Random (pathetic) fact about Meljean #353: Winking
If I’m reading a book, and one of the characters winks, I can’t stop myself from winking back.
I don’t know why. I hate it. And it’s not like I can prepare myself for it (unfortunately, books don’t come with winking warnings WATCH OUT FOR PAGE 45, AGH!) and even if I know it’s coming up (like when I’m reading back through my own work) I do it anyway.
(I suppose this would be a really good way to torture me — if someone like, say, Ilona Andrews wanted to torture me to death, she’d write a book where everyone is winking all of the time. And I wouldn’t be able to put the book down, because she’d written it, and her last book has pretty much guaranteed that I’ll read her even if she starts writing books about rainbow unicorn babies. I’d still take it. It’d be like a rape of my eyelid, but I’d secretly want it.)
Speaking of Ilona Andrews: I LOVE THIS BOOK. I got a chance to read MAGIC STRIKES back in an earlier (unfinished) form, and I liked it a lot — but I got the final version, closed the book, and felt happy. Absolutely satisfied in every way. Sometimes you run across good stories, and really good stories, and excellent stories, and think they are wonderful … and then there are the books that are not only excellent, but just hit every single one of your happy buttons. This book did that.
So I’m giving away a set of Kate Daniels books (complete with Powell’s Bookstore tote that is kind of a little ugly, but I saw it at the store last night while I was checking out after going to see Candy Tan’s BEYOND HEAVING BOSOMS reading (which, by the way, was fantastic) and I’m such a sucker for 99cent totes. So, of course, I bought a bunch).
Here are the rules: leave a comment mentioning a book that was both excellent and happy-button pushing for you, and you’ll be entered to win MAGIC BITES, MAGIC BURNS, and MAGIC STRIKES, and an ugly tote bag. I’ll do a random drawing tonight, midnight-ish. Open to everyone, even furreigners.
Thanks for the laugh at your poor eyelid’s expense! I can’t believe I haven’t read Ilona’s series yet. *looks chagrined*
I read Beyond Heaving Bosoms Saturday evening – I can’t remember the last time I laughed out loud that much while reading!
I read like a fiend and have read many good books lately. I’ll go with Janet Evanovich’s Plum Spooky. JE’s books are always good at leaving me in a happy place because the stories are pure entertainment. I like the ending of Karen Chance’s Curse the Dawn. That’s an excellent book and the ending made me smile.
I don’t know how to edit my previous post! I wanted to say that while you wink, I smile wryly or one corner of my mouth tilts into a smile. Does that make sense? It’s stupid, but I do it.
I recently discovered Jeaniene Frost’s Night Huntress series. It felt so great to find something both smart and sexy!
You might be interested, too — I recently read a study from my alma mater where they discovered that the brain’s motor areas light up while reading about a character’s actions in a book exactly like the do if the person is doing the action themselves. You simply manifest a little harmless winking!
Victoria Dahl’s Talk Me Down. I don’t usually like contemporary romances, but that one just plain did it for me. Yeah, at times it was cheesy and predictable, but it made me smile and OOH and AAAHH, so it can be forgiven.
Well I wrote an answer and then my computer died in the middle of it. Sigh.
Basic summation:
Surviving Demon Island by Jaci Burton, read a couple of years ago (or more?) now for the first and loved it. Eve of Darkness by S.J. Day. And finally the Janet Evanovich Stephanie Plum series. All make me very happy.
Since I can’t think of a good/happy book at the moment (I’m in a really deep reading slump at the moment. Leave it to Psmith and a history book are helping, but not much), I’ll tell you something a little pathetic involving me instead.
So you know that scene in Office Space where the employees at Initech are singing Happy Birthday to Bill Lumbergh in a desultory manner, then they hand out the cake? Milton gets a piece, but someone forces him to pass it on, then pass on the other pieces that keep on coming. That was me last night when you were handing out the Demon Forged whatchamacallits. There was even a slight scuffle when I passed one on to the person behind me: there were two in my hand, I turned to give away one and keep one for myself, and after a brief tug-of-war the other person took both so she could give one to her sister. In the end, there I was with 0 whatchamacallits, spluttering and mumbling to myself.
