What I'm Reading

The boyfriend got me a Kindle for Christmas and I admit that I have been very slow to come around to this kind of reading experience. But, as more of my friends as well as other authors are opting for the independent publishing route, I am more open to giving the Kindle a try. Needless to say, I was so excited when the boyfriend showed up with a Kindle for me this holiday season. My first Kindle read was written by my friend, Marie Force entitled, True North. And it's funny that around Christmas time a year ago she and I had met for lunch and she mentioned that she had started seriously thinking about putting her work out there on her own. As she has said many times, rejection has been her friend. Without it, she would not have opted to publish her books herself, she would not have amassed as much success, and she would not have gotten so many good books into the hands of her readers . . . who constantly clamor for more. I loved True North (yes, there are readers who want to read about a supermodel looking for love) and am so happy she took the chance and put her work out there in what was, a year ago, a very unconventional distribution method. Now she is one of the leaders on this new frontier and I wish her continued success!

xoxo,
bex

What I'm Reading

I limited the boyfriend to buying me just one book for Christmas this year. He likes to find me books that are outside my normal reading area, which is great because I do enjoy doing that but it's hard, too, when there are so many new books in my genre that I want to read to stay current of what is being published in the area where I want to be. I just don't have enough time to read as much as I want to! So this year's book was The Weird Sisters by Eleanor Brown, which was a decent pick since the book is about three sisters raised by an academic and his wife in a college town - all of whom almost always have their noses in a book. What's not to like about a family of readers? There is more to the story than that, of course. When the mother falls ill, the book hits a little close to home so there were some issues in the book that felt very personal to me and were, at times, tough for me to wrestle with. All in all though, I enjoyed the book and think the boyfriend did a good job with his gift selection. Unless, of course, there is some subliminal meaning in the title. My sister and I aren't weird at all!

xoxo,
bex

What I'm Reading

I am reading more romance and women's fiction these days, though over the Christmas break I hope to get back to some YA. In the meantime, I found a book by one of the authors I first started reading way back when, Jude Deveraux. This one was a contemporary romance set in a small town in Virginia - a book in a series that takes place in Edilean. Scarlet Nights lacked some of the sweeping aspects that I remember from some of her earlier books, but I still liked the story. Romance, intrigue, a little mystery, and some contemporary Scottish heroes in kilts . . . there is a lot to recommend this book!

xoxo,
bex

What I'm Reading

I recently had the chance to read The Flirt by Kathleen Tessaro. When I opened it, I had no idea what to expect but as the story evolved I couldn't put the book down. What I loved most about the book was the ensemble idea of it, almost like the movies, Love, Actually, Valentine's Day, or New Year's Eve. I marveled at how she introduced all the characters, kept all those balls juggling throughout the book, and gave them all a satisfying ending. I loved it, and, as a writer, would love to try to write a similarly structured story. Some day.

xoxo,
bex

What I'm Reading

In between all the rushing and wrapping and schlepping I still fit in some time for reading, and was delighted to be able to read Kristan Higgins' latest, Until There Was You. It was one of her usual funny and quirky reads, and delved into the many kinds of family relationships. The book felt whole to me, which is a difficult achievement for writers to evoke. I really liked the book - it's now my second favorite of hers (second to Too Good To Be True - it'll be hard to surpass that one, I'm afraid!).

xoxo,
bex

What I'm Reading

Well, I finally left the islands and jumped into reading a book that takes place around Christmas. Bed and Breakfast by Lois Battle. It takes place in South Carolina and there are a few authors I gravitate towards simply because they truly are Southern writers, writing in that Southern voice, and writing about places I would love to visit. The fact that Bed and Breakfast takes place over the holidays made for a timely read. And if you have family drama with your holidays, you might find some familiar tension in this book.

I must admit, I was pretty taken with the cover of the book and it is what drew me to try it out. Jane Porter recently had a talk about book covers on her blog... either head on over there and chat about it or let me know your thoughts. Do covers make a difference when you're buying books?

xoxo,

bex

What I'm Reading

I love reading books by Anne Rivers Siddons. There are such emotional undercurrents in all of her books and a deepness that often brings tears to my eyes when I read her. She has a lyrical quality to her prose and I can't help but be sucked in to each story. In the past year I saw her book, Up Island, at my local bookstore and felt that I had to have it - it's set on Martha's Vineyard, a place I love, and it was great to, again, be transported to an island. Funny thing is that I saw the book jacket, read the cover blurb, and didn't realize it was a reissue. It wasn't until I got to a certain point in chapter one that I remembered that I had actually read it before. One scene had stayed with me all these years, but I had forgotten how it ended . . . so I read it again! I am so glad I did - it is always a great reading experience when you are confronted with such good writing.

xoxo,

bex

What I'm Reading

Being obsessed with beach reads and the island of Nantucket, even now with winter threatening, I jumped at the chance to purchase Nancy Thayer's Beachcombers when I saw it at a used book sale. As always, I loved being transported to that magical place. It is a story about family, sisters in particular, and I loved nearly all of the characters and was eager to find out what would happen to them. They all experience some sense of love and loss, and it's about rebounding when life knocks you down. I don't doubt that Nantucket has all the healing properties that this book portends.

xoxo,

bex