The Reading Spot

I hope that everyone is doing well. I am around lurking and reading lots just not posting lots, sorry. I have 11 days left. And it is just more comfy to lay on my bed and read than sit and type. These are some of the books that I hope to review soon:

Through the Veil by Shiloh Walker
Doing it Right by MJD
Blue Smoke and Murder by Elizabeth Lowell
The Agency 3: Monkeying Around by Michelle Haskel
Sins of the Past by Samantha Gentry
Nightkeepers, by Jessica Anderson
Real Vampires have Curves by Gerry Bartlett
Sea Swept by Nora Roberts
Walk on the Wild Side by Christine Warren
A Dangerous Man by Janmarie Anello
Third Circle by Amanda Quick
Shadow Magic by Cheyenne McCray


If you are interested in a full review of any of these, let me know otherwise i am just going to do lightning reviews by genre of these.
I ahve also been re-reading a few books Mr. Perfect and Dream Man by Linda Howard, Velvet Leather and Lace anthology by Donna Kauffman, Jill Shalvis and Suzanne Forster and Shadow Crossing by Cathrine Spangler. Apparently those are all ones that I read before I started blogging. They are all great if anyone has not read them.


Dark Needs at Night's Edge (Immortals After Dark Book 4) by Kresley Cole

A seductive beauty he can never have, yet can't resist... Cadeon Woede will stop at nothing to atone for the one wrong that will haunt him forever. But once he secures the key to his redemption, the halfling Holly Ashwin, Cade finds that the woman he thought he could use for his own ends and then forget haunts him as much as his past.

A tormented warrior she should fear, but can't deny...Raised as a human, Holly never knew that some frightening legends are real until she encounters a brutal demon who inexplicably guards her like a treasure. Thrust into a sensual new world of myth and power, with him as her protector, she begins to crave the demon's wicked touch.

Surrender to dark desires...Yet just when he earns Holly's trust, will Cade be forced to betray the only woman who can sate his wildest needs -- and claim his heart?

My posts this week are probably going to be short and sweet. My sis is coming over for a few days to help me paint and with the kids while hubby is at camp. I have soooo many books to post about, I have been in a reading frenzy since school got out, i just have not posted them. I may have to do a lightning review post to purge my drafts. We will see.
PS my feet and ankles are so swollen, I am past ready to have this baby. :)


From Dead to Worse (Southern Vampire Books Book 8) by Charlaine Harris
"After the natural disaster of Hurricane Katrina and the man-made explosion at the vampire summit, everyone human and otherwise is stressed, including Louisiana cocktail waitress Sookie Stackhouse, who is trying to cope with the fact that her boyfriend Quinn has gone missing. It's clear that things are changing whether the weres and vamps of her corner of Louisiana like it or not. And Sookie, Friend to the Pack and blood-bonded to Eric Northman, leader of the local vampire community is caught up in the changes. In the ensuing battles, Sookie faces danger, death, and once more, betrayal by someone she loves. And when the fur has finished flying and the cold blood finished flowing, her world will be forever altered."

She needs to write these faster!! I love these books but this series is written like episodes in a tv show. But we do not get a new episode every week like on tv. (MJD's Betsy series is like that as well, but I like these much more). I can't wait to see what develops with Eric now. I liked this installment, just need a quicker fix :)

The One I Want by Nancy Warren

Lucky for Chloe Flynt, everyone knows it's harder to get out of a bad relationship than it is to get in one. But when it comes to hot, steamy, long-lasting passion, even Chloe is at a loss—until this British playgirl comes face to face with a true-blue Texas cowboy who tempts her to toss away her commitment phobic habits one and for all for a walk down the aisle...
Falling in love is much harder than breaking up...
With three broken engagements under her oh, so fashionable belt, it's high time London party girl Chloe Flynt gets a job. Unfortunately, Chloe isn't exactly qualified for anything, except dumping a Mr. Wrong or two (or three!) with a little dignity. Realizing she needs a new beginning, she lands in Austin, Texas and opens a company breaking up bad relationships.
Too bad Chloe's tall, tough-talking and take-charge landlord, Matthew Tanner, isn't interested in her expertise. Because anyone can see that his girlfriend is clearly all wrong for him. Not that Chloe cares. She and Matthew have nothing in common—other than mind-blowing attraction, that is. But when his girlfriend requests Chloe's services, all hell breaks loose. If there's one thing Chloe knows for sure, it's that just because she's good at breaking up bad relationships doesn't mean she has a talent for putting together good ones. Maybe it's finally time she gives it a try...

