Which shattered Lauren Russell’s perfectly ordered life. Lauren’s new neighbors were about to see the Southern lifestyle columnist’s temper! Then she met Cole Donovan, the sexy single dad. He was not the man from her husband list; he was too tall, too sexy—and definitely had too many kids! But somehow, [...]]]>

“It started with a baseball…

Which shattered Lauren Russell’s perfectly ordered life. Lauren’s new neighbors were about to see the Southern lifestyle columnist’s temper! Then she met Cole Donovan, the sexy single dad. He was not the man from her husband list; he was too tall, too sexy—and definitely had too many kids! But somehow, looking into his blue, blue eyes, she forgot all that….

Lauren was too elegant, too prim and didn’t understand that his three rambunctious kids were the focus of his life. But his tempting neighbor smelled delicious, looked luscious and cooked like a dream. Cole wasn’t looking for a wife, but he couldn’t stay away from Lauren. Was it a recipe for disaster—or marriage?”

Dear Ms. Winstead Jones,

There still sure are a lot of Harlequin authors who I haven’t tried yet and it just happened to be your newest book which caught my eye next. My own house is a disaster and my cooking – though I love to do it – often depends on how many pots and pans I’m willing to get dirty at a time. I envy people who can look into their pantries and whip up something scrumptious from what’s there so Lauren’s profession called to me. Then it’s also kind of fun to watch an ordered person’s world upended and it appeared that these three children would accomplish that. And who isn’t interested in sexy? So, selection made I got to reading.

Cole and Lauren begin to interact almost cautiously. Neither had counted on meeting the other, both have lives and plans and they take things fairly slowly, get to know each other and establish a foundation before jumping into bed. They get to like each other before they start to love each other. They’ve also dated in the past and are open to possible relationships. This is important to me because I don’t like characters who fixate on one past love to the exclusion of all others. I’ve just read that trope too often. Here, Cole and Lauren seem like fairly normal, well adjusted adults.

The three children also come across as such. They’re definitely not plot moppets and are neither perfect, lisping angels nor spawn from out of a nightmare. They run around, they play, they like to eat fish sticks and don’t want to brush their teeth. The’re also intelligent and view their dad’s relationships in the way young children would – how the dates would affect them. I especially think Meredith’s character is well drawn as a young woman on the verge of growing up but who’s still got a bit of maturing left.

A major thing I like about the book is that both Cole and Lauren don’t immediately dissolve in a puddle of lust. In fact, despite noticing each other’s better physical qualities, they remain relatively in control until after quite a few meetings. When things do heat up, they sizzle yet at the same time there’s a degree of humor that had me laughing such as the first time Cole arrives at Lauren’s house and sex is on the agenda.

“Reality intruded like a splash of ice water. “Oh, tell me you came prepared.” When she’d thought about not overthinking, that hadn’t meant they shouldn’t think at all.
His voice was raspy as he responded, “Do I not look prepared?”
She smiled, touched him, leaned in so her breasts rested against him. He was so warm. Almost hot. “A condom, Cole. Please tell me…”
He squatted and reached into the back pocket of his jeans, pulling out three wrapped condoms. A baby monitor and a three-pack. He was most certainly prepared.”

I do like some humor with my sex. Some smiles along with the sparks. And things were going well until the last minute additions of Complications to the mix combined with the panic button pushing done by both Cole and Lauren. One person sounding the “I’m not sure I’m ready for this” alarm is understandable but when they both did it, it was too much. This followed by the quick realization by both of them that they’d messed up all seemed too much like plot manipulations and running out of space rather than the natural flow of a relationship.

This slight hiccup is somewhat redeemed by a good, solid ending. Both Cole and Lauren have come to their senses, they talk and it doesn’t appear that Lauren is ready to throw over her career to be a baby maker. The children and adults are all on the same page about the relationship and things look good without an immediate frog march down the aisle to show how deliriously in love everyone is. Overall, I’m impressed with “The Husband Recipe” and have added you to my list of watched authors. B-

~Jayne

Goodreads | Amazon | BN | Sony | Kobo HQN | All Romance eBooks

When deciding on a romance novel to read, if there is something out of the ordinary about it, I’m more likely to give it a second glance. It still might not make the cut but it has a better chance. Halifax, Nova Scotia in 1917 with WWI still raging, a heroine hoping [...]]]> Dear Ms. Marsland,

When deciding on a romance novel to read, if there is something out of the ordinary about it, I’m more likely to give it a second glance. It still might not make the cut but it has a better chance. Halifax, Nova Scotia in 1917 with WWI still raging, a heroine hoping for a hero whom she never thought would be interested in her and a looming event which changed the town forever definitely is different.

In the six months since injured Liam Cochrane returned from the battlefields of France, not much makes him want to dream. Instead he prefers to spend his time trying to find a bottle and have a good time. Not so much to get drunk as to avoid making any choices about his future. Though his family doesn’t blame him for coming back when his younger brother didn’t, Liam blames himself and between that, the shell shock he knows he’s still not over, and his badly damaged leg he’s just not ready to move on with his life.

Alice O’Neill has been in love with Liam for years, though she’s never said a word and has tried not to give her secret away. Her family might be socially a bit above his but she knows that a woman who can’t read can’t aspire to much more than being either a housekeeper for her parents or settling as a wife to a man she’ll never love. Her ne’er-do-well, belligerent brother’s unexpected return from France doesn’t help the home life situation either.

As Alice keeps coming into his life, will Liam finally see the woman she is now instead of the girl he barely remembers? And if he can win her love, will it be ruined when a secret from his past appears?

The best thing about this book is how real Liam and Alice are to me. They aren’t perfect people by any means. They make mistakes. But then who doesn’t? Their slowly blossoming love feels realistic and I enjoy that they take their time about it and aren’t about to rush into anything. Perhaps Alice is a bit too forgiving and understanding about Liam’s issues and the blast from his past but then she’s already loved him for years and has realized that nothing has changed her feelings in the months since he returned, even if she didn’t hold out any hope of a relationship with him. What clinched it for me is when Liam thinks that with Alice now he is actually looking forward to the future instead of just looking for a way to get through it.

Not everything works for me though. Alice’s issues with her learning disabilities are mainly told in past tense with only a few nods to how she copes now. Carl O’Neill is obviously being set up for his own book, which I realized before reading the notice about it, but his character never interests me much and during his page time, all I wanted to do was get back to Liam and Alice. The issue facing Liam from his time on leave in England also seemed contrived and merely there for page padding purposes.

As the book progressed, I noticed a lack of foreshadowing of the Halifax explosion. Of course the townspeople wouldn’t have known it was coming but I kind of liked that you didn’t Drop Clues or Point Arrows towards what was in store for the city. Yet when it did – finally! – occur, it also seemed an afterthought to the main issues of the book. Explosion, a little wandering around as the characters tried to find friends and loved ones then – poof – the book jumps past it to the epilogue. Kind of seemed like a let down after I anticipated it for so long.

I enjoyed the realism of not only the main characters but the secondary ones as well. The historical feel of the book is good. And I always like to see a heroine who never thought she would get her happy ending. I just wish that some of the plot threads didn’t seem so superficial and quickly disposed of. C+

~Jayne

Goodreads | Amazon | BN | Sony | Kobo

Samuel [...]]]>

“There was a time when Julia Stanton’s fondest wish was to be Samuel Ward’s wife. But that was before the war. As pro-Confederacy sentiments clash with the Union troops occupying Baltimore, fear and suspicion turn friends to foes. Julia chooses the Confederacy…Samuel does not. And his decision is one she’s sure she’ll never forgive.

Samuel would gladly give his life for Julia. Still, he cannot go against the certainty he feels that slavery is wrong—even after his beliefs cost him Julia’s love. Yet as they work to comfort a city in turmoil, Samuel prays God’s guidance will lead them to common ground. For where there is courage and faith, two divided hearts may come together once more….”

