Sorry for the silence on my end.  Exhausting week.  I cannot seem to get enough sleep.  It’s a couple hours of sleep here, then I’m awake for three hours, then a couple hours of sleep there.  Just living up to my insomniac reputation, I suppose.

However… I have been gleefully reading your Valentine stories for my book giveaway.  I just ran the names through random.org and I’m happy to announce the following winners…

Purple
Danielle
Suzanne
GMH

You know the drill.  E-mail me your mailing address and your first and second choice of books.  I only have one copy of Six-Word Memoirs of Love and Heartbreak, so that one goes to the first person who requests it.  Books will go out next week.

Thanks for sharing your stories!

Posted by Kristina in Books and Reading at 02:22 PM Permalink

I love love and I love my readers.  And, of course, I love books.  In honor of all three, I’m giving away books from my recent back list and my way-back back list to celebrate Valentine’s Day. 

Want one?  Share a Valentine’s Day memory-- good or bad, happy or sad-- in the comments.  Can’t think of one?  Then just tell me what you’re going to be doing this Valentine’s Day.  Oh, and tell me which of the books below you’d like to win.  Four books = four winners.  I have multiple copies of each, so there shouldn’t be a problem making sure everyone gets what they want. 

Winners will be announced (around) noon on Friday, February 13.  You must be over 18 to enter.  One entry per person.  You do not have to be my Valentine to enter, but it couldn’t hurt.

Posted by Kristina in Books and Reading at 02:37 PM Permalink

Today’s blog post is over in the Book Club.  I have (finally) gotten around to posting my review of Taylor Clark’s Starbucked: A Double Tall Tale of Caffeine, Commerce and Culture.  I don’t read a lot of nonfiction, but Starbucked was engaging and a quick read (though I only seemed to read a few pages at a time).

I hope you will drop by and join the conversation whether you love Starbucks-- or hate it!

The next book I will be reading and reviewing for Book Club will be something entirely different-- Robin McKinley’s alternate world fantasy Sunshine.  McKinley is a wonderful author with a knack for strong characterization and quiet humor, so I’m really looking forward to this one. 

I started reading Sunshine last night and zipped through 70 pages before I couldn’t keep my eyes open anymore!  Hopefully it won’t take me quite so long to post this review.

Posted by Kristina in Books and Reading at 03:50 PM Permalink

Once upon a time, I was involved in a two-person book club with a pal of mine.  We started out strong, choosing books through a complicated system of lists and vetoes and new lists.  Sometimes the discussion to pick the book club book took as long as discussing the actual book.  It was fun (if a little too focused on literary fiction) but, for a number of reasons, we only managed to read and discuss seven books in three years. There was talk of bringing book club back several times but we could never make it happen.  When I had my website redesigned by Moxie Design Studios last year, I kept the Book Club tab even though I wasn’t sure whether I would ever revisit the book club in any form.  Tired of seeing the same seven books cycle through on my sidebar (and the utter lack of content in the Book Club blog), I decided that one of my 2009 goals would include bringing the book club back in some way.

Now that I’m reviewing books for the Erotica Readers and Writers Association (my first review, Pam Rosenthal’s The Edge of Impropriety, will go up in February), I intend to migrate those reviews over to my Book Club once the reviews go into the archives of ERWA.  I will also be choosing other books to review throughout the year based on recommendations, review copies I receive and whatever strikes my fancy at the bookstore.

Of course, reading and reviewing books by myself doesn’t exactly constitute a “book club,” does it?  No!  So, I’m hoping you-- my lovely readers-- will join my club and participate in the process.  If you’ve read the book I’m reviewing, please feel free to jump in with your comments.  Is there a book you’ve read and loved?  Send me a recommendation.  Have you written a book you would like me to review (either here or for ERWA)?  Drop me a note and I will accommodate your request if I can.  I would also like to invite guests to participate in book club discussions and then post the transcripts of those discussions, so if you think you might want to discuss (via e-mail) a particular book, let me know that, too!  I’ll probably give away most of the books I review in the spirit of sharing good books with my wonderful readers.

The first book I’m reading for my new Book Club is Taylor Clark’s Starbucked: A Double Tall Tale of Caffeine, Commerce and Culture.  Do stop by and let me know if you’ve read the book (or one of the other books about the Starbucks phenomenon).  I’ll be posting my own review in a week or two.

Book Club is back, baby!

Posted by Kristina in Books and Reading at 03:54 PM Permalink 2 comments

As promised, here are the four winners of Bedding Down: A Collection of Winter Erotica.  Winners were selected at random using-- what else?-- random.org.  Thanks for sharing all of your lovely, sweet, sexy winter memories! 

If you are a winner, please e-mail me your mailing address (kristinaATkristinawright.com) and I will get your book to you next week.  If you didn’t win, please send me your address, as well.

Happy New Year and Happy Reading!

Posted by Kristina in Books and Reading at 06:38 PM Permalink