Read-a-Thon Update #1 068-070

Since I completely spaced on the Dewey Read-A-Thon back in October, I was stoked to find out that Dreadlock Girl was doing another this month. I found out via Reads4Pleasure and immediately signed up. Then I committed to a Christmas Party on 12/4. I seriously like living life on the edge! HAHA! Nevertheless, despite making it into the house after 3 am, I woke up at a bit before 9CST and began reading. I was an hour behind the suggested start time, so I had to make up for it.

I began my reading with a bit of spice! I'm a secret romance novel lover and one of my favorites is author Brenda Jackson. She released a new Harlequin novel last month and I bought it a few days back. I saved it for the Read-A-Thon. Westmoreland's Way is the latest installment in Brenda's Westmoreland series. This is a family full of strong, confident, and wealthy men who meet their match in feisty, opinionated, EVEN STRONGER women. In this novel, we meet Dillon Westmoreland who is researching some of his family's history. Pamela Novak has the key to this history and he seeks her out. Of course sparks fly, despite Pamela being engaged. I'm really breezing through this right nwo to give you a gist of the book. It isn't as cut and dry nor pedantic as I am making it out to be. Good writing, strong plot, & steamy seks scenes (shoutout to alliteration!), Brenda Jackson has another good one ot add to the pile.

After Westmoreland's Way, I decided to revisit one of the first books I ever read as a youngin trying to read more adult literature. One of my dad's coworkers gave me 5 books when I was about 13. I probably should not have been reading such things at that age, but I read them like reading was going out of style. One of them was Eric Jerome Dickey's Sister, Sister. Dickey's style hooked my early teen brain and I sought out books by him for years to come. One of his novels happens to be one of my favorite books. Friends and Lovers follows two sets of best friends who happen to be dating one another. I related to the character Shelby somthing tough, let me tell you. I still see shades of Shelby in me to this day, but that's a blog for my personal site and not this book blog. Anyway, of course since I've read this book before it was an easy and enjoyable read. :)

I just finished reading The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows. This epistolary (written in letter form, no actual dialogue or narration) novel was a bit of a difficult read for me. I'd begun reading it during my 100 Books quest, but gave up halfway through. For this read-a-thon though, I decided to give it the old college try and read it again. The book begins with novelist Juliet Ashton receiving a letter from a stranger on the Engligh Channel Island of Guernsey. He was writing to offer praise on a piece of work she had written as well as inform her the literary society that had been formed by the island's occupants during the German occupation of World War II. Soon Juliet is exchanging letters with all of the society's members and plans to write a book about their experience. She later visits the island and gets to know these people with whom she had been communicating by letters. Once she reaches the island, the story is further told by letters to her editor and friend, Sydney; among others. (I don't think that semi-colon should be there, but I'm not sure what other form of punctuation would have fit...ANYWAY...). The epistolary form that the authors chose to use was kinda genius. I liked how the story unfolded, but it just took a lot to get used to. Also, I thought it was amazing that although this book was written by two different people, it flowed seemlessly. They did not work on the novel together Shaffer began it and upon her death, Barrows took up the challenge of finishing it. A good read, if you can get past the whole thing being letters, haha!

Okay, enough blogging. Back to reading! I'll be back in a few hours with another update...