HQN: Books and Authors we love

Is anyone else having a tough time deciding which ones to buy this month?

There's The Warlord's Bride, by Margaret Moore. Margaret always has been, always will be, one of my auto buys. Plus, she's a super nice lady.

Gena Showalter has a new book, The Heart of the Dragon, out as well. Another terrific author.

Then, there's another fave author, Carly Phillips, with Secret Fantasy, and oh man... Can Carly write or what? I inhale her stuff. It's a reissue, so I might have read it. I can't remember, and it's driving me nuts. I have a nasty habit of buying a book multiple times because I don't remember if I have it or not. Trying to cut back on spending this year, so really need to keep that in check.

Right... next author... Jennifer Crusie. Strange Bedpersons.She's another one I can't resist. And I can't remember if I've read this or not.

They've also got a book called Talk me down by Victoria Dahl, and even though I've never read her, it sounds like a good story.

Brenda Joyce, another auto buy, has a book out this month, too. The Prize. Well now, doesn't that sound like a prize? It's a reissue, but I can't remember if I've read it or not.

Last, but not least, is Susan Mallery's book, Falling for Gracie. Which is a reissue, but hey, if it's good once, I'm going to enjoy it the second time around, too, right?

I tell you, too many choices, too little time to read. One of my goals this year is to catalog all of my books so I know what I have and what I don't. I hate the thought of missing a book by one of my favorite authors, but I'm going bankrupt buying more books I don't need.

What's a girl to do?

You're right this month was difficult.  I had to check my favourite author list to make sure I didn't buy one I've read that's now a reprint.

On the first of the month I ordered Carly Phillips, Secret Fantasy; and Jennifer Crusie, Strange Bedpersons.  I read Getting Rid of Bradley and thoroughly enjoyed it.

I just read the preview of Talk me down by Victoria Dahl and it sounds good so I'll put it on next month's wish list.

I've listed all my favourite authors and then when I read a book I add it to my list, hopefully to avoid buying doubles.  Most of the time it works.

Interesting picks...

Book Buff, I like the idea of making a list. I keep thinking I'm going to track my books, but haven't gotten around to it yet. I downloaded a program that will do it for me, and you can use a webcam to scan the barcode in... pretty cool stuff. I just haven't had time to do it. Plus, I need a webcam. :)

Kathy, I think it's a great series too. I know I've read some of it, I just can't remember all of it. *sigh* I need to get tracking my books.

And funny that Joan would mention not reading many romantic contemporary novels. I was just talking with someone about this tonight... I wonder what that is? 

Do you guys find yourselves reading from certain time periods exclusively? Or is it a pattern?

I know for me, it's very cyclical. I'll go on historical binges, and then I won't read anything but suspense for ages, and on and on. 

The program is called Libra. There's a similar program for Macs called Delicious. I heard about it from a friend who has a Mac and uses Delicious and loves it, so I did some hunting for something I could use on a PC. So far, it seems to be a very easy to use program. I just haven't had the time to dedicate to scanning my books or going out and buying a webcam. I found typing in the barcodes (which is still easier than typing in author and title) a little tedious, so I really want to use the scan feature.

I hear you on the lighthearted reads. I find that when I'm stressed or going through a rough patch, I need the exact same thing. And when I'm in a really bad mood, I like reading about serial killers. Hmmm... maybe that's a little bit of scary info.

I hope your health improves soon.

Dream

If you end up using it, let me know how it goes. I like what I've seen so far, but I haven't had the chance to play with it as much as I'd like.

I guess when I say I don't read contemporary romantic novels, I'm refering mainly to HQN and Mira books and   the blurb under each book of these imprints.  I read contemporary suspense and paranormal books but not those listed as contemporay romantic even then I only buy those authors I really like or want to try because of a review.  If I read a contemporary romantic novel ( meaning something that is happening today) I would buy Harlequin Presents or some of the other imprints that have authors I know and like.  I hope that explains it better.

Didn't mean to take so long to get back to this but you know how it is. Besides HQN and Mira, I also read all the Luna, Nocturne, Historical, Intrigue, Romantic Suspense and Rogue Angel available every or every other month.  I am never sure whether the books are in the Mira or HQN line as many write in both but there are 46  authors from these two series that I read on a regular basis.  Some of the author include:  Jennifer Blake, Candace Camp, Nicola Cornick Carolyn Davidson, Brenda Joyce, Gina Showalter, Bertrice Small, Maggie Shayne, Beverly Barton, Heather Graham, Kat Martin, Margaret Moore and Sharon Sala.  There are also about 20 authors from Other publishers that I read regularly.  Thank goodness they do not all come out with a new book at the same time.  Many of these authors have been added to my list because of the Challenge and partly because I discovered eHarlequin and can order more easily. 

Joan

I've been working on finding all of Bertrice Small's back list and I have almost all of them now.  To me she is a really tremendous writer.  Another favourite is Kathleen Woodiwiss.  I have all of hers except the last one that came out in December/08.  It was probably in hardcover so I will wait for the paperback. By the way, we are not getting old, we're getting better.

