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I have recently stumbled upon the greatest thing since sliced bread! Okay, I exaggerate. I have, however, stumbled upon the greatest author/series (in my opinion) since I discovered Janet Evanovich and Stephanie Plum. Her name is Mercy Thompson. Her creator is Patricia Briggs. When I tell you that this series is a MUST READ, I do not jest. Mercy is just another in a long line of heroines to grace the pages of what is dubbed Urban Fantasy. You know what that is right? Vampires, werewolves, witches, faeries, and such lurking about our very real world, not just sequestered in an ethereal “fairy land” or alternate realm. They are here, in our midst…and I love it!! But enough about me…let me tell you a bit about Mercy Thompson.
The Tri-Cities of Washington is home to many supernatural beings: werewolves, vamps, and the fae alike. It’s also home to Mercedes “Mercy” Thompson, mechanic and coyote. Yes… a coyote. Born to a White mother and Native American father, Mercy inherited her father’s ability to shapeshift into a coyote. Once upon a time, there were many like her, but they were obliterated many years before by encroaching vamps from Europe. (see book two!) Now, Mercy is it; a lone shapeshifting coyote. There are no pluses to this situation either; no super strength and she is not impervious to harm. However, she happens to have friends in “high” places.
- Bran Cornick: the Marrok–Alpha of all of the werewolves in North America. He raised Mercy with his pack in Aspen Creek, Montana.
- Dr. Samuel Cornick: Bran’s son; as a teen, Mercy dated Samuel, who went rogue for many years, but has since returned; intent upon winning back Mercy’s favor.
- Adam Hauptman: the Columbia Basin Pack Alpha; he lives on the seven acres of land behind Mercy’s trailer. The two have a strange relationship, loaded with aggression and sexual tension.
- Zee: an outed Fae (he is said to be a very powerful gremlin); Mercy used to work in his garage. Prejudice against the Fae forced Zee to sell his garage to Mercy, though he sometimes covers for her.
- Stefan: vampire and member of the local seethe; he is Mercy’s friend and customer (he drives a van reminiscent of the Mystery Machine).
Mercy’s story begins in the middle. Briggs doesn’t walk us through Mercy’s childhood or how she came to be in the Tri-Cities. Instead, we are introduced to the characters as if we already know them. Of course there are brief explanations of how Mercy met each individual, but otherwise, the reader knows as much as Mercy allows us to know. When reading Moon Called, you may silently ponder about Mercy’s relationship with the other characters, but be patient. As the series progresses, we learn more about everyone.
What I love about this series is that it is at turns romantic, mysterious, and fantastical. There’s just enough sexual tension to let you know that romance abounds, but so much mystery and paranormal activity, that you don’t lose sight of why you chose to read them in the first place. More importantly, for me, is that I actually like Mercy. She’s not a bumbling idiot, or completely reliant upon a man to save her from herself. She is an intelligent and independent woman who fights her own battles and who is fiercely protective of those she cares about. She’s a woman after my own heart.
Tagged as:
Alpha,
coyote,
Fae,
Mercy,
pack,
shapeshifter,
urban fantasy,
vampires,
werewolves
What do you get when you put Classic Rock, Grunge, R & B, Hip Hop, and ’80s Pop hits together? If you said a party at my house, you’re right! But you’ll also get some serious flavor in your ear, courtesy of Gregg Gillis, otherwise known as Girl Talk. All my life I have been an ardent fan of all types of music; yes, even polka! Okay, well some polka. Okay, very little polka, but that’s an acquired taste. Imagine my surprise when I found that there was someone (not related to me) out there as in love with MUSIC as I. When I first read up on Girl Talk, I was quite intrigued. The tracks on his CDs are mashups; basically, the vocals of a song (or songs) are played over the music of another to create a “new” song. Think, The Grey Album by Danger Mouse. Girl Talk has taken what Hip Hop DJs have been doing for decades and flipped it. He has, in my opinion, perfected the art of sampling. Indeed, what Girl Talk and others like him do is nothing short of genius.
Any given Girl Talk track melds together 15-20 songs, from a complete chorus to a tiny blip of a sound. With the help of my daughter, my fiancé, and Google, I found that “Play Your Part Pt. 1″ from Feed the Animals samples UGK, The Spencer Davis Group, DJ Unk, Pete Townshend, Twisted Sister, Huey Lewis and The News, Lil’ Mama, Temple of the Dog, Birdman, Aaliyah, Lil’ Wayne, T.I., Sinead O’Connor, Shawna, and Jay-Z. And those are just the songs I was able to clearly identify! Listening to Girl Talk is akin to playing an intense game of “Name that Tune”. At first listen, you can’t help but sit in astonishment when you hear some of the songs together; yet they work.
There is a lot of Hip Hop in Girl Talk’s music and the aspects of the genre that I dislike make their way in. Still, the overall experience is so dynamic, I have found a way to overlook what may otherwise annoy me. Bottom line: whether or not you like a particular genre, Girl Talk presents the music in such a way that you are able to see the beauty of all music–yes, even the pop that disguises itself as Hip Hop. He has opened my ears to songs I have never heard and can now enjoy. Girl Talk challenges our idea of music and what constitutes good music. He’s taken the best of what a DJ can create at a club and amplified it. Not just a mish-mash of hooks and beats, but a real work of art. To put songs together the way he does, takes very real talent.
Tagged as:
Girl Talk,
mashups,
Music,
music genres
Let me begin this blog by saying…WAAAHHHHH! I hate it when a beloved character is shelved and a great series is ended. Of course, nothing lasts forever, but it still hurts to know I will never hear any new stories about one of my favorite characters. This brings me to a discussion about the latest– er last, book in the High Heels series by Gemma Halliday, Mayhem in High Heels.