Dear Ms. Farrington,

Since this is the beginning of the sesquicentennial of the US Civil War, I’ve been meaning to read more books which use it as a theme. Yours caught my attention since it’s set at the very start of the conflict and shows a side of the War that I’ve not read about in romance novels yet – that of neutral Maryland which was caught between North and South with Washington, DC on her border. It also shows people forced to decide on their convictions in the conflict as it came home to everyone – not just those in the deep South and slave holders. Even people who didn’t think they had a dog in the race found out that they had to choose on whether they supported ALL states rights or not. At this early point in the war, it’s strange to see Federal troops still enforcing laws about slaves held in Baltimore. I also liked the glimpse of how little the Union troops wanted to be there and that they weren’t the monsters which Julia and the other Baltimore citizens expected.

Most people in Baltimore were more concerned that their city was being invaded and taken over and threatened by Union troops than about slavery. They felt city was under siege. Sam is right in protesting the actions of men in city to tear up railroad lines and impede the travel of troops to the South as the North would never have permitted it. I’d heard of the suspension of habeas corpus but this is a great depiction of how shocked people were when the reality of the suspension was experienced. Life in wartime came to roost here long before many other places.

The book has a good period feel what with the heat they endure and Julia’s bonnets and hooped dresses. The descriptions of Fort McHenry make me want to check out some photos and learn more about it. And I’m so glad I don’t have to worry about chopping wood – though that’s a nice way to show the “guy” way Sam deals with his concern for Julia – he does something for her which he knows needs doing – like a modern hero changing his heroine’s snow tires. The men are so protective of their women though it doesn’t feel as if it’s a smothering concern or condescending one. Since Sam and Julia are already in love, you center the conflict between them on what was going on in their city and throughout the country.

Kudoes for Sam accepting Julia’s initial decision to break off their engagement and for him not to try and strong arm her back into it. He respects her, her opinion and knows that she must make up her own mind. Of course he’s not above using some powerful persuasion in the form of Frederick Douglass’s book and her own experiences with the two young slave boys they encounter, or the plight of the runaway young woman. These are worth years of trying to persuade her on his own. Though they might start out by not liking Federal troops in Baltimore or arbitrary justice, after Sally and Julia read the book their eyes are finally opened to the fact that slavery is wrong and can’t be allowed to continue.

I’d say the story is a 7/10 on the religion scale but that’s to be expected for that day and age when religion and church going were more a part of daily life, there was a war looming and the fact that Federal soldiers were in Baltimore and young men had chosen to join sides in the conflict – religious people would turn more to prayer.

You scattered a few other unresolved relationships throughout the book so I hope that you’ll return to this setting to finish those up. I enjoyed my time with Sam and Julia and of this glimpse of a different angle on the beginning of a war that altered the US forever and for the better. B+

~Jayne

Goodreads | Amazon | BN | Sony | Kobo HQN | All Romance eBooks

Tethered means to physically attach your device to your computer [...]]]> Intro

Now that you have your Calibre database set up just the way you like it, you need to figure out how to get the books from your computer to your device.  You can use the tethered or the over the air (untethered) method.

Tethered

Tethered means to physically attach your device to your computer using the USB cord.  Calibre recognizes almost every mainstream device from the Kobo, Sony, nook, Kindle, Cybook, and the iOS devices.

Send to Device

Once you plugin the device, you should see a “Send to Device” icon on the menu bar.

If you don’t see it, you may need to modify your tool bar.  CMD/CTRL + P -> “Toolbar” -> “The main toolbar when device is connected” -> Then drag over the “Send to Device” icon from the “available actions” column to the “current actions” column.

“Send to Device” gives you the option of sending the book to the main memory or the memory cards.  If you always use the same action, such as sending the device to the memory card, you can set that as the “default” which means when you press the “Send to Device” button, the book will be sent to the memory card.  You can use the drop down menu to change that feature.

This is where your special columns and saved searches come in handy.  For instance, if you had a “TBR” column, you could filter for just those books that you want to read and then when all those books are shown, select and then send to your device.  If you have modified the plugboards to change the title when the book is sent to the device, the action will take place when you hit the “Send to Device” button.

A special plugboard that you may want to create is a “genre” plugboard that corresponds with a “genre” or “tag” field.  Using this in conjunction with iBooks can sort your books into separate categories on your iOS device.  First, create a custom field that you will want to use to sort your iBooks. You may generically name it “genre” in case you want to use it for some other purpose otherwise you could name it “ibooks_cat” or something like that.  For column type, select “Text, column show in the tag browser.” As with any new column, you will have to restart calibre.  Go through and mark the books in your library.  Alternatively, you can use the existing “tag” field.  Then create a new plugboard: Format=epub | Device=apple | Source template {#usercolumn} or {tags} | Destination field=tags. Save and then “Apply”.

Saving to Disk

The Saving Books to Disk feature works great if you use an SD card and don’t want to tether your device to the computer. Instead you store all your files on an SD card.  Saving to Disk feature allows you to save multiple files with one click of the button.  The Calibre default is to save multiple files into separate folders. I really dislike this.  Further, if you have only one device, such as a Sony or Nook, you don’t want to save Mobi files, you just want to save ePub files.

You can modify Calibre to change the default behavior so that it saves only one file (the ePub one) and with no folders.  Go to Preferences (CMD/CTRL+P).   Under the Import/Export set of features is “Saving books to disc”

Here is where you make your changes.  I don’t want to save things separately. I just want one file to transfer over to my SD card but I do want to make sure my metadata is updated (1).  In File Formats (2), enter EPUB  instead of all and in the template (3), I have {title} – {authors}.

Now when I use the Save to Disc button, I get one file that is named Title – Author.epub.  Again, use your saved searches or special columns to collect all the books you want to transfer to your SD card.  Highlight the books and then click the “Save to Disk” button.  (Tip: if you want to sort by recent and your device doesn’t have that feature, you can use the “{timestamp}” variable.  First, you would want to format the date.

• %d = day
• %m=month number
• %b=month
• %m=year

I like (%d-%b-%m) so in the “Format date as” box, I would put %d-%b-%m.  In the Template box, I would put “ {timestamp} {title} – {authors} ”  This results in the following output: “21-Jan-01 Sizzle in the City – Wendy Etherington.mobi”  (I use mobi instead of epub, but you get the idea)

Connect/Share button.  This button allows you to connect to a folder, iTunes, start the content server, and send via email.  Connect to folder allows you to use a folder on the computer as a device.  This is useful if your device is not recognized by calibre or you use an SD card.

The Connect to iTunes function allows you to send books to iTunes and then when you sync your iOS device, either via USB or now over the air, the calibre books will show up.   You can use the “send to device” feature for your iThing, but perhaps you just prefer to use iTunes to collect all your media (particularly with the over the air synching and the cloud features).

You must have iTunes open on your computer in order for the “Connect to iTunes” function to work.

1.  How do you want your iTunes to handle the books?  There are two options. First, iTunes can just use the Calibre copy of the book.  Second, iTunes can create a copy and store it in the iTunes media folder. The drawback of the second option is that it creates a second copy of the book.  The drawback of the first option is that if you change the iTunes preferences to use only Calibre copy, this affects all your media.  Thus if you download a music track from Amazon, you would have to manually move it into the iTunes media folder instead of having it automatically copied there when you import a track into iTunes.  It depends on what is more important to you.

If you want iTunes to just use the Calibre copy, then in ITUNES open Preferences and then Advanced.  Uncheck “Copy files to iTunes Media folder when adding to library.”  Just remember this affects ALL MEDIA not just books.

2.  Set up Preferences in Calibre.

• Change the output to EPUB in Preferences -> Behavior -> Preferred Output
• Change the output to iPad or iPhone in Preferences  -> Conversion | Common Options -> Page Setup  -> iPad
• Change the order in which ePub or PDFs are sent to iTunes

This last one is important.  iBooks can read either ePubs or PDFs.  If you have an iPhone or iTouch, PDFs are not as easy to read. If you have a book folder that contains both PDFs and EPUBs then you want to make sure the ePUB version is sent first. Or perhaps you don’t want to send PDFs at all.  To do this you must go to Preferences  ->  Plugins.  In the box, type “Apple device interface” and then click the “customize plugin” button at the bottom:

Use the green arrow buttons to order the formats to your preference.  If you use the tags or a special user column for categories, uncheck “Use Series as Category in iTunes/iBooks.” Now you’ll be able to “Send to Device” with iTunes.  You can click over to iTunes to see what books were sent over and how they are categorized.

