Fandom & Summer (complete with recs!)
Hi, everyone. How are you enjoying your summers?
Summertime in the Middle East is about what you'd think. It's crazy hot (these days it tends to get up to about 110 during the day and in the low 90's once the sun falls). But honestly with a lifestyle like mine, you don't really feel it. I run from air conditioned space to air conditioned space. The most time I spend outside is when I walk the dog.
I am looking forward to being able to spend more time out of doors, though, once things get more temperate. We went out out to eat at a nice Italian restaurant on the Gulf last week and while on that night it felt like we were in a steambath as we made our way from the car to the air conditioned indoors, I couldn't help but think how nice it would be to sit out on the restaurant's patio, sip a glass of wine and enjoy the marina and the people watching.
I'm not only pleased about my current surroundings, but the trips I have upcoming. I'm going to Paris at the end of August. I haven't been there in about 15 years, so I can't wait to reacquaint myself. Then I'm going to New York City a month later. Technically, that's a business trip. I'm attending a two day training there. But I'm tacking on additional days so I can play. My sis and her husband, and probably their girls (they haven't decided yet if they'll take their daughters) are joining me, so I'll have playmates. Should be a blast.
With this years spn_j2_bigbang, I feel a little bit like the chubby, shy kid at a cool kid's party. I so wish I was participating this year. There's no way I could have, given the real life stuff I had going on this past spring. But I have such fond memories of last year's BB, it makes me nostalgic.
Still, I've been doing a little reading. Just a little, mind--I have 30+ stories on my Kindle I haven't gotten to yet, and about another 10 I still need to convert to mobis.
Here's a question for all the Kindle and Nook users--I have both styles of readers now. People keep saying they're making PDFs for e-readers, yet neither of my e-readers can handle PDFs. They're a mess. I tried several BB PDFs, and I found them unreadable. Is there some trick to this? I've been going back to my Web Page Filtered converted to a .mobi in Calibre process. It may be a little extra work, but the files come out perfectly every time.
What have I read and liked ? Here are a couple:
First is Peggy Lane's All the Way Home, one of the most enjoyable J2AU fics I've read in recent memory. Jensen is a city slicker who screwed up and is doing penance by working out at his dead grandparents' ranch. Jared hasn't exactly been a paragon himself and has been bouncing from place to place and job to job. Jensen hires him to help out on the ranch. First there's sparks, then there's more. But neither man believes in happily ever after when it comes to romance. The dialogue is sparkling. Here is just a small sample:
"I’d sell my kidney for a restaurant that delivers out here," Jared says with a smile.
"Prepared food, delivered straight to your door?" Jensen replies. "That’s crazy talk."
"Yeah, it’s a sad state of affairs out here in the boonies. It’s awfully nice of you to make it up to me with a Welcome to the Ranch steak dinner."
Jensen narrows his eyes and bites back a smile. "Steak? You think I have steak, just lying around? I thought we’d steam some vegetables, tofu it up."
"It’s a cattle ranch, Ackles. I’m willing to bet you’ve got a freezer full of old Bessie in there and I’m a big boy. I require protein and lots of it."
"I’ve only got about seventy head of cattle left," Jensen says, looking Jared over. "Will that be enough to feed you through the winter?"
Did I mention there is hot sex with an incredibly bossy Jensen and a smart-ass Jared who really doesn't mind all that much being bossed around? The scene with the kitchen chair...shiver. Man, that was good NC-17.
Molly Amory knows how to write romance too, and her Hearthstone is delightful. If you like vulnerable, troubled Jensen and a lovable, persistent Jared, this one is for you. Jensen owns the local bookstore and doesn't seem bothered he doesn't have any customers. Jared is the new baker in town, who literally crashes into Jensen's life one day and isn't afraid to push past Jensen's walls. Add in one of my favorite varieties of Chad and this one is a keeper.
"Don't listen to him," he tells Jared, trying to blow it all off. It's becoming kind of a theme. "He's just mad because I don't have time to be bothered with his boozery. I'm a silent partner. Very very silent."
"Like a mime," Chris agrees. He gives Jensen a pointed look, but lets it go at that, and turns to focus on Jared. "For instance, he never once told me his mystery patient was hot as hell and the size of a small tree."
"I object to the small part," Jared says. "Hot, though?" He lays a hand over his heart, and turns sad eyes on Jensen. "You didn't tell them I was hot? That hurts me, man."
"I didn't write your name in my Trapper Keeper, either," Jensen says. Some of his tension bleeds off under Jared's warm gaze, and he picks at the label of his bottle, trying not to smile. "Anyway, they have eyes, don't they?"
"Aww." Jared smiles, quick and genuine, and leans in close to Jensen. "That's the sweetest thing you've ever said to me," he says, low enough that only Jensen can hear.
"Don't get used to it," Jensen says, just as quiet. But his cheeks are warmer than the crowded bar can account for, and when Jared's hand moves to the back of his chair again, Jensen leans into it.
There's a real sweetness to this and Molly takes time to develop the relationship gradually. It made me smile and root for both guys.
