Confessions of a Rebel Debutante

I'm reading Confessions of a Rebel Debutante by Anna Fields. So far, it's really cute and funny. I'm only about a third of the way through, but it has been very amusing. I'm excited to get to the juicer parts where she talks about her time in NY working for one of the cast members of RH of NY, who was evidently fake, fake, fake. That could be almost any of them. I'm also curious about her chapters on her time in LA working for different production companies. She is still a screen writer working out of NY. Evidently, she has written several hit plays and use to write for As the World Turns.

Jane Austen

I've been watching Becoming Jane repeatedly lately. The more I watch it, the more my heart breaks for Jane Austen. For all the novels with happy endings she wrote, she was refused her own by fate, culture, and society. If anything, she did get part of a happy ending by being able to "Live by her pen" as she wished for so long. I also feel bad for her real sister, Cassandra, whose fiance died at sea. Neither she or Jane ever married. Jane was so in love with Tom Lefroy, but had to let him go so he could support his family back in Limerick. Watching her story makes me long for a romantic evening or two myself. Jane was a very strong woman and I admire her resilience to do what she wanted her own way. She pushed against the tide of tradition, made her own life, and was a very successful woman. She is awarded with being called the "most influential and successful woman on British literature of all time." I'm glad Jane was able to see the fruits of her labor while she still lived, to know how loved and admired she was for her writing, but I wish she could really see it now. A true literature icon. What would she think?

Reading In Unfamiliar Territory

I am reading a mystery novel which I normally don't. Romances and mysteries are too obvious or boring and repetitive. I am reading the latest book in a southern mystery series though, so it still falls into my southern fiction niche. It's Bone Appetit by Carolyn Haines. Not only is it funny and interesting, but it's filled with paranormal touches, another favorite topic of mine. These two best friends have formed a P.I. service and one of the women can see and speak to a ghost that haunts her family's plantation home. The ghost, Tinkie, was her great grandmother's nanny when she lived. Funny name. It is set in the Mississippi Delta, but they are currently supposed to be on vacation where unbeknown to them, a beauty pageant was being held. Just think of the movie, Drop Dead Gorgeous. Very, very similar murder and attacks are going on and I haven't figured it out yet like I normally do so that's good. I'm considering going back and reading the earlier books in this series, especially if this one ends up being a great read.

Finished Lowcountry Summer

I finished Dorothea Benton Frank's Lowcountry Summer. It did not disappoint. I absolutely loved it! It had a very sad twist towards the end, but it was honest and tied up all the characters nicely. I have a renewed interest in Frank's writing and hope for another good read from her soon.

Dorothea Benton Frank

Dorothea Benton Franks writes fiction set in Charleston and the lowcountry. I love most of her early books, but for a while, they were boring or just not something I want to read. Her first, Plantation, was amazing and is my favorite and she just released a sequel, Lowcountry Summer! I have it and can't wait to dive in! I'll blog a review as soon as I finish.

My Latest Reads

I've finished a few books lately.

I finished North and South by John Jakes after returning from my trip to the OC. I loved the book, but at times, I wished it would move faster. I'm still undecided if I will read the rest of the series. I do want to watch the miniseries starring Patrick Swayze. It's so expensive. I'm deciding whether to chance ordering from Amazon or not. I found it on there for under $30, but everywhere else averages $60 and up. Makes me a bit leery. Plus, I've read that several key story elements are missing in the miniseries such as Patrick's character never loses an arm in the Mexican War and his navy obsessed brother is non-existent. Also, some key character's time lines are skewed. I wonder if I'll enjoy the miniseries if it's that much altered.

After reading Kelly Cutrone's book, I went back to my southern fiction table and selected Tragic Magic by Laura Childs. Laura Childs is a mystery author most known for her two bestselling series. One is the Tea Shop Mysteries set in Charleston, SC. The Jessica Fletcher-esk character starring in the series owns a Tea Shop so all over her books include mini tea recipes and facts. The other series is set in New Orleans and stars a woman that owns a Scrapbook Store called Memory Mine. Thus, it's titled the Scrapbook Mysteries. I normally do not read mysteries because I feel like I normally figure them out too early to enjoy them. I was also concerned about reading a book that was in the middle of a very long successful series, but I was very pleasantly surprised. I loved it. I actually was taken off guard when the killer was revealed and I enjoyed the banter between the characters. The book gave enough background throughout for me to easily piece together the character's histories without going backwards to read the previous stories. I did not mind the little Scrapbook comments and influence being a Scapper myself, but I am not so sure about reading the Tea Mysteries. I may talk myself into it just because they are set in Charleston.

Today, I finished a very quick, light, silly read, Poor Little Bitch Girl by the glamorous Jackie Collins. It was all that a Jackie Collins novels characters usually are... rich, sexy, famous, scandalous, and infamous! I delightful read.

Tomorrow, I'll have to find another book. I think I'll step back out of my southern fiction box again.

Kelly Cutrone

I just finished Kelly Cutrone's self improvement book, If You Have To Cry, Go Outside, And Other Things Your Mother Never Told You. It was a great, quick read for any business woman and just women in general. All of her advice can be applied to work, relationships, and just everyday life. Kelly Cutrone has built her own PR firm empire called People's Revolution from the ground up over the last 13 years after insane life set backs. She became a household name after guest starring in the MTV reality hit, The City. She was Whitney Port's boss in NYC. Now she has her own hit show on Bravo called Kell On Earth. I like the show. It's very real and not a bunch of cattiness like The City. Of course, it's a different concept reality program geared at a totally different audience. She can count me as a fan and she is an inspiration to women everywhere trying to live our own versions of "The American Dream" on our terms.

Wench

I finished the book Wench by Dolen Perkins-Valdez. It was good, but not completely what I expected. I'm glad I read it. It had moments where the story lagged, but for the most part it was well written enough to make me want to find out what happened next. I wish the ending was better. It just seemed end abruptly and did not complete everyone's stories. Worth a look if you have a day to kick back. The book is less than 300 pages.

Today I'm going to start the John Jakes' North and South, the first in a civil war historical fiction trilogy. It should be really good since movies have been made based on it.

The Help and Roses

I read The Help by Kathryne Stockett not too long ago and LOVED IT. If you haven't discovered this southern gem, you must read it. It is a historical fiction set in Jackson, MS during the 1960s told by several characters, three black maids and one white woman from a local rich family. The white woman meets in secret to interview the maids about life and working for their white employers. The stories mix humor, love, loss, tragedy, and disbelief at the various treatments and experiences. It took the author over 20 years to perfect and publish it based on real interviews and her personal life growing up in MS in those times.

Roses by Leila Meacham, is a Texas Gone With The Wind. A divine 600 page saga interweaving three families across several generations in a small town. The actions of the original town founders affect all of those around them and those that come after them for several generations until one has enough courage to set things right and lift a curse plaguing the land and it's owners. Starting with the founding in the late 1800s, it ends in the mid 1980s. Heart wrenching tragedy upon tragedy is soothed by miracles and everlasting love between several characters. The book is told in parts by three of the biggest characters. It is by far one of the best books I have ever read, even better than The Help.

Next, I plan to read Wench by Dolen Perkins-Valdez. Another historical fiction spanning several decades with multiple main characters telling their own stories. The stories are told by female slaves taken away from the South each summer by their masters/lovers to a resort in Ohio built specifically to accommodate these unusual relationships. Ohio is at the time a Free State. Each of the women make their own decision whether to run away for their freedom, or stay with the white men/owners for their families and/or forbidden love. It should be another heart breaker.