Extreme Makeover: Blog Edition - Check Out My New Blog Design!

"Bus Driver, MOVE THAT BUS!"

Beautiful, ain't it? I am so excited that today marks a year of blogging and what better way to celebrate than to have a blog makeover?

Last month, I won a blog design giveaway by Barbara at Happily Forever After and now it's time for the big reveal.

I know my finicky nit-picking must have driven Barb BONKERS, but the end result is undeniable! Just look at it! This design is something straight from my dreams and it's all thanks to Barbara!

I suggest you head over to her blog and follow because not only does she make fabulous designs (when she finds time, she makes designs and posts them on her blog for whoever wants to buy it) but she also writes wonderful book reviews (and happens to be as in love with historicals as I)!

Obviously, I am overwhelmed with pride (and my perfectionists complex), so I'll be tinkering with the widgets and pages a bit as I settle into my new look. Please excuse any weird positioning of side bar items and stuff for the next few days as I get things 'just right'.

--
While you're looking around, be sure to enter the Blogoversary "Build A Book Giveaway"-giveaway where you can choose the 5 out of 9 books for your prize PLUS tea and chocolates.
*I also have some other fab giveaways going on:
Enter to win a copy of Kat Martin's 'A Song For My Mother'-here
Enter to win a copy of Kristan Higgins' 'My One And Only'-here

And stay tuned for the rest of the Blogoversary celebration!

Happy Valentine's Day (or Singles Awareness Day)

So, I guess I'll be a good sport and wish all you out there a lovely Valentine's Day. Whether you have a 'special someone' or just yourself to entertain.
There's no one special for me this year (join my pity party =/ ), but I've got my eye on some delicious chocolates from a local confectioner and a great read waiting for me once I get home from classes.

My (almost) Pulitzer Prize worthy contribution to the literary world: A Grocery List =P

Cover Art provided by Van Gogh

I am a writer now, yall!
Like plenty of other bloggers, I enjoy writing just as much as I enjoy reading. Of course I've entertained the dream of having a book with my name on it flying off the shelves that I frequent, or a page of latest releases on amazon.com. Not that I use one (blogging) as a means to the other (writing)- I never talk about any WIPs or things on here. I use this blog as a soap box to contribute to the romance reading community; To give my honest opinion of what I think of a book. I try to give a sum up, some good and bad, likes and dislikes- the whole bit. And if a book is worthy of praise like 'damn near perfect', it'll get it. Not because the author thinks so, but because I do. People can say whatever they want about my reviews. Don't like them? don't read or solicit them.

Publishing and Literary News: "Oh, Hell To The Naw" -Freedom of Speech at a price? -Bloggers getting charged-

  Facebook newsfeeds are incredible things. While scrolling (more like trolling) my facebook newsfeeds, Author Barbara Bretton posted this status with a link attached that caught my attention.

"Philly requiring bloggers to pay $300 for a business license" 

 Me: "........"

   Say WHAT!? Of course I had to check out this article and was stunned that the government is so hard up for cash that they are more or less taxing us for the use of rights already guaranteed in the first amendment.
So you're telling me that my Recommendation of the Week's are worth 300$ +taxes? Well, hot damn! I mean, I have a high opinion of my blog, don't get me wrong (mother's pride), but even I think 300$ is pretty steep, just for posting my musings. Albeit, the cost would probably vary from state to state, and I haven't used the blog to make money in any way, shape, or form, but this is still a scary thought. Personally, I keep the blog ad sense free and just give you my crazy book content straight from concentrate ;), but what about other blogs who have been around for multiple years and make use of ad-sense for (literally) pocket change?

Marilyn Bess, blogger and creator of Ms.Philly Organic: Living Green In Philadelphia , is the common example being used by some media press outlets. She received a letter from the city in May, demanding 300$ for a business privileges license after it was determined (how? I shutter to think ; some believe *cough* unlawful abuse of authority/power*cough*-allegedly-) that her blog had made about 50$ over the past few years. Obviously, 50$ is enough to feed, clothe and support yourself and your family and is therefore a taxable amount of money..

