I am so over Harry Potter.  I never saw the Goblet of Fire, I'm not planning to see Order of the Phoenix, and I'm going to wait until I can get Deathly Hollows at the library.  Prisoner of Azkaban was the pinnacle anyway.

Instead, I've been reading romance: Julia Quinn, Suzanne Enoch, and Mary Balogh.

Sins of a Duke, by Suzanne Enoch

Sins of a Duke

Suzanne Enoch

I squealed (granted, a month late) when I realized the final book of the Griffin series was out, because I've been wanting Sebastian's story since I read Eleanor's two years ago.  Loved it.  Sebastian and Josefina were both perfectly rounded, with Sebastian retaining his dukish mannerisms while being driven insane by Princess Josefina, and Josefina being intelligent and capable and vulnerable.  Definitely worth a re-read.

            

The Secret Diaries of Miss Miranda Cheever (Avon Historical Romance)

Julia Quinn

The Secret Diaries of Miss Miranda Cheever, by Julia Quinn

Julia Quinn is one of my favorite authors, and I was sad when the Bridgerton series (close to my heart because the first Quinn I read was The Viscount Who Loved Me) came to an end.  Grabbed this as soon as I realized it was available, and though there isn't a Bridgerton in sight, it may be one of my new favorites.  Miranda Cheever is up there with Penelope Featherington as one of my favorite heroines now, and Turner is an ass without being so much of one that I want to stab him.  It's a hard line to straddle.

London's Perfect Scoundrel, by Suzanne Enoch

London's Perfect Scoundrel: Lessons in Love

Suzanne Enoch

A disappointment.  I was looking forward to this one from the excerpt I read on Suzanne Enoch's website, but found it disappointing, and I think it was because of Victor.  Evelyn's brother was completely unsympathetic, as was her mother, and as a result the whole story felt a bit off.  Which is a shame, because I did enjoy the chemistry between Evie and Saint.

Currently I'm doing a lot of rereading - have re-read several of Sherrilyn Kenyon's Dark Hunter books lately, and several of the Bridgerton books - Romancing Mr. Bridgerton, The Duke and I, When He Was Wicked and The Viscount Who Loved Me - and at the moment I'm reading To Catch An Heiress.  Caroline is another of my favorite Quinn heroines.

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What are your top 10 most-played songs currently?

1. Name - Goo Goo Dolls
2. Line - Kazuki Kato
3. Laid - James
4. Sweet Child O' Mine - Guns n' Roses
5. My Medea - Vienna Teng
6. Suicide is Painless - MASH
7. Hey Jealousy - Gin Blossoms
8. Breathe (2 am) - Anna Nalick
9. How to Save A Life - The Fray
10. Wicked Ways - Garbage
    

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Show us what wakes you up in the morning. 
Submitted by Rob.

Most of the time:

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When he's out of food or is otherwise randomly feeling affectionate:

domstool.jpg

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I tend to have high expectations for Target's Go International collections, which are then crushed when I walk into the store and realize absolutely none of it is going to look any good on me.  Paul & Joe was adorable but, uh, green gingham tap pants are NEVER going to be a fashion statement I'm willing to make.

Patrick Robinson might be the exception.  I have no idea who he is, but his collection for Target looks stylish and unlike most of the others, doesn't look shoddily made.  I want:

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I love pleats.  And even though I don't really need ANOTHER tan skirt, I want this one because, yes, pleats, plus cute crossover design, plus a flippy little mini I can wear with wedge sandals.  Plus, dude, its $30.

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Like many of the commenters on Target's site, I think I'd have to remove the second elastic.  My thighs are way too big to draw attention to them that way.  But this is a $25 dress, in a gorgeous shade of gray.  I think I could perform surgery for that price, or even take it to the dry cleaners and have them do it.

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The Gin Blossoms are still one of the best bands, ever.

02 Hey Jealousy

Gin Blossoms

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Video: Show us your TV crush.
Submitted by quornflour.

Sylar - I'll find you

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Mother's Day is next Sunday, and I went shopping for it this weekend.  I dread Mother's Day, not only because she's impossible to shop for - I ended up spending on a car audio accessory for her Nano - but because it signals the beginning of a shopping season unmatched by any but Christmas.  After Mother's Day, I've got my father's birthday on May 19, my sister's on May 24, my brother's on June 4, then Father's Day.  Then my birthday, but thankfully I don't need to buy anything for that one.

I consoled myself with shoes.  Okay, so I just happened to take the door into the mall that takes me directly through the Nordstrom shoe department, where I decided I needed a pair of new black flats.

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I have a weakness for buckles.  They're fairly comfy, though in the tradition of pretty much all dress shoes plus Doc Martens, they rubbed a hole in my ankle on the way to work this morning.  Note to self, keep supply of bandaids at the ready for breaking in of shoes. 

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Pandashoes

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Fragile Things: Short Fictions and Wonders

Neil Gaiman

And Neil Gaiman is, as usual, awesome.  I've had some trouble getting into his recent books - I spent the three days I read American Gods in a state of confusion, and I didn't even finish Anansi Boys - but his short fiction is still a favorite.  I've skipped around a bit, and so far my favorites are "The Problem of Susan" (I didn't read all the Narnia books, and now I'm kind of glad, because that would have annoyed the hell out of me) and "October In The Chair," which is delightfully creepy in a really subtle sort of way.

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What are you going to do with your tax return?
Submitted by KB.

What tax return? The government is taking money AWAY.

Also: Hi, all.  I'm alive.

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