To live in a library is to live in a time machine.
If I could build my dream house just the way I wanted, it is a dream after all, you better believe nook and crannies would be filled with books. To get the book you wanted might even require you to grab a library ladder. Phones, iPads, and all other mobile devices would left at the door. That’s my kind of house. Shelves, staircases, and maybe even the kitchen sink would be bustling with the adventures of knights slaying dragons and women saving themselves. I would be typing this on the porch swing outside and the crickets would be chirping, whispering what to say instead of on my couch with the fan blades rustling.
My love for literary art is far from recent. My mother would read Avon books to get me to sleep at the airport before I could read, when I was a little older we read Harry Potter together every night before I went to bed. Reading was required in middle school, I had all my points finished in the first week and, of course, read above my grade by a long shot. It was a relief in junior high when we had access to the high school library – that’s where the good books were! Even though high school brought a great many of distractions I would eat lunch and spend my free period in the library; you guessed it – reading. Into college there was no extra time to spend on anything but reading textbooks. I enjoyed learning but whoever wrote college textbooks should have to try to learn by them. My mother and I drove across county and I read to her. Although busy with Life and Other Things I continue to read blog posts, scholarly articles, and even the paper book when I get the chance. I will teach my children how to read, just like my mom taught me.
There are very few books that I will not pick up, I’m a pretty equal opportunity reader if you will. I will even stand toe to toe to the SciFiest of them all. I tend to push my library ladder toward the Historical Fiction. The glamour and the shock-and-awe of the late 1800s, the down and dirty Depression, even the cowboys and Indians of the Wild Wild West on occasion. Looking back it’s books like Experanza Rising and the Luxe series that depicted heroines standing up for themselves and blazing trails of their own that shaped who I am and what my husband calls my “larger than life” personality which just so happens to be the in love version of crazy!
Without having the busy bee summer I thought I would I knew now was the ideal time to get back to appreciating a good book. Lucky Us came at the perfect time. There were summers when I could devour a well written 400-page book in a day on the front swing, I am not afforded quite that now but it didn’t stop me. I picked up Lucky Us every spare moment I could from the moment I cracked the cover and read “My father’s wife died. My mother said we should drive down to his place and see what might be in it for us.” The two half sisters, Eva and Iris, are remarkably captivating as they battle Hollywood, themselves, seemingly insurmountable odds, and so much more; reading about success and failure in the same breath. Along with the fanciful life of what might turn out to be a traveling circus they dare to follow their dreams, take chances, and come out of the whole thing swinging. I found myself tenderly embraced by pages before having to reread passages to believe the scandal within. The next pages would had me laughing hysterical at their next pickle.
Lucky Us made me think of my own sister, our family, and the inevitable ups and downs while pursuing our dreams. I love how this adventure is partially told from Eva’s perspective and through letters allowing readers to get to know each deeply developed character in his or her own way. These ladies and their imaginative counterparts won’t be available until July 29th but there is hope (for all)!
Enter the giveaway to join Eva and Iris on their journey to find fame and fortune.
It should also be mentioned that this is not a children’s book. Let me repeat that – not a children’s book.
Disclosure: Compensation was provided by Random House via 20SB. The opinions expressed herein are those of the author and are not indicative of the opinions or positions of Random House or 20SB.
The Salty Pretzel 