Untethered

There are three ways of getting books to your device without the use of USB cord or an SD card.

Connect to iTunes

The first one was for iThings using the Connect to iTunes feature.  Under iOS 5, you can sync your iThings over the air.  Simply gather up the books you want on your iThing, Send to Device, and then institute an over the air sync.

Content Server

Calibre has a built in content server.  You can share books over the net by starting the server.  Preferences -> Sharing over the net -> Start Server.  You can check the box “Run server automatically when calibre starts.”

Many Android and iOS apps will recognize the Calibre server automatically.  If not, you will need to know the IP address of your computer and manually add the calibre server to your APP.  You will need to open terminal on your Mac or PC.

• PC: Click Start -> Run. In the box type cmd.  A black window should open.  Type “ipconfig all”.  A bunch of numbers will spew out.  You are looking for IP Address.  It is usually something like 192.168.0.xx.
• MAC: Spotlight and type “Terminal”. Click on the Terminal App.  Type “ifconfig”.  A bunch of numbers will spew out.  Look for “inet”.  It is usually something like 10.0.1.xx.

Take the IP address of your computer and enter it into the app followed by :8080.  So it would be something like http://10.0.1.88:8080.

You should be able to access a searchable database of your Calibre library. This only works if a) you have calibre running and b) you can connect to your wifi network.  See this post for information about port forwarding and DNS redirect services which allows you to access Calibre from the internet.

Sharing books by email

This is my most used feature on Calibre particularly since Amazon has instituted Personal Document Service for the iOS Apps as well as the Kindle devices.  Basically this feature does exactly what it says.  It sends books by email.  Read more about PDS and Amazon here.

Enter the emails to which you want a book sent along with the formats that you want to send.  Here is my setup:

I don’t mind sharing these emails with you because only authorized folks can send documents to my devices.  As you can see, the top one is my default but I can, via the drop down menu, send a book to any one of these email addresses.  Plus, you can change the default by selecting the preferred email address and hitting the “make default” button on the right.  Calibre has built in email server configurations for gmail and hotmail. It’s worth signing up for one of those email services just for facilitating the sending of books to yourself.

I hope this January series of articles about Calibre has helped you get an idea of how to start to harness this amazing piece of software to manage your book collection.  There are so many other ways to use Calibre and this series just scratches the very surface.  Thanks for listening. Feel free to ask any questions. If I don’t know the answer, I bet there is someone who does.

Additionally, I am always looking for topics or even guest reviews of devices, products, and general ebook-y stuff for Sunday. Please email jane at dearauthor.com if you have an idea, a question or a blog post.  Thanks!

Blake Maddock spent his life [...]]]>

The last person Mardie Rainey expects to see on her doorstep is her childhood sweetheart, Blake Maddock. Fifteen years ago, Blake Maddock had walked away, leaving her teenage heart sore and broken. But now—with a thunderstorm raging overhead—she can’t turn him away, nor the injured border collie in his arms….

Blake Maddock spent his life running from one tragic mistake… Now the frightened boy has become a formidable man—and he’s coming back for the woman he has never forgotten….

Dear Ms. Lennox,

Recently I met fellow DA reviewer Sunita, which was a blast, and as book lovers do, of course we talked about books. We agree that one of our least favorite tropes is the “I kissed you once 10 years (or more) ago and have never forgotten it nor moved on with my life.” Argh, I hate this. So imagine my happiness when you made it very plain that Mardie hadn’t waited and faded away, she hadn’t lived in stasis since Blake left. She’d loved another man, married him, had a good and satisfying life before losing him. She still loved him in a way that was all his though there was room in her heart for another. Yeah, that’s another trope I dislike: the “I’ve loved and lost and will never love again!” Hate that too. Thank you for this.

I seriously enjoyed the sections about the dogs. They are such a part of these peoples’ lives that a story without them would feel incomplete. The parts with Charlie and Bessie working again and later at the funeral had me almost bawling. Would have had I been home but I had to hold it together at work. Still these are lovely scenes of how much dogs love and are loved and love to be useful.

Another wonderful thing about the story is that when Blake returns fifteen years after he left and shows up at Mardie’s door, she doesn’t turn into mush – well, perhaps for a minute in surprise but then she gets over it. And lets Blake know that she hasn’t wrapped herself up and mourned his loss all this time. He left, she was sad but then she got over it. She moved on. She’s lived a successful life and hasn’t thought about him or wondered about him. She took her passion for art and has made a name for herself as well as finding happiness teaching arts courses. I was bouncing in happiness through all this. Oh, and I loved it when she called him on how he viewed her life since she hadn’t gone overseas and saved children’s lives. And even after Blake makes a half hearted and emotionally induced proposal, she is wise enough to turn him down because she knows it’s still all wrong. Yeah, Mardie!

It’s wrong and Mardie insists that it be right. She probes Blakes’ reasons for not wanting to stay in Banskia Bay, she offers encouragement and mentions the therapy that helped her past the loss of her husband but she doesn’t push it or make ultimatums. She – and Blake – realize that neither will be happy trying to make a marriage work at their present stage. Yes, this takes the story down to the wire but I needed for them to work all this out to their satisfaction before I’d believe in their HEA.

And Blake does have some serious issues in his past. Some screwed up parents and a guardian aunt who wasn’t much better. Again I appreciate that this isn’t just a pity party on his part but some deep seated emotional mess that goes back a ways and must be dealt with. The way you described why he had to leave Banksia Bay and why he never contacted Mardie makes sense. He needed to leave this place that he saw as an exile where his parents sent him and if he’d talked to or written to Mardie, he wouldn’t have been strong enough not to crumble. When Mardie is finally given a window into what has driven Blake all these years and what still continues to haunt him, she knows these are things she might be able to help with – a little – but she can’t solve them for him. Nothing gets papered over or shoved under a rug with these two. They hurt each other somethimes with what they say but no punches get pulled and I like that.

Blake’s reasoning about why he needs to leave Banksia Bay and Mardie now also makes guy sense – he’s afraid he’ll hurt her by getting involved while he’s there – and planning to leave. It’s here that I can sort of see the start of his change of heart. Before, he’s wanted to leave to escape bad memories or to in some way make up for his twin’s death but now, emotion for Mardie is starting to seep through. I like that the time frame of the story allows for these slower shifts in emotion since there’s a lot to be dealt with and sorted out. Over the course of fixing Bessie’s eyes and the fund raising dinner and the month long recovery needed for the dog, Blake gets time to think and time to slowly see Mardie and Banksia Bay not as escapes anymore but as a person and a place that are home to him. There’s also the fact that they still have that connection they had years ago of being able to tease each other and almost know what the other is thinking that they’ve never lost.

Their ultimate realization that they’re both ready, willing and in an emotional place to finally get together for good is sweet and gentle and plays out in a way true to the setting of the story. Thanks for another enjoyable excursion with these salt of the earth people – and their dogs! B

~Jayne

Goodreads | Amazon | BN | Sony | Kobo HQN | All Romance eBooks

Once you have the books entered into your library, you can then manipulate the data. Calibre now allows you to create your own custom columns.  Calibre comes with columns for Title, Title Sort, Author, Author Sort, [...]]]>

Part two of settling up a new library with Calibre.  The first can be found here for plugins and metadata. 

Once you have the books entered into your library, you can then manipulate the data. Calibre now allows you to create your own custom columns.  Calibre comes with columns for Title, Title Sort, Author, Author Sort, Date of Publication, Date (that you add the book to Calibre), Size of the file, Rating, Tags, Series, Publisher, Description.

Creating User Defined Columns

To create a column, CTRL/CMD + P (This opens Preferences).  From the first row of icons, click on the button: Add your own columns.

Or simply position your mouse on the header bar of the database page and right click:

Use the green and red buttons to add and delete user create columns.   Here I’ve created “want” “read”, “price”, “reader comments”.    You can define the type of column.   Want and Read are Yes/No while Price is an integer and Reader Comments is long form text.  If you downloaded the Pages plugin we discussed last week, you would want to create a “Word Count” and “Page Count” plugin, both integer.  The checkmarks indicate which columns will show on the database page.

