I have recently stumbled upon the greatest thing since sliced bread! Okay, I exaggerate.  I have, however,  stumbled upon the greatest author/series (in my opinion) since I discovered Janet Evanovich and Stephanie Plum.  Her name is Mercy Thompson. Her creator is Patricia Briggs.  When I tell you that this series is a MUST READ, I do not jest. Mercy is just another in a long line of heroines to grace the pages of what is dubbed Urban Fantasy.  You know what that is right? Vampires, werewolves, witches, faeries, and such lurking about our very real world, not just sequestered in an ethereal “fairy land” or alternate realm.  They are here, in our midst…and I love it!! But enough about me…let me tell you a bit about Mercy Thompson.

The Tri-Cities of Washington is home to many supernatural beings: werewolves, vamps, and the fae alike.  It’s also home to Mercedes “Mercy” Thompson, mechanic and coyote. Yes… a coyote.  Born to a White mother and Native American father, Mercy inherited her father’s ability to shapeshift into a coyote.  Once upon a time, there were many like her, but they were obliterated many years before by encroaching vamps from Europe. (see book two!)  Now, Mercy is it; a lone shapeshifting coyote. There are no pluses to this situation either; no super strength and she is not impervious to harm.  However, she happens to have friends in “high” places.

• Bran Cornick: the Marrok–Alpha of all of the werewolves in North America. He raised Mercy with his pack in Aspen Creek, Montana.
• Dr. Samuel Cornick: Bran’s son; as a teen, Mercy dated Samuel, who went rogue for many years, but has since returned; intent upon winning back Mercy’s favor.
• Adam Hauptman: the Columbia Basin Pack Alpha; he lives on the seven acres of land behind Mercy’s trailer.  The two have a strange relationship, loaded with aggression and sexual tension.
• Zee: an outed Fae (he is said to be a very powerful gremlin); Mercy used to work in his garage.  Prejudice against the Fae forced Zee to sell his garage to Mercy, though he sometimes covers for her.
• Stefan: vampire and member of the local seethe; he is Mercy’s friend and customer (he drives a van reminiscent of the Mystery Machine).

Mercy’s story begins in the middle.  Briggs doesn’t walk us through Mercy’s childhood or how she came to be in the Tri-Cities.  Instead, we are introduced to the characters as if we already know them.  Of course there are brief explanations of how Mercy met each individual, but otherwise, the reader knows as much as Mercy allows us to know.  When reading Moon Called, you may silently ponder about Mercy’s relationship with the other characters, but be patient.  As the series progresses, we learn more about everyone.

What I love about this series is that it is at turns romantic, mysterious, and fantastical.  There’s just enough sexual tension to let you know that romance abounds, but so much mystery and paranormal activity, that you don’t lose sight of why you chose to read them in the first place.  More importantly, for me, is that I actually like Mercy.   She’s not a bumbling idiot, or completely reliant upon a man to save her from herself.  She is an intelligent and independent woman who fights her own battles and who is fiercely protective of those she cares about.  She’s a woman after my own heart.

What do you get when you put Classic Rock, Grunge, R & B, Hip Hop, and ’80s Pop hits together?  If you said a party at my house, you’re right! But you’ll also get some serious flavor in your ear, courtesy of Gregg Gillis, otherwise known as Girl Talk.  All my life I have been an ardent fan of all types of music; yes, even polka!  Okay, well some polka.  Okay, very little polka, but that’s an acquired taste. Imagine my surprise when I found that there was someone (not related to me) out there as in love with MUSIC as I.   When I first read up on Girl Talk, I was quite intrigued. The tracks on his CDs are mashups; basically, the vocals of a song (or songs) are played over the music of another to create a “new” song.  Think, The Grey Album by Danger Mouse.  Girl Talk has taken what Hip Hop DJs have been doing for decades and flipped it. He has, in my opinion, perfected the art of sampling.  Indeed, what Girl Talk and others like him do is nothing short of genius.

Any given Girl Talk track melds together 15-20 songs, from a complete chorus to a tiny blip of a sound.  With the help of my daughter, my fiancé, and Google, I found that “Play Your Part Pt. 1″ from Feed the Animals samples UGK, The Spencer Davis Group, DJ Unk, Pete Townshend, Twisted Sister, Huey Lewis and The News, Lil’ Mama, Temple of the Dog, Birdman, Aaliyah, Lil’ Wayne, T.I., Sinead O’Connor, Shawna, and Jay-Z.  And those are just the songs I was able to clearly identify! Listening to Girl Talk is akin to playing an intense game of “Name that Tune”.  At first listen, you can’t help but sit in astonishment when you hear some of the songs together; yet they work.

