#AtoZChallenge: Books in my TBR pile
#AtoZChallenge: Books on my TBR pile
I have lots of books in my TBR <To Be Read> pile. These are books that I bought, but for one reason or another have not started reading yet. Here is a peak at the most recent books that I have added to my TBR pile:
Butterflies, Flower by Yuki Yoshihara
Choko Kuze is the sensible daughter of a venerable family who went bankrupt. She joins a real estate company as an entry-level office worker, but her eccentric boss is harder on her than anyone else in the company! After hearing him inadvertently call her “milady,” she realizes he was the young servant boy she knew as a child. At work he’s a tyrant, but after hours he insists on treating her like a lady of the nobility. Is romance even possible for a couple locked in such a crazy role reversal?
Three Weeks With Lady X by Elosia James
Having made a fortune, Thorn Dautry, the powerful bastard son of a duke, decides that he needs a wife. But to marry a lady, Thorn must acquire a gleaming, civilized facade, the specialty of Lady Xenobia India. Exquisite, headstrong, and independent, India vows to make Thorn marriageable in just three weeks. But neither Thorn nor India anticipate the forbidden passion that explodes between them. Thorn will stop at nothing to make India his. Failure is not an option. But there is only one thing that will make India his. The one thing Thorn can’t afford to lose–his fierce and lawless heart.
Star Wars: Rogue Squadron by Michael Stackpole
They are sleek, swift, and deadly. The are the X-wing fighters. And as the struggle rages across the vastness of space, the fearless men and women who pilot them risk both their lives and their machines. Their mission: to defend the Rebel Alliance against a still-powerful and battle-hardened Imperial foe in a last-ditch effort to control the stars! Its very name strikes fear into enemy hearts. So when Rebel hero Wedge Antilles rebuilds the legendary Rogue Squadron, he seeks out only the best — the most skilled, the most daring X-wing pilots. Through arduous training and dangerous missions, he weeds out the weak from the strong, assembling a group of hard-bitten warriors willing to fight, ready to die. Antilles knows the grim truth: that even with the best X-wing jockeys in the galaxy, many will not survive their near-suicidal missions. But when Rogue Squadron is ordered to assist in the assault on the heavily fortified Imperial stronghold of Black Moon, even the bravest must wonder if any at all will survive. . . .
Shall We Dance by Chris Keniston
Success in the courtroom comes easily for J.P. Hartley, but not so much in his love life. Tired of superficial pretty faces, after a bitter loss in court all he wants is to unwind with his best friend and colleague Kimberly Anderson. That is, until a snazzy blonde forces him to face what—or who—has always been right in front of him.
Nebula Nights: Love Among The Stars
11 Sci-Fi Romances that’ll sweep you away!If you like your science fiction blazing with adventure and your space opera spiced with romance, this boxed set is for you. From first contact to battles for survival and love on war-torn planets, this collection from bestselling & award winning authors will leave you sighing with satisfaction
Books, stories or series that influenced me
I have been challenged by few of my friends on Facebook to name 10 books that changed or influenced my life. However, I have so many books, stories and series that changed or influenced my life that I cannot possibly only name 10. Therefore, below is my attempt to limit this list to only the top books, stories or series that changed or influenced me throughout my life so far!
Stone Soup by Marcia Brown
This was actually one of my Mom’s favorites. It influenced her so much that she made a gift of this book to me as an adult. My Mom told me, when she gave me that gift, it was to remind me that there is always a silver lining no matter how dire things are. Now that she has passed away, this story is even more precious to me and will continue to remind me of her for years to come.
Poky Little Puppy A Little Golden Book
This was a favorite story when I was in elementary school. I am not sure how it changed or influenced me, but I read and re-read this book so much that I wore the binding out and pages fell out of the book.
Nancy Drew Mysteries by Carolyn Keene
I was first introduced to these stories in elementary school, by the school librarian. The first story of the series I read was The Hidden Staircase. These were first set of stories that I became obsessed with and just had to read!
Pride & Prejudice by Jane Austen
I first read an excerpt of this story in Middle School as part of an overall reading assignment in the textbook. However, it was the scene where Mr. Collins proposed to Elizabeth and her response to that proposal. The character of Elizabeth was just so powerful in that short scene that I just had to find out more about her and her life. It influenced me to seek out the novel and of course all of the other iterations and adaptations.
