Lately I've been making the time to read.
This may have something to do with the lack of reasonable shows on TV.. But I like to think it is more to do with the delicious feeling of curling up under a blanket with a cup of tea and a story that takes you away from reality.
Weekend mornings have been spent with the blinds and windows open to let in the fresh morning air; and still in my pyjamas I can stay in bed for hours turning the pages of any book and losing myself in the words.
The books?
Not classical works of literary brilliance.
But enjoyable.
Easy.
Sometimes that is all you need in a good book.
The first - Girls in White Dresses - seemed appropriate given the blurb which asked
"Do you ever feel like everyone else has their lives figured out?"
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| Girls in White Dresses - Jennifer Close |
Isabella, Mary, and Lauren feel like everyone they know is getting married. On Sunday after Sunday, at bridal shower after bridal shower, they coo over toasters, collect ribbons and wrapping paper, eat minuscule sandwiches and doll-sized cakes. They wear pastel dresses and drink champagne by the case, but amid the celebration these women have their own lives to contend with: Isabella is working at a mailing-list company, dizzy with the mixed signals of a boss who claims she’s on a diet but has Isabella file all morning if she forgets to bring her a chocolate muffin. Mary thinks she might cry with happiness when she finally meets a nice guy who loves his mother, only to realize he’ll never love Mary quite as much. And Lauren, a waitress at a Midtown bar, swears up and down she won’t fall for the sleazy bartender—a promise that his dirty blond curls and perfect vodka sodas make hard to keep.
The second - The Hidden Cottage - Contained some heavy themes including infidelity, eating and drinking disorders, and death.. and yet it was still a light read.
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| The Hidden Cottage - Erica James |
We all hide things, some more than others...Mia Channing appears to have an enviable life: a beautiful home in the village of Little Pelham, a happy, stable marriage, a job she enjoys and three grown up children to whom she's devoted. But appearances are deceiving; the truth is that it's all a precarious balancing act. When the family gather for her son's thirtieth birthday, Daisy, her youngest daughter, drops a bombshell in the way only Daisy can. Once again Mia finds herself cast in the role of peacemaker. It's a role she's tired of, particularly since her husband refuses to believe he's responsible for the problems they're facing. Not surprisingly, Mia longs for escape. For Owen Fletcher, buying the Hidden Cottage was the fulfillment of a lifelong dream and provides the perfect escape for him. When Mia meets him, she must decide whether she has the courage to do something for herself for a change. And if she does, can she ever go back to the life of compromise she had before?
And finally, by my favourite author - The Storyteller - With themes revolving around the holocaust and war criminals, this was not a light read; and given my distinct lack of historical knowledge I wasn't sure if I would enjoy Jodi Picoult's latest offering... but it was a can't-put-it-down-at-night-even-if-I-have-to-get-up-early page turner.
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| The Storyteller - Jodi Picoult |
Sage Singer has a past that makes her want to hide from the world. Sleeping by day and working in a bakery by night, she kneads her emotion into the beautiful bread she bakes. But when she strikes up an unlikely friendship with Josef Weber, a quiet man old enough to be her grandfather, and respected pillar of the community, she feels that finally, she may have found someone she can open up to. Until Josef tells her the evil secret he's kept for sixty years. Caught between Josef's search for redemption and her shattered illusions, Sage turns to her family history and her own life for answers. As she uncovers the truth from the darkest horrors of war, she must follow a twisting trail between betrayal and forgiveness, love and revenge. And ask herself the most difficult question she has ever faced - can murder ever be justice? Or mercy?
Yup - the quote is 100% correct.
There is no enjoyment like reading.
xx