There is a lot of Hip Hop in Girl Talk’s music and the aspects of the genre that I dislike make their way in.  Still, the overall experience is so dynamic, I have found a way to overlook what may otherwise annoy me.  Bottom line: whether or not you like a particular genre, Girl Talk presents the music in such a way that you are able to see the beauty of all music–yes, even the pop that disguises itself as Hip Hop.  He has opened my ears to songs I have never heard and can now enjoy.  Girl Talk challenges our idea of music and what constitutes good music.  He’s taken the best of what a DJ can create at a club and amplified it.  Not just a mish-mash of hooks and beats, but a real work of art.  To put songs together the way he does, takes very real talent.

Let me begin this blog by saying…WAAAHHHHH!  I hate it when a beloved character is shelved and a great series is ended.  Of course, nothing lasts forever, but it still hurts to know I will never hear any new stories about one of my favorite characters.  This brings me to a discussion about the latest– er last, book in the High Heels series by Gemma Halliday, Mayhem in High Heels.

Enticed by the title of this book (how could I not read something with high heels in the title?), I began reading about Maddie Springer, shoe designer, in the first installment of the series, Spying in High Heels.  I love a good mystery…but I’ve said this before.  The wonderful thing about these books is that the laugh-out-loud scenes are just as abundant as the body count.  For me, that is a home run.  Four books later, I find myself at the end of Maddie’s story.  Well, not the end, but…you know what I mean.

*************************************Spoiler Alert!!!!!*******************************************

For those who are not yet hip to Maddie and her shenanigans, let me introduce you to the motley cast of characters.  Shoe-obsessed Maddie is a graduate of fashion school who [at the beginning of the series] designs shoes for kids and herself.  She has a steamy relationship with Jack Ramirez, who happens to be a homicide detective.  Her best friend, Dana, is a health-nut/actress.  Her fashion backward mother, after many years alone, marries a hair dresser/entrepreneur whom Maddie dubs “Faux Dad”.  One of Maddie’s other best friends is Marco, a receptionist at Faux Dad’s salon.  Felix Dunn, is the royal (literally, he’s a royal!), pain-in-the-butt paparazzo who dogs Maddie’s every step in her misadventures.  Maddie’s, until recently, absent father, is a Las Vegas “showgirl”.  And then there’s Mrs. Rosenblatt: Maddie’s mother’s “spiritual advisor”.

Over the length of the series we have seen Maddie’s relationship with Ramirez blossom and now the two are headed for the altar.  While worrying about her ever-growing guest list and Ramirez’s apparent indifference to their impending nuptials, Maddie discovers the body of her celebrity wedding planner, Gigi Van Doren.  Finding dead bodies is old hat for Maddie at this point, and she has solved a few mysteries in the past.  The stakes are higher this time because if she doesn’t take the case, her wedding and honeymoon will be postponed. To top it all off, Maddie has no idea who will take charge of her wedding with Gigi out of the picture.  Luckily( ?), Dana and Marco step in to help with the wedding.  Now, armed with stylish shoes and the ever-present Felix, Maddie begins investigating Gigi’s death. From wedding shirts to grass skirts, Maddie handles her madcap adventures with all the grace of a drunk, crowd-surfing flamingo. (Read the book!)

With four previous books under her belt, one might assume that Ms. Halliday’s work would become formulaic and predictable. Like so many others. Yet, the opposite is true.  Mayhem is an excellent read, full of the comfortable characters I have come to love, but still presenting a new story in Maddie’s life.  Yes, Maddie is a little ditzy, but I love her that way.  Besides, she always gets her man.

I know, I know the season is over but this advice is good all year. Be safe, have fun, and use your best judgement. (Note: It is not good when you have to start any sentence with “Well officer what had happened was….” Not good at all. Sorry mom;) Of course, I’m kidding, they dropped the charges. Anyhoo.

To take a break from the coincidental series on the ethereal creatures of the night, I wanted to share with you a heart warming tale of a young lady who belives ’tis better to give than to receive. Well, she does receive but that’s neither here nor there. And she is not selfish… oh no…She gives to everybody: men, women, boyfriends, boyfriends’ best friends, girlfriend’s girlfriend, neighbors, and even strangers. (Note: In my humble opinion, when you are physically as close as you can be to another person, save for childbirth and cannibalism, you are pretty familiar. Even if you don’t know each other’s name.)

