I have realized that if I am going to be a proper librarian, I need to be familiar with all manner of genres. With that in mind, I delved into the Romance section of my local Borders, had a mild panic attack, and fled. I’m exaggerating, but I honestly had no idea what to do with the hundreds of books (many featuring oiled, manly chests on their covers). As one of the most read popular genres, the selection is wide and I am a Romance virgin. Other than a couple of Nora Roberts and Catherine Cooksons, I haven’t really explored this genre so it took a lot of browsing before I finally made my selection…

Eventually I picked Eloisa James’s Enchanting Pleasures, a Regency romance with a very sedate pink cover… not a muscled chest in sight. The tagline on the cover reads “A Novel of Scandals, Seductions, and Forbidden Delights” and it really was a delightful read.

The plot is silly, pure fluff, but Gabby Jerningham, the heroine of the story, is a fun and spirited character whose antics move the plot along at a fast pace.

But I’m getting ahead of myself…

Shipped off to England to meet her betrothed, Gabby leaves India in the company of young Miss Phoebe and Prince Kasi Rao. A talented storyteller, Gabby keeps the children busy aboard the vessel with tales of India and her dreams for a happy marriage. But all is not well in England. Gabby has been promised to Peter Dewland, who most assuredly does not look forward to marriage with a backward girl from India. While Peter agonizes over his filial responsibilities, his brother Quill struggles to overcome the shattering migraines that have plagued him for years. Neither brother is prepared for the changes that Gabby’s arrival will signal. When Gabby’s charms prove to be too much for Peter’s fashionable sensibilities, it’s up to Quill to handle the matter, and he’s more than happy to oblige.

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I have to admit that my expectations were not very high for the novel, Quill’s condition is exacerbated by er… sexual congress… so I was expecting a very fanciful plot with lots of gratuitous sex, but this was not the case. The plot was engaging and interesting, some of the elements were fanciful, but it did not detract from the story. At times, Gabby almost reminds me of Catherine Morland, her imagination gets her into all sorts of sticky situations.

Reading Chris Tusa’s Dirty Little Angels is like delving into a story by Flannery O’ Connor–the characters are flawed and corrupt, their world is rotten with moral decay, and they are looking for God in all the wrong places.

Hailey, a tenth-grader with more to worry about than math tests, is caught in the midst of her family’s decline. Depression grips them all and there is nothing to be done about it. Her mother’s miscarriage, her father’s unemployment, and her brother’s delinquencies only add to Hailey’s sense that everything is falling apart, making the roaches buzzing in her head shred her mind to bits.

Looking for answers, Hailey finds her brother’s friend, Moses Watkins, an ex-con who wants to hand drive-thru salvation to the good people of New Orleans.

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The story is gritty and dark. It’s not what I usually read, but I was intrigued by the summary when Mr. Tusa asked me to review the novel. I had read a few reviews that noted the frequent use of metaphors in the story; it can be distracting at times, but at times it adds to the reader’s understanding of Hailey’s confusion (the state of her decaying sense of self).

I would recommend it to someone interested in fiction about life’s hard knocks. I would not classify Dirty Little Angels as Street Lit, but it might also appeal to someone interested in this genre.

As I said, it is a dark novel–there is violence, poverty, and self-destruction. It can be hard to read and the characters are often hateful, making it hard to sympathize with their plight, but they are realistic in their flawed, emotionally impoverished state.

I forgot to participate last week, but here is this week’s roundup.

I’m currently reading:

Enchanting Pleasures by Eloisa James

Last week, I finished reading:

An Echo in the Bone by Diana Gabaldon (Review)

Truly, Madly by Heather Webber (Review)

I plan to start reading:

Dirty Little Angels by Chris Tusa

Someday, I will finish:

Cecilia by Frances Burney (but it sure is long)

This review is based on an ARC copy. I got my copy through Barnes & Noble’s First Look Book Club. This book will be released in February 2010.

