Shannon Stacey


Random ruminations

The Assassination of Jesse James with Brad Pitt was horrible. Not as bad as No Country for Old Men, but a huge disappointment.

In the last month or so, I’ve seen three different characters’ homes described as a Craftsman. A what? Is that a house that Sears built? I assume it’s a style, like a New Englander or a Colonial, but I’ve never heard of a Craftsman. I wish I could remember the titles it was used in so I could see if the authors are from a specific region.

Yesterday I promised myself I would read the first couple of pages of First You Run by Roxanne St. Claire, and then I would get to work. Uh, yeah. It was a wicked awesome book, and I wish I hadn’t inhaled it so fast. I know a book is incredible when I can’t put it down even when it has some elements I’m really meh about (Mayan history, and the hero has a soul patch, which I not only don’t find sexy, but actively find as anti-sexy). I will be buying the next two immediately so I can devour them, as well.

My kids go to school tomorrow. :(

Umm…let’s see…

I’ve noticed some authors have such a distinctive and awesome-to-me voice that reading one of their books sends me into a reading slump. Every book I pick up after seems meh and gets put down. After reading JR Ward, Suzanne Brockmann, Kristan Higgins, SEP, or Nora—among others—I’ll go through days of picking up book after book without finding one that holds my interest.

Did I mention my kids go to school tomorrow? I miss them already. :( The tall kid’s rather blah about it. He doesn’t particularly welcome returning to school, but he’s very bored and it’s better than nothing. The short kid’s very excited, but insists being freshly bathed is irrelevant because he’s hitting the playground first thing anyway.

That’s about all I’ve got.

12 comments to “Random ruminations”

  1. Alison Kent
    Comment
    1
      · August 26th, 2008 at 10:11 am · Link

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_Craftsman I have a Craftsman cottage in my November Blaze!



  2. Alison Kent
    Comment
    2
      · August 26th, 2008 at 10:13 am · Link

    Oh, and I only watched 30 minutes of the Assassination and quit. I was too bored to care.



  3. Annmarie
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    3
      · August 26th, 2008 at 11:01 am · Link

    A Craftsman style house is also know as an Arts and Crafts style house. 1900’s til about 1930 they were popular. My aunt has one. I almost bought one a month ago. I like em! They are everywhere. Here in GA and I saw em in CA when I lived there.

    http://architecture.about.com/od/periodsstyles/ig/House-Styles/arts-crafts007.–2w.htm

    I don’t watch movies anymore. I don’t have the patience.



  4. Annmarie
    Comment
    4
      · August 26th, 2008 at 11:12 am · Link

    My post! Where’d it go?

    Shannon. Your blog ate my post.

    Well. I AM tasty.



  5. Rhonda
    Comment
    5
      · August 26th, 2008 at 11:13 am · Link

    I watch way too much HGTV and on yeah that RE appraiser gig too really makes me analyze housings styles in books way too much, craftsman very arts/crafts movement era.

    :hug: Hugs on the school thing, personally I :heart: my schedule once school starts!



  6. Shannon
    Comment
    6
      · August 26th, 2008 at 11:31 am · Link

    Akismet is eating my friends! :gaah: Why?

    I hope it was only those. I don’t have time to go through 5-thousand-something spams looking for a real comment.

    :gaah:



  7. Annmarie
    Comment
    7
      · August 26th, 2008 at 12:54 pm · Link

    It’s cause we used links. I promise not to again. Your blog apparently loves the tastiness that is the link. It tastes like spam… :lol:



  8. Melani Blazer
    Comment
    8
      · August 26th, 2008 at 1:17 pm · Link

    “Tastes like spam” :lol:

    Thanks for the links. I had no clue what a Craftsman style house is either. I should, technically, since I claim to be an insurance agent in the day job and am doing all kinds of building cost estimates for homes. Must not be any in this area, or we call ’em something else.

    Shan, I know what you mean about reading a good book. I often go into a reading and writing slump, so I have to limit my reading, sadly.



  9. Jaci Burton
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    9
      · August 26th, 2008 at 1:50 pm · Link

    I knew you’d love the book, Shan. :cheer:

    I had no clue on the Craftsman, either. I tend to write one style of house – ranch style. Probably because I live in one. Heh.

    I know exactly what you mean about finding it hard to read something after reading a strong voice. I’ve read some really stellar books lately by authors with incredible voices. I’m almost afraid to pick up the next book, hoping I won’t be let down.



  10. Shannon
    Comment
    10
      · August 26th, 2008 at 1:55 pm · Link

    The thing that gets me is that I’ve been reading romance for…probably 23 years or so, and I’d never seen that term. Now I’ve seen it three times in a month. Is it a new style? A new vogue term?

    Dammit, now I have to go read the links. :lol:



  11. Annmarie
    Comment
    11
      · August 26th, 2008 at 7:38 pm · Link

    Ooooo you read Kristan Higgins’ JUST ONE OF THE GUYS didn’t you? Chas had a craftsman cottage. I stayed up waaaaay late reading that book. I SOBBED.



  12. Shannon
    Comment
    12
      · August 27th, 2008 at 11:17 am · Link

    That’s right! And she’s from the Northeast, so it must just not be something I’ve heard. I’d call those a Cape.







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