I’m in between books, which means I am in heaven because (drumroll, please) I have FREE TIME to read!
We blog about so many things, but often we lose sight of how we all came together: our love of books!
Well, it just so happens that the plotmonkeys are coming up on their annual retreat together – can anyone say PARTY? 
Anyway, I started reading while on vacation in Florida. You all know I am a contemporary reader at heart and will go to any lengths to find what I love (short of reading my own work, LOL!). So while browsing the bookstore, I found an author that’s new to me that I really enjoyed:
Shirley Jump’s Really Something.
It was … really something. It had lightness and humor and incredible depth.
I also have this tendency to find an author and go back and read everything they ever wrote. That’s how I started reading romance. Over the years, I read so much, I began to read the authors I liked AS the books came out. But as my writing and kids took over my life, my schedule became very hectic and I read less. Just on vacations or between books. All this to say, there is an author who I’ve known for years, wrote for the same line as me, and yet I never read her books except early on. So when I’m on vacation, I tend to have what I call Lori Foster binges and read 2 or 3 in a row. I’m midst one of those binges now.
Yep, I’m having fun, people. Just pure reading. I’m going to read (teasing you now) Julie’s Phantom Pleasures because I can (and can’t wait until you all can too!). This way we can help Julie plot her next Phantom book next week.
So what I’d love from you all is this. Recommend some great contemporaries or DVD movies or TV shows I can buy to watch on the laptop to kill time on the flight, I’d really appreciate it!
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Oh! I’m blogging at Romance Vagabonds today, so please check it out!
Carly Phillips would like to take 100% credit for all her stories but the truth is, Carly’s strength is writing family, emotion, funky elderly people and animals. She couldn’t plot her way out of a paper bag, which is why she smartly found her plotmonkey pals early on in her writing career. Thanks to their support, Carly is now a NYT Bestselling author of 23 plus novels. Because writing doesn’t keep her busy enough, Carly is also a wife, a mother of one preteen and one teenage daughter, the primary care giver of her soft coated Wheaten terrier and an expert carpool mom.
ANOTHER WILD WEDDING NIGHT
Hard to Hold
Love Me If You Dare
Wild For Him
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I’ve been on quite a historical kick lately, so I’m trying to think of some contemps. Gena Showalter is very funny -”Animal Instincts” and “Catch a Mate”. Janice Maynard’s “The Perfect Ten”.
DVD’s, well, I’m all about the BBC drama, “North and South”. (You can visit my blog for a review). It’s in the vein of “Pride & Prejudice”, and I cannot recommend it enough. My friend Linda loved “The Heartbreak Kid” with Ben Stiller, says it’s very funny. I haven’t seen it though. She also said “Notes From a Scandal” is good.
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Well, it goes without saying I am an Evanovitch fan and there is a new one due out tomorrow. Listening to them is a riot. And a new Patterson is due out. Right now I am reading the newest La Nora book. I should have saved it until the other 2 were out- it’s going to drive me nuts now.
I tend to like movies that have action- I just finally saw the final Die Hard movie (uncut, NOT the theater one) and loved it. Yippe Ki Ay____!!
On the other hand, if you haven’t watched Life the new show on TV, I highly reccommend it. I love the droll sense of humor and zen attitude the hero of the show has. Or Blood Ties. Or Damages.
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Books: I also recommend Janice Maynard’s The Perfect Ten or any of her others. Janice has some steamer stuff too. Check out her books written as Elizabeth Scott
.
LuAnn McLane’s books (Dark Roots and Cowboy Boots, Honky Tonk Blues and Dancing Shoes and her latest Trick My Truck, But Don’t Mess With My Heart). LuAnn’s books you will literally get lost in. You start to read and then all of sudden dinner’s not fixed, laundry’s not done….you get the picture. These are her “lighter” contemporaries, she also has some steamer stuff (Wild Summer Nights, Love, Lust and Pixie Dust, Wild Ride) that is also very good.
Shirley Jump is also very good. Be sure to pick up her other books (The Bride Wore Chocolate, The Devil Served Tortellini, The Angel Craved Lobster, The Bachelor Preferred Pastry, Pretty Bad–these are all connected and they come with recipes).