Here's the way the 300$ 'business privileges licenses' for bloggers in Philly is being explained [by people with the press credential I sorely lack] ;):

"Even though small-time bloggers aren't exactly raking in the dough, the city requires privilege licenses for any business engaged in any "activity for profit," says tax attorney Michael Mandale of Center City law firm Mandale Kaufmann. This applies "whether or not they earned a profit during the preceding year," he adds. So even if your blog collects a handful of hits a day, as long as there's the potential for it to be lucrative — and, as Mandale points out, most hosting sites set aside space for bloggers to sell advertising — the city thinks you should cut it a check."-Philadelphia City Paper Source

 "Mannino says the city doesn't keep track of how many bloggers and small-website owners are affected. But bloggers aren't the only ones upset with the city's tax structure. In June, City Council members Bill Green and Maria Quiñones-Sánchez unveiled a proposal to reform the city's business privilege tax in an effort to make Philly a more attractive place for small businesses. If their bill passes, bloggers will still have to get a privilege license if their sites are designed to make money, but they would no longer have to pay taxes on their first $100,000 in profit. (If bloggers don't want to fork over $300 for a lifetime license, Green suggests they take the city's $50-a-year plan.)
Their bill will be officially introduced in September. "There's a lot of support and interest in this idea," Green says."-Philadelphia City Paper Source

-So if you're a blogger, and put up ad sense to get a dime or two when someone clicks on it, the city feels entitled to AT LEAST 20 times that (okay, maybe that's an exaggeration. But even so, why must bloggers fork over cash from their pocket in the first place? Hasn't any on ever heard of someone taking up some 'hobbies'. SO what if you get 20$ after 6 years? Like really, you don't see Martha Stewart-types forking over 300$ for putting together some of their arts and crafts projects for the kiddies and posting them on a blog)...Yep.. good ole governmental logic at work.. How ever did we find our selves in a economic recession?

-I love what one commenter said on one of the articles: "what's next? business licenses for little kid's lemonade stands?"..I wouldn't fling around that joke too carelessly... you may be surprised...

   But don't call a four alarm fire just yet; This is only being pursued in Philadelphia (as of yet) and still in the early stages and only in talks of an actual construction of laws/bill to enforce it. But you know how state government is. One state does it, 16 others find a way to be more outrageous with it and copycat. If push comes to shove, I think the blogging commuting will band together and sign as many petitions and write as many well-worded letters and blog posts as possible to advocate the separation of state from blogging (wow, where am I? 7th grade U.S History class with Ms.Norman?). Some entertaining (in it's ridiculousness) and slightly disturbing news for you to chew on ;) .. Where is the future of blogging heading?

Check out some of these related article where people who actually KNOW what they are talking about break it down for ya:
-http://www.washingtonexaminer.com/opinion/blogs/beltway-confidential/philly-requiring-bloggers-to-pay-300-for-a-business-license-101264664.html

 -http://citypaper.net/articles/2010/08/19/blogging-business-privilege-tax-philadelphia

Until Next Post<3...

Jiminy Cricket! The 100th Post!

Well,

   Shiver me timbers and all that other good jazz. Wow! That's all I can register in my brain at the moment. I can not believe the blog has finally reached it's 100th post! This is pretty boss!
   Some of you guys may be thinking, "Now, why is reaching 100 blog posts such a big deal?". Well, in the grand scope of things, it shouldn't be. I hope this isn't as good as it gets, but right now, I can't deny that it feels pretty good.
   When I started the blog a little less than 5 months ago, I wasn't sure how long I'd be around, or how well I'd be doing. I try to post as much as I can and provide you guys with plenty of content to make your web visit here a fun & productive one. Reaching 100 is just a reminder that it all started 5 months ago with just one post and hopefully, will continue to get better from post 101,on...

*And I've got to mention the achieving of 300 'Likes' on the Facebook Fan Page as well. Such an amazing and humbling occurrence. The support I get from you readers is what got me to 100 blog posts in the first place, and what will push me to make it 200 by the end of the year ;).
  