Heather Webber’s Truly, Madly is a fast-paced, fun read with a dash of mystery and suspense thrown in for good measure.

Lucy Valentine, daughter of world-renowned matchmaker Oscar Valentine, is a little skeptical when it comes to love and matchmaking, but when her father gets caught in a compromising and career-threatening position, Lucy is left to run Valentine, Inc. and maintain the companies near perfect record for matches. Nevermind that Lucy lost the famous (and secret) power that has made the Valentines successful matchmakers for countless generations, independent Lucy has a job to do and a lot to prove.

But Lucy soon finds that there is more to matchmaking than finding complementary auras. When client Michael Lafferty tells Lucy the story of a long-lost first love, Lucy finds herself tangled in a mystery that she never expected.

Hiring Sean Donahue,  PI, to find  Michael’s old girlfriend, Lucy feels an instant electric connection that challenges everything she’s ever thought about love and attraction.

What is a reluctant matchmaker to do when she knows she’s cursed to never find her own perfect match?

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When I first heard about Truly, Madly on the First Look Book Club, I thought it sounded like a fun read and it certainly was. I was not expecting to enjoy it as much as I did, but the book was very readable and I didn’t want to put it down! The blurb on the back of the book promises that there will be at least two other books in the series (there is a preview of the next book, Deeply, Desperately) and I will definitely be looking for them in future.

The characters were charismatic and believable (yes, even with the psychic powers), and the plot was engaging and well-developed.

I recommend this book for anyone interested in a fun romantic mystery. I think fans of Meg Cabot’s series will probably enjoy it as well.

For more information on the Lucy Valentine series, visit Heather Webber’s site

Diana Gabaldon’s An Echo in the Bone has all the makings of what will surely become an epic–battles, revolution, life-changing experiences, death, treason, spies, sex, and more. This mighty tome continues the story of Jamie and Claire Fraser, soul mates who have a way of always getting into trouble.

The American Revolution is underway and Jamie and Claire are inadvertently drawn into the maelstrom. Continuing the story where A Breath of Snow and Ashes left off, fans of the series will be pleased to find that Jamie and Claire are not ready to settle down just yet. The same can be said for Bree and Roger, whose trip through the stones left more than memories of the past.

The story is rich and complex, introducing new characters and reintroducing others from earlier in the series. This being book 7, it’s quite a cast. As always, Gabaldon’s narrative is incredibly detailed and thoroughly researched, from descriptions of the harsh realities of life on the battlefront to eerily clinical specifics on the practice of field surgery.

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Outlander is one of my favorite series, so I was clamoring to read this book. Though I loved it in the end, it took me a few chapters to really get into it. Claire and Jamie are wonderful as ever, but there are a lot of characters in this book and the narrative shifts to present different points of view (more so than it does in most of the other books in the series). There are at least 5 major narratives in the novel–Jamie and Claire’s, Bree and Roger’s, Ian’s, William’s, and Lord John’s–and numerous subplots. I wasn’t very engaged in William’s story at first, I kept wanting to skip past it and move on, but it grew on me. My only peeve was that the ending felt like a tease. Snow and Ashes offered some sense of closure–it offered the possibility of more, but it had a definite end. Echo just leaves you wanting more. I finished it and thought, “This can’t be it? Author’s Notes? What do you mean Author’s Notes? What happened to Jem?!?!” Obviously, I can’t wait for the next book!

I always looked forward to the yearly book fair when I was a kid. My school hosted it in our library every fall and I could never go without buying a book or two and a bunch of bookmarks.

Of course, when I grew up, there were no more school book fairs, but a few years ago I started attending the Miami International Book Fair. It’s always a chance to find some new reads and great bargains, but this year’s fair was a bit disappointing. The selection was great, but the cultural events that were a not-to-be-missed part of the fair were well… missing.