I marked the books that I want to buy under “want” as yes.   I’ve marked books under “Read” as “blank/Yes/No.”   Blank means “To be read”.   The yes/no type column actually has three choices.   Also important to remember is the lookup name for the user generated column. The lookup name will be vital for searching.  You cannot have spaces in the Lookup name.

Now that I have marked my wants, I can create a buy list.

First, I am going to create a custom search.   For all my user created columns, I need to use # in front of the lookup name for the column. For “want“, I would enter in the “search box.”

#want:yes

I am going to save this search by naming it in the “Saved Searches“   (Click and start typing).   I’ve named this my “To Buy List” search.   Click on the green plus sign. You can double check by clicking on the saved searches drop down box.

You can also create a TBR search by

#read:false

The false means that there is no entry at all (neither yes or no).   Enter “TBR” (or whatever you would want to name this list) in the “saved searches” box and then click the green plus sign to save.

So now you have a searchable and sortable list for your wants and your TBRs.   You can continue to create as many columns and saved searches as you want.  Some other columns that might be helpful:

• Price
• Print/eBook
• Location of purchase
• Date Begun
• Date Finished
• Date Abandoned
• Original/Republication
• Genre
• Subgenre

You can select which columns you see. Simply right click on the header bar and hide and add columns as you like.

Multiple Libraries

You can have as many libraries as you want. Instead of creating a column that sorts Paper and Digital books perhaps you want to create a different library for just paper books.   Click on the bookshelf button in the toolbar

Then change the location of the ebooks to a new folder such as “My Dropbox\Calibre\PaperBooks”.   I maintain three: one for books I’ve purchased, one for ARCs and one that contains no ebook files but generates the Dear Author coming soon catalogs.

Plugboards

Plugboards are difficult for me to understand but one great feature is the ability to use a plugboard to insert the series name into a file when it is sent to your device.  That way your books can be sorted on your device, in order of their series appearance.  This is to get around the lame way that ebook readers allow you to sort your content.  Basically you are using the calibre template language to combine already existing fields into new fields.

{series}{series_index:0>2s| – | – }{title}:  Turner Brothers – 01 – Unveiled

Let’s unpack this.  The field name inside the brackets {} correspond to the field lookup name.  In the above example, we have the following metadata:

By using a plugboard, we are asking Calibre to change the title when it it sent to the device from “Unveiled” to  ”Turner Brothers – 01 – Unveiled” which is the {series} + {series_index:0>2s| – | – } + {title}.

• series=Turner Brothers
• series_index:0>2s| – | -
• 0>2s – two digits with leading zeros.  If you did 0>3s it would be three digits with leading zeros.  0<3s would result in a digit with three trailing zeros.
• “| – | – ” places the dashes around the series. field:|prefix_text|suffix_text is the formula.  Here we have space pipe space as the prefix (or the text before the digit) and space pipe space as the suffix (the text after the digit).  If I changed it {series_index:0>2s|*|*} the result would be Turner Brothers*01*Unveiled.  Notice the lack of spaces.
• title=Unveiled

Putting this together, access Preferences and then select Plugboard:

Format: Here you choose which format you to apply the plugboard to.  Perhaps you have a Kindle and an iPad and want to use different plugboards for Mobi and ePub.

• Device: Choose the device you want to apply the plugboard to.  I’ve selected “email” so that every time I email a file to myself, the title becomes title, series, series number.
• Source template: This where you enter the fields:{title}{series_index:0>2s| [|] }{series}
• Destination field: authors, author_sort, language, publisher, tags, title, title_sort.  Here I’ve chose Title. (Click on image for larger image).  I like to use a slightly different format:  {title}{series_index:0>2s| [|] }{series}

SAVE  your plugboard.  You can test out what the plugboard will look like by creating a custom column created from other columns. Review the top of this post to refresh your recollection on how to create a custom column.  This time you are going to create a custom column based on other columns which is essentially what you do with plugboards.  Paste in the formula you would like to use for the title.  Remember in the Lookup name you cannot have blank spaces.

You’ll have to restart every time you add a new column, however, you can edit the formula (and tweak it to get it just right) without restarting Calibre by simply clicking in the new column you created.  When you restart, the column will be filled in (or populated) from the other metadata that is already in the database.

And this is what it looks like on my iPhone:

But, if you can only sort by Title or Author, then you want to start with the series.  Turner Brothers [01] – Unveiled.

You can use custom columns created from other columns to eliminate things like articles from the series names like “The”, “A”, etc.  This would be akin to the “author sort” or “title sort”.  Create a “series_sort” custom column.  In the “Template” section enter the following:  {series:re(^(A|The|An)\s+,)||}

This takes the series and strips out “A”, “The”, and “An”.  Then when doing the plugboard, instead of {series} you would use {#series_sort} (you need to add the # for any user generated column).  Actually, if you create a custom column, then just reference the custom column in the plugboard.  That way any modifications you make to the custom title will be automatically reflected in the plugboard.

Whew.  Plugboards require a little concentration but it is a powerful harnessing of data that is already entered. To get more hints and tips on how to use plugboards, visit Mobile Read.

Next week Getting eBooks from Calibre to Your Device Using Send to Device and the Connect/Share Functions.

I am pretty sure I bought that at the recommendation of has_bookpushers on September 6, 2011, (according to my Kindle records).  But like many a book, it languished (or was lost) in my to be read pile.  Internet chatter about this book rose up and I pulled it out to read.  Okay, [...]]]> Dear Ms. Ee:

I am pretty sure I bought that at the recommendation of has_bookpushers on September 6, 2011, (according to my Kindle records).  But like many a book, it languished (or was lost) in my to be read pile.  Internet chatter about this book rose up and I pulled it out to read.  Okay, I actually went to buy it at $.99 but I was told by Amazon I had already purchased it.  I started and read non stop until the last page.

Penryn lives in a post apocalyptic world brought on by the Angel Gabriel bringing war to the humans. Gabriel was destroyed in a flurry of return gunfire by the heavenly hosts are too much for the humans.  His body wasn’t recovered but the televised fight played all over the world as evidence that angels were not invincible. Humans have turned into refugees and lawless gangs rule the cities while everyone afraid of the dark.  In the dark, the angels come out or even worse – unknown terrors.

Penryn has made the decision that her insane mother and crippled little sister must move out of their condo because it has been marked for gang infiltration. They move out at night even though the night is so dangerous that even the gangs stay inside.  It is their only chance, or so Pen believes.  Pen makes a number of these decisions throughout the book. Some work out and some do not but each decision is backed by some thought so she never appears foolish, only not completely in possession of all of the facts.

In the midst of their escape. Pen sees a glorious angel with white wings attacked by other angels.  The white winged angel’s wings are cut off but he still fights on.  Spurred by some crazy compulsion, perhaps due to her own instinctive penchant for underdogs, Pen picks up his discarded sword and throws it at him.  In the ensuing confusion, one of the angels takes Pen’s sister from the wheelchair Pen is pushing her in.  Pen’s insane mother runs off.

Pen picks up the wings and demands the wounded Angel tell her where she can find her sister.  The Angel, Raffe, tells her that this is basically a suicide mission but what does Pen have to live for in this wasteland if she doesn’t even try.  Another calculated risk.  They don’t always turn out in her favor, but I admired her courage and her swift decision making. Pen is not a ditherer.

There are some worldbuilding flaws. Only six weeks have passed since the Angel Gabriel’s attack and death.  The post war seemed to be far too settled with its gangs and the established Angel aeries.  Technology has been totally destroyed to the point that some are using computers to form a brick like wall.  The complete hopelessness that seemed to have swept the land along with the abandonment of existing structures and technology came upon too quickly. I felt like the time that had passed from apocalyptic event to collapse was too quick but then again, how would Pen and Raffe be able forage for supplies in abandoned houses.