Many thanks and lots of love,
From your friendly, neighborhood Historical Romance Junkie

Until Next Post<3...

The Making of Rita's Harem: Manservant #001-Barry Pepper

   As many of us readers of romance, historicals in particular, know, a fondly and widely used element in our beloved love stories is 'The Harem'. For those of you who don't know, a harem is a secluded section in a house (usually in the palace of some foreign ruler) used to harbor women. These enclosures are usually forbidden to all men (except eunuchs) and the 'master'. Pretty much, it's a place where men of means stow away their sex slaves.
   Wikipedia defines it as: 

"Harem (Turkish, from Arabic حرم ḥaram 'forbidden place; sacrosanct, sanctum', related to حريم ḥarīm 'a sacred inviolable place; female members of the family' and حرام ḥarām, 'forbidden; sacred') refers to the sphere of women in a usually polygynous household and their quarters which is enclosed and forbidden to men. It originated in the Near East and came to the Western world via the Ottoman"

   While us ladies may take exception to this outright form of objectification and oppression, we can't resist swooning when the handsome hero-savior swoops in and saves the heroine from such a damnable fate.
    But politics aside, a place where I could 'store' sexy men and have my way with them sounds decidedly alluring! Since there are probably several laws and an amendment or two in the Constitution prohibiting the ACTUAL retention of human beings against their will for ones personal use, it's time to step into Rita's land of make believe ;)

Here's Manservant #001 from Rita's Harem ;) !

Barry Pepper 

Barry has one of the most intoxicating bone structures I've ever seen!

Competition only to maybe Daniel Craig (another manservant to be added to the Harem).

I personally find his perpetual scowl and arrogant confidence a major turn on,

but when he smiles, it just transforms his faces and robs me of breath!

He is especially gorgeous in military and war movies. I first fell in love with him

while watching 'Saving Private Ryan' and I will never forget the shock I felt my first

time watching it and seeing Barry's charcter get blown up =(.
He oozes masculinity and war movies are the

perfect places to see it in all its exuberance.

I added this picture because you can really see his overwhelming manliness!
Look at him not giving a 'hoot'.

He reminds me of the quintessential devil-may-care rake hell! Just look at him! *sigh*

And finally, we can't forget those piercing blue eyes! I imagine
Sebastian St.Vincent from 'Devil In Winter'

may have had eyes similar to these.

Barry has a unique physicality. His strong features only work in certain instances. If he losses to much weight or grows his hair out, he is decidedly less-appealing (in my opinion), but overall, I can't resist this sexy war hero ;)

Send me your suggestions for sexy men and maybe I'll find a way

to steal them and add them to Barry's ranks!

*Acknowledgments to Kate(babs) from Babbling about Books and More with her recent twitter status and Gaelen Foley with her recent 'men as gifts' event on Avon Romance Blog for giving me the incentive and push to follow through on this long ago idea. Even I worry about going to far sometimes with my spotlight posts, but this is all in good fun and in the name of pleasant sights for the eyes, so enjoy!

Guilty Pleasures: #0001

Gluttony is one of the seven deadly sins... But, as us readers of romance know, sinning feels SO damn good. Most of my guilty pleasures are creamy, chocolaty, and calorie-filled. I will attempt to name 1000 guilty pleasures of mine and yours throughout the next year or so (maybe longer) in this new segment of the blog: Guilty Pleasures. I encourage you all to share yours with me as well and if they are really good, I may spotlight your pick! Just send an email!

Guilty Pleasure: #0001
Strawberries 

Strawberry Coolatta (from Dunkin Donuts)

Firstly, I can't go more than a week without this delicious monstrosity of strawberry goodness. And of course, I order mine with whipped cream (why do you persist in ask me cashier lady,  yes I want whipped cream in my coolatta.......just like I want icing on my cakes and gas in my car..Jeez). It's sweet & tart and just slides over your taste buds.