Once and Always by Judith McNaught
This is my very first adult historical romance novel. The story, characters and the steamy romance scenes really caught my attention. For a long time, this is the historical romance story I used to measure all the other stories I read in the same genre!
LONG, TALL TEXANS SERIES by Diana Palmer
This series has been a part of my life since 1988 and I mentioned that this was one of my favorite series before. I bought the first story in the series, Calhoun, with money that I earned working part time at a local Kmart store. I was so proud that I was able to not only read such an amazing story with great characters, but that I was able to buy it new with my own money!
Mallory-Anderson Series by Johnanna Lindsey
This is another series that I have mentioned before and has been a part of my life for over 25 years. The first story in the series, Love Only Once, introduced my favorite male character, James Mallory, and I was NEVER the same since.
Legacy by Jayne Ann Krentz
This is the first story that I found by one of my favorite authors, Jayne Anne Krentz. I found this at a used book store one Saturday afternoon. The book was so good that I went to find all her previous books. In addition, because all the other books were just as good as the first, Jayne Ann Krentz became a must read and buy author from that time on.
Flirting With Trouble by Cathie Linz
This is my first signed book by the author! I met the author through an online Bulletin Board while I was in College. The members of the Bulletin Board decided to have a meet up in Cathie’s home town. Not only did I get to meet this amazing author and have this book signed, but it found a life long friend as well.
A Night In the Lonesome October by Roger Zelazny
This story is one that my husband and I re-listen to every year during the month of October for Halloween. Each time we listen to it, it feels like brand new all over again. In addition, we have the rare audio version of this story narrated by the author himself!
And, but definitely not least…
Vorkosigan Saga by Lois McMaster Bujold
I have mentioned this series before. Every single story in the Vorkosigan Saga constantly changes and influences me, even in small ways. However, if I had to choose one book from this amazing series to list it would be Shards of Honor!
Highlights in Fandom History – October
Topic: Highlights in Fandom History – October
Today, I will highlight some interesting events in “fandom” history during the month of October for the following fandoms:
Technology:
October 18, 1985: Nintendo NES first released in New York and select North American markets.
Literature:
October 31, 1892: The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, the first collection of stories by Arthur Conan Doyle was published.
Pokémon:
October 28, 1997: First volume of the manga Electric Tale of Pikachu was published in Japan.
Disney:
October 30, 2012: Disney announces that it will acquire Lucasfilm Ltd
Star Wars:
October 30, 2012: Disney and Lucasfilm announce
…new Star Wars feature films, with George Lucas serving as creative consultant. Star Wars Episode 7 is targeted for release in 2015, with more feature films expected to continue the Star Wars saga and grow the franchise well into the future.
Highlights in Fandom History – September
Topic: Highlights in Fandom History – September
Today, I will highlight interesting events in “fandom” history during the month of September for the following fandoms:
Technology:
Picture from Wired.com
September 2, 1969: The First ATM Machine opens for business. Where would any of us who attend cons be without the good old ATM machine, huh?
Television:
September 13, 1990: Law & Order premieres. My Mom was a big fan of this series!
September 26, 1969: The Brady Bunch premieres
Movies:
September 9, 1939: A surprise preview of the movie adaptation of the novel Gone With The Wind is shown in Hollywood, CA.
Literature:
September 30, 1868: The First Volume of Little Women is published.
Disney:
September 18, 1928: Walt Disney’s patent application for Mickey Mouse is granted.
September 19, 1989: The Library of Congress selects the animated feature, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs to be placed on The National Film Registry.
Anime:
September 20, 2002: The Oscar Winning Anime film, Spirited Away, by Miyazaki is released in the U.S.
The Many Iterations of Sailor Moon in North America
The Many Iterations of Sailor Moon In North America
Today, I found out that the newest Sailor Moon anime will start streaming worldwide, sometime during the 2013/2014 Winter Broadcast season! I am hoping that this will include an official North American version with either an English Dub or at the very least a professional English Subtitle track!