They look great, by the way. If the cover’s any indication, it’s going to be a kick-ass story. Guess I’ll just wait for the book and stare at it instead.
@fiveandfour: I e-mailed you
I always grin when the character grins. People that see me read all the time find it amusing.
A good book and a happy-button ending… I read tons but I will say my all time favorite is Zinnia from Jayne Castle. Zinnia’s do not care personality and her love of red clothing then there is Nick…now I am going to go home and re-read my copy (its falling apart).
I have to agree with just about everyone and profess my love for Stephie Plum & Janet Evanovich.
But my favorite series that makes me twitch while secretly loving every minute of it… J.R. Ward’s Black Dagger Brotherhood.
Come on! The way they speak kills me. Who talks like that?! No way a grown man says any of that. They all talk like half drunk, poser thug frat boys! How does she make me cringe, laugh and love them all at the same time?
One of my favorite happy-button books is The Devil In Winter by Lisa Kleypas. I’ll read the whole book in one sitting, but still want to start reading it all over again after the last page (even though my eyes are so dry I’m reading with one eye at a time and alternating winks to try to moisten those puppies up).
All of the Nora Roberts books I have read give me that happy feeling at the end. But the best series I read this year was the Jaz Parks series by Jennifer Rardin and I ended quite happy after the last one.
Magic Strikes was sooooo good! Loved Curran’s note at the end! *g*
No need to enter me! I have them!
Nalini Sighn’s Angel’s Blood.
And I won and ARC of it, so it was extra special.
I busted out laughing when I pictured you winking at the wink. It reminded me of how when I’m reading a book where characters are dancing in a sexy type fashion together I can’t help but picture them doing the dorkiest, funniest dancing imaginable. My brain is quite evil to me.
The most recent happy button pushing book for me is Rising Tides by Nora Roberts (my first time reading it!) What really made it hit the spot was I had just rejected two books partway through that I couldn’t get into while I just slid into Nora’s world super easy. I also loved that the characters had been in love with each other for years. I admit one of my book kinks is the whole hero has been in love with heroine since she was a teenager but he was too honorable (him being older & it being illegal & all) to do anything about it and now she’s an adult and he’s still being too honorable & now dumb about it so the heroine has to smack some/seduce some sense into him.
I really want to win these books!
That would be the book I finished tonight, Mucho Caliente! by Francesca Prescott. It’s so funny that I was smiling like a fool and giggling when I read it
And I made me feel all warm and cuddly and believe in true love
AHHHH!! It’s not only me! My left eye winks whenever I read about a character winking! It only started recently…either that or I just haven’t had any characters wink before that. Doesn’t it just drive you nuts??
Also, gah! You’re killing me here. I LOVE Andrews’ Kate Daniels series! But since I won a copy of Demon Night, I’ll bow out of this giveaway. I’m SO looking forward to On The Edge(first book of Andrews’ new series).
Just for fun, what was both excellent and happy-button pushing for me is Lisa Shearin’s Raine Benares series. The first two books are fantastic and I can’t wait for the third book which comes out later this month!
I actually think most of the books I read are both excellent and happy-button pushing
E.g. Horizon (The Sharing Knife vol 4) by Lois McMaster Bujold. It was the last book of the series and came to an satisfying end. It has been a couple of weeks since I read it, but I still think of the characters daily. It was a fantastic 4-book journey with Fawn and Dag.
Hi Meljean!
Oh I so know that feeling when you get a read that just is perfect for your mood at all! Don’t know if you read Susan Donovan but her books are ones that I’d go to for a sizzing and funny read! My favorite of hers is TAKE A CHANCE ON ME. It was great to pick up my mood!
I love Susan Elizabeth Phillips’ books especially her older Avon books. The stories are predictable but they make me smile every time I read. The one I loved the most (and reread it a lot) is Heaven, Texas.
