Segways

This blog isn't actually about the 'human transporter'. It's really a continuation of my previous rant about romance novels that attempt to call themselves something else.

I started reading Coast Road by Barbara Delinsky last night. Before you put two and two together and think I'm crazy, yes, Delinsky is a romance novelist. But I'm reading one of her books because:

1. She's not a trashy romance novelist.
2. She has been recommended to me by a friend.
3. I got the book for 25 cents.
4. I wanted something light to read and I'm running low on light reads.

I've noticed, even though I'm only 19 pages in, that romance novelists seem to thinly veil their segues. It makes me feel condescended to. Here's an example.

"Would you hold on a minute?"

"I'd rather not--" The sudden silence at the other end said he had no choice. He'd had no choice when Rachel had moved out six years ago either.

In 19 pages, that's not the first time the author has used this device. I'm not sure that I can continue reading it. Actually, her first strike was when she was talking about scoring some coveted Garth Brooks tickets. When one starts cringing inwardly within the span of the first three pages, that's usually a sign of things to come.

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I finished Something Borrowed yesterday and have packed it up and put it in the mail to my sister. I really enjoyed it. It was very creatively done.

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We had our first BX meeting last night and I was so pleased that I wasn't stood up. Three other ladies showed up and it was nice to meet them. I even heard about some books that interested me. That's the cool thing about book groups. You learn about books that you never would have come across otherwise. There's just so much stuff out there.

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Mercy has skinned up a spot right under her nose. Apparently she and the Doberman mix neighbor either really like eachother or really hate eachother. They've knocked out part of a board between our fences and like to look at eachother and bark. I found Mercy's blood all over the broken board. I've been known to make her a doctor's appointment when her eyes look a little runny, so I'm really having to restrain myself to keep from sending her to the doggy ER and/or using doggy cut and scrape medicine on her. I don't mind the board being broken out if they just like to look at eachother, but I saw the neighbor's dog trying to dig under the fence yesterday and I said, "Nuh uh! Bad dog!" And it really respected my auth-or-it-i and backed that thang up. Then I sprayed apple spray all over the fence. Dogs and cats are supposed to hate apple spray, but when Mercy was little, she would just lick it off of whatever I sprayed it on. It was like $10 for a bottle, though, so I figured it was worth a try to use some yesterday. Plus I like the smell of green apples.

The dogs seemed more sedate today. The neighbor dog was lying right against the hole in the fence, looking in, but my dogs didn't seem to care anymore. Maybe the novelty has worn off.