There is a mystery surrounding Pen’s mother that seems to be trotted out at only convenient times, providing strained coincidences. Raffe explains that the children of the angels and humans were unmentionable horrors yet there is not one nephilium that appears in the book.  Why was Raffe even on the Earth?  How did he get separated from the other Angels?  Why wasn’t he leading his men?  Some of those questions may be answered in a sequel, but I felt that they made the world building seem a little thin in areas.

Yet, these things are minor irritants in the larger captivating story.  Pen reminded me of Katniss, only more determined, less reluctant.  As for the romance, Raffie and Pen develop feelings for each other but it is low key and expressed in smart aleck exchanges.

We walk for about an hour before Raffe whispers, “Does moping actually help humans feel better?” We’ve been whispering since we saw the victims on the road.

“I’m not moping,” I whisper back.

“Of course you’re not. A girl like you, spending time with a warrior demigod like me. What’s to mope about? Leaving a wheelchair behind couldn’t possibly show up on the radar compared to that.”

I nearly stumble over a fallen branch. “You have got to be kidding me.”

“I never kid about my warrior demigod status.”

“Oh. My. God.” I lower my voice, having forgotten to whisper. “You are nothing but a bird with an attitude. Okay, so you have a few muscles, I’ll grant you that. But you know, a bird is nothing but a barely evolved lizard. That’s what you are.”

He chuckles. “Evolution.” He leans over as if telling me a secret. “I’ll have you know that I’ve been this perfect since the beginning of time.” He is so close that his breath caresses my ear.

Pen is represented as a teen but she could have easily been early 20s. She was an old soul, having been forced into responsibility early as the result of the death of her father and her mother’s insanity. I will provide this warning. The ending is a cliffhanger that takes a shocking turn. Ordinarily, I hate cliffhangers, but with this? All I can say is when does book 2 come out?  B+

Best regards,

Jane

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Between caring for her orphaned nephew and working as a tech writer, Rhian MacGregor has spent several years perfecting the art of abstinence. But the arrival of Nathan Delaney—her gorgeous housepainter—has her contemplating a new instruction manual: [...]]]>

Rhian’s Rooftop Resolutions:
1. Write a children’s book
2. Learn to play basketball
3. Have a summer fling

Between caring for her orphaned nephew and working as a tech writer, Rhian MacGregor has spent several years perfecting the art of abstinence. But the arrival of Nathan Delaney—her gorgeous housepainter—has her contemplating a new instruction manual: Seducing Your Handyman.

She’s not thinking of getting serious, of course. She’s only got the summer to herself before it’s back to real life. Besides, Rhian doesn’t do serious, because the consequences are too painful.
Just as they will be when she finds out who Nathan really is…

Dear Mrs. Hartman,

I guess this is a reissue since the eharlequin website lists it with a publication date of 2007 and an onsale date of September 2011 but whatever it is, I’m glad I’m finally reading it. Oh, and I love that the cover shows the pepto bismol pink painted house that Nathan paints to get into Rhian’s life. Cover images that match what actually happens in the book – yeah!

Okay the set up for the book requires a little suspension of belief about Nathan. I know some famous authors are fairly reclusive but the lengths to which he’s gone just don’t seem like even they’d be enough. Not with today’s easy access via the Internet to everything about everybody. But I’ll just go with it and keep reading. The celebrity, tabloid “journalist” daytime show host’s decision to discover who author Chris Senso really is seems all too real though. Anything for increased ratings no matter who it might hurt or whose life it might change. That being said, the way you’ve fashioned the character of Lindsey Hall makes her sound exactly like the uber exuberant, “will stop at nothing to get the story,” “perfect hair and makeup” type of modern TV personality. Can I say I fairly much despise them? Yes, I can. And Nathan’s ex Patricia – wow, what was he thinking to get hooked up with her? The scene at the end where those two are pitted against each other is worth it though as the perfect revenge.

Nathan Delaney does have some concrete reasons why he wants privacy – both as Nathan and as his nom de plume “Chris.” Because of his bad experience as a college basketball player, I can see why he isn’t eager to be in the spotlight anymore. And why he’s initially skittish when first introduced to Rhian’s friends and her nephew Jem’s family. I like the slow, sweet build up to a physical relationship that they have but I could see the Big Mis situation coming. When one character tells another “I have something to tell you” and that telling gets interrupted for sex, the hand grenade explosion isn’t far off. Nathan loses a few points with me for his reaction to what happens and I’m not entirely sure his initial “I’m sorry, I should have believed you” is enough for me. The man had lots of chances before that night to tell the truth.

Rhian starts the book as if she’s going to turn into one of those martyrs who gives up her entire life for the service of others. I do like the relationship she has with Jem but I’m glad she is going to have most of the summer to herself and that she already plans on having some adult fun when she’s got the chance. And that she goes ahead with her dream and actually finishes it! The HFN ending to that – her being an author – is a nice change from the usual “she becomes a huge worldwide star with her first book!” epilogues I’ve read in the past.

Matt and Min – kind of sound like they’re a pair of cartoon mice, don’t they – are fun secondary characters and really help with the way Nathan resolves the whole issue of his privacy. Jem comes across like an eight year old, basketball mad little boy who hasn’t quite gotten to the independent “don’t hug me in public” stage yet. He’s in the story just enough to not annoy me.

I might not always end up reviewing all your books but I do always look at them and here I’m glad that I’ve got a chance at reading this one that’s been out for a while. Ebooks are wonderful and reissued backlists are even better. B-

~Jayne

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Why did I decide to try your novella? It sounded cute, it has a sorta Christmas-y theme, and …..well, that’s it, actually. Yes, I know it’s now after Christmas but it’s still the Holiday Season so I figure I’m still good. Right?

Darcy Burkell and James Jones grew up together but both [...]]]> Dear Ms. Marvel,

Why did I decide to try your novella? It sounded cute, it has a sorta Christmas-y theme, and …..well, that’s it, actually. Yes, I know it’s now after Christmas but it’s still the Holiday Season so I figure I’m still good. Right?

Darcy Burkell and James Jones grew up together but both escaped their small Tennessee hometown. She now runs a travel agency while he’s a photographer. Six months ago, Darcy’s brother Chip hooked them up professionally and since then, James has done what he loves – traveling far and wide taking gorgeous photos which Darcy now uses in her travel brochures. The day before Darcy was planning to begin her drive home for the Holidays, James unexpectedly shows up and offers to drive with her. To Darcy, it was an “out of the blue” offer while to James it was the natural progression in the relationship he thought they were forging.

But Darcy’s got two issues that cause her to turn him down flat. One: She doesn’t like surprises and this one floors her. Two: She’s got claustrophobia – bad, bad claustrophobia and she doesn’t want James to find out because then he’ll pity her plus she knows there’s no hope of any relationship between them since he loves to travel and her traveling is limited to car rides with lots of pit stops.

Thus they find themselves on the same road home at the same time with the Weather Channel predicting a record snowfall/ice storm for the region. When the inevitable happens and traffic grinds to a halt on the now iced over Interstate parking lot, will these two find a way to stay warm without running car engines and using up gasoline? And what will James do when he discovers the real reason Darcy doesn’t want to date him?

I’m glad I read this book for a couple of reasons. I have this thing about the first book I read/finish in the new year. If it’s good, I take it as a positive sign for the year to come and for me this is a B+. So far, so good. Secondly, it’s funny. Darcy ogling James at the rest stop is funny, Darcy spilling jelly beans all over her car and in her bra is funny. Darcy and James’s truck rocking being interrupted by kindly, good Samaritans is hysterical. And the post Holiday scenes at both the Jones and Burkell households are family dynamics at their best – or worst, as the case may be.

The conflict between James and Darcy is certainly different, or at least I’ve never read it before. At first I thought Darcy was not giving James any benefit of the doubt but then the explanation of her past relationships illuminated her thought processes. James does seem to jump the gun about dating Darcy, and my, his family gets the bit between their collective teeth and runs with it, but I guess that just shows how much he cares for her in his guy way while maybe his family really wants to marry him off.

