Helen Rena's Blog: Books and Their Discontents, page 3
March 30, 2015
Magic and Bras in Dorothy Must Die
Very enjoyable so far. But one thing just cracked me up. So supposedly, the air in the Land of Oz is imbued with magic, literally, sort of like humidity, and yet all this magic fails to support women’s boobs because when the protagonist needs clothes, she gets this magical garment: “The top was clingy and it had some sort of bra built in that made my flat chest look a little less flat. Say what you will about these witches, but they valued style.” 
March 24, 2015
Liebster Award!
I am very honored to have received the Liebster (a German word for “beloved”) Award! This award is given to new bloggers for the purposes of getting to know each other and highlighting a newbie in the blogging community.
Next Door Painting’s Blog nominated my blog for the award. Mine is a new blog where I post about books I read and write. Please stop by again.
After receiving the award, I’ve been asked to answer a series of questions:
1) What time of day do you blog?
Usually in the morning, before things start getting out of hand.
2) How many blogs do you read regularly?
Six or seven.
3) Salty or sweet?
It depends on my mood, but okay, I might be leaning toward sweet more. I just can’t pass by chocolate.
4) Your favorite Blog entry (include link).
http://helenrena.com/2014/11/04/fighting-the-sexy/
5) What city would you love to get lost in?
I am not sure I would like to get lost anywhere. It sounds scary. But the city where I would love to wander the most would probably be Paris.
6) What do you find most interesting about blogs?
People giving their perspective on things.
7) Last song you listened to.
“One Last Time” by Ariana Grande.
8) Last book you read.
The Book of Blood and Shadows by Robin Wasserman.
9) Have you ever read something you wrote to a group?
Yes, back when I was teaching Language Arts at a high school, I wrote a five-paragraph essay to show the kids how it should be done. They were all suitably impressed.
10) Do you like interviewing people?
I have never tried it, but I think I would like that.
11) Share an exciting experience.
I was super excited to see the cover for my book The Coldest Heart. It’s such a lovely cover. I can’t share it yet, but soon!
Liebster Award Rules:
1. Acknowledge and link back your nominator–that’s me. 
2. Answer 11 questions given by the nominator.
3. Nominate other bloggers who have less than 200 followers.
4. Here’s the challenging part: Think of 11 new questions to ask your nominees.
5. Let your nominees know that you have nominated them.
Now here’s my nominee:
Courtney Whittamore http://www.themoralofourstories.com/
Your questions:
1) What do you like the best about blogging?
2) We all know blogging takes time. How do you fit it into your schedule?
3) How do you decide on topics for blog posts?
4) What was the last book that gave you a new perspective on something that you thought you knew everything about?
5) What is your favorite game?
6) Cakes or cupcakes?
7) If you could have one superpower, what would it be?
8) What city or country would you like to visit the most?
9) What is your favorite literary genre?
10) What was your favorite subject at school and why?
11) Share a funny experience.
Please let me know when you answer your questions – I would love to read what you have shared.
Thank you again to Gina from Next Door Painting.
Happy Blogging!
March 20, 2015
New York Minute: Book Tour
Title: New York Minute
Author: Melinda Dozier
Release Day: March 9, 2015
Publisher: Crimson Romance
Blurb:
Shy accountant Veronica Bass is determined to live it up a little before settling down with a perfectly respectable man to live a perfectly respectable life, just the way her mother wants.
So when rock star Diego Diaz flashes his bedroom eyes at her during a wedding reception, Veronica swallows her shyness and leads him to the nearest hotel room. Now this total sex god keeps popping up in her life, and she finds herself telling some not-so-little white lies to keep him interested.
Diego’s world evolves around music, women throwing themselves at him, and having fun. His lifestyle hasn’t allowed him to find the right girl to settle down with until now, but his own secret stands in the way of forming a lasting relationship with Veronica.
Is their love destined to last for only a New York minute?