Have fun reading!!!!
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Oh and for a recommeded show: Psych. It’s goofy and quirky (a ‘la Monk) but Shawn is so cute. It’s one of the best shows Corbin Bernsen’s been in since LA Law (he plays Shawn’s dad).
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Sorry I can’t help you. I got stuck during the holidays and I am actually reading a book of yours (SWAK). As far as shows…I am in love with the show, “Jon and Kate Plus Eight”, but I don’t think it is on dvd.
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Music and Lyrics is pretty funny. I just got the first season of Heroes on dvd, and am pretty excited to watch the shows I missed.
I’m trying to get thru my tbr pile right now. I just finished The Vampire’s Kiss by Raven Hart and loved it(3rd in the series)!!! I’m reading James Patterson 1st to Die right now. I have all of Deirdre Martin’s books and love them all. Her newest book Just a Taste came out last week. Susan Mallery has a new book out that looks really good too.
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I couldn’t find you at the Romance Vagabonds link, Carly.
Carla
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I think I got the date wrong. I think I’m doing it tomorrow there. I’ll repost on the Vagabonds thing on the correct day! :doh:
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A contemporary romancer myself, I’m a huge Susan Elizabeth Phillips fan, currently going through everything she ever wrote. If you haven’t read it yet (we all got one at National, I think), Lisa Kleypas’ Sugar Daddy was a great read. I hope she does more contemporaries in the future.
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Dear Carly,
Glad to hear it isn’t that hectic now and that everything calmed down a little bit. So enjoy your reading time. There are some books I can really recommend. Last Saturday I lay in bed because I didn’t feel well. So I went through a stack of books I bought some time ago and reread them. Those I really enjoyed and I can recommend are Rachel Gibson’s “See Jane score” or “The trouble with Valentines day”. I love her books and she has a great sense of humor. Then of course, there’s Susan Elizabeth Phillips. I especially love her books that center around a football team. It’s a couple of books but I can’t tell names here because I read them some time ago (I was feeling too bad to continue reading). But I do remember that they were a great read. Then I would recommend Carly’s books especially the Hot Zone but since you wrote them yourself it doesn’t make any sense.
But I think if you take one book out of every comment you’ll be occupied during the whole flight. Enjoy the time and your annual retreat. And I know all of you will be coming back with a lot of great new ideas for a lot of great new books.
Have fun and take care
See you :wave:
Vero
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Hmmm… if you like Blazes and haven’t read anything by Sarah Mayberry yet, don’t delay–she’s SO good. And I finally read Cara Summer’s Tall, Dark, and Dangerously Hot trio, too–also terrific–the three books unravel a mystery from three viewpoints (and hunky Greek brothers…) I agree on SEP–she’s fantastic. And if you’d like to give historicals a try, Kleypas’s Wallflower quartet is amazing! (I’ve heard the same about Hoyt’s Prince trilogy, but haven’t yet had the pleasure…) Happy reading!!
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Hope you love it, Carly!
I just finished Isabel Sharpe’s WOMEN ON THE EDGE OF THE NERVOUS BREAKDOWN. Fabulous, fabulous book! I’ve asked Isabel to come and guest blog here at Plotmonkeys, so look for her soon! And her Blazes are hot, too!
I’m reading Leslie’s ONE WICKED WEDDING NIGHT right now. HOT! :flamer:
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Carly,
I am a lot like you in how I came to be a romance reader… the very first author I ever read was Sandra Brown and I read every book she had out at the time. Now I have many favorite authors.. including all of the plot monkeys.. that I read and wait for there new books to come out. Some of my favorites besides you guys are Christina Skye, Leanne Banks, Lori Foster, Sandra Hill, Susan Elizabeth Phillips, Susan Mallery, Jil Shalvis ( who I am currently reading) Janet Evanovich, Luanna Mclane, Rachel Gibson , Cathie Linz, and Tara Jazen…. Just to name who is on my internet favorites list. :grin1: :grin1:
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Hi Carly was just reading everyones comments and I have to agree with number 10 I love Rachel Gibson I just read Tangled up in you since I started reading again I have been going to the library I check out every book by the autors I like and the books that they don’t have I buy that isd how I read all yours lol I to like Susan Elizabeth phillips her lates Natural born Charmer I loved it is from her Chicago Stars series I love that series but I love a sports hero I’ve read every book she’s written too.