Eva, the First of Lady of Sin by Storm is a book of lust, love, lust, lost, lust, passion, lust, pain, lust, self-discovery, and did I mention lust?  Not sure. Wait a minute. Yes, yes I did. And the gift that keeps on giving….herpes.  It is also a coming of age tale. We follow Eva  as she discovers the pleasures of the flesh and all the goodness it entails for her: love, closeness, gifts, and financial security. Now I ain’t saying she a gold digger but….she does has an occasional fractured Beauty and the Beast complex. There was an instance where she was not attracted to a gentleman caller because he lived with his mom, was kind of dull, not really her physical type, and a little needy. When she finds out his living arrangements are only temporary because his mansion was almost completed. As if by MAGIC, he transforms before her eyes. Suddenly he is handsome, creative, interesting, and they had a lot in common. And was the best lover she ever had. Riiiiiiiiight.   She also discovers the devastation that the pleasures of the flesh can wrought on the selfish and unprepared: well herpes for one, heartbreak, unexpected pregnancies, and worst of all loss of financial security. (Now I ain’t saying she a gold digger but…. Naw, I’m playing, she’d give it away for free and she has over and over again. )

The interludes are very very steamy. (However, in my head, my brain keeps screaming was DID CONDOMS NOT EXIST IN 2007!?! Is no one frightened of the herpes? Not one? Are all those commercials true? You too can go mountain climbing and horseback riding and swimming and running through the flowers, even if you don’t do any of it now, you will when you need this medicine.) At the end of the book, there was a disclaimer that this book is pure fiction and urges the reader to be safe when you are giving your gifts to another and provided some website that gave more information about STDs and where to get tested.

And so my dear readers, in all seriousness, though the steamy situations in the books that I read about may sound good in theory;  it probably won’t translate well, if at all in actual practice Please remember that in the real world there are physical and emotional consequences for reckless behavior. But I know you all are smart enough to know that already.

But for those who do not know. Now you know (and knowing is half the battle ! GI JOE!!! Sorry, couldn’t help myself)

(A goodly portion of this entry has been taken from a friend’s blog)
On this Twelfth Night, Award-winning author Catherynne M. Valente has gifts for you.

The first, podcast readings of her marvelous books The Orphan’s Tales: In the Night Garden and In the Cities of Coin and Spice. After listening to one or two of the podcasts, you’re likely to want to read ahead.

The link to the podcasts is here. Her voice brings the world(s) to life and you will most surely be captivated by it.

Second, her newest book, Palimpsest, will be launching next month. It has a trailer! Check it out:

Palimpsest trailer

If you watch to the end of the trailer, you will see that Warren Ellis himself gives Palimpsest a glowing review.

I’m excited for this upcoming book and I’m sure you will be too.

I’ve recently finished a pretty awesome novel of the young adult fantasy genre, about a 12 year old girl who finds herself responsible for saving the world from being eaten by a large, evil, and hungry forest.  Intrigued? Read further.

Into the Wild, by Sarah Beth Durst is a very entertaining novel in which Julie has grown up hearing the tales of how her mom (who is Rapunzel by the way), Cinderella, Snow White, and all of the other faity tale characters we know and love, escaped from The Wild Wood.  The Wild Wood forced them all to live out their fairytale endings, (and beginnings, and middles and endings) completely against their will no matter how painful or tragic.  That is until one fateful day…

Except Julie doesn’t know any details about that fateful day.  And she is tired of having to guard the Wild Wood under her bed since it was defeated all those centuries ago.  And she is also sick of having the 7 dwarves over for dinner (they’re a little chauvinistic).  Julie just wants to be a normal girl with a normal family. 

But when that family is threatened, Julie turns into the kind of hero that she’s only read about in stories.

~shamekia

When a friend and I were vacationing in Miami, we happened upon a delightful advertisement in the back of one of those vacation guides in the hotel lobby. It was an ad for the World Erotic Art Museum (WEAM) (Note: They do have a website and because I am a decent deviant, I cannot in all good conscience link it to this page.) Google it. It’s worth it.) Since I ADORE the arts (Stop laughing. Stop it now), you know I had to go. It was going to be the event of the season.

From that experience, I was certain of four things. First, whenever I go out of town, I will be reading the vacation guides intently. Second, whenever I go to Miami, I am going there being a patron of the arts and all. (Stop laughing, I mean it). Third, it is really an actual museum. They have actual exhibits: paintings, sculptures, photographs, ceramics, glasswork, woodwork and even props from movies. (Not those kinds of movies, Pervy McGee.) Fourth, there is nothing new under the sun. No fetish or act, desire or position. In all of its splendid incarnations, the only thing that seems to change are the inventions and the hairstyles and occasionally the dress.  (Note: I’m only referring to acts among consenting adults in tandem with foodstuffs, appliances (household or otherwise) and a trained monkey. You know .To run the camera. Duh. Okay maybe not the monkey but you get the idea.) Now I know you are wondering what does all this have to do with this blog?