Sensuality Level: Sensual
Book Links:
Amazon / B&N / iTunes / Crimson Romance / Goodreads
Testimonials:
“They have the connection, physical and emotion … However, they left out some things from each other and that’s the real dilemma here. It’s all good because it ends nicely!” — Bookaholic Fairies
“Every time I was away from this book, I couldn’t wait to get back to it. This is an amazing read…” Reader
“Melinda has done it again!!! I absolutely love the way that she makes us all swoon for her characters in her stories and not be able to put it down until we are done.” Reader
Excerpt:
Time to focus on the Cosmo article she read two days before about flirting. She sipped her citrus martini, and as she brought the glass down, she licked her lips and glanced at her target. He actually flinched, the hunger in his eyes darkening. Barely enough for anyone to notice, but she did. She ran her hand up and down her neck, closing her eyes for a minute. When she opened them to look his way again, he had already started to walk in her direction. No, he didn’t walk; he actually strutted like a man on a mission.
She was his mission. Shit. Shit. Shit. Play it cool, Veronica. You’re a strong, sensual woman. You can do this.
She sipped her yellow drink again to calm herself, and if she was lucky, he wouldn’t notice her shaking. Calm. Sensual. Like a boss.
He positioned himself in front of her, one hand in his pocket and the other holding a tumbler of brown liquid, and rocked on the heels of his dark Dolce & Gabbana brogues.
“Hello.” His voice reverberated down to her core.
She gulped her martini to gain more liquid courage, but rather than bravery, the unthinkable happened. She swallowed the cherry that swam in her drink and the tickle in her throat drove her into a coughing frenzy.
She tried to smile through it, to let him know all was fine and she could still be the sexy seductress. As his large, firm hand patted her back, she fanned the air and grabbed his tumbler, downing the thick liquid.
After a last cough, she cleared her throat one more time. “Whoa. What was that?”
“Whiskey. Neat.” He grinned, his gorgeous caramel eyes lit with an inner glow. “You okay?”
A warmth spread over her cheeks. Holy freaking embarrassment. “It was strong.”
“I could’ve warned you, I guess, but you were busy.” He grinned and squeezed her shoulder with his large hand.
Was that an accent? Damn, could he be more perfect? Immediately, she glanced at his hand that revealed several tattoos peeking out of his jacket hem, from his wrist all the way down to his fingers. No ring. Thank God.
“Can we forget that happened? I’m not usually like that.” She waved her hand in the air and winced inwardly.
God, she wanted to erase that doomed first impression. She was confident, dammit. She didn’t want this dreamy man to know she could be less than sophisticated. Her act was more difficult than she imagined.
“It’s a shame. I kind of liked the unusual first encounter. Not that I want you to choke, but I was ready to save you.” He braced his tattooed hand against the wall behind her, moving closer. His manly smell was soapy, with a hint of wood.
Save her he might. “Who are you?”
He squinted his glowing eyes and turned his head to the side. He didn’t say anything for a long time, just studied her and then rolled on the heels of his feet. “Who are you?”
His “r” rolled off his tongue with a Spanish accent of some kind.
“When someone answers a question with a question, it’s one of two things. Either the person doesn’t have anything interesting to say or he’s hiding something. Are you hiding something?”
He lowered his voice and ran a hand up her arm. “I think we all do. Why are you hiding in the corner?”
Damned if the man’s touch sent shivers all the way to her toes. “So someone like you would find me.”
“Like me? How am I?”
“A man with questions … and a devious grin.”
As suspected, his smile grew and his gaze sought hers. “Well, I came over to tell you how stunning you look, but being a woman of such deep insight, you might take that the wrong way, no?”
“I’ll take it any way you want.” Yep. The alcohol had definitely gotten to her.
Trailer:
Author Bio:
Melinda is a multi-published contemporary romance author with books from Crimson Romance, Swoon Romance and The Wild Rose Press represented by Dawn Dowdle of Blue Ridge Literary Agency. She lives in Guatemala, Central America with her husband/college sweetheart who brings “mucho amor” to her life. Melinda enjoys being the queen of her household and dreams of being pampered fully by her three boys once they are grown. Melinda’s guilty pleasures include reality t.v., traveling, blogging and playing Farmville.
Author Links:
Website: www.melindadozier.com
Twitter: www.twitter.com/melindadozier
Facebook: www.facebook.com/melindadoz
Sign up for Melinda’s newsletter: http://eepurl.com/vRwpL
Join Melinda’s Street Team, Melinda’s Misfits: https://www.facebook.com/groups/MelindasMisfits/
~~~**~~~**~~~**~~~**~~~**~~~
And, as a bonus, another excerpt!