I did worry a bit when it appeared that James was going to try and force/strong arm/guilt Darcy into changing but she stands up for herself and James snaps out of his idiocy/thoughtlessness. And his apology was nicely done and neatly delivered. Although I’m not generally a fan of epilogues, this one is a beauty and ends the story delightfully. Yes, thanks to “Claustrophobic Christmas” I’m off to a good beginning for 2012. B+

~Jayne

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I’ve never read a steampunk book and frankly had doubts that it would be to my taste but since I’m trying to expand my reading of new-to-me authors, I thought why not try a new genre as well. The results weren’t what I was hoping for but the reason for the grade [...]]]> Dear Ms. Gooden,

I’ve never read a steampunk book and frankly had doubts that it would be to my taste but since I’m trying to expand my reading of new-to-me authors, I thought why not try a new genre as well. The results weren’t what I was hoping for but the reason for the grade isn’t the gears and goggles. Rather it’s due to some issues with the characters.

Older Olyve Blackwell knows that her actions flout propriety and at her age she isn’t likely to get any offers of marriage from the gentlemen of the ton but since she’s one of THE Blackwells, the effort to be proper probably would have been wasted had she even been inclined to attempt it. Instead she indulges her liking of things mechanical and tries to help those less fortunate than she. Disturbing visions have her asking around about missing women and she knows she’s rattled someone’s cage when an assassin tries to kill her. An unknown man comes to her rescue then gently pushes her off the train at the next station. Olyve doesn’t think she’ll ever see him again but to her surprise, he rescues her again at a ton party she attends.

Olyve quickly realizes that she’s stumbled upon the heart of the evil conspiracy behind the missing women and children but to her horror, she isn’t sure whether her savior is genuine or if he’ll turn out to be one of the inner circle. Does she dare trust her Intuition as her world collapses around her?

My suspicion that steampunk isn’t for me was confirmed but that’s not your book, it’s me. I doubt I’d have liked anyone’s steampunk and will probably avoid it in the future. The steam powered gadgets, gears, flying mechanisms and goggles just don’t do anything for me. However I suspect that you include all the necessary ingredients to make aficionados happy.

No, the reason the book doesn’t work for me are more related to the actions of the characters with a bit of the world building. I never really got a handle on the world here. I can tell it’s England and probably sometime in the 19th century but the rest is a blur. Are the Quarters which are mentioned actual places or ranks in society? What are all the feminine dress codes about? What is the Revolutionary movement? Why does the ton dislike or is it disdain the Blackwell family? What happened to Olyve’s sister? Perhaps this long novella is part of a series and more is explained elsewhere but I felt lost here.

Olyve and James Reeves have what I call insta-love. Immediately they Just Know and are in love. Why? I don’t know – time constraints? Shorthand? I usually like to see a couple interact a little more than these two do and especially if the interactions they do have are mainly life threatening. I also thought they fell into insta-sex way too fast. And the way it starts, with Olyve being threatened by the ring of villains and James having to play along is downright distasteful. She’s unsure of James then, being threatened with gang rape by the slavering others, he’s having to manhandle her to keep in his true motives hidden and she’s getting turned on. Hell to the no. Then after they are taken elsewhere, she’s after him again but it’s James who tries to put the brakes on by announcing she has gone through too much then when that doesn’t work that he wants twue lurve from a marriage and when Olyve announces she just wants him, he gives into the passion. At least this time there was no mention of the earlier “weeping sheath.” Oh, and I got tired of James calling Olyve “his sprite” and disliked the “brave little minx” as both felt slightly condescending.

Reeves has been working on some major project for a while when he’s pulled – via the comb talking box at the gambling den – onto the case of the abducted women/girls. Then when we next see him as an operative, he, while trying to save Olyve, thinks that he can’t blow his cover here since he’s been working undercover for so long to infiltrate this group. Huh? No mention of a lot of passing time between the two scenes so, huh? I do love his instructions from The Comb that the Monarchy wants case closed but without the need for trial – kind of makes James a 00 agent with implicit instructions to kill whoever is doing this.

I was also lost about Olyve. What are the barriers in Olyve’s mind? Her gift is Intuition? Just what is her “gift/power?” For a woman who is supposed to be so intuitive about danger/situations around her, she sure gets caught up in a lot of dangerous things and taken prisoner. Then, after being warned by her Uncle and attacked on the train, Olyve heads back into danger at the party. Smart? Olyve then uses another one of her powers – which she seems to pull out of a hat just when they’re needed – to find out about an object as she holds it in her hand. And she almost dies only to be saved by James. Then she says she wants to try again. James – and I – are astounded and not in a good way. There’s a lot to “being a Blackwell” and it seems to grow by the page. Her glowing/color changing fingertips sort of gross me out. There’s too much “just in the nick of time stuff here.” Though how she turned her powers on the villain-in-charge was cool.

And thus ends my first and probably last foray into steampunk. My main problems of this book wasn’t that but what I’ve outlined above. Nevertheless, the genre failed to impress me so I think I’ll stick to my historicals and contemporaries.

~Jayne

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With over 3 million Kindles sold along with 100 iOS devicees sold a minute, it is likely that many readers received digital reading devices this Christmas.  The following is what you might need to know in order to use your device.

Generally speaking the price of [...]]]>

With over 3 million Kindles sold along with 100 iOS devicees sold a minute, it is likely that many readers received digital reading devices this Christmas.  The following is what you might need to know in order to use your device.

1.  Are prices the same for digital books?

Generally speaking the price of books are equal to their paper equivalent or less. If you buy new most of the time, you should not see an increase in your book spending.  There is no seccondary market (like a used bookstore) that you can buy digital books or sell books that you are no longer interested in.

There are many free books offered on a regular basis at the digital bookstores.  Don’t forget to use the “Sample” button to check out a portion of the book (about 10%) before you purchase.   If you have a NookColor or Nook Tablet, you can read in the store nearly any of their books for free for one hour a day. It’s called their “Read in Store” program.

Both BN and Kindle offer daily deals.  Barnes & Noble’s is called Nook Daily Find and Amazon’s is the Daily Deal.  Amazon almost always price matches the Nook Daily Find but it usually takes a half a day or so.  The price of these daily deals is usually about 60-80% off the retail price and the selection varies from non fiction to fiction to genre reads.

2.  Where do I find books I want to read?

Onlike bookstores have sections just like real bookstores.  If you are buying digital books, you’ll want to go to the Nook books section and at Amazon, the “Kindle” section.  The “Books” section for both sites refer to paper books.  There are several sub sections such as romance or mystery or science fiction/fantasy.

On many devices, you can shop directly from the device itself.  Doing this can prevent you from accidentally purchasing a paper book.  You can sign up for newsletters from the retailers that will send you suggestions based on your purchases.  On the Nook, suggestions scroll across the bottom of your device.

3.  How do I check out digital books from the library?

Not every publisher participates in digital lending.  Currently the list of publishers NOT participating in digital lending include new releases from Penguin (Nora Roberts, JD Robb, JR Ward); Hachette (Larissa Ione, Jill Shalvis); Simon & Schuster (Kresley Cole, Steve Jobs biography); Macmillan (Sherrilyn Kenyon, Janet Evanovich).

Digital lending is sourced by a company called Overdrive.*  You can check books out for about three weeks.  Many of the digital books have long wait lists.  Check with your local library to see if you are eligible for digital lending or look into digital lending at the Philadelphia Free Library which is available to out of state residents for $35 per year.

*If you live in Kansas, your state is moving from Overdrive to a 3M sourced digital book system and that book system is not yet up and running. Until it is, you do not have digital lending available.

More about digital lending from libraries here.

4.   Can I shop around?

It depends. If you received a Nook, you can shop at most etailers as the nook accepts “epub” format. However, Nook books cannot be viewed through anything but a nook device or a nook app.  Read more here.

Amazon reads only mobi formats. I have a longer post on this subject here.   The good news is that Amazon, generally, has the best prices and the greatest selection; but nook, Sony, Kobo readers give a shopper the most retail freedom.

Here is an article about who has the best ebook prices.

If you have the iPad, you have the best of all worlds as there are Kobo, Kindle, nook apps for the iThings. For reading ePubs, you can use the Kobo, Bluefire App, or MegaReader, and a few notes about iPad ebook Apps.

