"The Blue-Ribbon Jalapeno Society Jubilee" By Carolyn Brown

A fun, easy read. It would be easy to spin off other stories on the characters in this book since each had a well developed story. I don't think the other books in this series are available for kindle from my library, so I will have to do an alternate plan to read them. This book was not as steamy as her other novels I have read; think chick-lit not romance. I enjoyed how the small town gossip traveled in the small town. If you like reading or watching social drama playing out while not being a part of it, you'll probably enjoy this book.

"The Rocky Mountain Heiress Collection" By Kathleen Y'Barbo

The full title of this book is: "The Rocky Mountain Heiress Collection: Three Inspirational Romances: The Confidential Life of Eugenia Cooper, Anna Finch and the Hired Gun, The Inconvenient Marriage of Charlotte Beck"

I enjoyed all 3 stories and liked how they were all connected. I think my favorite was the one on Eugenia Cooper. Nice to read a period piece from time to time.

An Excerpt:

"Sometimes what a person wishes for is neither what they really want nor what they need. Sometimes, it’s the wishing that’s the best part."

"The Broken Gun" By Louis L'amour

This book felt a little different from the majority of L'amour's books that I have read. It was set in modern day, but was still part of a story from the past. Part western, part action/adventure, and part mystery... this book has a little something for a lot of people. I really enjoyed it and it was a fast read.

A quote I enjoyed:

"Here and there some latecomer had dug into the piles looking for treasure, but there is no treasure to be found there except the treasure of wonder, and for that no man need dig…unless he digs within himself." – Louis L'amour in "The Broken Gun"

"The Quick and The Dead" By Louis L'amour

Not much to say about this book. L'amour is a master at writing westerns and I don't think I've yet to read a book by him and not like it. It's an easy, fun, quick read.

I really like this quote that is in the L'amour books (about L'amour):

“I think of myself in the oral tradition— as a troubadour, a village tale-teller, the man in the shadows of the campfire. That’s the way I’d like to be remembered as a storyteller. A good storyteller.” – Louis L'amour

Here are a few good quotes from the book:

"You never learn anything when you’re talkin’, boy, only when you’re listenin’.” – Louis L'amour in "The Quick and The Dead"

"I’ve learned something, he told himself. I’ve learned that it is better to move than just to sit. One has to act." – Louis L'amour in "The Quick and The Dead"

“No, ma’am, but you have to fight for most of the things worth havin’…or somebody does.” – Louis L'amour in "The Quick and The Dead"

Romance Marathon

I got a Kindle for Christmas! I love paper books and I never thought I'd go for electronic, but I have to admit it has made my reading habit easier. I no longer have to go to the library to pick up books or remember to return them... well, unless I pick a book that isn't available digitally.

At any rate, the first digital books that were recommended to me by the library website were holiday romances. Thus began a long list of romance books... a genre I haven't read in a long time.

First I read "Mischief & Mistletoe" By Tanya Anne Crosby. It was a decent book, but it wasn't so good that I wanted to read another of hers right away. It was fairly short, well written and entertaining.

Next, I read a slew of Carolyn Brown's books (in order of how I read them, but not in order of the story line): "Honky Tonk Christmas", "Darn Good Cowboy Christmas", "Billion Dollar Cowboy",  and "My Give-A-Damn's Busted". You'll notice they started with a Christmas theme, but then just stuck to a Cowboy theme. Rather than tell you about each of them, I can say I enjoyed each one enough to read another of her books right away. There is a bit of repetition in the books which isn't needed... I'm talking about a character repeats the same information about themselves over and over in each book. Like, in "Honky Tonk Christmas", the main character has nightmares and they seem to be the same and they become repetitive. There was a different repetitive thing/character for each book. Otherwise, the author does a great job at making the characters and scenarios different. I will say though, that a lot of the characters seem to have large amounts of money which doesn't seem too realistic. I guess we read books to escape reality though.

If you're thinking of reading one of Carolyn Brown's steamy novels, I'd say to do it in a different order than I did. All of the books I've read thus far were part of a different series. I think it'd be best to read these in order, though you don't have to. Here are the 4 series I've dabbled in (highlighted in gray the books I have read) and the books are listed in order... I think... I pulled the list from the author's website. (I have to say that I'm impressed with the sheer number of series and books by this author – this isn't the entire list by any means!)