It Had to be you
Heavan Texas
Nobody baby but mine
This heart of Mine
Match me if you can
Natural Born Charmer :heart1:
glad you get some time to yourself
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Well, like you, when I find an author that I enjoy I have to read them all…lol So right now I’m working my way through everything Julia London! I’ve read all her historicals and loved them and I’m now reading her contempo’s. If you haven’t read her Thrillseekers Anonymous, series I highly recommend it!
As for the dvd, I’m a big romantic comedy fan and really want to see The Heartbreak Kid with Ben Stiller, The Nanny Diaries with Scarlett Johansson, and Waitress with Keri Russell.
Hope you enjoy your free time!
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Karen, Congrats on your no-writing break! I’m a huge fan of Kathryn Shay’s books. My fave is Berkley’s SOMEONE TO BELIEVE IN, about a conservative Senator (initially a D.A.) & a liberal woman who runs a website & shelter for girls who want to get out of gangs, both of whom are placed on a committee by the Governor to allocate social service funds. The woman is the daughter of Irish/American parents who own a pub, & she has 4 brothers who watch out for her (i.e., interfere in her life). I always learn something from Shay’s books, & they always entertain. I’ve read STBI at least 5 X, & it still holds up. I always say she is Romance’s unknown gem.
Patricia A.
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Carly,
I recommend these books from these authors…
Nora Roberts “High Noon and Blood Brothers”
Jill Shalvis “The Trouble with Paradise”
Kimberly Raye “Your Coffin or MIne”
Now Im also into Mystery, funny mystery… these books are the lol types,
Kate Collin’s writes the Flower Shop Mysteries… Her books are “Mum’s the Word, Slay it with Flowers, Dearly Deotted, Snipped in the Bud, Acts of Violets, and A Rose from the Dead.” They are quick reads too.
DVDs i just rented that i thought were good, Rush Hour 3, Stardust, Waitress, Gracie, Georgia Rule, License to Wed, Eastern Promises, Balls of Fury, and The Heartbreak Kid…
Hope this helps you… Have a good day. Off to work. And we are in warm spell today high 60s.
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I’m the same way as you Carly; when I find an author I like, I go read their entire backlist. I really enjoy all the Plotmonkeys books (that’s a given), and I LOVE Lori Foster. Janet Evanovich is hilarious too. A couple other authors I always buy are Lucy Monroe and Erin McCarthy.
I start a new job next week, so this week will be catching up on all my reading! And since it’s snowing here in wintery South Dakota, no better time to do that reading. (I’m taking a break from romance to read Wicked by Gregory Maguire. It’s really good so far. Check it out!)
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Happy Book Break Carly.
I just finished reading HEARTBREAK by Julie Garwood and GET A CLUE by Jill Shalvis. Both were great. I just watched late night on DVD a movie called BECAUSE I SAID SO. I don’t remember hearing much about the movie while it was in the theaters but it is a really cute movie.
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I just tried Katie MacAlister’s books for the first time and I adore them! My first was Blow Me Down.
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Barbara Freethy writes great romantic suspenses. I’ve been trying very hard to get copies of her backlist. As for dvds, I think you should pick up “Planet Earth.” It’s a beautiful nature series from The Discovery Channel. I loved the HBO series ‘Rome. ‘There are two seasons of ‘Rome.” I also heard that “The Tudors” is really good.
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Carly, enjoy your break from writing. Saturday night I watched an older movie on DVD, The Simple Life of Noah Dearborn with Sidney Poitier & Mary Louise Parker. Very enjoyable, feel good movie.
