(no subject)

[shadowkat]

1. Haven't had much time to catch up on tv - so per usual, DVR is getting too full and threatens to start deleting things willy-nilly. I may have to forestall it by either deleting the Arlene Specter movie, Hannibale episodes that I haven't seen or Parade's End.

Did see Sunday's Revenge which was better than expected and managed to surprise me.

2. Finished Fever by Maya Banks, which was nothing to shout about. A forgettable erotica that came thisclose to porn, tried to write an Amazon review but wouldn't post because I used the word fuck in the review. I had to - I was commenting on how the writer overuses the word fuck in the story. Ironic that Amazon can't handle me putting the words fuck and porn in a review of a book that well...

The information age continues to amuse me with its ironic hypocrisy.

Currently reading a rather fun paranormal romance about a medieval female warrior who meets up with a dragon, who just happens to be a shape-shifter. Ie. He can change from mighty dragon to human form. It's rather funny actually. The author has a dry and somewhat absurd wit. It's not for everyone. Mileage, it varies...is rapidly becoming my catch phrase.
Much to my own chagrin.

The romance is entitled Dragon, Actually" by G.A Aiken. It's short, about 217 pages. Heroine's name is Annwyl the Bloody or Annwyl of the Dark Plains, who is a mighty female warrior that is fighting her evil half-brother, who has tried to kill her since she was twelve. She gets saved by a huge black dragon, name Feargus the Destroyer...and the dragon provides her with a handsome but mysterious knight to help train her. She falls for the dragon, who is 219 years old.

I admittedly have a weakness for dragons. Dragons, lions, tigers, panthers, and cats. Not so found of dogs or wolves for some reason. I have no idea why. Also not so crazy about birds.
But cats and dragons...swoon. Also like dolphins.

This latest was recommended by co-worker who had taken pity on me. She had read the Song of Ice and Fire books and was watching the series - and new why I needed lighter fare.

Comments

[flameraven.livejournal.com]

That plot sounds interesting... but I looked it up on Amazon and ugh, that cover. D: It's like the worst of romance covers. (You would think that a dragon romance would at least have a dragon on the cover, but no, it's just another random dude's muscled torso. :/)

I may still check it out, because it sounds interesting... even though I'm not really a fan of romance books. You'll have to let me know whether there's actually plot in there or if it's all dreamy eyes and sex scenes. >_>

[embers-log.livejournal.com]

You might want to try (in spite of your over loaded DVR) HBO's new comedy 'Family Tree', it premiers this Sunday night and was written by Christopher Guest... it is getting good reviews.

[ladyhelix.livejournal.com]

Parades End was wonderful - very different. Complex, yet humorous (I love a little funny).

http://m.youtube.com/#/watch?v=tQv8jxQJjUw&desktop_uri=%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DtQv8jxQJjUw

I loved he characters so much I got the audio books (40+ hours) for my commute and am now listening to them for the second time. The female lead is fascinating, and the actress who plays her is excellent. Before you erase it from your DVR be aware - it's not available on region one DVD and I think the only place you can see it right now is on HBO "go".

Parade's End is also my second favorite Benny Batch - right behind Hawking. And I don't expect that seeing Star Trek will change it.

[shadowkat67.livejournal.com]

It may get better, the first half hour of the first episode was putting me to sleep. And I gave up. But I have not deleted. Mainly because I think it may well be a mood thing.

I am admittedly a moody watcher and reader.

[shadowkat67.livejournal.com]

You have no idea how bad my DVR is...it's 57% full. I don't know if I have room for another tv show. Also as it is - I'm DVRing six tv shows on Sunday nights. (OUAT, Revenge, Mad Men, Game of Thrones, Call the Midwife, and Bletchy Girls.) Not sure I can handle another tv show on that night. HBO needs to figure out a way to spread out its programming.

[shadowkat67.livejournal.com]

1. Regarding the cover? Eh. a) I'm reading it on the Kindle, so don't care. b)can't judge books by their covers - consider Twilight? Great cover, horrible story. (if you are a Twilight fan, no offense intended but I'm assuming you aren't.) Harry Potter? Stupid covers, great stories. In short, can't judge a book by its cover, particularly today with all the evil marketing people.

2. Regarding the plot? Eh. It's a mixed bag. Is it a romance novel? Yes. Is there an emphasis on sex? Definitely, although also a lot of fighting. Actually more sword-play and mentions of fighting at the moment than fucking.
But both characters are definitely fantasizing. And I've been told there is graphic sex on the way, which only seems fair since there's also graphic violence. But hey, look on the bright side there isn't any rape. At least so far. Can't say that about most fantasy or for that matter romance novels, can you? (Unfortunately.)

While the plot is not as convoluted as GRRM, but most plots aren't, it is more convoluted than your average run of the mill paranormal romance.
Annywl of the Dark Plains aka Annwyl the Bloody is busy fighting her nasty brother - who wants to become a dictator. She has managed to get quite a bit of support for her cause. She becomes wounded in a fight and collaspes at the entrance to a deadly dragon's lair. The dragon saves her - by frightening off her adversaries. And his sister, also a dragon shape-shifter, who Annwyl knows as the witch Morfyd, helps heal her. The dragon concerned that Annwyl does not possess the strength to defeat her upstart brother - decides to train her. But he does so posing as a mercernary knight.
He does not tell her that he can shape-shift. This is a secret that humans do not know about the ancient dragons. Apparently there's a lot of convoluted history about the dragons, what they can do, and their lineage.
Annwyl is a bit of a bookworm and sort of an odd-duck heroine. Her idea of dealing with men who make unwanted passes at her - is to chop off their arm, and bash their head in numerous times - so that everyone else gets the message and backs off.

While she's lusts after the knight, she is in love with the dragon - and fears betraying the dragon with the knight, little does she know the dragon and knight are one in the same. We get four points of view, actually five, Annwyl's, Morfyd, the Dragon, Brastias (the co-leader of Annwyl's army who Morfyd may have a weakness for), and Lorcan (Annwyl's evil brother.)

IT's a wryly amusing book. The author doesn't take herself or her story too seriously - which is a relief. Too many writers do in this genre.

I don't know if you'd like it or not. I'm admittedly in a less is more frame of mind. I want easy and forgettable reading. And a bit of angsty, but humorous romance.

But I will state - this has a great deal more plot than most of the romance novels I've read to date, although that admittedly isn't hard to do. Also it moves faster and is funnier and less grim than GRRM, but again, not hard to do. Is it all dreamy eyes and sex scenes? Eh, not really, the writer appears to be mocking both at the moment in much the same way I do, so am enjoying it.

[flameraven.livejournal.com]

Like I said, the plot seems interesting enough that I may check it out. I just... may make a paper sleeve or something for the book while I'm reading it.

Normally I would try not to judge a book by its cover, as we own a number of great books that have terrible terrible covers, but... the few books we've looked at with a muscled torso on the cover have been universally awful.

I've actually read a number of fantasy books not featuring rape, so I guess it just depends on what you find.