Women And Romance Novels

What is it about women and romance novels? Well, any romance really...movies, tv, music...

I've been caught up in reading romance novels this summer.  I only read regency romance novels. I love immersing myself in the world of the British aristocracy, or being swept along the Scottish highlands. I like to pretend I am a poor maid who eventually becomes a Countess.  A woman who eventually falls in love with the dashing rake; the rake who is secretly a romantic, thoughtful guy.  Aaahhhh...romance!

I just finished reading A Rose in Winter by Kathleen E. Woodiwiss, one of the very first romance authors (as we know them today).  This is one of my all-time favorite romance novels. It has intrigue with a dash of mystery as well as a great romance story. I only wish I could forget the big twist in the story, so I could experience the revelation each time I read it.

I love to read series. I always hate it when a good novel is over, which is why I like to read either long novels (600+ pages...no Harlequin romance novels for me) or a series of novels.  One of my favorite series is The Wakefield Dynasty series by Gilbert Morris.  This is a Christian Historical series that follows the Wakefield family through seven novels starting in 1513 in England and going through each generation of the family.  This is my favorite type of series. I love that you get to know what happens with all the characters throughout their lifetime because the next novels will still be centered on that same family.

I really want to re-read The Wakefield Dynasty series this summer, but I can't get it in Kindle format, and I really don't want to have to read the actual books...even though I already own them.  Although I like to read books on my Kindle better (it's more convenient in many ways), normally I wouldn't mind reading an actual paper novel.  Lately, I've been having a lot of pain with my left wrist and hand and it is so much easier to read on my Kindle because I can easily do that with one hand.Hopefully my hand starts feeling better soon so I can read it. Until then, I keep downloading free Kindle novels and reading those. You never know when you will find a winner!

I'm always looking for a good novel, especially a good Historical Romance, so if you have a favorite, let me know.

How Many Books This Year???

According to my LibraryThing list, I read 32 books last year. I'm a little disappointed by that. I feel that as an English teacher, and a lover of books, I should be reading more than that. I would think 52 books (one a week) would be more what I should be reading. Obviously, I watch too much TV.

I finally managed to change my LibraryThing wigit to list the books I have read so far this year. February is half over and I've only finished 3 books! That's terrible. To be fair, I've been reading a lot of old issues of photography magazines, and that has been taking up part of my time. I'm going to try to make an effort to spend a little more time reading for pleasure!

I'm A Reader Again!

I love to read. I always have. My earliest childhood memories always include me reading something. I would escape my own life and become someone else by just opening the pages of a book.

I still love to read, but somehow I have relegated reading to that 10 minutes right before I go to bed. Every once in awhile over the last few years, I would get a hold of a really compelling book and read for hours at a time. Most of the Harry Potter books were read strait through with only a short nap to sustain me through the hours of reading. However, that was not the usual, and 10 minutes a day was just not enough for me, and so I have been feeling the pull of reading.

There are still times when I want, need, or simply, love, escaping my own life and becoming someone else. Maybe this is why I tend toward Fantasy and Regency fiction. I love the regal lives of the British aristocracy and the glimpses of life among the elves and faeries. Both are totally opposite of my small town reality.

I have been reading much more lately, spending an average of 45 minutes a night reading. And I'm loving it! Today, when I got home, instead of turning on the TV and vegging out to relax from work, I turned on my Kindle and spent almost 2 hours finishing the book I was reading.

I've been taking advantage of all the free Kindle books on Amazon. I have to be careful, because many of them are the first in a series that are designed to suck you in so you purchase the rest of the books in the series. I love a good series, but I don't want to have to be buying that many books. Still, there are a lot of free Kindle books out there by new authors or authors who want you to be introduced to their genre or style of writing and are willing to give away a few books to do so. I am actually starting a series right now, but with the first book free and the other 2 under $4 each, it's still a pretty good deal if I decide to read all three books.

I have gotten skunked a time or two with the free books. There are a few that I never read past the first chapter or so, and one that I read all the way through waiting for it to get good (it never did), but I've discovered some great books as well.

So, if you're a reader who has lost your way, pick up a good book and start reading again! There are lots of sites to help recommend good books, or just take a chance. Sometimes, a book IS as good as its cover suggests!

I'm Getting Behind Again!

Sorry folks (all 3 of my readers). I've been getting behind in my posting again. I keep thinking of things to write about, but not when I'm around my computer.

Let me just talk about how I'm having to treat one of my classes like a bunch of little kids. Our school is a consolidated school and isn't in the middle of either town. Because of that, the drivers are not released at 3:00. Instead, they are held in classes until all the buses have gotten well away from the high school. This is probably due to the fact that teenagers are terrible drivers, especially when getting away from the place they dislike the most!

