The Bookshelf

The Blackhawks could win the Stanley Cup tonight, so what better way to spend time before the first face off than to read a hockey-themed romance novel? Both Deirdre Martin and Rachel Gibson write several romances which feature hockey players as the heroes and where body checking has multiple meanings.  These books are perfect if you are like me and don’t know a hat trick from a slap shot.

As an avid Romance Novel reader, I was excited to see that the Romance Writers of America (RWA) announced the finalists for the RITA awards.   These awards, with categories such as Best Historical Romance Novel and Best Romantic Suspense Novel, celebrate the best in romance writing.  I am glad that some of my favorite books (such as Silent on the moor : a Lady Julia Grey novel by Deanna Raybourn and What Happens in London by Julia Quinn) are finalists in their respective categories.  The award winners will be announced on July 31st, so we will have plenty of time to read the rest of the finalists and decide which one we like best!

Jessica’s Guide to Dating on the Dark Side by Beth Fantaskey

(and on audio)

Teen romance with a twist: 17- year-old Jessica is learning that she has a different life than she thought. Jessica is really a vampire princess and she is the head of her clan, expected to marry the hunky leader of a rival vampire family – thus ensure peace… Yeah, this was a lot of fun to read. It’s not serious stuff, which is why I liked it so much. Jessica is experiencing a lot of “typical” coming of age transitional/identity realizations, etc. There is much humor in the novel mixed with truthful themes and on-target observations about teens. I can see why copies of this book are always checked out from the Library. It is not a Twilight wannabe. However, it is a good one to recommend to those that have read all the Stephenie Meyer books and need something else. I look forward to more from author Beth Fantaskey.

If you liked watching the miniseries  Lost in Austen on PBS, here are a few book recommendations.

Austenland: A Novel by Shannon Hale -  audiobook

Pride & Prejudice junkie/Darcy obsessed, Jane Hayes is given a vacation to Pembrook Park – an exclusive resort where people pretend to live like Jane Austen characters.

Confessions of a Jane Austen Addict by Laurie Viera Rigler – audiobook

After a night of immersing herself in all things Jane Austen (medicine for a very bad day), 21 st century Courtney Stone wakes up in 1813 England. She now occupies the body of Jane Mansfield, a 30-year-old unmarried  gentle lady.

And for ages 12 and up, try:

Enthusiasm by Polly Shulman – audiobook

Inspired by Pride and Prejudice, 15-year-old best friends Julie and Ashleigh deck themselves out in antique  gowns, crash an elite boys’ school dance, and look for their “Mr. Darcy”.

For more ideas, don’t miss our Jane Austen Lives On! booklist.

BTW, the DVD Lost in Austen is ordered for the Library. Reserve it now!

See a related Studio post.

Romance publishing juggernaut Harlequin turns 60 this year, and to celebrate Fabio will be ripping bodices from coast to coast.

I kid, I kid! Actually, Harlequin is offering something much cooler (unless you’re a big Fabio fan): Vistors to the site HarlequinCelebrates.com can download, read and share up to 16 romance ebooks completely free of charge. The selection includes paranormal, historical, Western and contemporary titles. Harlequin also is reissuing several debut books by series authors who went on to rule the bestseller lists; the first is Debbie Macomber’s The Matchmakers.

If you can’t find anything to your taste in Harlequin’s ebook selection and are a Skokie cardholder, you can download a wide selection of romance e-books (as well as other genres) at our North Suburban Digital Consortium download center.

Julia Quinn

Although Miss Quinn has been a successful author for quite some time, I have only recently discovered her wonderful books via audio. I’ve enjoyed everything that I have listened to so far and look forward to more CD releases. For those wondering, these are light, historical romances with some obvious nods to Jane Austen. The stories have humor and strong female characters. They are on the chaste side, i.e. no long descriptions of lovemaking or rough stuff. (At least the ones that I have listened to, but probably all have a similar style.)

For biographical info and more, see the author’s official website. She sounds like a really cool person!

Here is a list of books that I have listened to and can personally recommend, not only because they are well-written, but the narrators are excellent and the overall production quality is high.

It’s in His Kiss

The Lost Duke of  Wyndham

Mr. Cavendish, I Presume

On the Way to the Wedding

When He Was Wicked

Be sure to see a complete list of Julia Quinn books owned by the Library.

Recently Library staff was asked to list five favorite books that they read during the year 2008. Here is the Annual Picks page. Next there was the challenge to write about what we selected. So here it goes.

I decided to list relatively recent books. There are so many wonderful books that I listened to (or read) during the year, that it is truly difficult to highlight only five. A little bit about my taste – I like & enjoy fluffy, light, fun books. Long gone are my days of reading serious, critically acclaimed fiction or nonfiction for pleasure. It’s a good thing that there are several staff members who listed those types of books. The reputation of the intellectual Skokie Public Library worker and selective reading tendencies stays in tact.

A few honorable mentions and I can’t give good reasons why these did not make my top selections.

The Lost Duke of Wyndham by Julia Quinn, audiobook

If you like Jane Austen, give this one a try. The romance is sweet and amusing.

Mr. Cavendish, I Presume by Julia Quinn, audiobook

This is the sequel and companion to The Lost Duke of Wyndham. It tells another side of the love story, so to speak.

Moscow Rules by Daniel Silva, audiobook

Gabriel Allon is one of my favorite fictional characters. He’s a part-time art restorer and part-time Israeli secret service agent/assassin – how wonderfully complex.

Twilight by Stephenie Meyer, audiobook

It’s love among the young vampires, werewolves and teenage humans. Twilight started the craze! Check out the entire series (#2 New Moon, #3 Eclipse, #4 Breaking Dawn; New Moon audiobook, Eclipse audiobook, Breaking Dawn audiobook).

Here are the titles that I submitted:

The Eye of Jade by Diane Wei Liang, audiobook

This book was so interesting – the mystery element, the place, the setting, the antique aspect, the contemporary historical background, etc. I was quickly engaged and rooted for the main character throughout the entire book. I hope more books by Liang are translated into English. I am eager to know what else is in store for the intrepid PI, Mei Wang.

The Host by Stephenie Meyer, audiobook

Wow. I really got involved, as I was listening to this over the summer. I wrote on my Facebook/Visual Bookshelf page, “It probably will be in my year end top ten.” Many months later, I still thought that it was a great “read.” I liked the premise, the characters’ dilemmas, the long dialogues, and the ending.

The Laughter of Dead Kings by Elizabeth Peters, audiobook

In a way, this is a comfort book for Elizabeth Peters’ fans. It’s nice to have Vicky Bliss back after such a long absence. Also, the Peabody/Emerson connection to John Tregarth (as suspected) is finally confirmed. And Schmidt … he is an endearing character. He really has his day!

The Chaos King (and the first installment: The Wall and the Wing) by Laura Ruby, eAudiobook

I have very happy memories listening to these books – laughing out loud and thinking that they were so clever. Yeah the books are written for kids, but there are lots of funny pop culture references that hit the mark. I hope the author re-visits this amusing world where strange creatures lurk in the subway and all punk rockers are named either Sid or Nancy.

(BTW, if you want to listen to these on CD, both audiobooks are available via Interlibrary Loan.)

The Seduction of the Crimson Rose by Lauren Willig, audiobook

I’m a sucker for a well-written, comedic, historical, suspenseful romance. Plus I’ve been intrigued by the scarlet pimpernel story since I was a little kid. This is a bit of a no-brainer for me in regards to picking it as a favorite; the Pink Carnation series has me hooked.