Fanny Hill.

Fanny Hill is the reason.  The novel, Memoirs of a  Woman of Pleasure, more famously known as Fanny Hill, by John Cleland  is one of THE BEST erotic novels I’ve ever read. And believe me, I’ve read plenty. It begins with a 15 year old  Fanny trying to find fortune in London. While waiting in the employment office, she is approached by a “refined lady” who needed a “servant”. Unbeknownst, to dear sweet Fanny she embarks on a journey of lust, passion, debauchery, and ultimately true love. Well, after she has done just about everything you can…..well with everyone. Because, after all, deep down it is a love story. Well, if you find a lady of the evening selling her sweets to the gentlemen of London and then reuniting with her first true love and lover romantic. (Hey it’s possible….love knows no boundaries but it may want to get tested. Just saying).

I LOVE the writing because it has all the dirtiness but it is done in a proper dignified manner. If your mind was a little less filthy, it could have been mistaken for one of those British novels you had to suffer through in school. (Unless you liked the British novels you had to read in school, then my bad. Personally, I didn’t care for them that much. We never really read any of the good stuff.)  This novel is so crammed with decadent ,steamy, and sometimes humorous interludes that it is busting at the seams with delicious naughtiness.  Now my fine ladies and gentlemen, if you are patrons of the arts as I am (Stop laughing. This the last time I am going to say it.), you simply must read this novel. Not to do so would be a disservice to you. (Oh and Google, the World Erotic Art Museum. Its worth it.)

As I end this blog I wanted to leave you with some EXTRA naughty  words that I found in this novel. (Well, in the way that the author uses it) Enjoy.

“hillocks”, “mount-pleasant”, “cleft”, “maiden-toy”, “capital part of man”, “steed”, “maypole”, “instrument”, “powerful summons”, “excrescence”,”pleasure -conduit”, “oversized- machine”, “the avenue”, “lodgement”, “balsamic injection”.

Good Night.

MMMMMMMM…….ART.

Well not really kittens, more like vicious blood thirsty tigresses with gore and blood dripping from their razor sharp fangs. And no they didn’t lose their mittens. With those kinds of claws they would ruin their mittens anyway.

In the book,  The Cathouse, Anna J., Brittani Williams and Laurinda Brown take us on a journey through the doors and behind the scenes of Allure, D.C.’s finest pleasure palace (a.k.a brothel). We  see through the eyes and dwell in the minds of its employees. We are witnesses to the fall of the place which is the pinnacle of hedonism and decadence.  The place where you have to be VIP just to get in the door and a VIP VIP’s to get into the Champagne room (And to answer your question yes, there is. And how!)  (Side note: if you know what song I’m referring to, you’re OLD.)(OLD!!!!)

The story revolves around four main characters.

Earl the CEO, an entrepreneur, whose profession is serving as a liaison among mortal men and the ethereal creatures who have mastered the practice of the sensual arts.

(Note: Being ethereal creatures who spend their evenings bewitching men with the sensual arts may sound like a pretty good profession.  Well,  the hours are horrible, there are no holidays off, there is no health or dental. You work in hazardous conditions in a uniform that is more about the creating an aesthetic than meeting health or safety regluations.  And after all that suffering and struggle, you have to give all the money you’ve earned to an employer who has the right to use corporal punishment if he feels your productivity  is lacking.  Uh no thank you.) Yet I digress.

Lady Dee who is mad-ager of this operation and coincidentally was Earl’s…er first employee. With her assistant Brandy, she has intentions of expanding the business by adding services for the wealthy ladies who are receiving lack luster loving from their spouses and have money to burn. Her goal is to provide the most talented, experienced, and attractive men that money could buy. Well after the tryouts. Of course. Oh, and send Kimora packing.

Kimora is the main er, employee of the year, Earl’s mistress, and the bane of Lady Dee’s existence.  She has plans of her own. Taking Lady Dee’s job is the first step to her ultimate goal of never having to worry about money again.

And Torri, the newbie, with tricks up her sleeve that will rock allure and ultimately lead to its demise.

The story is divided into three parts and each part is written by one of the authors. It is interesting seeing how the characters change and yet remain the same depending on whom is writing. And, of course, every part is chocked full of erotic scenes that will leave you breathless.  And warm all over.  And thirsty.  (Well maybe not thirsty.)

 Who stays? Who goes? Who lives? Who dies? I can’t remember. You have to read the book. But I can’t make you. Like I always say, You can’t force a horse to bake a cake out of lemonade when he has been crying about crumbled cookies in his eggs….wait what?