Books, One Wild Wedding Night was such a good read as was She’s No Angel! I’ve read both recently. You can’t go wrong with Jill Shalvis, Julie Miller’s At Your Command, yummy military romance, right now I am reading an older Blaze (from August) Doing Ireland by Kate Hoffmann. I also love Nora Roberts, Katherine Stone, Catherine Anderson, Karen Rose, Debbie Macomber. I recently read a Rachel Gibson book, she was new to me & I loved the book. You are getting lots of recommendations so I will stop with those!
Can’t wait to hear all the stories from the Plotmonkey retreat. Where you are going & the adventures of the retreat.
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P.S. Congratulations to Teal, the winner of Friday’s prize.
:present1: Lucky you, have fun shopping!
Carly, loved the funny! I had no internet connection from Saturday evening until this morning. Couldn’t check yesterday to see who won! It was driving me crazy. We had a nasty storm early Friday morning with very high winds but on Friday & all during the day Saturday my connection was okay so not sure what happened on Saturday evening. It is back now! Thank heavens. :pray:
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Hey guys…
Carly, I would recommend the Virgin River Series by Robyn Carr as well as her Grace Valley Series…both series are connected through characters…there are three books in each series…I loved this series a lot too…it has everything contemporary that you would need…don’t know if this will fall in the cat of contemporary, but I also just finished the Black Dagger Brotherhood Series by J.R. Ward (Jessica Bird)…there are 5 books in the series so far…it begins with Dark Lover…
That’s all I have for now…I have been reading mainly plotmonkey books…still working on the BL for all you guys…I am almost done with yours…need three more…I am almost done with Leslie’s too…
I hope that everyone had a wonderful weekend…today has been a long day for me…I hope that you guys have fun on your plotting weekend…
Peace and love,
Paula R.
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Katie
I can’t wait for Jon & Kate plus 8 tonight
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Hi Carly,
I agree with Laura J you have to read Shirley Jumps other books they are so good.
I like Fern Michaelsm Catherine Anderson, Debbie Macomber which I just finished yesterday Where Do Angels Go
Janet Evanovich
Rachel Gibson
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Hi Carly have fun on your break!! TV shows that you can watch on DVD 30 Rock and The Office I LOVE both of these shows, they are both brilliantly written and the actors are great!! Arrested Development is also good if you like quirky. Book Nora Roberts Blood Brothers its a trilogy and only the first book is out so far but its worth the wait
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Shirley Jump is a fabulous discovery. I love her Romance with Recipe series.
For movies, do a theme. Remakes: La Retour de Martin Guerre and Summersby, Hairspray and Hairspray. Movies that connect in some way Sullivan’s Travels and Oh, Brother Where Art Thou (the title of the second movie was a title of a book mentioned in the first movie). Play the Kevin Bacon game: Pick 1 movie and try to get to Kevin Bacon using other movies.
As for books on the plane, pick something light and easy to read. Airplanes are boring and distracting. The canned air gets to your brain after a while and prevents plot absorption.
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Of course, Nora Roberts & Janet Evanovich have been mentioned. Might I add…. Stephanie Bond (love her!) Karen Robards (ditto!) and of course Lora Leigh. (Her’s are H-O-T!!) I absolutely love Dean Koontz, Michael Palmer, Tami Hoag, Tess Gerritsen (sp?) and Pamela Britton. And a few I have on my keeper-bookcase are a series by the late William Diehl. He wrote Primal Fear which, unfortunately, was made into a movie. The two sequels were Show of Evil and Reign in Hell. Definitely awesome reads!
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Hi – I know I am late in jumping in here, but I love to read Karen Kelley, Lucy Munroe and HelenKay Dimon. I noticed that some of the others I read have already been mentioned, as I skimmed the posts, and if these have been mentioned sorry for the repeat. Ohhh and Jill Shalvi’s last two are excellent reads as well – Smart & Sexy and Strong & Sexy. Enjoy your break.