Dagger-Star by Elizabeth Vaughn
After captivating readers with her Chronicles of the Warlands trilogy, Elizabeth Vaughan now returns to that world with a beguiling tale of daggers and destiny, a cold and beautiful mercenary known as Red Gloves, and Josiah, a lone fighter emerging from the torched fields and razed farms of his homeland. All Josiah knows about the mysterious woman is her dagger-star birthmark, a sign that she is destined to free the people from a ruthless usurper's reign of terror.

This was an interesting book. It was not a captivating to me at the trilogy but I liked it. As far as I can tell this was a stand alone book. The whole red gloves thing baffled me for the longest time. I was impatient and wanted to know what was up with that earlier in the book. I think that i will have to re-read this another time to be able to follow it completely.

The Cat (Sons of Destiny Book 5) by Jean Johnson
Amara is wary of mages––they chased her out of her homeland. Yet there is something about the mage Trevan of Nightfall that Amara can’t resist. But can he be trusted with her most fiercely guarded secret? Courting such a pretty yet prickly outlander won’t be easy, but Trevan is determined to try. She may be fierce, proud, and from a different culture, but after all, he is the Cat, and none but the most fascinating and challenging of women could satisfy him…

I love this series. Amara (the heroine) alternately irritated and impressed me. She was an interesting character. Her possessiveness and difficulty getting a grip, irritated me but then she would go and redeem herself by apologizing for her behavior and admit when she messed up. If she had not had done that I would have thrown the book against the wall. Her relationship with Kelly was funny, those to are just too dominant to be around each other for very long. In this book she is the one who sticks out very much in the storyline when I think back on it. It is not the relationship with Trevan that sticks out for me it is her and all her issues.

The next book is Ryden's story and is called The Storm. It is due out September 2, 2008. I cannot wait!!

Blood Brothers (Book 1 in Sign of Seven Trilogy) by Nora Roberts
In the town of Hawkins Hollow, it's called The Seven. Every seven years, on the seventh day of the seventh month, strange things happen. It began when three young boys-Caleb, Fox, and Gage-went on a camping trip to The Pagan Stone. And twenty-one years later, it will end in a showdown between evil and the boys who have become men-and the women who love them.

The Hollow (Book 2 in Sign of Seven Trilogy) by Nora Roberts
For Fox, Caleb, Gage and the other residents of Hawkins Hollow, the number seven portends doom—ever since, as boys, they freed a demon trapped for centuries when their blood spilled upon The Pagan Stone… Their innocent bonding ritual led to seven days of madness, every seven years. And now, as the dreaded seventh month looms before them, the men can feel the storm brewing. Already they are plagued by visions of death and destruction. But this year, they are better prepared, joined in their battle by three women who have come to The Hollow. Layla, Quinn, and Cybil are somehow connected to the demon, just as the men are connected to the force that trapped it. Since that day at The Pagan Stone, town lawyer Fox has been able to see into others’ minds, a talent he shares with Layla. He must earn her trust, because their link will help fight the darkness that threatens to engulf the town. But Layla is having trouble coming to terms with her newfound ability—and this intimate connection to Fox. She knows that once she opens her mind, she’ll have no defenses against the desire that threatens to consume them both…


I think the easiest way for me to describe these books is a very toned down Stephan King's IT with some romance. The third in the trilogy, The Pagan Stone, comes out in December.
They weren't bad but they were not wonderful either. They were kind of 'meh' for me, but they were good to pass the time.

Lover Enshrined (Black Dagger Brotherhood Book 6) by J.R. Ward
Fiercely loyal to the Black Dagger Brotherhood, Phury has sacrificed himself for the good of the race, becoming the male responsible for keeping the Brotherhood's bloodlines alive. As Primale of the Chosen, he is to father the sons and daughters who will ensure that the traditions of the race survive and that there are warriors to fight those who want all vampires extinguished.
As his first mate, the Chosen Cormia wants to win not only his body but his heart for herself- she sees the emotionally scarred male behind all his noble responsibility. But while the war with the Lessening Society grows more grim, and tragedy looms over the Brotherhood's mansion, Phury must decide between duty and love.

