balogh
67. Son of the Morning by Linda Howard
68. Sleeping Beauty by Judith Ivory
69. Where Dreams Begin by Lisa Kleypas
70. The Devil’s Cub by Georgette Heyer
71. The Bronze Horseman by Paullina Simons
72. The Time Traveler’s Wife by Audrey Niffenegar
73. With This Ring by Carla Kelly
74. The Lion’s Lady by Julie Garwood
75. The Rake by Mary Jo Putney
76. Fallen from Grace by Laura Leone
77. Always to Remember by Lorraine Heath
78. Castles by Julie Garwood
79. One Good Turn by Carla Kelly
80. Chesapeake Blue by Nora Roberts
81. By Arrangement by Madeline Hunter
82. Perfect by Judith McNaught
83. My Darling Caroline by Adele Ashworth
84. The Defiant Hero by Suzanne Brockmann
85. The Unsung Hero by Suzanne Brockmann
86. Guilty Pleasures by Laura Lee Guhrke
87. Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte
88. Kill and Tell by Linda Howard
89. After the Night by Linda Howard
90. More than a Mistress by Mary Balogh
91. Born in Ice by Nora Roberts
92. Miss Wonderful by Loretta Chase
93. The Charm School by Susan Wiggs
94. Scoundrel by Elizabeth Elliott
95. How to Marry a Marquis by Julia Quinn
96. Angel Rogue by Mary Jo Putney
97. Trust Me by Jayne Ann Krentz
98. Dancing on the Wind by Mary Jo Putney
99. Once and Always by Judith McNaught
100. This Heart of Mine by Susan Elizabeth Phillips
Hmmm. Less than 1/4 read. I really wanna try Georgette Heyer but I can’t seem to find Devil’s Club in bookstores. Well, at least now, I know what other books and authors to look for. ^^;
on Lisa Kleypas’ Scandal In Spring
Aug 24th
Scandal In Spring (A-)
Lisa Kleypas
Lisa Kleypas’ Scandal In Spring is one of the books that I was absolutely looking forward to since March after reading her Devil In Winter.
Scandal In Spring is her finisher to her Wallflower series. I really enjoyed this one. Or maybe because I’m comparing it too much to Julia Quinn’s Bridgerton finisher, On The Way To The Wedding. OTWTTW disappointed me a bit since most parts of the book dragged on too much except for the ending which really was good. On the other hand, SIS kept me interested from start to finish. I like the banter and interaction between the hero and heroine of the story, Matthew Swift and Daisy Bowman. From DIW, I was looking forward to a Cam/Daisy book. Then when I learned from Kleypas’ website that it won’t be about Cam/Daisy. I was a bit disappointed but that didn’t deter me from getting excited about the book. Glad that it didn’t too since I like Matthew a lot. It was adorable how enamored Matthew will be of Daisy singing her praises, then the next minute he’ll be bickering with her, then he’ll be trying to make Llandrindon fall in love with her and then the next he can’t get enough of her. As for Daisy, it was weird coz it was like I was reading myself in her. Ever since I took the wallflower quiz in Kleypas’ website even before DIW came out, I wondered why I always get Daisy. And now I know. Dreamer. Romantic. High standards. Yeah, pretty much me. Maybe that’s why I like her. :P
I did notice one thing though. At the end of the book, it sorta reminded me of the ending of Judith McNaught’s Once & Always. Drowning. Ghost. Illusions. Especially when Daisy said, “Please be real. Please don’t be a dream.”
Ranking Lisa Kleypas’ Wallflower books, personally, my favorite is Devil In Winter, followed by Scandal In Spring, then It Happened One Autumn, and lastly Secrets of a Summer Night. Because I still absolutely love Sebastian, it’s the main reason why I’m placing DIW on top. I also like Marcus, especially outside IHOA in SOASN, Against The Magic and Worth Any Price but there’s just something lacking in IHOA that makes me like it only a little less than SIS. I like the bickering between him and Lily though. SOASN, though still good, only picked up the pace for me when Simon and Anabelle got together.
on meme time
Aug 19th
Because I was tagged by Katrin on Friendster.
And another meme, stolen from ![[info]](http://marikit.org/wp-content/plugins/ljmimic/littlehuman.gif){kind=small}
kotomine because I just want to. Plus my birthday and Christmas is just around the corner. XDDD
1. List the top 3 items that you want to get as a gift from each category.
2. Everything should be “buyable” by family/relatives/friends/girlfriend/boyfriend/etc.
3. Write from least to most wanted
4. Add new categories if you like
5. When you received something from the list, strike it out and write a new item/wish.
6. Tag everybody.
