Great to have you here today. :)

This is a banner week for Cigars, books giveaways left and right! :)

To be honest, I am not a re-reader, so there are very few keepers on my bookshelf. Mostly what I keep are friends' books, signed books, and the few that I keep because I look at them, even if I don't re-read them, to remind me the level I'd like to aspire to. But most of those are new, within the last year or three.

I read romance addictively when I was younger, but then didn't read it at all for almost 15 years, until I came back to it through Nora. I read all of her books, and actually didn't read any Harlequins until I read her older ones (also through used book stores), and then found my way to Blaze. I do keep some of the early Blaze on the shelf, Janelle Dennison's The Ultimate Seduction, and Patricia Rosemoor's Chicago Heat series, along with a few others and some of my favorite Superromances. I really love the early Blaze, which were really amazing. It's neat to know where your line came from. ;)

Sam

Hi Amie! Make U Sweat sounds great! Nailed was great! Loved it! Some of my faves are Johanna Lindsey's Malory series, Heather Graham's Civil War series, Elizabeth Lowell's Only series, and Catherine Coutler's Bride series.

Congrats on the new book! I'm pretty sure we had the same youth, lol! My UBS lady was Deeana. I actually miss her quite a bit. And I miss the 90% of my keeper shelves I had to give up to make room for kids, lol. (Something about needing shelf space for their clothes and blankets and things). I remember staying up all night in the freezing bathroom so I could finish reading "A Knight In Shining Armor". Oh, I was such a Jude fan back then! And that one made me cry rivers.

These days, I have two that I pull out to make me content again--Nalini Singh's "Caressed By Ice" and Julia Quinn's "The Viscount Who Loved Me". Which then leads to rereading the whole of either series. Or I just pull out my favorite Lucy Monroe, either "The Greek's Christmas Baby" or "The Scorcilini Marriage Agreement".

I know. You just never know what I need to make myself happy, lol. Somedays, I'll go over them all.

Dee

How to decide? I have several shelves full of favourite rereads.

Do I choose Nora Roberts' Rising Tides (second in the Cheseapeake Bay series) for that yummiest of heroes, Ethan Quinn?

Barbara Delinsky's Heart of the Night with the yummy Jared Snow (I'd still like to know what a cast in his eye means though)?

Elda Minger's Night Moves? That one always makes me cry, in a good way.

Susan Elizabeth Phillips' Breathing Room? The book I hated the first time I tried to read it and now it's on my keeper shelf.

Oh! Oh! Oh! What about Susan Andersen's Exposure? How she can take a man who is not tall, dark and handsome (he's scarred and missing a hand) AND give him a funny name (Elvis) and make him totally drool-worthy!

Yeah, I can't decide!

ani

Hi, Amie,
I'm laughing at how you describe being able to remind teenagers of their place in life (hey, not the first to walk down that road, kiddo!) as being one of life's pleasures--I'm looking forward to that, but am quaking in my boots at contemplating the rest of the teen angst to come...

Hmmm... favorites on my keeper shelf include SEP (Ain't She Sweet, Heaven, Texas, It Had to Be You, and a real oldie--Hot Shot), Jennifer Crusie (just about anything!), Debbie Macomber (many, including Thursdays at Eight), Julia Quinn's Bridgertons, and probably scads more that I'm blanking on... For those down days, I especially welcome some humor :)

Congrats on Make U Sweat--the Cavanaughs sound like some fun women to meet!

I, too, am not much of a re-reader. Occasionally, but I love the discovery of new characters and finding out what is going to happen and how. But like so many others, there are a few books I just can't part with. Most actually are YA books that I read in Middle School. I think the most prominent ones are by Gary Paulson....specifically The Hatchet.

I know there are a couple others, but I'm suffering from a case of Pregnancy Brain. :-D And I can't go look because all my keepers are packed in boxes ready for the move! LOL - poor me. He he!

I look forward to reading your book, Amie! Looks great!

You know, I don't really keep books and read them again. I don't see the point. No matter how good they are, I've already read them. There might have been one I read twice.. like Like Sandra Brown's Hawk O'Toole's Hostage. Yeeehr. I loved that.

Shelli Stevens, GSRWA President
http://www.shellistevens.com
A little bit of laughter & a whole lot of Spice
Take Me coming soon from Kensington Aphrodisia

A few of my favorites are pretty much anything by Susan Elizabeth Phillips, Sarah McCarty Promises series, JD Robb's Eve Dallas and Janet Evanovich's, Stephanie Plum. With this list, I get a little love and laughter together, which is a great combo.

Loved the excerpt.

For some reason, most of my library of romances bought back in the 80s and early 90s is long gone, but for three books:

Dance, by Judy Cuevas (aka Judith Ivory)
Bride of the Lion, by Elizabeth Stuart
Without Honor, by Elizabeth Stuart

I'm not quite sure why I kept them, but when my interest in romance rekindled a couple of years ago and I started thinking about writing them, I picked them up and reread them. And immediately understood why I hadn't gotten rid of them. They are all great books (though you'd have trouble coming by any of them now, I think; last time I chedked, the Elizabeth Stuarts were long out of print).

Of the three, Dance is the one that sticks with me the most--the heroine who thinks she's fat and unattractive falling for the newly widowed brother of the man she almost married and to whom she gave her virginity in a moment of madness on her wedding day. Oh, and did I mention the heroine is a filmmaker (the book is set around the turn of the 20th century)? I just love that book for its gorgeous language and for being so completely unique and lively.

But I also have a few Amie Stuarts on my keeper shelf!

I am not a re-reader and live in a place too small to keep books I won't read again.

Hi Amie,
My treasures include a few of Julie Garwood's historicals with the original cover(not the reissues with the scenic covers.) I also have a some Judith McNaught and Jude Deveraux books.

I haven't read an old favorite in a while but Linda Howard's Open Season is one that I've read more than once and enjoyed each time. The heroine never fails to make me laugh.

but I'm a hoarder, cause you never know. maybe when I'm old and grey and don't have money to buy books I'll still have reading material. I guess one of the authors I really like is Diana Palmer. Over the years I have been trying to collect all books by her and am now down to needing 38.

Did you get the connection in 90210 other than Kelly? Erin Silver. She is the daughter from David's dad and Kelly's mom. And did you see the season opener with Nat trying to work the coffee machine, priceless?