The International stage and pavilions were replaced with discussion auditoriums, which is great, but there were already plenty of book discussion events to be had. The pavilions used to showcase arts and crafts, music, and all sorts of other interesting things from five countries selected for the year’s festival. Most of the entertainment provided was for children, which is great if you have kids, but there wasn’t much else for adults to do between browsing the stalls for books.

I still had a nice time, but I can’t say it was as fun as previous book fairs. I have to wonder if this is due to the financial difficulties that Miami-Dade College, the Fair’s host, has been experiencing?

I guess it was alright, thought I hope they are able to host the International pavilions again next year.

Regardless of the experience, I managed to bring home a nice little cache of books some of which I bought from the Friends of the Library group (can’t wait for their annual book sale, they had a great selection at their book fair stall).

My book stash:

An Old-Fashioned Girl by Louisa May Alcott

A Song for Summerby Eva Ibbotson

Garden Spells by Sarah Addison Allen

East of the Sun by Julia Gregson

and a hardcover copy of Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason by Helen Fielding (one of my favorite re-readables)

Laura from Laura’s Reviews has planned a wonderdul new book challenge for the coming year: All About the Brontës.

The challenge starts on January 1st and will run through June 30th 2010. The objective is to read, watch, or listen to 3 to 6 (if not more) works by, about, or inspired by the Brontë sisters.

See this post for information on how to join the challenge.

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For my part, I have decided to read:

Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte

Villette by Charlotte Bronte

The Secret Diaries of Charlotte Bronte by Syrie James

And watch:

The Tenant of Wildfell Hall (1996 – Masterpiece Theatre starring Tara Fitzgerald and Toby Stephens)

Wuthering Heights (Masterpiece Theatre 2009)

I was in the mood for a light, fun read this week, so I checked out Joanne Fluke’s Cherry Cheesecake Murder–a read as sweet as the desert after which it was named.

The little town of Lake Eden gets caught up in a blur of excitement when a famous Hollywood director decides to film on Main Street. Local baker and amateur sleuth, Hannah Swensen finds herself drawn into the mix when an old college buddy turns out to be the film’s writer. But it seems that the real drama concerns the film’s director, womanizer and perfectionist, Dean Lawrence. When a murder occurs on the set, it’s up to Hannah to put her best snooping skills to use and solve the mystery.

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Other than a few Miss Marples, I haven’t read many mysteries. My selection was based entirely on the cheesecake illustration on the cover. I had no idea what I was getting into but the idea of a mystery with recipes was enough for me.

I did not realize at the time that this is the 7th volume in Fluke’s Hannah Swenson series, but I had no trouble becoming familiar with the characters and the main plot did not require continuity within the series.

Overall, the novel was an enjoyable, quick read and just what I expected–a light and fluffy read that made me want to bake everytime I came across a recipe.

Much of the novel explored the relationships between Hannah, her family, her beaus, and the people of Lake Eden, so much of the novel didn’t seem to be a mystery. The whodunit plot was a bit predictable, but no less enjoyable because of it.

Last week, I finished reading:

Happy Birthday or Whatever by Annie Choi (Review)

I started reading:

Cherry Cheesecake Murder by Joanne Fluke

I’m still reading:

An Echo in the Bone by Diana Gabaldon

Eventually, I will return to:

Cecilia by Frances Burney

I want to read:

Jane Austen’s Letters

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Annie Choi’s Happy Birthday or Whatever: Track Suits, Kim Chee, and other Family Disasters is an absolutely delightful memoir about the family, identity, and the pressure to live up to expectations.

A Korean-American born and raised in LA, Annie Choi explores the complicated relationship between mothers and daughters and the multicultural experience.

It’s funny, fast-paced, and very sweet.

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I don’t read many memoirs, but this one caught my attention and I couldn’t wait to read it. I wasn’t disappointed. Annie’s story struck a chord, recalling my own experiences with multiculturalism, language, and my own lovingly disfunctional relationship with my mother and family.