Laurell K. Hamilton’s Thoughts on Love

I was reading Laurell K. Hamilton's blog the other day, and she recently celebrated her 7 year wedding anniversary. Her thoughts on the true meaning of love struck a chord with me, and I wanted to share:

To love successfully is to love more today than yesterday. It is knowing that sometimes the most romantic words in the world are not, I love you, or sweet nothings, but, "Don’t worry about it, I’ll do it." For love, true love, is a partnership. It is two individuals who together make a bigger whole, and a better person together than they were apart. To be truly, madly, deeply, in love is to understand that romance consists not just of lingerie and sweaty forgetfulness between the sheets, but in getting up each day and being there for each other. Being there on days when nothing goes right, and everything goes wrong, but even at the worst of times you’d rather be with this man, this person, beside you, than anyone else. Love is working together when it’s hard, so that on the days when it seems effortless and more beautiful than seems possible you know you earned this moment. You know that both of you, worked, and sweated, and loved, and earned it. You fall into love, like a trip down the stairs. You stay in love by being able to catch each other, and make sure the accident is worth the bruises.
~Laurell K. Hamilton

Black Dagger Brotherhood

I mentioned in my last October post that I'd be starting the Black Dagger Brotherhood series by J.R. Ward. I was ambivalent at that point, ho hum, something to do until November 4th, the anxiously anticipated release date for both Laurell K. Hamilton and Sherrilyn Kenyon's new books.

Note to readers - do NOT take this series for granted! I read all six books of the series plus the recently released BDB Insiders Guide in record time. Since then, I've joined her message boards and post on the Yahoo group daily. Yes, I am total fangirl. Total.

So if I'm not back for a while, you'll know where to find me.

Another reason why I love Anthony Bourdain

Thank you to Elyse Wanshel and her "Short Order" blog for this snippet.

"All the Nasty Bits from an Evening with Anthony Bourdain and Mario Batali"

At the Food & Wine Festival and while a photo was being snapped for the Miami Herald, Bourdain, while standing near a picture of his beloved Rachael Ray, wrote the numbers 666 on his hand and placed it in front of Ray’s forehead.

Black Dagger Brotherhood

Black Dagger Brotherhood, here we come! I'm almost finished with Sherrilyn Kenyon's Dark-Hunter series, which makes me more than just a little bit sad. I floundered for a while deciding what series to read next. I thought about starting Christine Feehan's Drake Sisters, but that's a sure thing I know I will enjoy. I'll keep that in my back pocket for when I'm really desperate for a good read. I've heard a lot about J.R. Ward's Brotherhood series, so I'm diving in. Besides, we still have a month before Laurell K. Hamilton's latest Merry Gentry book, Swallowing Darkness, is released. Or 32 days, according to her website. Bleh. I hate waiting! Maybe I should just stop reading her blog. Who would have thought that keeping up with the page counts of the latest Anita Blake book in progress would become one of my favorite activities...I love you, Jean-Claude! Check out this picture I found somewhere online. He'd make a good JC, don't you think?

Acheron

I recently deleted all the posts I'd done of my thoughts on who portrays the Dark-Hunters most accurately. But Ash ya just can't toss.

Acheron is desire incarnate, and it was tough to find someone who embodies all his qualities. He also has both blond and black hair in the novels...but both versions are yummy. I must note that Travis Fimmel is the most widely accepted view of Ash. If Simi likes him, how can you go wrong?

Fantasy Lover: Julian of Macedon

I recently deleted all the posts I'd done of my thoughts on who portrays the Dark-Hunters most accurately. But who in their right mind would trash Gabriel Aubry? You go, Halle Berry.

After reading Fantasy Lover by Sherrilyn Kenyon, this is who I picture as Julian. Especially after seeing the Macy's commercial where even Martha checks out his assets. The commercial reminds me of the part in the book where all the women are ogling him in Jackson Square. Hell, I'd probably be doing it, too.