I just read a great book….well, it was pretty good. Hmm, I bet I seem a little confused about this book.  At the very least I am conflicted.  Okay, executive decision…it was good.  That’s a nice middle ground, huh?  The Accidental Werewolf is the first in a new series by Dakota Cassidy.  I had never read Ms. Cassidy before, and my research has shown that she has written a quite a few paranormal romances.  I might have to get a few of those; after I finish this series of course.  I have to admit, I’m not really into werewolf stories.  I have a hard time wrapping my mind around the shifting aspect of lycan life.  But that’s another story altogether.  In The Accidental Werewolf we meet Marty Andrews, a high-strung Bobbie-Sue Cosmetics sales representative (think Mary Kay).  It seems while trying to save her teacup poodle, Muffin, from a vicious “dog”, Marty was bitten by the offending animal.  As it turns out, the “dog” is, in fact, a werewolf; hence the title.  The werewolf in question, Keegan Flaherty, visits Marty to let her know that come the next fool moon, she’ll be howling with the best of them.  Marty doesn’t believe him, rooted in her desire to achieve Bobbie-Sue perfection by reaching the coveted sky blue level (which comes with a sky blue convertible).  Eventually, after sprouting a tale and realizing her superhuman strength, Marty comes around and begins to accept her new lycanthropic state.  While learning the werewolf ropes, Marty realizes she is falling for Keegan.  All in all this a pretty obvious love story, but how many aren’t?  Despite this, the book is actually very good.  Well….here I go again.  What I really loved about this book is that Marty (and her female friends, who “star” in the next two of this series) are not your typical damsels in distress.  They give as good as they get, using their fists, wit, and potty mouths the entire time.  I warn you, there are a lot of four-letter words in this book, but I’m not easily offended by that and I found it rather funny.  There are also a few…ahem…steamy love scenes.  If you’re into that kind of thing, you won’t be disappointed.  If you’re not, you can tell they’re coming, so just skip a few pages (quite a few pages, actually).  Since I finished this book, I have gone on to read the second installment, Accidentally Dead (which happens to be the one I wanted to read to begin with).  I have to say that it wasn’t as good as Werewolf.  Hence my indecision about whether or not it was a good read.  It is a bit disappointing to read subsequent books in a series and they don’t meet your expectations.  I don’t know about anyone else, but it makes me question whether or not I should have liked the first.  But, after much thought and re-reading a couple of pages, I have to say that The Accidental Werewolf is a good book.  Despite whatever books come after.

“One Two Three Four
Tell me that you love me more
Sleepless long nights
That is what my youth was for”                                      

You know this tune; believe me you do. You would have had to be living under a rock to have not heard this song last year, featured in a commercial for the iPod nano. Think back….a tall, willowy woman in a blue, strapless, sequined jumpsuit…it’s all coming back to you, right? Well, I hated this song. Whenever the commercial would come on, I would leap across my couch for the remote, just to stop the incessant counting in my head. (True story!) My daughter loves it, and had me request the CD from the library. I absolutely refused to listen to it, thinking there couldn’t possibly be anything good on the CD. (I actually do that a lot. You’d think I would learn.) Many months later, as I’m listening to Pandora, I hear a great song called Leisure Suite by, you guessed it: the same singer, Feist! The song is so good, I decided to request her first CD, Let it Die and I re-requested The Reminder. Feist is incredible! I am now thoroughly obsessed with her music!

A talented singer-songwriter and gifted musician, Feist is very well-known in her native Canada. She played guitar for the band By Divine Right, she is one of many members of the group Broken Social Scene, and she has worked and toured with the punk artist Peaches. In the midst of all this, she has managed to release three solo efforts.  I haven’t had the opportunity to hear the first CD, but Let it Die and The Reminder have to be two of the best CDs I have ever had the pleasure to hear.  Describing Feist, her style or voice, can be difficult.  Which is probably what I love most about her.  Her music is all at once jazzy, pop, funky, soulful, and very musical.  I find her hard to categorize because she moves from one genre to the next with hardly any effort.  Her lyrics touch on many subjects: love found and love lost, the reality of how relationships work, and daily life, all delivered with a beautiful voice that seems to float on the melody.  To say that Feis’ts voice is different is an understatement.  It is haunting.  Varying between the lightest of silks and a keening wail, filled with every ounce of emotion her lyrics aspire to.  If you find yourself in the mood for deep, introspective lyrics and a wonderful voice to match, try Feist on for size; you won’t regret it.  Tracks to keep your ears open for:

• Brandy Alexander
• Inside and Out
• Leisure Suite
• My Moon, My Man
• Tout Doucement
• Secret Heart
• So Sorry