Confession time

I feel so dirty, I read a Nora Roberts book and I liked it. Now, to my credit I'd just finished a book called Sold about a 13-year-old girl sold into prostitution in India. A friend at work insisted I read it and could do so in an evening. One look at that cover and I thought "Oooh no. Noooo way!" But my friend was right, it sucked me right in and was a pretty good read. A nightmare, but a good read.

After being traumatized by Sold I needed a light diversion. In a moment of weakness I picked up the Roberts book from a pile of mom's castoffs and had it pretty well wrapped up in a couple of evenings. To make matters worse, Shandon informed me that Ms. Roberts' books are housed in the "Romance" section of her bookstore. What?! Oh the shame. Even that dreadful news didn't keep me from purchasing the next two books that follow the one I read. Yes, it was the first in trilogy. Dammit! I may need an intervention. The books are scheduled to arrive via UPS just in time for my long weekend in Big Bear. (Sorry Shandon. I tried to buy them at your fabulous place of business but the books I needed weren't there and it was embarrassing enough to stand in the ***ROMANCE*** section. I felt 40 for the first time and it wasn't pretty. Now I know how those guys must feel when they go behind a curtain to buy porn. Amazon won this one only because they promised to ship me the hardcover Jane Eyre I wanted as well as a DVD of Persuasion.)

In an effort to get back on track, I've just started one of Shandon's recommendations called Year of Wonders. So far I like it, but sheesh... more trauma. The main character's life pretty much sucks in the first place but the plague is running rampant through her village and I fear her children are goners. Now, I'm always up for a good literary wave of black death but I sure hope things pick up for our poor heroine.

Here's a picture of whats to come on my nightstand. Yes, I realize it's a ridiculous stack. Please note the offending Nora Roberts on top. The stack is just as it's naturally evolved.

Let's see, there's travel, mourning, classics, death, politics, history, cooking and (apparently) romance. No wonder I'm exhausted at the end of the day.

By the way, I started that Darcy takes a Wife and was promptly mortified. I'm apparently a prude a purist and no real romance fan. I kept "clutching the pearls" (as my father would say) and gasping "Elizabeth would NEVER think that!" or "Darcy would NEVER do that!" I've been resistant to try any of the gazillion "sequels" to my beloved Pride and Prejudice but because I don't consider myself one of those freaky Janeites who can't deal with the slightest departure from an Austen word I figured I'd give it a try. Thank God I picked it up with a gift certificate. Once I'm over the shock I'll give it another go. If I still can't take it, I'll have to drop it in the public library donations bin.