Karen Ostertag's blog

New to our shelves:

Ninth Circle by Alex Bell H
Able One by Ben Bova SF
Real Unreal by Kevin Brockmeier, ed. (3, Best American Fantasy) F
Geosynchron by David Louis Edelman (3, Jump 225 trilogy) SF
Dust of Dreams by Steven Erikson (9, Malazan Book of the Fallen) F
The Light of Burning Shadows by Chris Evans (2, The Iron Elves) F
The Sorceress of Karres by Eric Flint and David Freer (3, Witches of Karres) SF, F
Space Captain Smith by Toby Frost (1, Chronicles of Isambard Smith) SF
Brooklyn Knight by C. J. Henderson (1, Prof. Piers Knight) F, H, M

I'm watching the Winter Olympics as I write this, and the biggest snowstorm to hit the Northeast this season is howling outside my window-- there's seven inches on my doorstep already.  I adore snow, but I'm clearly in the minority at this time of year.  Most of the people I've talked to today have had more than their fill of winter.  Well, take heart, ye snowbound and shovel-weary, because this list is for you! 

The romances featured this month have one thing in common: they all take place somewhere HOT.  From the desert to the beach, from the bayou to the jungle (with the occasional firehouse or weredragon's lair in between), I've booked an armchair tour of the warmest latitudes (and steamiest heroes) in romantic fiction, guaranteed to melt away your winter blues.  Turn down that thermostat and pull up a beach chair; it's time to visit the tropics!

In paperback:

Shades of Midnight by Lara Adrian (7, Midnight Breed) C, S
Early Dawn by Catherine Anderson C, W
Chalice of Roses by Jo Beverly, et al. F, H, M
How I Met My Countess by Elizabeth Boyle (6, The Bachelor Chronicles) H
Kayla’s Daddy by Laura Bradford (Harlequin American Romance: Babies & Bachelors USA) C
Kismet by Monica Burns H
Perfect Partners? by C. J. Carmichael (Harlequin SuperRomance: The Fox & Fisher Detective Agency) C, M
Forbidden Falls by Robyn Carr (8, Virgin River) C
A Dark Love by Margaret Carroll C, M
Lead Me On by Victoria Dahl (3, Tumble Creek) C, M

The color red is popping up everywhere.  Chocolatiers and florists are stocking up on heart-shaped boxes and long-stemmed red roses.  Stores are cramming their shelves full of foil hearts and teddies.  Greeting card store owners are rubbing their hands together with glee.  Yes, the Big Holiday approaches... V-Day. 

As a romance blogger facing my first Valentine's Day posting, I've been feeling the pressure.  Love or hate the holiday, everyone will have romance on their minds to some extent-- what to write?  Then it occurred to me: I'm not the only one stressing about this holiday.  Lonely hearts (or perfectly content singles) have the strain of being solo on a holiday for couples.  Couples are under pressure to be romantic on demand (and since when does Cupid ever stick to a schedule?).  I scanned my shelves.  Could there be an antidote for all this stress? 

New to our shelves:

Year of the Horse by Justin Allen F, H
Mariposa by Greg Bear (2, Quantico) SF
A Case of Conscience by James Blish SF
Elegy Beach: A Book of Change by Steven R. Boyett (2, Ariel) F
First Lord’s Fury by Jim Butcher (6, Codex Alera) F
Isis by Douglas Clegg H
The Gates by John Connolly F, H
Puttering about in a Small Land by Philip K. Dick SF
The Variable Man and Other Stories by Philip K. Dick (1, The Early Work of Philip K. Dick) SF
Makers by Cory Doctorow SF
This Crooked Way by James Enge (2, Morlock Ambrosius) SF