My book collection drives my husband crazy. For most of our married life (12 ½ years), these books have resided in boxes that get moved from room to room depending on space needs. Since starting Romance Novel News, my book collection has outgrown all of the boxes, and it got to the point where books were starting to take over our living spaces.

So, my husband had a brilliant idea when Borders went into liquidation – rather than buy books, why not get discounted shelving units. We purchased 12 3-foot sections that are roughly 7 feet tall. My husband went to one of our local stores right before they closed for good, took the shelves apart and carted them home. He was like a man on a mission, getting them set up in one of our spare bedrooms.

Then it was time for me to unpack all of my books and put them on the shelves – which was an absolute blast. I had to stop several times in order to read some of my favorites. It took me about a week to get them all shelved. Of course, then I felt the need to start arranging them.

I didn’t get too far arranging them. At this point, I do have the books by my favorite authors all grouped together – or at least most of them. But I have lots more work to do.

Books that I read last month:

1. "Abandon the Night" by Joss Ware (review copy)
2. "To Sin with a Scoundresl" by Cara Elliot (ebook)
3. "The Wild Marquis" by Miranda Neville (ebook)
   Miranda Neville's The Wild Marquis: bibliomaniacs will enjoy rare books plot; romance plot less developed, seemed secondary #twitreview
4. "Sweet Temptation" by Maya Banks (JP RECOMMENDED READ)
   Banks' Sweet Temptation: Angel wants Micah & his kinks; Micah - torn between guilt & desires; hardcore scenes, but worth a read #twitreview
5. "Burning Lamp" by Amanda Quick (review copy)
   Amanda Quick's Burning Lamp: historical; fun alchemic phenomena & dark romantic suspense in one story; worth a read #twitreview
6. "A Touch of Scandal" by Jennifer Haymore (review copy) (JP RECOMMENDED READ)
7. "Private Box" by Barrie Abalard (ebook)
8. "Colters' Wife" by Maya Banks (ebook)
9. "Checkout" by Elise Hepner (ebook)
10. "One Weekend" by Sasha White (ebook)
11. "A Kiss to Kill" by Nina Bruhns (JP RECOMMENDED READ)
12. "Dream Machine" by Jayne Rylon (ebook)
13. "Tease Me" by Tracy Wolff
14. "Forbidden Passion" by Rita Herron (review copy)
    R. Herron's Forbidden Passion: dark & gruesome paranormal; hero must battle own demon side; light on romance, but worth the read #twitreview
15. "Last Chance" by Christy Reece (review copy)
16. "Men of Danger" by Lora Leigh, Red Garnier, Alexis Grant & Lorie O'Claire (review copy) (JP RECOMMENDED READ)
17. "Ten Things I Love About You" by Julia Quinn (review copy - ebook) (JP RECOMMENDED READ)
    #twitreview to be posted later
18. "Montana Destiny" by R.C. Ryan (review copy)
19. "It Had to Be You" by Franic Ray (review copy)
    Francis Ray's It Had to Be You: Classical musician meets famous rap music producer; the families best part of story; decent read #twitreview
20. "Too Wicked to Kiss" by Erica Ridley (ebook)
21. "Sin: A Collection of Erotic Stories" by Jess Michaels (ebook)
22. "Daring a Duke" by Claudia Dain (review copy)
    #twitreview to be posted later
23. "Not One Clue" by Lois Greiman (review copy)
    Lois Greiman's Not One Clue: not really romance - more Steph Plum; wonderfully quirky characters, lighthearted & funny #twitreview
24. "Blood Born" by Linda Howard & Linda Jones (review copy) (JP RECOMMENDED READ)
    Howard & Jones' Blood Born: new series w/ human conduits, immortal warriors & vampires;  thrilling & intense read; Luca rocks #twitreview
25. "Masquerade" by Sheri Whitefeather
    S. Whitefeather’s Masquerade: Amber only does ménages, but Luke wants more; good chemistry, but Amber’s phobias seemed forced #twitreview
26. "The Season" by Sarah MacLean (ebook)
    MacLean's YA The Season: wonderful family; fabulous female friends; brothers' close friend becomes so much more; endearing read #twitreview
27. "Passion" by Lisa Valdez
    Valdez’s Passion: Illicit affair starts at Crystal Palace; Passion & Mark can’t resist each other; intensely emotional & sexual #twitreview
28. "My One" by January Rowe (ebook)
29. "The Price of Submission" by Michelle Cary (ebook)
30. "A Table for Three" by Lainey Reese (ebook)
31. "Patience" by Lisa Valdez
    Valdez’s Patience: M’s life is crumbling; nothing ever touches P; both need someone to love; highly erotic with elem. of dom/sub #twitreview
32. "Beyond the Darkness" by Alexandra Ivy (JP RECOMMENDED READ)
    Ivy's Beyd the Darkness: King of Weres finds his queen; battles evil; restores magic to weres; love this book; highly recommend #twitreview
33. "Line of Fire" by Jo Davis (review copy)
    Davis’ Line of Fire: young firefighter fights for his woman; deadly conspiracy from unlikely source; a bit too much reality #twitreview
34. "Possessing Eleanor" by Tessie Branford (review copy)
35. "Ravished by a Highlander" by Paula Quinn (review copy)
    P. Quinn’s Ravished by a Highlander: charming tale of forbidden love set amid court intrigue; Rob & Davina shine; a fun read #twitreview
36. "Demon Keepers" by Jessica Andersen (JP RECOMMENDED READ)
    Andersen’s Demon Keepers: complicated, but wonderful read; Jade & Lucius must deal with feelings to find library & stop end date #twitreview
37. "A Kiss at Midnight" by Eloisa James (review copy) (JP RECOMMENDED READ)
    #twitreview to be posted lates
38. "Simply Insatiable" by Kate Pearce (JP RECOMMENDED READ)
    K. Pearce’s Simply Insatiable: Minshom pushes all away w/ need to dominate; wife wants to reconcile; erotic & compelling tale #twitreview
39. "Shadow Marked" by Anna J. Evans (review copy)
    A. Evans’ Shadow Marked: people & demons coexist; Sam & Jace fall in love & battle evil demons; complex, but engrossing read #twitreview