Joan

I didn't know that about Gena's book. The funny, but cool! thing about it is that her book hit the New York Times Bestseller list at #31 the week of the 18th. So I guess it goes to show that even the old books can still pack a punch. :)

Both Heart of the Dragon and the Jewel of Atlantis are being reissued and I'm glad because I missed them the first time around and the bought the Nymph King which came after them.  I just finished a couple of Intrigues, a Presents and The Reawakening by Jeri Smith-Ready, the third book in the Aspect of the Crow trilogy.

Joan

Falling for Gracie is one of my favorite books by Susan Mallery, who's one of my favorite authors! I'm so excited that it was reissued. I loaned it out a couple of years ago, and I never got it back. Can't remember who I loaned it to. That book is one of the funniest romances I've ever read!

I'm also excited to see Jennifer Crusie has something new coming out. I'm going to look for it right now. Thanks for the heads-up!

It's fun to be able to rediscover old books by new author finds, isn't it?

Anyone have a list of "old" authors they've rediscovered and are now hunting backlist titles? Or am I the only one who does that?

Anything good? I know her books will be good, but you know what I mean.

I don't know how I missed this one, but she had a 2008 book that she co-wrote called Agnes and the Hitman that I never even heard of! How does that happen when she's one of my all-time favorites? I even buy her in hardcover sometimes because I can't wait for the paperback.

Jenny Crusie has a website that you can go to and sign up to be on a notification list.  That is how I learned about Agnes last year.  I just got another message about the book she co-wrote with two others.  And don't worry about getting too much mail-- this last message was probably the first in at least six months!  Wish I could give you the web address, but I can't.  It would be very easy to google, though.

And I frequently buy on the name alone.  Sometimes, though, I buy and then realize that I already have the book but under a different title.  This is probably why Nora Roberts' now has "first time published stickers."

A couple of years ago I started writing down everything I read to help me remember for future purchases.  Of course, the way they keep changing book titles . . .  I always check the inside flap now to see if it has been published under a different name at one time.  My next goal is to not only write down everything I have read but to actually catalogue it in some kind of order for easier purusal.  Someday.

We're always happy to start a new discussion, just let us know! I'll get one up for you in a bit!

**Edited to Add**

 You can find the Susan Mallery discussion here. 

I thought I'd get my book order for this month going again, and of course... I can't decide! I am so impressed with this month's lineup. I think there truly is something for everyone. Which is a huge problem for me, who likes just about everything!

For those of you hooked on Susan Mallery's Lone Star Sisters, book two is out, so grab it, and then head on over to our discussion to chat about it!

Personally, I'm a complete Nicola Cornick addict, so I can't wait to dig in to her latest release, The Confessions of a Duchess. Plus, can I be a total nerd and say that the words "tax law" made this an instant must-read?

Are there words or phrases that you find in a blurb that make you think, "Gotta have it now?"

There's a lot of others coming out this month... what are you interested in checking out?

that there are more newly released backlist books in the eBoutique and if you go over there, you'll see a coupon code to use. There are a fair number of favorite authors and one or two HQN and MIRA books (plus plenty of other series / lines / imprints).

To get to the eBoutique, you can always click on "eBooks" next to "Formats" in the 3rd banner from the top. (Right now, you can click HERE, but I wanted you to know how to get there from any of the community pages.)

If you have questions about eBooks, you can come see me in the eBook Discussion thread (you'll find it under "Alternative Formats" forum if you're want to come by later ).

Happy reading!!

Penn

I really like Erica's work, but her characters do use profanity freely, so know that. I'll be reviewing it shortly in the Book Challenge, but since I was over here, thought I'd share with y'all anyway. Total jerk shock-jock becomes a better man via a near-death experience and falling in love with a nice woman. Erica puts the story together better than that, of course, but in the end, it's all about love. Reminds me of Do They Wear High Heels in Heaven when at the end the main character says to "just love them all."

Penn

And one of those HQN's on sale is a new Nicola Cornick.  I know what I'm buying on payday!  So many books to buy - I don't know if this site is a blessing or a curse some days LOL.  Some of my favorite non harlequin authors have new books out as well that I just gotta buy.  Good thing ebooks don't disappear as fast as print!

I am so excited that we keep getting new Georgette Heyer books each month. Of course, I'm not reading them fast enough, but this is so fun that we're able to find all the reissues of ones we've missed.

Those are some of my faves as well.

I never thought of the Body Movers series being like Stephanie Plum, but now that you've mentioned it, you're right! 

Do you find that once you like a particular series, like Stephanie Plum, do you look for other books with similar themes/feels? Or is finding them just a bonus?

I love series as well. I was a big Sweet Valley High reader. I can remember all the girls in our class trading the books around like mad. Even now when I read, I prefer series because once I find a cast of characters or setting I enjoy, I want to spend more time with them.

Anyone else a series lover?