Dog-Eared Pages

    

The title of this blog is NOT how I treat my books. I never dog-ear my pages. I use a very lovely bookmark someone gave me. Actually, I try really hard not to crack the spine either…when I lend someone a book, they always ask “Did you read this?” The answer is always yes….I wouldn’t recommend it if I didn't read it and love it.

But forgive me, I have digressed. Again. 


Thom & Mel before Dog-Eared Pages Opened


Dog-Eared Pages is actually the name of a bookstore here in Phoenix. My favorite bookstore. As you probably already know, I love books….the way they smell. The way they feel in your hand.  The way they brighten a room and make it feel homey. The way they can take you to exotic places and make you fall in love over and over again (and my old dog Sasha would probably tell you how good they tasted, too. She developed a taste for Stephen King at a very young age and ate a book or two before she grew out of her puppy/teething stage).

The first time I walked into Dog-Eared Pages, I was hooked. This shop was my idea of a bookstore, from the shelf upon shelf of new and used books to the comfortable surroundings, it was everything I want in a bookstore and more. They have deeply cushioned chairs you can get comfortable in and read away the afternoon. They have books you didn’t know you wanted or needed until you start walking among the shelves. Everything from contemporary to historical, from true crime to biographies and reference books are there for your enjoyment. They even have a display of local authors! Most importantly, the owners, Thom and Melanie are there to greet you, recommend a good read, offer you a cup of coffee or tea and talk everything books! They are wonderful!

So what’s your idea of the perfect bookshop? Something big yet intimate? Warm and friendly? If that’s what you’re looking for and you’re in the Phoenix area, stop in and see Thom and Melanie. You’re gonna love it!

As always, happy reading!

Marie

Lunch With An Author

           Remember that game “If you could meet someone famous, living or dead, who would it be”? Well, if you’ve read this blog before, you know I love to meet authors (okay, I’ll make exceptions for several actors: Hugh Jackman, Antonio Banderas, Tom Selleck, Sam Elliot and Mark Harmon. Oh my! Be still my heart)). And if I could have lunch with them? Oh my gosh! How cool would that be?

            Who am I kidding? I’m such a fan girl. I’d probably gush all over them (yes, there is precedence for that statement as I have gushed over a favorite author) and I probably wouldn’t be able to eat a bite (hey, that might be the secret to weight loss….dine with an author you idolize).

            So who would I choose? I’ve met many authors and as a group, they are warm, generous, sweet and lovely people. Victoria Alexander? Wonderful woman and I did have the opportunity to meet her. Kathryne Kennedy and Jennifer Ashley? I have the honor of knowing them both and lovelier people you won’t find.  Jodi Thomas? Yes, another gracious and kind author (who, surprisingly did not run from me when I blurted out “I love you”. Of course, she knew I was talking about her writing….at least, I hope she knew that). I would love to meet Tessa Dare because I love her witty, so satisfying novels.

            Oh, wait! While not a romance author, I would love to meet…and maybe have lunch with….or at least sit at the same table with Stephen King. I could tell him how very badly he scared me when I was fourteen and how much I’ve loved being terrified by him ever since. That wouldn’t be gushing, would it?

            So, who would you choose?

As always, happy reading!

Marie

My Favorite Book?

Someone asked me not long ago to name my favorite book….and I stood there, like a deer in the headlights, stunned, shocked and unresponsive, for like twenty minutes, while I opened and closed my mouth several times and uttered “Ummmm.”

                 

Now, I’m going to digress for a moment so please bear with me. Stephen King, in his book Dream Catcher, compared the brain/mind of one of his characters with a large, dusty, kinda/sorta warehouse/attic filled with boxes and file cabinets of memories. I have taken this concept (because I loved it) and now have neat rows (in my brain) of memories in file cabinets with the drawers labeled so I pulled open the drawer titled books and….well, there were so many…we’re not talking hundreds, we’re talking thousands…how can I possibly choose?

                

For number of times I’ve read the same book? Well, that’s a toss up between The Kadin by Bertrice Small, Paint the Wind by Cathy Cash Spellman (and don’t I always cry in the same place? Every time?), and The Stand by Stephen King (all of which have been read at least ten times). Reading the same book over and over again, however, does not make it my favorite book. It’s one I love, one I choose to read again, one that I will never give up (except for Paint the Wind, which I loaned to someone and never got back), but not necessarily my favorite.

                

Is it one I’ve recommended to others? Well, I recommend books all the time so that didn’t help with my answer.

               

The poor person who asked me the question will probably never ask me another question again because I could not answer her (and still can’t). How can I? There are just too many to choose from! Can you name yours?

As always, happy reading!

Marie

Other Than Romance

I love romances! That’s no surprise to anyone, but would it shock everyone to know I love horror stories too? Probably. I don’t look like a person who would fall in love with Stephen King, John Saul, VC Andrews and Dean Koontz (I smile a lot, my thoughts and actions are very positive and I’m told I have an optimistic outlook). Yet, there’s something that draws me to these horror mavens. 

I read Salems’ Lot when I was fourteen. It was my first introduction to horror and to the man himself. Quite an impression that book and the author made on me. 

The house was silent as everyone was sleeping and it was quite late, around two in the morning. I was in my room, reading under the covers with a flashlight because I should have been sleeping too. My windows were open to allow the first chill of autumn (my favorite time of year) to take away the heat of summer. My bedroom door was open as well, just a bit. Chills are running up and down my spine, the silence of my surroundings amplifying my terror.

I’m getting to the part where young Danny Glick is ready to knock on the window (vampires, which I didn’t know, need to be invited into your house) when a gust of wind slammed my door shut. Well, the book went flying from my hands, the blankets went flying off and me and my little flashlight spent the rest of the night hiding under the bed!

I’d never been so frightened in my life! And I loved it!

Do you read horror stories as well? And what was your favorite? Which one made you want to crawl under the bed and hide until the light of day?

Happy Reading!

Marie

Movies from Books

Do you like it when your favorite book is turned into a movie? Are you satisfied the actor/actress playing the characters are a good choice? Who would you have chosen instead? Have you ever been disappointed? Or surprised?

When I read a novel, I have a clear picture in my head of what the hero looks like, what the heroine looks like and the setting, all based on the author’s description. In most cases, what Hollywood puts out never matches what I’ve already seen in my mind.

I loved the book Misery, by Stephen King – I will admit, the story scared the heck out of me (actually, Stephen King has been scaring me since I was fourteen – and I love him for it). What happened to the hero of the story could happen in real life. An obsessed, crazed fan. An isolated place. A devastating car accident leaving our hero at the mercy of said obsessed, crazed fan.

James Caan and Kathy Bates were not who I pictured in my head when I read the novel but I was pleasantly surprised (maybe pleasantly is the wrong word here) by how wrong I was about Hollywood’s choice of performers. Ms. Bates’ performance still makes me shiver! And I can’t picture anyone else in those roles.

The same for the Harry Potter series. Can you imagine anyone other than Daniel Radcliffe as Harry Potter? Or Emma Watson as Hermoine?

Although movies can never replace books in my heart, I do enjoy seeing what Hollywood can come up with and always wait with anticipation to see if what I pictured in my head will translate to the screen. Are there any books that were turned into movies that you really liked? Do you have a favorite book you would like to see on the big screen?
Happy reading (and watching)!

Marie