Enticed by the title of this book (how could I not read something with high heels in the title?), I began reading about Maddie Springer, shoe designer, in the first installment of the series, Spying in High Heels. I love a good mystery…but I’ve said this before. The wonderful thing about these books is that the laugh-out-loud scenes are just as abundant as the body count. For me, that is a home run. Four books later, I find myself at the end of Maddie’s story. Well, not the end, but…you know what I mean.
*************************************Spoiler Alert!!!!!*******************************************
For those who are not yet hip to Maddie and her shenanigans, let me introduce you to the motley cast of characters. Shoe-obsessed Maddie is a graduate of fashion school who [at the beginning of the series] designs shoes for kids and herself. She has a steamy relationship with Jack Ramirez, who happens to be a homicide detective. Her best friend, Dana, is a health-nut/actress. Her fashion backward mother, after many years alone, marries a hair dresser/entrepreneur whom Maddie dubs “Faux Dad”. One of Maddie’s other best friends is Marco, a receptionist at Faux Dad’s salon. Felix Dunn, is the royal (literally, he’s a royal!), pain-in-the-butt paparazzo who dogs Maddie’s every step in her misadventures. Maddie’s, until recently, absent father, is a Las Vegas “showgirl”. And then there’s Mrs. Rosenblatt: Maddie’s mother’s “spiritual advisor”.
Over the length of the series we have seen Maddie’s relationship with Ramirez blossom and now the two are headed for the altar. While worrying about her ever-growing guest list and Ramirez’s apparent indifference to their impending nuptials, Maddie discovers the body of her celebrity wedding planner, Gigi Van Doren. Finding dead bodies is old hat for Maddie at this point, and she has solved a few mysteries in the past. The stakes are higher this time because if she doesn’t take the case, her wedding and honeymoon will be postponed. To top it all off, Maddie has no idea who will take charge of her wedding with Gigi out of the picture. Luckily( ?), Dana and Marco step in to help with the wedding. Now, armed with stylish shoes and the ever-present Felix, Maddie begins investigating Gigi’s death. From wedding shirts to grass skirts, Maddie handles her madcap adventures with all the grace of a drunk, crowd-surfing flamingo. (Read the book!)
With four previous books under her belt, one might assume that Ms. Halliday’s work would become formulaic and predictable. Like so many others. Yet, the opposite is true. Mayhem is an excellent read, full of the comfortable characters I have come to love, but still presenting a new story in Maddie’s life. Yes, Maddie is a little ditzy, but I love her that way. Besides, she always gets her man.
Tagged as:
detective,
high heels,
shoes
I know, I know the season is over but this advice is good all year. Be safe, have fun, and use your best judgement. (Note: It is not good when you have to start any sentence with “Well officer what had happened was….” Not good at all. Sorry mom;) Of course, I’m kidding, they dropped the charges. Anyhoo.
To take a break from the coincidental series on the ethereal creatures of the night, I wanted to share with you a heart warming tale of a young lady who belives ’tis better to give than to receive. Well, she does receive but that’s neither here nor there. And she is not selfish… oh no…She gives to everybody: men, women, boyfriends, boyfriends’ best friends, girlfriend’s girlfriend, neighbors, and even strangers. (Note: In my humble opinion, when you are physically as close as you can be to another person, save for childbirth and cannibalism, you are pretty familiar. Even if you don’t know each other’s name.)
Eva, the First of Lady of Sin by Storm is a book of lust, love, lust, lost, lust, passion, lust, pain, lust, self-discovery, and did I mention lust? Not sure. Wait a minute. Yes, yes I did. And the gift that keeps on giving….herpes. It is also a coming of age tale. We follow Eva as she discovers the pleasures of the flesh and all the goodness it entails for her: love, closeness, gifts, and financial security. Now I ain’t saying she a gold digger but….she does has an occasional fractured Beauty and the Beast complex. There was an instance where she was not attracted to a gentleman caller because he lived with his mom, was kind of dull, not really her physical type, and a little needy. When she finds out his living arrangements are only temporary because his mansion was almost completed. As if by MAGIC, he transforms before her eyes. Suddenly he is handsome, creative, interesting, and they had a lot in common. And was the best lover she ever had. Riiiiiiiiight. She also discovers the devastation that the pleasures of the flesh can wrought on the selfish and unprepared: well herpes for one, heartbreak, unexpected pregnancies, and worst of all loss of financial security. (Now I ain’t saying she a gold digger but…. Naw, I’m playing, she’d give it away for free and she has over and over again. )
The interludes are very very steamy. (However, in my head, my brain keeps screaming was DID CONDOMS NOT EXIST IN 2007!?! Is no one frightened of the herpes? Not one? Are all those commercials true? You too can go mountain climbing and horseback riding and swimming and running through the flowers, even if you don’t do any of it now, you will when you need this medicine.) At the end of the book, there was a disclaimer that this book is pure fiction and urges the reader to be safe when you are giving your gifts to another and provided some website that gave more information about STDs and where to get tested.
And so my dear readers, in all seriousness, though the steamy situations in the books that I read about may sound good in theory; it probably won’t translate well, if at all in actual practice Please remember that in the real world there are physical and emotional consequences for reckless behavior. But I know you all are smart enough to know that already.
But for those who do not know. Now you know (and knowing is half the battle ! GI JOE!!! Sorry, couldn’t help myself)
