Sunday Soup - May 19

Sunday Soup is... a little of this, a little of that, not too much work, and hopefully a tasty result!

Soup Dish...
✽ Brenda Novak's annual fundraising auction for diabetes is currently underway, and you have some time to find something good.  You're not likely to get a bargain here-- nor should you expect one, since the object is to raise money for a worthy cause-- but there are some unique and bookish items available.

✽ This week, I discovered something called The Bechdel Test. It's a pretty simple concept - does the movie or book have:

1. at least two women in it,
2. who talk to each other,
3. about something besides a man

If yes, it passes the test.  The origination of the test was a pithy graphic comic which I won't post here due to copyright concerns, but an image search will turn it up for you quick enough.  It's one of those Occam Razor sort of points-- extremely simple in concept, but so revealing when you think about it for more than five seconds.  I'll be looking for that dialog in my next reads.

✽ Wikipedia, "Qworty" and caveat emptor - once again, we are reminded that while the internet is a magical place of near-infinite knowledge, data, and information... it cannot always be trusted.

✽ Nalini Singh will be posting the first two chapters of Heart of Obsidian (PSY/CHANGELING) up on her blog on Monday.  I just pre-ordered the book, due out June 4.  (You KNOW I love this series when I'm paying hardcover prices for a release-day copy.)

 What I'm Reading
✽ I finished up the Katie MacAlister release that I mentioned last week.  I think the world building premise is neat; I'm not sure how much it relates to her previous books since I've only read one or two and that was quite some time ago.  The characters consistently deliver the sort of goofy slapstick humor MacAlister is famous for.  I really enjoyed the first, oh, 40-50% I guess, but eventually I wanted a little more substance to my characters.  I had the nagging suspicion that this heroine just wasn't all that bright, which is not the way to my reading heart.

✽ I read through a soon-to-be re-released Loretta Chase novella for which I owe a full review, so I will only say here that I loved it as I do almost everything this woman writes.

✽ My favorite read for the week though was Cathy Maxwell's trilogy finale, The Devil's Heart . Unlike most Regency trilogies, this bunch actually did have a strong series arc, so you are well advised to read all three.  Highly enjoyable!  I'd call this a ghost story or a supernatural more than a paranormal -- perhaps I'm splitting hairs, but the characters themselves did not have any paranormal powers so it seems to not quite fit what I think of as PNR standards.

Acquisitions
✽ Bittersweet by Noelle Adams - I caught this one as a freebie, so why not.  Price is at $2.99 as of this writing.

✽ SINFULLY SWEET (Boxed Set of 6 FULL LENGTH Novels), by a variety of authors, which you can't beat for $0.99. That price is still good at the moment. Apparently I'm all price-conscious this week, because that was it.

✽ Oh, hey, there's a similar deal going on, also $0.99: Dark Nights Dangerous Men, for 6 indie romances.  I already own several of these, so I'm pondering whether I want the rest.  Still a great deal.  According to Katie Reus, you should have the rest of this week to pounce.

On Tap
What soup isn't a little better when you split a serving of wine or beer with the pot?

I have been MISERABLE with a rare allergy attack this week, so between the stuffy head and the antihistamines, I've mostly been On A Break from the brew this week.  However, I did try a Burnside Sweet Heat at a work event and it was very interesting! I suspect that if my faculties had been entirely intact it would've been too spicy for me, but the heat was a bit welcome for my stuffy head.

And that's it for this week's Soup!