Oh man these books look great! I loved Kelley Armstrong’s Personal Demon, it was just so much fun! I loved it.
It’s an oldie, but definitely a goodie.
My latest HappySigh book was Anyone But You, aka Fred’s Book by Jennifer Crusie. To quote: “That’s a nice bra, take it off.”
Just wanted to say how much I love the Kate Daniels series. And you are so right about MAGIC STRIKES. It totally blew me away! Loved it! The series just keeps getting better and better. Plus there’s my major crush on Curran, what more could a girl want.
I have all three books so don’t add my name but the winner will be one lucky reader. So cool of you to do this Meljean! And the winking? Odd but everyone needs a few quirks. *grin*
I *loved* Diane Duane’s So You Want to be a Wizard, the first of her Young Wizards series. The entire series has been a delight, but I will always have a soft spot in my heart for that first book. At the end I wanted to rush out and tell all my friends to get it. Now I can’t wait to read the Andrews series!
Larissa Ione’s Passion Unleashed!!! I adore Wraith and to finally read his story *sigh*
Two recent reads that I totally loved were Nauti Intentions by Lora Leigh and A Vampire’s Claim by Joey W Hill. I was so in the mood for hot and sexy, and these two books fit the bill perfectly.
I just came to wink at you
Books that hit my happy spot: Legend by Jude Deverux, okay any of her books really. And The Sign of Seven Trilogy from Nora Roberts, okay and then again Sarah Dessen’s books are like insta happy for me too. Oh and the newest additions to my happy pile The Son’s of Destiny series by Jean Johnson (seriously go check it out, magic weilding twins. Yes please!) and The House of Night series by P.C and Kristin Cast.
Wow, that was like a billion books, I have a hard time just picking one. And while you may wink everytime a character winks, I tend to sigh everytime a character sighs. Haha
And with that, Jess pushed the Submit button, and winked saucily as the page loaded.
Happy spot books: Mary Balogh’s A Summer to Remember; the first 7 or so Stephanie Plum books; JR Ward’s Lover Awakened. There you go. Wink.
bwahahahahah!
Shelly Laurenston’s Pack Challenge, Go Fetch, and Here Kitty, Kitty always hit my happy button probably because I laugh so much when I read them.
Recent magic happy dance-worthy read? NEED by Carrie Jones–hands down. Pixies and weres may be an old trope, but I absolutely loved *everything* about this book and am *dying* for the sequel.
Both good and happy-button-pushing — the Janet Evanovich Stephanie Plum series, for sure. I laugh out loud, reading those. One of the more recent ones had a potato gun involved, of all things. Hilarious!
Oh, I love your winking story. I cannot think of anything that I do specifically, but my family in general just find my overall appreciation of books to be odd.
For me…I think it is Patricia Briggs books or Ann Aguirre books that do it for me. Those two authors always just make me thrilled to have read one of their books.
I loved this book. Winking has not been a problem but breaking out in smiles while reading is a common occurence. I agree with many of the suggestions above and I would throw in Loretta Chase as well. Some of the Jessica and Sebastian dialogue and scenes just makes me laugh out loud.
The winking story cracked me up Meljean! I have been told that I purse my lips, smile, frown and generally pull all sorts of bizarre facial expressions when really absorbed in a book. My husband actually busted me licking and biting my lip one day when a character did it… He was very curious as to what I was reading then! It was nothing too raunchy either for a change
My current happy place books are Deanna Raybourn’s Julia Gray series and I’ve loved Julie James two contemporaries as well! Ooh, I also thought Nalini Singh’s angel book was very cool.
Someone already mentioned it, but the last book to push my happy buttons while I read it was Nalini Singh’s Angel’s Blood. Loved it! In fact I loved it so much that I read it twice while I was on vacation.
Also, the winking thing is just too cute.
My latest keeper is The Switch by Lynsay Sands. For some reason, I’d never read any of her books before, but that one was just so, so funny that I’m glomming her now.
I’ve recently started reading the Stephanie Plum series and wish I hadn’t waited so long.
I’ve just started the Vampire Diaries.