Strawberry Fruit Bar (Popsicles)

I <3 fruit bars! Original, I never touched the stuff, but then my mother bought one from a local corner store and it was hot.....and I was hungry & desprate and........well , suffice to say my mother didn't get a chance to eat her fruit bar and I got hooked on the stuff. There are delicious chunks of real, fresh strawberries littering the bar and the syrup-like juice that drips from it as it melts is HEAVENLY! My mouth is watering right now!

Strawberry Fruit Snacks

Fruit snacks aren't just for the kiddies. I keep either Welch's fruit snacks or lifesaver gummies in my purse at all times. I munch and munch on these little strawberry poppers and next thing you know I get 'the gummy guts' (gummy guts- when you eat too much fruity, gummy candies). I can never resist!

Crush Strawberry Soda

I can never get enough of this drink! There is one made by C&C soda as well, but Crush is the best!

Plain ole' Strawberries

The almighty strawberry. I'll take it dipped in chocolate, whipped cream, dirt, salt (okay, maybe not dirt or salt). But I like it best when it is plain. I admit to a fair amount of dislike for the fruit at an early age. To be honest, I never understood how someone could eat it plain or stand it's tartness or the millions upon millions of seeds on the outside. I thought the same way about tomatoes, too. How could someone eat these things just raw, I would think to myself. But I acquired a taste for strawberries and one day, when I picked up a strawberry from the package left open on the kitchen table, I bit into it and loved it. My Advice: Don't knock it till you try it!

I hope you enjoyed reading about my vices today =) I encourage you to email me yours for future posts!

Until Next Post<3...

Official Release of the: 'Which Bridgerton Are You' Quiz on Facebook

June with Julia Quinn has been great fun. I've gotten the chance to sit down and revisit (and in one books case, be introduced) to my favorite bunch of siblings in the Bridgertons. Anthony, Benedict, Colin, Daphne, Eloise, Francesca, Gregory and Hyacinth have kept me vastly entertained. To commemorate this fabulous first for the blog and pay homage to my favorite family, I have created a fun quiz on facebook. The 'Which Bridgerton Are You' Quiz was made with the express written intent of your having a laugh or two. Don't mind the inevitable spelling mistakes or nonfactual references (I am a self-proclaimed addle-brain at times). Some of the questions I came up with made me LOL, and some are so obvious, you can tell which result they represent, but the whole point is to have fun! Give the quiz a try and comment your results. I got: Hyacinth ....

And also, feel free to go to the contact page on the blog, get my email, and suggest more questions for me to add to the quiz. If I get enough, I may come out with a part 2.

Until Next Post<3...

N.A.R.B Investigates: The Curious Case of Harriett Klausner

  I recently did a post paying homage to a reviewing legend: Harriett Klausner a.k.a 'harstan'. The lovely Katiebabs over at Babbling about Books, and More was kind enough to comment and alert me to some interesting information.

(Picture above is from my favorite anime series. How Appropriate?)

   Now for as long as I've been logging on to the internet and reviewing books (admittedly, not that long), Miss Harriett has always been a staple to the craft in my mind. I respected the way her reviews told me about the book as apposed to the poorly written drivel with no purpose some users would leave behind (apologies if I offend, but we all know what I am talking about). When I want to find a new book to read, I often check out the reviews left by users, to get a real feel for the plot. Klausner gave me what I needed, and many a time, I found myself making decisions based on the info she provided in her reviews. And she pretty much reviewed every single book I ever wanted,thought about, or already was reading, so my admiration and regard just stuck with me long after I made the switch from b&n reviewer to blogspot patron.
   But, as much as it distress me, the facts are the facts. Call me naive, but a small part of me wants to believe there really is a librarian in Georgia who reads all these books and shares her appreciation with the world. When writing my previous post, I didn't understand the magnitude of reviews and controversy associated with Miss Klausner until right before I hit the Publish Post button. Upon drumming up some quick facts for the post, I was not only impressed but a little taken aback at the official count of reviews done by Klausner. 19,000+ is a large number in any context of use, but it never crossed my mind in more than a fleeting fashion to question exactly how that number was possible. So, as pointed out by the various site's I've just become privy to, consider the following:

1.)For those who haven't heard of her, Harriet Klausner is the #1 reviewer on Amazon. As of right now, she's posted 15,584 reviews. Her very first review is on page 1,559 of her reviews listing, and it's dated November 22, 1999. That's nearly 2,000 books a year. That obviously isn't possible, even if she is a speed-reader. That'd be about six books a day. (January 28th, 2008 Source)

This was the first thing that struck me as odd as I typed up my previous post. This particular comment, along with the one beneath it are from a forum site I have listed as 'Source'. It's pretty cut and dry if you ask me. 