I have always felt that this 12 minutes or so was the kids' time and I just let them talk among themselves as long as it didn't get out of hand. Not this year! This year my 7th hour class has about 5 boys in it that are good friends. Their idea of being a good friend is to constantly harass, bully, put-down and make fun of each other. Which would be fine...if they weren't doing it in my class. It is hard enough to keep them from doing it during class time, but it was impossible once the bus riders had left the room.

I'm not sure why boys (and these are worse than any I've seen before) feel it is necessary to put each other down and make fun of each other all the time. There's a lot of "mama" jokes and calling each other names...all in the sake of fun. Add into the mix that these boys HATE English.They are country boys through and through and do not see any need for English class. "I speak good English, what do I need that class fer?"

Anyway...they were behaving terribly during this down time. After some consultations with the principal and vice principal, we decided the class should be kept busy, even though class was over.

I have chosen SSR (Sustained Silent Reading). During SSR time, there is absolutely NO TALKING! And no grade, so it's not like they are doing an extra assignment that the other students who ride a bus don't have to do. Boy do they HATE this. None of these kids are readers to begin with. I am even reading with them.

I gave them a week to get used to the idea with me shushing them and reminding them not to talk before I finally wrote two boys up (discipline referral) on Friday for talking (one was trying to ask me a question). SSR = NO TALKING! They are even more fired up about it now. But they were good today. They grumbled, but once I told them that we were starting and the anyone who talked would be written up, they all started reading (or at least pretending to read).

I've told them if they can go a reasonable length of time (I'm thinking 2 weeks), without causing troubles in class, I will consider doing something besides SSR at the end of the day. They have yet to be able to go a full day without someone talking smack to someone else.

Teachers just aren't paid enough. As it is I spend countless hours preparing lessons and grading papers, but it's discipline and classroom management issues like these that really show we're not paid enough. Just because your "little angel" is fine at home, doesn't mean that they act the same way when in a room with multiple hormone producing kids their age!

All The Crazy Things

I've had so much going on lately, but at the same time, not much really. I've had the last two weeks off. There have been a few days here and there where I had things to do (mostly involving that stupid fireworks stand...baaahhhh!), but mostly it's been up to me to decide what I want to do, how much I want to do...that sort of thing.

I've done a lot of reading. I love to read and I don't take much time during the school year to do so. I read every day, but usually just about 10 minutes before I go to bed; nothing substantial. I've stayed up late twice this last week reading into the wee hours of the morning. It's nice to be able to do that once in awhile. Hmmm...that reminds me, I've really got to update my list of books read on my blog...

I've had the whole cat-sickness-thing going. For over a week now my cats have had this terrible cold. They have sneezing fits that are sometimes scary. Then there is Noel who came back home after being lost for over a week. I am so happy she's home, but she has obviously been in a fight and her eye looks terrible. I started them all on antibiotics today and have been putting medicine in her eye. The swelling has gone down, but now it's all full of puss...yuck. I'm just praying she doesn't lose her eye. At this point, I don't think that's going to happen, but...

Noel the day she came home.

Then there has been the convergence of the commune down the road. They keep buzzing by my house at 60 miles an hour...as if it's not a gravel road and people don't live on there! I swung by on Thursday to see how many people were there; it wasn't as crowded as I've seen it in the past. I've seen it so crowded that the entire field is full of tents and RVs.


I've spent two separate days bleaching the floors and surfaces. One day I worked on the kitchen and just yesterday I worked on the bathroom. I can't do too much at once because the bleach smell is overwhelming and probably toxic at some point. I did get a lot done and feel so much better about the house. I'm not a cleaner by nature, but I grew up in my Mom's sterile house, so I sort of crave cleanliness...I just don't produce it on my own. While I was cleaning the bathroom, I decided to get the hard water build up off my shower head. It's really easy...all you have to do is tie a baggy full of vinegar over the shower head. The vinegar removes the hard water build up...no scrubbing!

Before/During

After

Next week will be my last chock-full week of the summer because it is Junior High camp. Although I don't have to be out at camp all day, I like to be out there as much as possible during high school and junior high weeks, so I probably won't be home much next week. After next week, I'll be out at camp a few days a week, but probably not all day long. I'm hoping to get more books read! And...more house cleaning done. Plus there is still the big project of the summer...Painting! I really need to get my bedroom and living room painted this summer.

Well, I guess that's it for now. We'll see how much trouble I get into this coming week...