Sandi Shilhanek | The Book Search

This week my friend Yvonne has been visiting from England. One of the things that we try to accomplish when she visits is to see how many bookstores we can peruse in the Dallas area. Often while we are in the bookstore Yvonne’s cell phone will ring, and it will be another friend of ours from Hawaii.

The conversation almost always starts with what book are you looking at? Does it look good? Oh, I think I might want a copy of it too. Yvonne being the generous sort is always willing to contribute to someone else’s tbr pile, so we add book upon book to the basket we’re toting, and eventually try to head to the checkout stand.

So last spring Yvonne is in Dallas visiting, and the phone call comes. This time it’s slightly different. I’d like a book that I think is red, it might have heart in the title and might have been written by someone named Kane, or is it Cain, is that a first or last name? She had no clue! How in the world did she expect us to find this book?

Well, Yvonne is nothing if not determined, and I’m not far behind her when the mood strikes. We were a sight to be seen scouring the stores looking for a book. The salespeople were trying to be helpful, but we’re like we have very little information, and don’t think you can help us with what we have.

Did we ever find the book? We did! Are you as surprised about that as we were? How did it happen you may ask? We were in line to check out, and Yvonne did a quick check of a bargain book table, and there was a red book with the title Heartsick, and the author’s name was Chelsea Cain. We had no idea whether it was the correct book or not, but thought we had nothing to lose by buying it. As it turned out it was the correct book, we lucked out!

So, have you ever tried to search out a book with little to no information about it? Were you as successful as Yvonne and I were? Did you give up the search? If you gave up the search did you ever end up finding the book?

Sandi

Sandi Shilhanek | Friday Nights are For Book Friends!

Sara of Fresh Fiction fame thinks I can write a column while I on the other hand am not as certain, but decided that if she was going to be encouraging then I should give it my best shot by helping with the Fresh Fiction blog.

Christine Son
Originally uploaded by freshfiction

Friday, August 15, 2008 I met a couple of friends for a lovely and lively dinner, and then on to a book signing for a debut author [Christine Son] who also happens to be local to our area. Is there really anything better than meeting friends for a dinner and books without the husband, significant other, and or children?

I for one think not. Yes, the main purpose is to discuss books, but if the group of friends is close doesn’t the discussion naturally go from the romance found in books to the romance found in your real life?

Does that not then have you wondering are you married to a hero worthy of a romance novel? I know that physically I may not be married to a typical hero, but he’s there for me emotionally and financially. He’s a great dad, but more importantly he doesn’t mind my obsession with novels of any sort, but romance books in particular.

So I’ve shared a bit about my hero and now I want to know what makes the hero in your life worthy of the title of hero. Did you know the moment you met that he was a hero worthy of your love, or did he have to prove himself worthy?

If you have trouble sharing just pretend that we are sitting around the table enjoying a nice meal, and sharing thoughts.

Sandi Shilhanek
DFW Tea Readers Group and FreshFiction.com Reviewer

Lisa Plumley | Isn't it funny?

I have a confession to make: Most of my friends don't read romances. For one reason or another, they simply...don't read romances. Period. Either they're worried about being judged by the racy covers, or they think all that romance stuff is "a fairy tale," or they prefer to read exclusively about serial killers, or they've tried one (just one!) romance--possibly a decade ago, or more--and have decided the whole genre just isn't for them.

That's okay with me. I mean, there are occasionally awkward moments between us, I'll admit that. Because I'm passionate about reading and writing romances! I think they're awesome. I like to celebrate the power of love, the thrill of attraction, and all the wonderful differences between men and women. At the same time, I'm a live-and-let-live kind of person. I don't think it's up to me to try to "convert" anyone to my favorite genre. I wouldn't like it if someone tried to force me to take up lawn bowling or sushi eating or PlayStation playing (it would be futile; I'm a Nintendo Wii gal). Our dissimilarities make us uniquely interesting, and the world would be a boring place if everyone liked the same things.

That said, two friends recently read copies of my books--contemporary romantic comedies that I wrote a few years ago. Afterward, the first friend seemed a little concerned. "I laughed! Is it okay that I laughed when I read your book?" Now, I get this reaction occasionally, and it puzzles me. There are tons of incredibly enjoyable funny books out there. Are people really missing them? Do they not realize that, with the right book in hand, reading can be hilarious? (Not just romances either--see P.G. Wodehouse, Terry Pratchett, or David Sedaris for examples.) The second friend also laughed...but then said, "And it was time well spent, reading your
book, just because I laughed so much."

You know what? That's the way I feel about reading romances. It *is* time well spent. After I've read a good book, the world feels like a better place. My faith in the positive qualities of human nature is reaffirmed. And if I'm lucky...I've done a little laughing too.

What about you? Are you the only romance reader among nonromance reading family and friends? Do you like to laugh when you're reading, or do you only crack a smile when Borat is involved? Let's chat!Lisa Plumley