2.)To make it worse, she never gives a book fewer than four stars, which makes the reviews totally worthless. Said "reviews" are never anything more than a synopsis of the novel.(January 28th, 2008 Source)

-I have not verified this, but A lot of the reviews I read by her are usually up there in the star count. But I usually try to read the best of the best, so I am a poor authority on whether or not this is factual. But I'll keep an eye open.

3.)In elementary school, her teacher was shocked when Klausner handed in a 31⁄2-hour reading-comprehension test in less than an hour. Now she goes through four to six books a day."It's incomprehensible to me that most people read only one book a week," she says. "I don't understand how anyone can read that slow."(December 16th, 2006, Source)

-I was never much of a prodigy in school. For the most part, I did my work until I reached the 5th grade and then puberty compelled me to stop trying to over-achieve. #3, as reported by the reputable Time.com, does present a bit of a counterargument.

    All plausible arguments, wouldn't you agree? Shining a light on something like this really does make it hard to plead a case, even with that interview with the Times. I consider myself a practical and realistic girl, but pride and a little naivete make it hard for me to accept the clearly acceptable. No matter the evidence, a small part of me will always want to believe in Harriett Klausner's singular existences. I still hold her in an esteem and regard and credit her in-part for my ever-growing devotion to reading and reviewing. Her enigmatic presences in the reviewing world is one that is as entertaining and interesting as it is controversial.

So what's the verdict?: Because I am a stubborn optimist who simply can't accept good reason where sentiment is involve, I deem this case: INDETERMINABLE (lol)

Case Closed

All Hail Harriett!

   Many of you may not know this, but before I started the blog, I did a brief spell on the Barnes and Noble circuit; experimenting and learning what style of writing suited me for my so-called book reviews. I would frequently (and by frequently, I mean, almost daily) happen across this wonderful user who would write some of the best reviews I've ever read.on almost every romance I wanted to review. Our Harriet Klasuner a.k.a 'harstan' is a forced to be reckoned with.
   She is a reviewing MACHINE on b&n, with over 19,000 reviews written! A Legend. You can also find her handy work on amazon.com. Her reviews are well thought out, informative, while not revealing too much, and splendidly written. I just wanted to pay homage to a great reviewer (I am not sure whether she has her own website, but she should!). You can find her stuff, scattered across almost every imaginable romance novel listed on b&n, along with some paranormals, mysteries, ect.
   Here's to you Miss Harriett! Thanks for your continued patronage to the art of review writing! Giving bookworms like me the idea to have a purpose on the web =)

Her profile page on my b&n (the community site for barnesandnoble.com) can be found: here

-And check out harstan's review of the latest Stephanie Laurens release, 'The Brazen Bride'. A book I've been dying to read !

I am But Only A Mere Human!!!!!!

Hello my lovelies,
My apologies for my inferior breeding. I am only human, and thus, can't show this blog the 24/7 attention I would like. But a girls' gotta eat!! (and sleep, and read romances to review, and pass calculus...and occasionally refill that bubble bath!). But in all seriousness, I would love to post something new everyday and add more and more content, so that whenever your whims influence you, you can click on this page and read something fresh and new. I hate the blogs that are so good, but take super long to add new content. Realizing I have more of a life than I thought I did, I can truly sympathize now. No worries. I will work my hardest to bring you your regular dose of 'the freshness' and keep you entertained!!!

and just because I had to do it: " ARE YOU NOT ENTERTAINED!?!"

working on a few new post and the Sunday updating of 'Recommendation of the week'..... hmmm, what should I suggested this time.....