I enjoyed this book. But not for the usual reasons. The main couple for this book was Phury and Cormia but they did not have as much "screen time" as the usual main coupe would. This book was a lot about moving the series storyline along. Which for me was good. Cormia was not my favorite heroine. She was a little too much of a doormat for me to enjoy her. So them getting little story time was okay with me. I was much more interested in John Matthew, Blay and Quinn. And of course, Tohr. Rehv had a lot larger role in this book as well. Which was nice especially since his is the next book. Lassiter returns, which it took me a while to try to remember who he was (I have not re-read the series). This was almost like a second book in the trilogy. It moves the story but there is no real big climax and resolution in it. Like a transition book. Though I enjoyed it a lot more than the usual transition book.
If you follow the series this was a good installment. If you have not read them, do NOT start with this one, you will be very lost.

Janelle Denison over at Plotmonkeys is giving away a complete backlist of her books to three winners who comment. Click here.

Blood Noir (Anita Blake Book 16) by LKH
A favor for Jason, vampire hunter Anita Blake’s werewolf lover, puts her in the center of a full-blown scandal that threatens master-vampire Jean- Claude’s reign—and makes her a pawn in an ancient vampire queen’s new rise to power.

Some spoilers
That seems like such a short synopsis for such a long book, but that was pretty much it. Anita agrees to do a favor for Jason by going with him to see his family and give him moral support. His father has been diagnosed with terminal cancer and Jason wants to see him before he dies. But he does not want to go alone because his father is a Jerk. His father was verbally and emotionally and borderline physically abusive to him because Jason was his only boy and did not live to Dad's standards of what a boy should do. Jason was not a jock and was into theater and dance. His whole family thinks that he is gay despite the swathe that he cut though the female population in high school. So his mom asks him to come back to see his dad and Jason brings Anita to act as his "serious girlfriend" to make a last ditch effort to convince dad that he is not gay.
The whole screw up that happens in this book is that when they arrive in Jason's hometown it is bad timing. They are there the same week as the wedding of the governor's son. So the paparazzi are everywhere. This would not be a bad thing but for that Jason is the governor's nephew and an exact replica of his cousin, the governor's son. So he get mistaken for his cousin and them seeing him with a woman that is not his fiance makes for a big target for the paparazzi. They finally get it worked out that he is not his cousin and someone recognizes Anita and recognizes Jason with his stripper name. When this happens the press assume that Anita has left Jean-Claude and run off with Jason to elope. Which makes a huge problem for Jean-Claude's image and standing with the other vampires.
The sex in this one was not as explicit as some of her others, it was there but nothing like in Danse Macabre. (That one was just too much!) The big moment was when Mommie Dearest takes over Anita's body and she ends up having sex with two tiger shifters she has never met and Jason. But you do not see any of it only the aftermath. Because Anita remembers nothing of what happened. But now the tiger community is very protective and possessive of their offspring, so if she is prego from this encounter then Anita is going to have a lot more issues.

This was a good installment, Not as good as some of her others, but a lot better than some others too. But I would not buy this in hardback I would (and am) waiting for paperback before I buy.

Wizard's Daughter ( in the Sherbrooke series) by Catherine Coulter
When Ryder Sherbrooke finds a child nearly beaten to death in an alley in Eastbourne, he takes her home to Brandon House. She doesn't speak for six months. Her first words, oddly enough, are a haunting song: I dream of beauty and sightless night I dream of strength and fevered might I dream I'm not alone again But I know of his death and her grievous sin. Ah, and just what does this strange song mean that was seemingly imprinted on the child's brain? She names herself Rosalind de la Fontaine since she cannot remember who she is. In her first season in London in 1835, under the aegis of the Sherbrookes, she meets Nicholas Vail, the 7th Earl of Mountjoy, newly arrived from Macau. It is instant fascination on both their parts, but for different reasons. With Grayson Sherbrooke, they are led to an ancient copy of a mysterious book written by a sixteenth-century wizard. The book is written in a baffling code that neither Grayson nor Nicholas can read. But Rosalind can, easily. Strange things start happening. Both Nicholas and Rosalind know it has to do with the old book and, perhaps, even her past, particularly the song she first sang as a child. The urgency builds as they realize Rosalind is the key to a centuries-old mystery.