Honky Tonk Series
"I Love This Bar"
"Hell, Yeah"
"My Give-A-Damn's Busted"
"Honky Tonk Christmas"

Spikes & Spurs Series
"Love Drunk Cowboy"
"Red's Hot Cowboy"
"Darn Good Cowboy Christmas"
"One Hot Cowboy Wedding"
"Mistletoe Cowboy"
"Just a Cowboy"
"Cowboy Seeks Bride"

Cowboys & Brides Series
"The Billion Dollar Cowboy"
"The Cowboy's Christmas Baby"
"The Cowboy's Mail Order Bride"
"How to Marry a Cowboy"

UPDATES: I finished the "Honky Tonk" series and I have to say that "Hell, Yeah" really broke out of the slight formula I was starting to feel after reading so many of these books back to back. "I Love This Bar" was good too. I'll read more of this author's books someday, but for now, I'm moving on. :)

UPDATES AGAIN: I thought I'd read an easy, relaxing read after getting through some more thought-provoking novels. I found myself back in Texas. "Red's Hot Cowboy" was a fun read. I won't say unpredictable, but I enjoyed it. I'm going to try another Carolyn Brown next, but it isn't part of any of the series above. 

UPDATES AGAIN: Decided I needed to try to finish another series I guess. "One Hot Cowboy Wedding" was pretty steaming and also broke from the formula. I really liked having the characters from the other books interacting with each other in this book. It'd be even better if I read these in order I bet. ;) Just finished "Love Drunk Cowboy" and "Mistletoe Cowboy" and enjoyed both. 2 more to read in this series!

"The Cowboy's Mail Order Bride"... I think this was my favorite book by this author thus far. The older lady's in the book have their own agenda that makes for humor and I actually cried at one point. A+

"Buffalo Girls" By Larry McMurtry

Back to the Larry McMurtry style I like! After reading "Telegraph Days" I decided I wanted to read more of his novels, but I wavered after reading "The Last Picture Show". "Buffalo Girls" is a heartwarming tale of western legends of the past. I'm looking forward to watching the television series that was based on this book and I'm starting to get curious about the "Lonesome Dove" novel that Larry McMurtry received a Pulitzer Prize for.

"The Smiling Country" By Elmer Kelton

A western about a stubborn 40-something year old cowboy who won't admit that he might be too old to break-in broncos anymore. He is also not very happy to see these "automobiles" and "telephones" creeping into his Smiling Country of West Texas.

Heartfelt with funny bits – another good book for men and women alike.

"The Warrior’s Path" and "The Sackett Brand" By Louis L'Amour

Both books are from Louis L'Amour's Sackett series. The Sacketts are a sort of spin off story relating to the Hatfield and McCoy fueds. I have not yet read the book in this series where this family is fueding, but it was mentioned in "The Sackett Brand", so I imagine that the fued takes place in an earlier novel.

I thought that both of these books were going to be westerns, but in fact, "The Warrior's Path" is more like a Colonial / Pirate type of book. The characters are not pirates themselves, but they do have some time at sea and encounter other characters that are like pirates.

Both books were great to "read" (I had them on audio). They would be good in mixed-gender company (since they aren't chick-lit or romance so guys won't roll their eyes too much!) I look forward to reading more from this 17 book series – not including the 9 other stories that Louis L'Amour wrote relating to the Sacketts. For a complete list: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Louis_L%27Amour

A Few Recent Audio Books

I'm grouping them together for now, I may decided to break up this post later. We'll see!

I've been listening to a lot of audio books at work lately; I guess I'm on a kick. Here are the most recent:

"Telegraph Days" By Larry McMurtry
This book is a western and it is really good. I laughed throughout and almost cried at the end. I really enjoyed how the author tied historical figures into the story. (Fiction, Western, Historical)

"Son of a Witch" By Gregory Maguire
This is the sequel to "Wicked" – which I've never read – I have watched the broadway show though, so I knew what was going on. I was surprised with how "adult" some portions of this book are, but it is a really good book otherwise. I'm guessing the writing style is similar to the actual book of "Wicked" and I may have to read the first book now. (Fiction, Science Fiction / Fantasy)

"Lost and Found" By Carolyn Parkhurst
This book is like watching that show, "Amazing Race". You hop from team to team and they all have their own issues and personality. Fun book. (Fiction, Drama)

"Westward the Tide" By Louis L'amour

My husband and I listened to this Western novel while painting our basement. It was a great book to apply to multiple listeners – a little action – a little romance. I would recommend it to pass the time. :)