I broke down an bought a kindle last month. I needed to get an ebook reader to be able to read egalleys (which I don't want to have to read on my laptop). I've been pleasantly surprised how much I actually enjoy reading on it. It is incredibly convenient to be able to carry around lots of books on one small device that fits nicely into my purse.

While I do not want to exclusively buy ebooks, I am starting to get comfortable deciding when to buy something in paper versus when to buy a title in e-format. There are lots of considerations for me in making such a choice. And, my strategy is definitely still evolving. But, I feel good about having choices.

However, there has been an unexpected consequence to my kindle purchase - its effect on my Amazon recommendations. As most Amazon shoppers probably know, Amazon offers recommendations to users based upon items they buy, view, add to lists or say that they own. I have been using this feature quite heavily for several years. It is generally how I create my lists of books that I plan to review and that I want to buy. It has worked tremendously well for that - until now - until I started purchasing books in kindle format.

Once I made some ebook purchases, Amazon started adding kindle editions to my recommendations. Sounds perfectly reasonable, right? Yet, Amazon is now recommending the kindle edition of books I already own in paper - many of which I actually bought from Amazon. This is driving me batty! Previous to my kindle purchase, I usually had between 200-300 recommendations. Today, I had nearly 650 - an unwieldy amount especially given that a high percentage of them are duplicates.

This makes my Amazon recommendations much less useful. Sure, I could go into the list and get rid of the items I already own by telling Amazon that either I'm not interested or that I already own said title. Pain in the posterior - and probably not something I have the wherewithal to do. Plus, that won't stop the Amazon from recommending duplicate items in the future.

