It's Monday!

WAYR is hosted by Book Journey, who writes musing thoughts frequently (she probably has a planned schedule, but in my random life, it's "frequently") which are so fun.

Last week I realized people hop to each other's WAYR and report back to win prizes.  I think it's a genius way of sharing ARC's and extra books and stuff.  Last week I participated and it was my lucky week, 'cause...

I'M THE WINNER!!!!  :-D

I am currently reading two books: A Great and Terrible Beauty & Untraceable.

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These two books are so different, it's pretty easy to read 'em simultaneously.  In Terrible I've gotten to the girls' school that is remarkably unfriendly.  It reminds me slightly of A Little Princess, which I thoroughly enjoyed and carry memories of forever... except for the crawling darkness. How freaky!!

I have always had a passion for the woods and sneaking around in 'em, so Untraceable is a lot of fun so far, too.  I do live in Oregon, you know, and my grandparents lived up on Dixie Mountain and our weekly visit involved 1/2 hour of dreaming out the window at Oregon's woodsiest landscape. Oh... I have stories, alrighty, tons of stories where I kick-butt in the middle of a forest, but you'd never find me 'cause I am invisible!!!  *ahem*  It's fun.


(Hey, so one time we had almost crested the mountain when this herd of elk leapt from an 8 ft bank on one side of the road down onto the other, into an empty field. We just stopped and watched (not like we had a choice) and time slowed down as elk after elk leapt across the road three or four at a time. They were bigger than I'd imagined they'd be and the thunder of their hooves shook the ground. I'd guess there were 80 of 'em altogether. It was amazing - sorta like this picture, only with lush greenery and forest instead of dusty rock.  Ok... that doesn't have anything to do with anything. Just some Monday trivia for you, I guess.)

If I'm gonna muse about anything, I should think about Miz B's question of the day:

What is your favorite romantic book –or book that includes a love story? (an adult romance, young adult, kids’ story, anything)

The root of my favorite love story is Beauty and the Beast first and best.

So I loved Rose Daughter and Pride & Prejudice. Ice & Jane Eyre fit really well as did the Twilight books (books, not movies - ugh.) I love The Goose Girl as nearly fitting the same concept with the arranged marriage.  True Love is a little scary - I mean, what if you actually find it?!  That's scary in it's own way, as frightening as a beast. (Click on the pix for more info.)

     

    

Then I have this odd obsession with True Love Unfulfilled... the ache of Almost.  I sobbed watching Becoming Jane 'cause they love each other, but they can't be together! Sunshine gives me the same ache of impossibility - Rae can't really love Con, but she can't not, either.

My favorite Love Stories have some impossibility to overcome - that is or isn't overcome-able. They have strength and depth and passion that isn't necessarily acted upon. Love stories that give me everything on a platter don't keep my attention.

There's one response to my Romantic Giveaway that totally tugged my heart like that. This is only a smidgen of someone's real life, but wow... I totally ache for you, girl!!!!

"I met my boyfriend online two years back and while he lives in Colombia, South America and I live in Wisconsin, I wouldn't trade him for the world. So far he's come here once, at the end of last summer, and stayed for three months. The time spent without him is one of the most difficult things I've had to go through, but he plans on coming here to further his education in 2014 or so. Unfortunately, things aren't going well for my family and we don't have a stable income, so I have no way to visit him like we were hoping. Waiting to be together is the worst and I will never take our relationship for granted like I've seen many others do."