Summer romance. How can you go wrong?
Summertime in the Middle East is about what you'd think. It's crazy hot (these days it tends to get up to about 110 during the day and in the low 90's once the sun falls). But honestly with a lifestyle like mine, you don't really feel it. I run from air conditioned space to air conditioned space. The most time I spend outside is when I walk the dog.
I am looking forward to being able to spend more time out of doors, though, once things get more temperate. We went out out to eat at a nice Italian restaurant on the Gulf last week and while on that night it felt like we were in a steambath as we made our way from the car to the air conditioned indoors, I couldn't help but think how nice it would be to sit out on the restaurant's patio, sip a glass of wine and enjoy the marina and the people watching.
I'm not only pleased about my current surroundings, but the trips I have upcoming. I'm going to Paris at the end of August. I haven't been there in about 15 years, so I can't wait to reacquaint myself. Then I'm going to New York City a month later. Technically, that's a business trip. I'm attending a two day training there. But I'm tacking on additional days so I can play. My sis and her husband, and probably their girls (they haven't decided yet if they'll take their daughters) are joining me, so I'll have playmates. Should be a blast.
With this years spn_j2_bigbang, I feel a little bit like the chubby, shy kid at a cool kid's party. I so wish I was participating this year. There's no way I could have, given the real life stuff I had going on this past spring. But I have such fond memories of last year's BB, it makes me nostalgic.
Still, I've been doing a little reading. Just a little, mind--I have 30+ stories on my Kindle I haven't gotten to yet, and about another 10 I still need to convert to mobis.
Here's a question for all the Kindle and Nook users--I have both styles of readers now. People keep saying they're making PDFs for e-readers, yet neither of my e-readers can handle PDFs. They're a mess. I tried several BB PDFs, and I found them unreadable. Is there some trick to this? I've been going back to my Web Page Filtered converted to a .mobi in Calibre process. It may be a little extra work, but the files come out perfectly every time.
What have I read and liked ? Here are a couple:
First is Peggy Lane's All the Way Home, one of the most enjoyable J2AU fics I've read in recent memory. Jensen is a city slicker who screwed up and is doing penance by working out at his dead grandparents' ranch. Jared hasn't exactly been a paragon himself and has been bouncing from place to place and job to job. Jensen hires him to help out on the ranch. First there's sparks, then there's more. But neither man believes in happily ever after when it comes to romance. The dialogue is sparkling. Here is just a small sample:
"I’d sell my kidney for a restaurant that delivers out here," Jared says with a smile.
"Prepared food, delivered straight to your door?" Jensen replies. "That’s crazy talk."
"Yeah, it’s a sad state of affairs out here in the boonies. It’s awfully nice of you to make it up to me with a Welcome to the Ranch steak dinner."
Jensen narrows his eyes and bites back a smile. "Steak? You think I have steak, just lying around? I thought we’d steam some vegetables, tofu it up."
"It’s a cattle ranch, Ackles. I’m willing to bet you’ve got a freezer full of old Bessie in there and I’m a big boy. I require protein and lots of it."
"I’ve only got about seventy head of cattle left," Jensen says, looking Jared over. "Will that be enough to feed you through the winter?"
Did I mention there is hot sex with an incredibly bossy Jensen and a smart-ass Jared who really doesn't mind all that much being bossed around? The scene with the kitchen chair...shiver. Man, that was good NC-17.
Molly Amory knows how to write romance too, and her Hearthstone is delightful. If you like vulnerable, troubled Jensen and a lovable, persistent Jared, this one is for you. Jensen owns the local bookstore and doesn't seem bothered he doesn't have any customers. Jared is the new baker in town, who literally crashes into Jensen's life one day and isn't afraid to push past Jensen's walls. Add in one of my favorite varieties of Chad and this one is a keeper.
"Don't listen to him," he tells Jared, trying to blow it all off. It's becoming kind of a theme. "He's just mad because I don't have time to be bothered with his boozery. I'm a silent partner. Very very silent."
"Like a mime," Chris agrees. He gives Jensen a pointed look, but lets it go at that, and turns to focus on Jared. "For instance, he never once told me his mystery patient was hot as hell and the size of a small tree."
"I object to the small part," Jared says. "Hot, though?" He lays a hand over his heart, and turns sad eyes on Jensen. "You didn't tell them I was hot? That hurts me, man."
"I didn't write your name in my Trapper Keeper, either," Jensen says. Some of his tension bleeds off under Jared's warm gaze, and he picks at the label of his bottle, trying not to smile. "Anyway, they have eyes, don't they?"
"Aww." Jared smiles, quick and genuine, and leans in close to Jensen. "That's the sweetest thing you've ever said to me," he says, low enough that only Jensen can hear.
"Don't get used to it," Jensen says, just as quiet. But his cheeks are warmer than the crowded bar can account for, and when Jared's hand moves to the back of his chair again, Jensen leans into it.
There's a real sweetness to this and Molly takes time to develop the relationship gradually. It made me smile and root for both guys.
Summer romance. How can you go wrong?