Reading on Friday...and all weekend long

Happy Friday-before-a-holiday-weekend my friends! As I said earlier this week, I've been catching up on all kinds of stuff now that my latest projects are off to editors. Yesterday I listened to the entire Wicked soundtrack while cleaning Teen Son's room. I know what you're thinking--TS should clean his own room--but in his defense, we've been storing stuff in there all summer because of a project going on in another part of the house. It had gotten SO BAD, that somebody older and wiser had to step in (and she did ;). Anyhoo, it's up to him to keep it clean now.

Anyway, with some prime reading and relaxing time ahead of you this weekend (and for you moms at home--now that school has begun), I wanted to make a couple of recommendations:

Last night I finished a novel that's both strange and entertaining, hilarious and wise. Skid by Rene Gutteridge (who I met at a conference once) is the third in her Occupational Hazards series. The 'Hazards' are a bunch of grown circus kids whose parents have died in an unfortunate spa accident leaving them to find new careers and lives. If that doesn't catch your attention, what will? LOL. Anyway, Rene's a master at quirky humor, evidenced by the flying pig, petrified prisoner, and quizzical captain, and yet I found myself tearing up over the final scenes which served as a metaphor for trusting God with our lives (my interpretation).

I mentioned Rachel Hauck's latest book, Love Starts with Elle, in an earlier post, but somehow I deleted it. So here's a two-fer. This is a super-romantic story that kept me reading into the night. It's about a woman who gives up her dreams to follow love only to end up questioning her future with him. Cool love triangle in this one. And there's a thought-provoking subplot involving Elle's sister, a single mother with a secret.

Today, my first book, Chocolate Beach, got a mention on Becky Miller's site, A Christian Worldview of Fiction. Glad to see interest continues with CB, and that it's still available! And I continue to receive fan letters about Truffles by the Sea (thank you very much!). Five stars on Cbd.com--yahoo! (There's a deep discount here if you buy them together.) I loved writing Gaby's story, and call me strange, but sometimes I wonder what she's up to now...;)

Next up, I think I'm going to read a classic Jane Austen novel. There are a few to choose from, so I'll peruse a bit before deciding. Might even watch the Jane Austen Book Club this weekend, to help me decide ;)

So here's to hitting the books, and a wonderful holiday, my friends. Have a beachy weekend--wherever you are!