New York Minute…
“She pushed him against the armoire, opened his jacket, and her hands roamed over his dress shirt. Her long fingers trembled, and it reassured him that she didn’t always do this. Her words said one thing, but her actions conveyed another. She was a novice at seduction. He loved her hesitant yet obvious desire to lure him in.
He bent down the few inches to touch her lips with his. A lightning bolt of energy shot through his body. Her body was like heaven, her lips soft, pliable, accepting and eager. His heart beat faster and he hardened even more than he thought possible. Damn, it’d been too long.
He grabbed her waist, the curve of her hips under his fingers, and pushed her against the desk next to them. When her lips opened, he delved deeper with his tongue. She still tasted of whiskey and a whole other unique flavor. It turned him on more to know she had a taste that was all hers—and his for the night.
Her voice quavered when he pulled back. “I hope I’m doing this right.”
“Keep doing what you’re doing. It’s perfect.” Again, her uncertainty was a clear indication of who she truly was. She didn’t seduce him to get in the limelight. She wanted him for him, just as badly as he wanted her.”
March 17, 2015
Frankenstein and the Domestic Ideal
I love Frankenstein. It’s such a polyvalent book. But the interpretation that I like the most is that it represents the failure of the 19th-century domestic ideal. It’s a middle-class ideal, and it goes as follows: a woman gets married, gives up all power to her husband, stays at home, and raises children. In exchange, her husband supports and protects her. Well, Mary Shelley, along with many other people, saw how severely flawed this ideal was, but only Shelley, in her brilliance, came up with Frankenstein.
In Shelley’s novel, a middle-class dude, Victor Frankenstein, promises to marry his childhood sweetheart Elizabeth Lavenza. However, before getting hitched, he goes off to Ingolstadt to receive an education befitting his gender and social status. And oh, the fun to be had. Fascinating classes, engrossing experiments, good-looking professors. All in all, after four or so years of this fun, Victor really does not want to go home to fulfill his role of a husband and protector. But Elizabeth is aging, and since a woman’s shelf-life is so short at that time, Victor’s dad writes him a strong-worded letter, saying that Victor ought to come home or there’ll be consequences.
That’s when Victor makes his monster.
Then he makes the monster angry.
Then the monster goes to Victor’s hometown of Geneva and kills Elizabeth, so Victor does not have to marry anymore. A celebration, I mean an oath of a life-long vengeance while staying single ensues.
So, yes, between men not wanting to get married and women not knowing what their future spouses might bring home from the outside world (STDs? Crippling debts? Monsters?), the 19th-century ideal was of questionable value to men and deadly for women.
What do you like about Frankenstein?
March 10, 2015
Would You Rather Be a Dog or a Bird?
Hey, Al is one of the weirdest kid books I’ve ever read. The plot goes as follows: a man named Al lives in NYC with his trusty dog Eddie. Al works as a janitor, but is not happy because being a janitor is a difficult, underpaid, and cheerless job. So when a gigantic bird flies into his window and offers to carry him to a paradise island, Al grabs Eddie, and off they go to sunny beaches, loads of tropical fruit, and incessant parades of colorful birds. Yes, they love it on the island. Unfortunately, in the tradition of Pinocchio, Al and Eddie start turning into birds. So they cut and run back to NYC, where instead of hating their dreary life, they try to enjoy it because at least they are not birds. Also, Al paints his apartment a more cheerful color. The end.
Now, the book is clearly a cautionary tale/allegory about taking drugs. You take them—you lose yourself and become someone or something else. And that’s all good, but how much would a kid understand? For him/her, it would be just a story about a dude not wanting to be a bird on a paradise island. And okay, perhaps even for a small child, being a human has its value, but what about Al’s dog? The dog literally does not want to turn into a bird because…I don’t know…it’s better to be a dog? Would that make sense to a kid?
Also, not to go all PETA on Arthur Yorinks, but how did Eddie get into drugs?
March 9, 2015
New York Minute Release Day Blitz
Title: New York Minute
Author: Melinda Dozier
Release Day: March 9, 2015
Publisher: Crimson Romance
Blurb:
Shy accountant Veronica Bass is determined to live it up a little before settling down with a perfectly respectable man to live a perfectly respectable life, just the way her mother wants.