The reason for these complications is a thing called DRM or digital rights management.  DRM is a software that makes sure you can’t freely share your digital books with others.  Publishers and authors are afraid that without DRM, piracy (or the illegal sharing of books) will overtake legitimate sales.  DRM is used to lock a digital book to a particular device or account.  This prevents free transferability of books and thus books you buy at one store like Amazon can’t be used on a device like the Nook and vice versa.  Some ebookstores like AllRomanceEbooks and Fictionwise specialize in selling books without DRM.

For the Kindle Fire, you can install a great app called Mantano Reader which will allow you to read ePubs.  Read more here.

5. How do I get my books on my Kindle or nook or iOS device?

If you don’t buy directly on the device or have a “send to” device feature, you are going to have to manually add the books. This is called sideloading. When you connect your Kindle/nook to the computer via a USB, the Kindle/nook should show up as an external harddrive:

Just drag over your books.   On the Kindle, put them in the documents folder:

More on sideloading of Kindle books here.   Always remember to download the MOBI format for your Kindle.   Kindle also allows you to email yourself books. To email yourself books, you must enter the sender’s email address under Your Account->Manage Your Kindle, enter the emails under “Your Kindle Approve E-mail list.”   This is to prevent spammers from sending you unwanted documents.

TIP:   If you send documents to @free.kindle.com, there is no charge.  Read more about Personal Document Service here.

On the nook, put the books in the My files folder. I usually put them in “books”:

More on sideloading nookbooks here.   Download the ePub versions of ebooks.   On the Nook Color or Nook Tablet, you can also load books via email or from a website.

Sideloading works for iPad and iPhones as well. Directions for sideloading books onto iOS devices.

6. Can I lend my books or share them?

Publishers are allowing limited sharing or lending of books.   The sharing or lending of books is limited.   First, you can only lend a book once.   Second, the lending period is only for 14 days.   Third, the person to whom you lend the book can only read the book by using the same software as you: Kindle, nook, Kobo, etc.

Another way to share books is to share the same account.   Nooks and Kindles can be hooked up to the same account although there are some drawbacks.   More on sharing here and here.

Kindle also offers the Kindle Owner’s Lending Library.  If you own a Kindle device (not just an app you downloaded onto an Android or IOS device) and are a Prime Member, you can access the Kindle Owner’s Lending Library.  You can borrow one book a month at no extra charge.

7.  Where can I find the free classics?

Many people want to fill up their devices with free books much like they filled up their iPods.   The classics such as plays by Shakespeare, books by Jane Austen, and book club picks like Dickens can be downloaded for free at places like Project Gutenberg, Feedbooks, and manybooks.

Retailers like Barnes and Noble, Amazon, and Kobo also give away promotional freebies.   This is a link to the Amazon Kindle promotional freebies.   Promotional freebies generally are time sensitive so download them while you can.

Dear Author posts the monthly specials that they know of but there are three good sources for the publisher promotions:   MobileReads “Deals, Freebies, and Resources” forum; Books on the Knob blog; Kindle Besteller list (broken into free and paid).  You can always come back to Dear Author. We post daily deals about 5 days a week.

8.  How do I keep track of everything?

Digital books can be difficult to keep track of, particularly if you shop at more than one digital book store. I really love a free program called Calibre.  In it’s most simplistic use, Calibre is intended to be an ebook organization tool. You can organize your books by author, title, series, publisher, personal tags, and personal ratings and any other custom field you may think of.  Take a look at a few of my Calibre posts here and here if you are interested in a great and free organizational too.  Part 1 and Part 2.

Finally, don’t be shy about asking questions.  We readers are here to help one another out.

When we did a series of reviews on some of Georgette Heyer’s novels, many people listed “False Colours” as a favorite. Since I’d never read it, [...]]]>

sail under false colours (British & Australian) also sail under false colors (American & Australian)
to pretend to be something that you are not in order to deceive people

When we did a series of reviews on some of Georgette Heyer’s novels, many people listed “False Colours” as a favorite. Since I’d never read it, I decided to give it a whirl and see what I thought. Thought it has its charm, is amusing and is filled with well drawn characters, there are a few things about it that will keep it from the top ranks of my most loved Heyer novels.

As the younger son, Christopher (Kit) Fancot entered the diplomatic service while his elder brother Evelyn was due to inherit the Earldom at their father’s death. The two have always been close and when Kit senses something amiss at home, he rushes back home from abroad. Upon his arrival at the family townhouse in London, his loving but flighty mother, Lady Denville, informs him just how bad things are. She is deeply in debt – again – and, due to the will left by their father, Evelyn will not be able to control the estate funds and pay her vowels until he marries a woman of whom their fraternal uncle approves. He’s been courting a young woman, Miss Cressida Stavely, who the family thinks will fit the bill though there is no violent passion on either side. Only before the match can be announced, Evelyn must past muster with Cressy’s gorgon of a grandmother – the Dowager Lady Stavely.

The problem, as Lady Denville explains it to Kit, is that she lost heavily at cards and pledged a piece of jewelry – one of the many she’s had secretly replicated in paste in order to be able to sell the original to pay down her other debts – to a incorrigible gossip who would take great pleasure in exposing that fact should he figure it out. Thus Evelyn had set off to try and redeem the piece before the man could attempt to sell it. That was days ago and nothing has been heard from Evelyn since. Lady Denville wouldn’t worry except that the Stavelys are expecting Evelyn at a dinner party the next night and if he’s a no show, it’s for sure that the Dowager Lady Stavely will take it as an insult and withhold her approval of the match.

It’s then that a brilliant idea occurs to her. Kit will impersonate his brother for one night and hopefully Evelyn will appear soon and all will be well. As identical twins, the two brothers have often been mistaken for each other. Against his better judgement, Kit agrees and the evening goes well. Knowing he’d better not stay in town and risk being exposed in the ruse, he flees to their country estate but instead of getting better, the situation only gets worse. Lady Stavely announces she and Cressy will visit him plus the one parsimonious sibling Lady Denville possesses sees a chance at a free country house visit for the summer and arrives with his fussing wife and professional invalid son in tow. Not about to abandon Kit in his hour of need, Lady Denville also gives up the pleasures of town along with her long time loyal beau, Sir Bonamy.

With this cast and crew plus several ancient family retainers watching his every move, can Kit keep the masquerade going until Evelyn, where ever he may be, finally arrives? And what will happen as two people who shouldn’t fall in love find themselves doing just that?

Unlike most books I’ve read from this era, False Colours is told mainly from hero’s POV but this is needed because Kit has to be in the dark about where Evelyn is and as to what Cressy’s feelings are as well as what she knows about what’s going on. I wished for at least some small hint that Evelyn was alright as I began to worry about him too as the story progressed with no clue as to his whereabouts. The plot moves forward in increments. Entire days are described in – take your pick – exquisite or excruciating detail. The opening two chapters of the book should give you a feel for the style/speed of the story and if you don’t like it, move on to another book. There are plenty more Heyers left to choose from.

Amabel, Lady Denville, is a charming widgeon, as Dowager Lady Stavely says. Vivacious yet flighty, mannered yet able to think on her feet when curveballs are thrown their way while attempting to maintain Kit’s disguise – it does not do to underestimate her. I laughed at how she almost consoles Kit for being the sensible, level headed man he is. But she’s also a tigress in defense of either of her sons as well as a staunch friend to Cressy. Cressy is an unknown entity for much of the book. Read carefully and it’s noticeable when she begins to catch on that something isn’t right and also when she declares her love for Kit. Though she doesn’t declare it to Kit.

Poor Kit is the one upon whom the burden of maintaining the charade mainly rests. He’s got to remember to act like Evelyn in public and attempt to mimic his twin’s mannerisms with a snuffbox while keeping straight how Evelyn is supposed to feel about everyone at the house party. On top of that, he’s also worried sick about his twin and sick at heart that he’s falling for the one woman he feels he can’t have or else the whole house of cards will come crashing down on the Fancot family. The “I love yous,” when they finally arrive, are done with quiet fervor rather than loud fireworks but are just as satisfying, I find.

