Book-A-Week Challenge Reading "The List" by Carmen Shirkey

Week three's Book-A-Week Challenge is "The List" by Carmen Shirkey

(THE LIST was just named the winner in the Romance category of the 2009 Indie Book Awards! Woot!)

If you have not ordered your copy yet, visit Carmen's site at http://www.thelistbook.blogspot.com/ and order a copy today.

Excerpt from "The List":

Why was I here? I knew this guy was so far from being right for me that he was in another time zone. What a total waste of time – that’s an hour of my life that I’d never get back. I was too nice to just get up and leave, but there was the added incentive of not having to listen to my friend Monica’s pestering if she found out I bailed on the date. I really didn’t want to go to start with, but when I made the mistake of mentioning the invitation for said date while on the phone with my best friend, she had gotten all giddy with excitement. When I said I didn’t want to go, you could almost hear her thought balloon pop over the landline.

“You’re too picky,” she had said, and I could hear her sigh. “You’ll be an old maid if you keep up these shenanigans.”

“First,” I said, “Who uses the word shenanigans anymore, and second, I don’t consider it being ‘picky.’ I considered it being ‘discerning’ or ‘not settling’ for what was best for me.”

“You’ve got your expectations too high with that damn list of yours,” She told me, yet again.

The list that she was referring to is a set of 50-or-so criteria for what I want in a man that I just happened to write down. I’m a type-A personality, I have lists for everything, but I’ve set down these, um, guidelines, in an ordered manner so that I can easily see whether a man would be perfect for me.

There were your standard items, which any self-respecting woman would consider necessities.

1. Chemistry – which is not definable by it’s nature
2. Attractive – See #1
3. Has a steady income (not rich, just not a moocher who expects me to pay his way)
4. Animal-friendly (Hey, the cat was here first)
5. Good sense of humor (Yes, all women really do want that.)

Don't forget that on Sunday we will post an interview with Carmen so read the book and leave a comment.