So when rock star Diego Diaz flashes his bedroom eyes at her during a wedding reception, Veronica swallows her shyness and leads him to the nearest hotel room. Now this total sex god keeps popping up in her life, and she finds herself telling some not-so-little white lies to keep him interested.
Diego’s world evolves around music, women throwing themselves at him, and having fun. His lifestyle hasn’t allowed him to find the right girl to settle down with until now, but his own secret stands in the way of forming a lasting relationship with Veronica.
Is their love destined to last for only a New York minute?
Sensuality Level: Sensual
Book Links:
Amazon / B&N / iTunes / Crimson Romance / Goodreads
Testimonials:
“They have the connection, physical and emotion … However, they left out some things from each other and that’s the real dilemma here. It’s all good because it ends nicely!” — Bookaholic Fairies
“Every time I was away from this book, I couldn’t wait to get back to it. This is an amazing read…” Reader
“Melinda has done it again!!! I absolutely love the way that she makes us all swoon for her characters in her stories and not be able to put it down until we are done.” Reader
Excerpt:
Time to focus on the Cosmo article she read two days before about flirting. She sipped her citrus martini, and as she brought the glass down, she licked her lips and glanced at her target. He actually flinched, the hunger in his eyes darkening. Barely enough for anyone to notice, but she did. She ran her hand up and down her neck, closing her eyes for a minute. When she opened them to look his way again, he had already started to walk in her direction. No, he didn’t walk; he actually strutted like a man on a mission.
She was his mission. Shit. Shit. Shit. Play it cool, Veronica. You’re a strong, sensual woman. You can do this.
She sipped her yellow drink again to calm herself, and if she was lucky, he wouldn’t notice her shaking. Calm. Sensual. Like a boss.
He positioned himself in front of her, one hand in his pocket and the other holding a tumbler of brown liquid, and rocked on the heels of his dark Dolce & Gabbana brogues.
“Hello.” His voice reverberated down to her core.
She gulped her martini to gain more liquid courage, but rather than bravery, the unthinkable happened. She swallowed the cherry that swam in her drink and the tickle in her throat drove her into a coughing frenzy.
She tried to smile through it, to let him know all was fine and she could still be the sexy seductress. As his large, firm hand patted her back, she fanned the air and grabbed his tumbler, downing the thick liquid.
After a last cough, she cleared her throat one more time. “Whoa. What was that?”
“Whiskey. Neat.” He grinned, his gorgeous caramel eyes lit with an inner glow. “You okay?”
A warmth spread over her cheeks. Holy freaking embarrassment. “It was strong.”
“I could’ve warned you, I guess, but you were busy.” He grinned and squeezed her shoulder with his large hand.
Was that an accent? Damn, could he be more perfect? Immediately, she glanced at his hand that revealed several tattoos peeking out of his jacket hem, from his wrist all the way down to his fingers. No ring. Thank God.
“Can we forget that happened? I’m not usually like that.” She waved her hand in the air and winced inwardly.
God, she wanted to erase that doomed first impression. She was confident, dammit. She didn’t want this dreamy man to know she could be less than sophisticated. Her act was more difficult than she imagined.
“It’s a shame. I kind of liked the unusual first encounter. Not that I want you to choke, but I was ready to save you.” He braced his tattooed hand against the wall behind her, moving closer. His manly smell was soapy, with a hint of wood.
Save her he might. “Who are you?”
He squinted his glowing eyes and turned his head to the side. He didn’t say anything for a long time, just studied her and then rolled on the heels of his feet. “Who are you?”
His “r” rolled off his tongue with a Spanish accent of some kind.
“When someone answers a question with a question, it’s one of two things. Either the person doesn’t have anything interesting to say or he’s hiding something. Are you hiding something?”
He lowered his voice and ran a hand up her arm. “I think we all do. Why are you hiding in the corner?”
Damned if the man’s touch sent shivers all the way to her toes. “So someone like you would find me.”
“Like me? How am I?”
“A man with questions … and a devious grin.”
As suspected, his smile grew and his gaze sought hers. “Well, I came over to tell you how stunning you look, but being a woman of such deep insight, you might take that the wrong way, no?”