I had great fun reading about the relationship between the Quality and servants. Kit gets away with very little around Evelyn’s valet or the groom who taught the boys to ride or their nurse who still enjoys fussing over both of them. Old time retainers like the valet, groom, town butler, and old nurse have much more leeway in what they can get away with vs the newcomers like the Ravenhurst butler and housekeeper. But everyone closes ranks against outsiders such as when Kit easily depresses the pretensions of Mrs Alperton whom even the country butler pegged at her much lower social status and was ready to fob off as well.

What didn’t I like? The cant, cant, cant – I would guess almost every phrase Heyer either learned or made up is here. Kit speaks cant, Amabel speaks cant, the valet and groom speak cant, the guests spout it. It’s almost like a chocolate cake with chocolate chips and topped by ultra rich chocolate frosting – too damn much. Give me a glass of milk and get back to plain speaking. A little cant goes a long way.

The romance is very slow. Very, very slow. It’s not until almost the halfway mark that things begin to move faster than glacial. If you want details at a stately pace, this is the book for you but if you’re used to today’s faster clip, mentally prepare yourself to sit and savor.

This is not a Heyer book I would recommend to someone unfamiliar with traditional Regencies or with Heyer books. There are better places to start with her oeuvre. It would also help if you’ve got some grounding in the Regency era. As I said, it’s not the first Heyer book I’d suggest but if you want something different as well as liking a country vs London or Season setting, then False Colours should be on your Heyer list. B-

~Jayne

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Urban Fairytales, Book 3

As Christmas bears down on Eric Athers’s empty wallet, one question plagues him: What to get the love of his life when he has less than nothing?

It doesn’t help that his wife, Nia, who works extra shifts [...]]]>

All she wants for Christmas is him. All he wants is everything…for her.

Urban Fairytales, Book 3

As Christmas bears down on Eric Athers’s empty wallet, one question plagues him: What to get the love of his life when he has less than nothing?

It doesn’t help that his wife, Nia, who works extra shifts to support him through his medical residency, practically glows with holiday spirit. Her determination to put the “Merry” in Merry Christmas only serves as a painful reminder of everything he’s unable to provide for her.

Nia loves her husband to distraction, and she can’t for the life of her figure out how someone so smart can be so dumb when it comes to something as simple as a little holiday. Christmas is so much more than presents and shopping malls.

All she has to do is show her own personal Scrooge that the best gifts come from the heart.

Dear Ms. Matthews,

The reason I chose to read your Christmas novella is that it seemed cute, about characters who aren’t billionaires and might just be about the real Christmas spirit instead of the “how much money did you spend on me?” mentality. Well, parts of it are sweet and sexy hot while one aspect seems firmly rooted in fantasy land.

I love Nia, almost as much as Eric seems to and I can fully understand why he went all out to win her love as soon as he met her. She’s smart, lovely, hawt, filled with joy and gets genuine happiness from her pitiful little Christmas tree. Eric seems like a downer at times compared to her. There were times I wanted to shake him and say, “Lighten up, man. If the puny tree makes her happy, why harsh on it?” Though he does put the left over ribbon and decorations to good use in a smoking love scene.

Showing how broke the Athers are as they struggle to pay off student loans is a slice of ‘young doctor reality’ that I perversely enjoyed seeing. Eric and his best bud Dominic Choy appear to be dedicated doctors although if they have enough time to take an hour lunch break and actually leave the hospital they have far too much free time on their hands to be residents. They also discuss Eric’s relationship woes a whole lot for men but this does allow for Eric’s breakthrough with his past and why he needs to let some of it go.

The nod to O’Henry’s famous short story, “The Gift of the Magi” is wonderful though thank heavens that things work out better for the Athers than the well known twist ending to that story. Where I think this story takes flight into fantasy is in the amount of time Eric and Nia have to make love. This is an instance where RL knowledge interferes with my enjoyment of your smexy efforts. Too many of my friends are doctors and, one and all, told me that during the intern and early residency years, they would have sold their souls for more sleep much less the energy and time for sex.

I enjoyed watching Nia and Eric work out what’s really important in life and appreciate how realistic parts of this are. Bonus points for Nia being willing to get their fight resolved because we all know that marriage in real life is a lot of work along with the joy. I just wish that beginning doctors had this much time to devote to hot orgasms. B-

~Jayne

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I know that when I start a Carla Kelly book, I’ll get a certain number of things. An honorable hero, an unflappable heroine, some idiot secondary characters who may bluster and threaten to cause the hero and heroine some problems but who usually are mainly all hot air and dismissed as [...]]]> Dear Mrs. Kelly,

I know that when I start a Carla Kelly book, I’ll get a certain number of things. An honorable hero, an unflappable heroine, some idiot secondary characters who may bluster and threaten to cause the hero and heroine some problems but who usually are mainly all hot air and dismissed as the pompous stuffed shirts they are and a gentle love story of two people finding each other – often where they least expected. As this is a linked anthology, here I get this in triplicate which makes sense since all three stories involve the military and we know how much the military, the world over and throughout time, loves its paperwork.

1812 Alta California and stranded Navy surgeon Thomas Wilkie wishes he were home in Scotland rather than in the Spanish held San Diego. Here by the fortunes of war and left here as a bargaining chip when his remaining shipmates finally head north to where they hope to eventually find passage home to England via the Americans in Oregon, he tends the people of the Presideo and surrounding area since he’s the only medical man between there and Tucson. When lovely Laura Maria Ortize de la Garza finds herself ostracized due to her father’s embezzling, Thomas also finds himself in the unlikely position of savior and new husband. Can this unlikely pair discover lasting love from such a beginning?

In 1855 Crimea, widowed Lillian Wilkie Nicholls trusted what she was told – namely that this war would be over in 6 weeks. Two years later she’s still Doing Good in a hospital in Anatolia as she and wards full of wounded soldiers await their return to England. With her is American military observer Major Trey Wharton who has somehow ended up as the administrator of the hospital and who, along with Lily, doesn’t suffer fools or nitwit English surgeons gladly. Their year long friendship will be ending soon – as quickly as the wheels can turn in a military environment. Or will they find the courage to speak up before it’s too late?

1877 Fort Laramie finds Army surgeon Wilkie Nicholls Wharton far from his parents in Philadelphia but finally headed home for Christmas and his long delayed marriage to a fellow Main Line Philadelphian. His hopes for a quiet journey are dashed when he’s asked to keep an eye on lovely Frannie Coughlin who’s also headed East and then has to take responsibility for transporting Nora Powell home from her 13 years of Indian captivity to whatever relatives she still has left in Iowa. Then, just as he thinks he might still get some of his medical journals read, yet another female joins them on the train and precipitates Wilkie and Frannie’s discovery of what they really want this Christmas season.

Paying homage to Garrison Keillor’s Lake Wobegone denizens, in your novels the women are strong, the men are honorable, and the children are usually cute without being annoying. The “villains” are generally just thickheads and idiots who might have a higher rank but who are usually dismissible from the main action by the hero and heroine who are as incapable of intentionally hurting anyone as they are unable to turn their backs on anyone in need. It’s more fantasy than reality but it’s a lovely fantasy to sit down to and drift into for a while as I forget just how awful the latest blaring news headline is. These are people as I would love us all to be.

I enjoyed the way the stories are varied in time and location with a mix of ages, nationalities and – let’s hear it for – experience. Lily Nicholls, who misses the comforts of marriage, and Frannie Coughlin, who earlier anticipated a marriage that never happened, are frank about their wants which delights their heroes no end. One thing I wish had been expanded was the substory of the young woman being returned to white society despite her wishes. There could be a whole book in this. The delightfully devious Sultan was a fun character and Father Hilario an example of pure compassion.

When I finish reading one of your books, I might feel as if I’d had one too many pieces of sugar sweet sheet cake but I also feel happy. These are people I’d like to meet in real life – real salt of the earth sorts.The time just flew while I read about them. And thank you so much for picking varied backgrounds for the characters and locations in which to set your stories here. I still enjoy reading Regency set anthologies but something different every now and then is a real treat. B for each novella.

~Jayne

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