It seems apparent that Amazon considers different formats of the same titles as distinct and separate works. This doesn't make sense for recommendations - in any way. Amazon should make recommendations for titles based upon what I have purchased and what I own. Then, I could make the choice about what format I would like to buy. I do not get the distinction between formats in this sense.

There is a whole science dedicated to this sort of thing - and I wish that Amazon would use this science to make some changes to the metadata surrounding its recommendations. I do have to admit that I am a librarian, and that librarians spend an inordinate amount of time and energy pondering these things. Maybe that is why I've been mulling this over for a couple of weeks.

So, while the kindle itself is improving my reading experiences and offering me some variety, it is also causing me some grief. I'm not sure what I will do about my Amazon recommendations. Ignore the duplicates? Try and fix it? Move to something else? Only time will tell.

This is the list of books that I read last month.

1. "Tough to Tame" by Diana Palmer*
2. "Dreamveil" by Lynn Viehl (review copy)*
3. "Bound, Branded and Brazen" by Jaci Burton
4. "Delicious" by Shayla Black
5. "Tempting the Marquess" by Sara Lindsey (review copy)*
6. "Black Jack" by Lora Leigh*
7. "Succubi Like It Hot" by Jill Myles (review copy)*
8. "Rampant" by Saskia Walker (review copy - ebook)
9. "Australian Bachelors, Sassy Brides" by Margaret Way and Jennie Adams (includes Margaret Way's "The Wealthy Australian's Proposal" and Jennie Adams' "Inherited by the Billionaire")
10. "The Best Is Yet to Come" by Diana Palmer - including "Maternity Bride" by Maureen Child
11. "In Bed with the Duke" by Christine Dodd
12. "Outback Bachelor" by Margaret Way
13. "Marchese's Forgotten Bride" by Michelle Reid
14. "Embrace the Night Eternal" by Joss Ware (review copy)*
15. "The Sheikh's Impatient Virgin" by Kim Lawrence
16. "Undercover Princess" by Suzanne Brockmann (ebook)
17. "The Ninety Days of Genevieve" by Lucinda Carrington (ebook)
18. "Bound by Desire" by Missy Lyons (ebook)
19. "Playtime" by Caitlyn Willows (ebook)
20. "Come Sweet Creature" by Tilly Greene (ebook)
21. "Desert Surrender" by Melinda Barron (ebook)
22. "Transparent Illusions" by Melinda Barron (ebook)
23. "The Dom's Dungeon" by Cherise Sinclaire (ebook)
24. "Tempt Me If You Can " by Janet Chapman (review copy)
25. "To Be Seduced" by Ann Stephens
26. "Her Vampire Husband " by Michele Hauf (review copy)
27. "Lead Me On" by Victoria Dahl (review copy)
28. "Master of the Mountain" by Cherise Sinclair (ebook)
29. "Sinful" by Charlotte Featherstone (review copy - ebook)
30. "An Earl to Enchant " by Amelia Grey (review copy)
31. "Silent Truth" by Sherrilyn Kenyon & Dianna Love (review copy)*
32. "Sweet and Dirty" by Christina Crooks
33. "Nine Rules to Break When Romancing a Rake" by Sarah MacLean (review copy - re-read)*
34. "The Sheikh's Impatient Virgin" by Abby Gordon (ebook)
35. "Punished" by Brynn Paulin (ebook)
36. "The Letter" by Emma Wildes (ebook)
37. "In a Reckless Moment" by Emma Wildes (ebook)
38. "Entertaining Mr. Stone" by Portia DaCosta (ebook)
39. "Desires of a Perfect Lady" by Victoria Alexander (review copy - re-read)
40. "The Gift of Shame" by Sarah Hope-Walker
41. "Lady Isabella's Scandalous Marriage" by Jennifer Ashley (review copy)*
42. "Something About You" by Julie James*

*my favorites this month