“I’ll take it any way you want.” Yep. The alcohol had definitely gotten to her.
Trailer:
Author Bio:
Melinda is a multi-published contemporary romance author with books from Crimson Romance, Swoon Romance and The Wild Rose Press represented by Dawn Dowdle of Blue Ridge Literary Agency. She lives in Guatemala, Central America with her husband/college sweetheart who brings “mucho amor” to her life. Melinda enjoys being the queen of her household and dreams of being pampered fully by her three boys once they are grown. Melinda’s guilty pleasures include reality t.v., traveling, blogging and playing Farmville.
Author Links:
Website: www.melindadozier.com
Twitter: www.twitter.com/melindadozier
Facebook: www.facebook.com/melindadoz
Sign up for Melinda’s newsletter: http://eepurl.com/vRwpL
Join Melinda’s Street Team, Melinda’s Misfits: https://www.facebook.com/groups/MelindasMisfits/
~~~**~~~**~~~**~~~**~~~**~~~
Join the Facebook Release Day Party
March 9
6:00 pm – 9:30 EST
Guest Authors, Giveaways, Laughs, Fun!
March 3, 2015
Would You Sleep with Someone Just Because Your Boyfriend Asked You To?
I liked this book. It’s about a teenage girl who through a twist of fate gets involved in hunting for an ancient treasure and fighting off crazy religious cults. Yes, more than one. In spirit, it’s a lot like The Da Vinci Code except that it has teenagers for main characters instead of adults. And so yes, I liked the book. The treasure hunt was solid, and I loved Wasserman’s writing, and I was enjoying everything about the book until I made it almost to the end where a few sudden revelations were made. One of them baffled me beyond measure.
Like way beyond measure.
So it goes like this: the book’s protagonist, Nora, has a boyfriend named Max and a friend named Adriane, who is also in a relationship with a boy named Chris. Nora is very much in love with Max, but near the end of the book, we learn that Max is actually in love with Adriane, but since he is a villain and has been hiding it from Nora, he asked Adriane not to reveal their love and keep on staying in a relationship with Chris. Which is a sexual relationship, by the way. And this completely confused me. Would a seventeen-year-old girl really agree to have sex with the boyfriend she no longer loves because the guy she loves now asks her to? Would anyone agree to that? The book/Robin Wasserman says, “Yes, it’s no biggie,” but I somehow can’t buy it.
In my mind, the whole exchange, which is not shown in the book, but only implied, kind of goes like this:
Max: “Hey, Adriane, I work for Lord Voldermort, so we can’t tell Nora that I don’t love her. So can you please go on as usual with Chris, sex and all?”
Adriane: “Sure, no problem. I’m really good at pretending to enjoy having sex with someone I don’t love.”
Does this plot twist sound believable to you?
February 26, 2015
I Heart Robot Trailer Reveal
Hi, everyone!
Today I am helping with a trailer reveal for a YA sci-fi novel, I Heart Robot by Suzanne van Rooyen. It will be published by Month9Books on March 31st, 2015.
First, the synopsis:
Sixteen-year-old Tyri wants to be a musician and wants to be with someone who won’t belittle her musical aspirations.
Q-I-99 aka ‘Quinn’ lives in a scrap metal sanctuary with other rogue droids. While some use violence to make their voices heard, demanding equal rights for AI enhanced robots, Quinn just wants a moment on stage with his violin to show the humans that androids like him have more to offer than their processing power.
Tyri and Quinn’s worlds collide when they’re accepted by the Baldur Junior Philharmonic Orchestra. As the rift between robots and humans deepens, Tyri and Quinn’s love of music brings them closer together, making Tyri question where her loyalties lie and Quinn question his place in the world. With the city on the brink of civil war, Tyri and Quinn make a shocking discovery that turns their world inside out. Will their passion for music be enough to hold them together while everything else crumbles down around them, or will the truth of who they are tear them apart?
Now, for the cover (I love this cover :)):
And now for the trailer (DRUM ROLL):
I Heart Robot is written by the lovely Suzanne van Rooyen, who, in her own words…
“I’m a YA author with a penchant for the dark and strange. I primarily write speculative fiction but enjoy literary writing as well. I occasionally delve into adult genres too.