This was okay for me. I am sure that there was some that I was missing not having read the other Sherbrooke books, but that is okay. This was more of one of those books for me that passes the time between two other really good books. This was my purse book for the while. I have one of those when i am reading a hardback. I am usually reading more than one books at a time but if I am reading a hard back I always have a paperback that I can stick in my purse as well to read. This was my paperback for while I was reading Blood Noir and From Dead to Worse. The story was lacking in cohesiveness at times I thought. There were some questions I had that were not really answered well or explained well. This was not a horrible book but more of just an "eh", for me.

Sorry I have not been around much. Lots going on with the end of the school year and then on Friday was my and Hubby's 10th anniversary. School ended well, no big fights, I did not maim any children before summer :P We had a good end of the year party with the staff and faculty. And now I am done for 2 months, YEAH!! Well those two months are going to be getting ready for baby and spending time with the other two. I have four weeks left. My C-section has been scheduled for July 10th. I have had many requests for a belly pic so Hubby took one last night.




I feel like I am going to pop anytime. And i have no idea how God expects my stomach to get any bigger in these next 4 weeks. (P.S. the skirt I am wearing is my new favorite skirt. It is a one size fits all drawstring skirt. It fits around my belly (that is the red line on my belly) and will fit me afterward too.) I am doing well, health wise. I passed my sugar test, thank goodness. I am just very tired.
Well in other news, we got the majority of our bookshelves (from IKEA)put up just have to get all the books on them. We have one more to put up and we also got the extensions for them to add a shelf on top. But here is a pic of what we have so far. Please excuse the walls, we are still painting them, but we wanted to paint before we got the shelves up.

We still have about 2 boxes of books in the garage and Hubby is bringing home a bookshelf worth of books from his office when we get the other shelf put up. This is mainly our fantasy, general fiction, non-fiction, classics, young adult, religious and a few romance. The majority of my romance is in the bedroom so I have easy access and it looks like this
This bookshelf was in the living room but it does not match everything else. I still have a few trade size on my closet shelf because they do not fit, Hubby was so shocked that they did not fit. This is also after I went through my books and took a bag full to my ubs to trade. The other bookshelf next to it is going to a friend's house because we are out of room and she needs one.

Well this weekend was our 10th anniversary and Hubby planned a nice night for us. The munchkins spent the night at a friend's house and Hubby and I went to a fancy restaurant for dinner. He said that he knows I like getting dressed up and going out and we never get to. I told him that next time he planned a nice dinner like this to make sure I can fit in to my nice dress up clothes. :P Luckily I had a nice black maternity dress that worked. We went to a restaurant called Manuel's, it is one of the few that i have been to where jackets are recommended. So I got to see Hubby dressed up too (always nice). Then he had made reservations for us at a nice hotel downtown. We had a very nice suite with a balcony overlooking a large lake. (We took a picture but my cell is having issues sending pics) It was such a nice evening. I did not have to get up 4 times during the meal to take a child to the bathroom. We got to sleep in the next morning and have breakfast together. And I did not have to cook or clean up, always a plus.

After we got back on Saturday and go the kids, that evening the ladies of my church were having a chick movie night. They were showing a movie for the kids in another room. So I got to go hang out with some friends and we watched Jane Austin's Sense and Sensibility. It was a lot of fun. It has been a long time since I had seen it. It also reminded me how much Hugh Grant cannot act. In every role he plays, he plays himself. It does not change, only the setting.

I hope that everyone had a great weekend like i did. I have lots of books to talk about, Lately I have read Blood Noir by LKH, From Dead to Worse by Charlaine Harris, Walk on the Wild Side by Christine Warren, Lover Enshrined by JR Ward and Wizard's Daughter by Catherine Coulter. So many books, so little time. :)

I have a review posted over at Book Binge about Midsummer Moon by Laura Kinsale.

Private Arrangements by Sherry Thomas
Love has designs of its own.… To all of London society, Lord and Lady Tremaine had the ideal arrangement: a marriage based on civility, courteousness, and freedom—by all accounts, a perfect marriage. The reason? For the last ten years, husband and wife have resided on separate continents. But once upon a time, things were quite different for the Tremaines…. When Gigi Rowland first laid eyes on Camden Saybrook, the attraction was immediate and overwhelming. But what began in a spark of passion ended in betrayal the morning after their wedding—and now Gigi wants to be free to marry again. When Camden returns from America with an outrageous demand in exchange for her freedom, Gigi’s decision will have consequences she never imagined, as secrets are exposed, desire is rekindled—and one of London’s most admired couples must either fall in love all over again…or let each other go forever.