I am a huge fan of Sailor Moon in ALL iterations that I have encountered. Today, I am going to share with you all the different officially released North American Sailor Moon iterations that I have encountered, collected, re-watched or listened to over the years…
Sailor Moon Books
Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon Manga, Unflipped version, currently published by Kodansha Comics
Sailor Moon Comic/Manga, Flipped version, originally published by TokyoPop
Sailor Moon the Novel paperback, originally published by TokyoPop
Sailor Moon Videos
Sailor Moon Animated TV Series, edited dubbed version, originally produced by D.I.C and released on video by ADV
Sailor Moon Anime Series: Seasons 1 & 2, unedited subtitled only version, originally produced and released on video by ADV
Sailor Moon S and Sailor Moon Super S Animated TV series, slightly edited Dual Language version, originally produced and released on video by Pioneer/Geneon
Sailor Moon Animated Movies R, S & Super S, slightly edited Dual Language version, originally produced and published on video by Pioneer/Geneon
Sailor Moon Soundtracks
Sailor Moon: Songs From The Hit TV Series Soundtrack, originally produced and released by Rhino
Sailor Moon and The Scouts: Lunarock Soundtrack, originally produced and released by Kid Rhino
Sailor Moon: Full Moon Collection Soundtrack, originally produced and published by Koch Records
Sailor Moon Collectibles & Toys
Sailor Moon Chroma Cel, originally produced and released by AniMag
Sailor Moon Adventure Dolls, originally produced and released by Irwin Toys
Reading Adventures: Lost in Translation, Part 3
Welcome to Part 3 of my Lost in Translation blog article series!!
I recently re-read the digital manga that was based on the Harlequin Romance novel, The Marine & The Princess by Cathie Linz. During my re-read, I found some interesting differences between the original version and the manga version, which inspired me to create another “Lost In Translation” article.
As usual, I will start this article with the basic format differences between the two versions of the story The Marine & The Princess:
The original version is a paperback, first published in 2001 in North America, with 187 pages and contains words only.
The manga version is a digital ebook, first published in 2009 in Japan, with 127 pages and contains words with illustrations.
The following interesting differences can be seen between these two versions:
Difference 1
The military rank of the Mark Wilder, the male lead of the story, is different between the two versions.
The original version his rank is given as:
- “Captain”
The manga version his jokingly gives his rank as “General” at first, but his actual rank is…
- “Lieutenant”
Difference 2
The manga version, as seen in the pic below, mentions or shows brand name U.S. based restaurants, but the original does not mention or describe a brand name. The original only mentions that the characters are going to or eating at “a fast-food restaurant”.
Difference 3
The original version has a silver necklace with a slipper charm as a prominent symbol of the character’s romance within the story. However, the manga version does not include this symbol at all within the story.
These point out some interesting differences between these two versions. However, the differences seem to be more artistic, than translation based issues.
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I hope you enjoyed this installment of my Lost In Translation series of posts and will post another article on this topic soon!
Highlights in Fandom History – July
Topic: Highlights in Fandom History – July
Today, I will highlight interesting events in “fandom” history during the month of July for the following fandoms:
Technology:
July 1, 1979: Sony Walkman is first introduced in Japan
Literature:
On July 21, 2007: The final book in the Harry Potter series: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows is released (and I was one of those throughout the world who bought it right at midnight)!
Disney:
On July 17, 1944: Disneyland Opens.
Star Wars:
I am back and I have been interviewed!
This everyday fangirl is back and ready to blog!
I took a short break from my blog due to some family issues. However, those are now under control and I am ready to update my blog with interesting everyday fangirl adventures!
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One of my recent fangirl adventures is an interview by author and fellow blogger, Liza O’Conner, as part of me as part of her blog interview series. The blog interview series is titled…
I had a great time working with Liza to come up with the responses to her interesting topics and questions for this very funny and humorous post. It is a bit long, but because of the concept she came up with is well worth the read! Therefore, please hop on over to Liza’s blog and enjoy the interview with this excited fangirl! If you like the post, please do not forget to leave Liza and/or myself a comment!
Highlights in Fandom History – Mid to End of June
Topic: Highlights in Fandom History – Mid to End of June
Today, I will highlight interesting events in “fandom” history from Mid to the End of June (between June 15th and June 30th) for the following fandoms:
Technology:
On June 29, 2007: Apple, iPhone first is released!
Literature:
On June 30, 1936: Gone With The Wind is first published!
Batman:
On June 23, 1989: The first of the Tim Burton Batman movies is released.
Disney:
On June 27, 1997: Hercules is released in the US and Canada.
Anime:
On June 17, 2005: Disney releases Miyazaki’s anime movie Howl’s Moving Castle in US theaters for the first time.