I’m a musician and have a Master’s degree in music, but I prefer writing strange stories, baking peanut butter cupcakes and playing with my shiba inu.
I’m repped by Jordy Albert of the Booker Albert Agency.
Publicity manager for Anaiah Press.”
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/22674531-i-heart-robot
Pre-order:
Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Heart-Robot-Suzanne-Van-Rooyan-ebook/dp/B00SQLF0PA/ref=tmm_kin_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&sr=8-1&qid=1424807870
B&N: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/i-heart-robot-suzanne-van-rooyan/1121128310?ean=9781942664109
Author links:
https://twitter.com/Suzanne_Writer
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Suzanne-van-Rooyen/304965232847874
http://suzannevanrooyen.com/
https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5306442.Suzanne_van_Rooyen
February 19, 2015
Is This Really a Castle in the Air?
Since this is the sequel to Howl’s Moving Castle, I really wanted to like this book. But I just couldn’t get into it. So the plot goes as follows: a young guy named Abdullah lives in the Sultanates of Rashpuht and sells carpets for living, but dreams of being a prince. By an odd chance, he comes into possession of a magic carpet that flies and that later takes him to a sultan’s daughter, who falls in love with him and is ready to marry him after meeting him only two or three times. Unfortunately, just before the young couple can elope, the princess is stolen by a djinn, and for the rest of the book Abdullah is trying to rescue her.
My problems with the book:
1. Where are Sophie and Howl? I bought the book so I could read more about them. Well, they do come up closer to the end, but the book is not about them, and that was a disappointment.
2. How is this different from other formulaic boy-battles-evil books? It isn’t. And I guess I expected more from Jones after Howl’s Moving Castle.
3. Is this feminism? Jones does address inequalities between men and women here and there, like for example, when Abdullah tells the sultan’s daughter, who is extremely ignorant, that men can marry more than one woman, but women can’t, the girl says, “Oh, that’s unfair.” Then the topic is promptly dropped, and when at the end of the book, a guy—another guy, not Abdullah—marries two women, it is treated as totally okay. O_O
4. Could this book be racist? So, to find the sultan’s daughter, Abdullah travels from the Sultanates of Rashpuht, a southern country where he lives, to Ingary, which is a northern country in the book. And so we get to hear about both places, and the South is shown as a barbaric place ruled by a barbaric sultan while the North has flowers and wizards, and women are not as oppressed, so it’s a really good place.
5. Is the plot logical? So, a sultan’s daughter meets a stranger in her garden who tells her he is a prince, and she falls in love with him and decides to elope with him after seeing him only two or three times. I don’t know—I’m not a sultan’s daughter—but I can’t imagine any princess deciding to just run off with a stranger. I know that’s how usually fairytales go, but isn’t this book the sequel to Howl’s Moving Castle that was built on questioning and undermining fairytale tropes?
But apart from these problems, it was a good book.
February 10, 2015
Fifty Pieces of Grey: Flash Fiction
Sarah Jane never read Fifty Shades of Grey—the medication she had to take for her psychotic attacks made letters look like small, black, wiggling worms—but she bought all the books in the series and kept them by her bed. She believed they were the most truthful books ever written. Women wanted to be submissive. Sarah Jane wanted to be submissive. She just couldn’t find anyone to be submissive to.
After she was released from the mental ward, she kept on looking, but sadistic billionaires proved hard to find. Perhaps they were all sadists, but Sarah Jane couldn’t get herself employed by a plain billionaire either. She wrote to E. L. James for advice and maybe even some tips on submissiveness, but her email never got a response.
That’s when she remembered what her roommate in the psychiatric ward had said about BDSM forums—they existed. And so Sarah searched them. In no time she found a guy who worked at JC Penney, and he was a sadist all right. He spanked her; he beat her with a paddle and took away her minimum wages from her fast food job. Sarah loved it. But soon Derek started neglecting the spanking. He wanted to drink beer with his friends instead. Shocked, Sarah reasoned with him—what kind of a sadist was he if he wasn’t beating his submissive? Derek started avoiding her.
And this Sarah couldn’t take.
So one day when Derek came from work, she hit him on the head with a hammer, cut him into small pieces, wrapped them in saran wrap, and put them in the freezer. Then she started looking for her next sadist.