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I love Nora Roberts books too…I noticed that someone mentioned Blood Brothers…it is the first book in the Sign of Seven Trilogy…The Hollow will be out in June or July and Pagan Stone will be out in like October…if you want light…Debbie Macomber’s Cedar Cove series is good too…there are 7 books in that one…I am reading Carla Neggers for the first time…Abandon…and she is good too…but light…meaning not heavy on Blaze type sex scene…The Black Dagger Brotherhood series I mentioned early is though….It’s an inferno…Linda Lael Miller’s Stone Creek books are good too…The Man from Stone Creek and A Wanted Man are out now…I am not sure if The Rustler is available yet…Well, it seems like you have a lot to choose from…I am sure that you will be able to find something…
Peace and love,
Paula R.
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Oh, I forgot to mention books by J.D. Robb…Lt. Eve Dallas kicks butt…this series is a long one…the first three books are Naked in Death, Glory in Death and Immortal in Death…there are about 15 or 16 books in this series…the next one is Strangers in Death (17), which is supposed to be out in February…
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Congrats on the free time
Failture to Launch was a riot. :happy2: As far as books … you’ve got some great suggestions … 
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Ditto on Susan Mallery, Gina Showalter, Shirley Jump, and Robyn Carr. I just stumbled on another author who also has a humorous, light voice in romance, Karen Templeton.
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I too lo9ve Lori Foster’s books have read them all including her new one
under the name l.l.foster.
I wish I could be peeking over your shoulder when you read Julie’s
Phantom Pleasures. HAve fun.
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Ooh another fellow contemp lover. That is all I read!
Have you read Catherine Anderson’s Morning Light? – really liked it – some sobbing in one part, too. Her entire Coulter/Kendrick series is fabulous.
I have Deirdre Martin’s Just a Taste and Really Something on my tbr. Glad you liked the Jump book. Her hockey series is another fav.
Any of Kate Angell’s baseball books are great. (Strike Zone or Curveball)
Kristin Hannah – Home Again and Barbara Delinsky – Three Wishes if you want a good cry.
SEP’s Nobody’s Baby But Mine I re-read while on vacation and had forgotten how funny it was.
HelenKay Dimon – Your Mouth Drives me Crazy; Viva Las Bad Boys
I have re-read on a few vacations – Sarah’s Child by Miss Linda Howard
Katheleen Korbel – A Rose for Maggie
Stef Ann Holm – Pink Moon
Erin McCarthy – The Preganancy Test – what a hoot
Susan Mallery’s Buchanan Series – Delicious, Sizzling, Tempting, and Irresistible, not necessarily in that order. I especially like the final one as what happens to the wicked grandmother……
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Like ev I just finished the new Nora Roberts book “Blood Brothers” and the waiting til spring will be hell!! I mean heck! LOL. I just started “The Lost Memoirs of Jane Austen”. When I get into a book, I can finish it in a day or 2! As for movies………well my faves are the Oceans Trilogy (11, 12 & 13) that my hubby bought me for Xmas. “Practical Magic” “Yours, Mine & Ours” (the origional) , “Gone W/ the Wind”, “An Affair to Remember”.. So many choices, so little time. Then of course, reading your books again is always a treat! I have books that I have read over so many times that they could fall apart! Yes, I know, need to buy some but hey, we are in a recession. I treat my self once a month, make weekly trips to the library & wait for Income Tax time every year to treat my self to a short stack! LOL. Have fun on your trip & have a margarita for me!!
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So… I watch about 2 movies a year -but I really liked “The Prestige” and “300″ – but I’m sure you’ve seen them. As to tv shows… I loved the earlier seasons of Gilmore Girls. Unfortunately, I’m drawing a blank and can’t remember other shows.
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I just finished “Really Something” and fell completely in love with it. I thought it was such a sweet book about how your past is your past and this is now. And the guy on the cover was
. Seriously!
I just picked up a bunch of books – and there were a few that stood out. I am a huge Susan Mallery fan (I honestly have no specific reason why) and really enjoyed “Accidentally Yours”. I think it was unlike anything I had read from her before – I think it was her first stand alone book, but I am not sure. It was a very sweet book about a Mom who wants to convince her dying son that she, and therefore he, is a super hero. She needs help and turns to a man who can make a whole lot of lives better. I HIGHLY recommend it.