When I first heard this one I was wary of it. I thought that it was going to be same song different author of Sylvia Day's The Stranger I Married. I liked that story but I was not in the mood for the same story by a different author. I was told that it was different so I decided to try it. I was delightfully surprised. I really enjoyed it a lot and was glad that it was a different storyline as well. It was interesting to watch their interactions and how their thoughts and feelings developed as they were around each other more. Their history was a lot to get over, and I was glad that they had both grown up and gotten over their past mistakes. I would recommend this one to anyone looking for a good historical read.

Happy Memorial Day!
Sorry I have not said much lately. I have been reading a little, but just not posting (not a lot to say I guess). Not in the mood and busy with baby and end of the year school stuff.
I had my 3 hr sugar test this past week and will find out the results this week. Hopefully they will be good. My family and friends from church threw me a surprise baby shower on Saturday. It was a lot of fun. I had no absolutely no clue. My friend Anna called me and asked if I could give her a ride to her mom's so she could keep an eye on her grandmother and I said sure. I get there and she asks me to come help her carry some stuff (while I am yelling at my oldest to get back in her seat and stay there) so I get out and follow her in. Then I get a huge surprise seeing my family there and friends. It was really nice. So since then I have been in total baby mode. I have been washing new clothes and getting the room more organized with new stuff. (lots of fun) We also got new bookshelves for the living room and painted two of the four walls of the living room. I will post some pics when it looks a little nicer. I have also been asked to and will soon, post a belly pic. I have to get hubby to take one first.
I hope that everyone has been doing well. I have been reading your blogs but just lurking lately. I have been stuck in a reading rut. Nothing sounds interesting. Any suggestions?


Hotter After Midnight by Cynthia Eden
Dr. Emily Drake's patients tend to be a little unusual. Instead of the typical therapist's caseload of midlife crises and mother fixations, Emily treats vampires with blood phobias and sex-demons looking for meaningful relationships. But her gift for recognizing and healing the Other--those creatures of the night that most humans don't even know exist--requires a few house rules. First: Never trust a shifter. Especially not one like Detective Colin Gyth whose gold-flecked eyes and predatory air make Emily realize how much she's been longing to lose control... Colin can't believe the doctor he's been assigned to work with on the Night Butcher murder investigation is the one person who could expose his true identity as a wolf shifter. Smart, sexy, and stubborn as hell, Emily brings out the alpha male in Colin, unleashing a wild, heady desire that takes them both over the edge. But in the shadows, the Night Butcher waits...eager to spill Emily's blood and taste her terror. And he'll use any means to destroy her, including the one person she has grown to trust.

I really enjoyed this book. It was nice and HOT. I liked the world that she has created. I hope to see more from it.

Sorry I have been MIA lately it is busy here at the end of the school year. I have been reading and around Blogland but not posting much. I have a slew of books to post about including Baddest of Bad Boys anthology, Shadow Magic by Cheyenne McCray, Taking the Heat by Kathryn Shay, Hotter After Midnight by Cynthia Eden and a few others that I read last month but never posted about. I am so behind.


Fast and Loose by Elizabeth Beverly
Hotshot Thoroughbred trainer Cole Early needs a place to stay during the Kentucky Derby. His only option is a snug little bungalow being rented out by local glass artist Lulu Flannery. And though her house indulges all of Cole's five senses, he'll have to tame his rowdy charm to coax some passion out of Lulu.

This was a cute book. It is not often that I read a contemporary book that takes place in the horse racing world. This was fun.
I enjoyed reading it but I wish she had gone into a little more with her releasing her inner self. She talked about how she was afraid to let go and loosen up because she felt that she would come apart from everything that was bottled up inside her. She did loosen up some before the end but I guess I wanted it to be more.
I loved her journal and the angel and devil on Cole shoulder when he was conflicted, they were funny. It is right up there with watching someone argue with themself.
Nice light read.

Happy Mother's Day!!!

Don't you just have days like these (I had one yesterday) :P






I got these in an email and had to share. (the second one is soooo me and my hubby)

Marriage is a relationship in which one person is always right, and the other is a husband.

**************************************************
A wife was making a breakfast of fried eggs for her husband.

Suddenly, her husband burst into the kitchen.

'Careful,' he said, 'CAREFUL! Put in some more butter! Oh my GOD!
You're cooking too many at once. TOO MANY! Turn them! TURN THEM NOW! We need more butter. Oh my GOD! WHERE are we going to get MORE BUTTER? They're going to STICK! Careful . CAREFUL! I said be CAREFUL! You NEVER listen to me when you're cooking! Never! Turn them! Hurry up! Are you CRAZY? Have you LOST your mind? Don't forget to salt them. You know you always forget to salt them. Use the salt. USE THE SALT! THE SALT!'

The wife stared at him. 'What in the world is wrong with you? You think I don't know how to fry a couple of eggs?'

The husband calmly replied, 'I just wanted to show you what it feels like when I'm driving.'

FYI - my family friend that I told you about that had cancer, passed away last night. She had all of her children with her at the time. One good thing about this is that she got a chance to say good bye and everyone else got a chance to say good bye to her.

Susan Lyons says this about the series in her Amazon Blog: Champagne Rules, the first book (where sensible Suzanne meets Jaxon and her sexy side comes out!), has won several writing awards: the Booksellers Best Award for single title contemporary, the Booksellers Best Award for first book, the Golden Quill for erotic romance, and the Aspen Gold for erotic romance. Book 2, Hot in Here, matches Jenny up with a hot firefighter. Book 3, Touch Me, introduces workaholic Ann to a Greek God masseur who’s into tantric sex. And Book 4, She’s on Top - my brand new release - has Rina tracking down her magic-fingered piano man.

I totally forgot to mention that i had a guest review post over at Book Binge on Border Lair and Ice Dragon, Books 2 and 3 in Bianca D'Arc's Dragon Knights series.

This week has been a little tough. I have a family friend that last week went to the doctor because she had a cold that she could not get rid of. Turns out she had pneumonia, stinks but not horrible, right. Well they did some blood work and the reason she had pneumonia and could not get rid of it was that she had leukemia. Because of the pneumonia her doctors said that her chance of survival was slim. They were trying to get her a bed at Moffett Cancer Center and said if they could get her there and start treatment then her chances of survival went up. However, Moffett had no beds available. The family has been calling all week and no beds. So they tried Shands, and same problem, no beds. Now it has been a week and she has been put into Hospice at the hospital. She is in her mid 60s and her children and everyone have said good bye and everyone is now just waiting. She is the sister of my mom's best friend, I used to go to her house growing up for holidays occasionally and this is just sad and frustrating that nothing can be done.

Sorry for the sad post, I just had to vent a little. Thanks.

SEALed with a Kiss by Mary Margret Daughtridge
He can handle just about anything, except this...
Jax Graham is a member of an elite military team, but when it comes to taking care of his four-year-old son after his ex-wife dies, he's completely clueless.
One person can help him, if he'll let her...
Family therapist Pickett Sessoms knows just how to help a rough, tough Navy SEAL deal with a scared and lonely little boy, but not if he insists on going it alone.
When Jax and his young son Tyler get trapped by a hurricane, Pickett takes them in against her better judgment. Jax figures Pickett's high maintenance, just like all the women he knows, and she figures he's not commitment material. But when an outing turns deadly, Pickett discovers what it means to be a SEAL, and Jax discovers that even a hero needs help sometimes...

OMGoodness, this was a great book. I won this over at Book Binge and I am so happy that I did. I would say if you were one of the many that loved the Virgin River trilogy by Robyn Carr then you will adore this one as well. It was not small town like that one but to me it has a similar feel.
The characters were great. I loved their interactions and chemistry. I am not a fan of books with kids at all, but I loved this one. I so grew to love Tyler and want so much for him. This has a great story line and i loved seeing a Alpha hero that was sincere and humble enough to ask for help when he needed it. But he did not lose face in doing so or go to her and then ignore her advise because he knows all. I also liked that they took time to build their relationship before they slept together. It was a nice change from many books I read.
You also got to see all sides of the H and h. You saw him as vulnerable and sexy and dangerous and a hero. You got to see her as compassionate and confused and vulnerable and strong and self conscious.
If you have not read it yet, you must get it.