Polish your glasses and get to reading!

I love to read. It relaxes me -- I get to escape my life (which sometimes isn't too exciting) into a pretend life. Nothing's better than curling up in front of the fire or on a rainy day and just reading for hours, though I don't get a chance to do that too often. Usually I read before I go to bed.

Before I got my Kindle, I used to read in the bathtub. Everyone I shared books with said they could tell if it was any good by how wavy the pages were! If it wasn't that interesting, I would fall asleep and drop the book into the tub!

Now that I have my Kindle (which I got last year for Christmas), I won't read in the tub for that very reason -- I don't want to ruin it! A Kindle is an electronic book from Amazon, if you haven't heard about them yet. It's wonderful! I purchase the books from Amazon and they are downloaded within minutes to my Kindle! Like magic! The books are cheaper -- and some are even free -- but I can't share any more, and my mom doesn't like that part!

It's better than paper books because it's not bulky -- you can tote around hundreds of books with something almost as small as a paperback and much thinner. I bought a cover for mine so I wouldn't ruin it -- and I have a clip-on light so I can read at night in the car. You don't have to hold it open to read it. You can't lose your place -- if you turn it off, it automatically goes back to the last page you were reading when you turn it back on. You can change the size of the type to suit your "eyesight" -- and you can move the books to an archive after you've read them so you don't have to wonder if you've read that one yet. The archive is somewhere out there in electronic book land, but you can get the books back if you ever want to read one again.

When I find an author I really like, I'll read everything they've written, then I can't wait until their next book is out. Sometimes they take too long to write a new book, and I get anxious! I don't like books about perfect people -- I like them to be a little crazy or cooky or chubby! I don't like anything too serious. I especially like mysteries that are funny too -- maybe a little romance thrown in! But I don't like those steamy romance novels that have a patent plot -- doesn't matter what time frame they're set in, you already know the plot before it starts! I like a little twist in there!

Anyway, if you're looking for something to read, here are some of the books I've read that I really liked (the others are in my list on the right with links to the authors' websites):

• Twenties Girl by Sophie Kinsela. She also wrote the Shopaholic series, and her characters will drive you nuts, but they're so cute and funny you can't help but love them. Twenties Girl is my very favorite that she's written. Anna's a Sophie addict!
  
• Dorothea Benton Frank -- I just love everything she's written. Her latest is Return to Sullivan's Island. There's always some kind of twist -- with strong, wacky women! She can write a great story that keeps you rivited and laughing all the way.
• C.A. Belmond -- I'm anxiously awaiting her next book A Rather Charming Invitation. which is due to come out Feb. 2 this year. The adventures of Penny and Jeremy take you all over Europe, although Penny is from the U.S. Casey and Anna love these books too!
• Jennifer Cruise -- I love anything she's written also! I've gone back and ready everything! I'm so ready for a new one I can't stand it. They're sassy - sometimes naughty - hilarious and always involve some type of mystery.
• Cleo Coyle -- I've finished all her books and I'm ready for more. I love her "Coffee House Mysteries" and can't wait to read more about Claire Cosi and the Village Blend Coffee House in New York. I devoured the latest, Holiday Grind, in two days! It satisfies my love of lattes and sassy mysteries!
• And of course, Ann B. Ross' Miss Julia series. If you haven't met Miss Julia, you must. She tries to be so prim and proper and gives you a good laugh in the process! I can just picture her living in Miss Ludies' house in Hartford. Miss Julia Delivers the Goods is due out in April!
• And last, one of my latest finds -- Rita Lakin's "Getting Old Series." These are several like Miss Julia in a south Florida retirement condo complex -- with a little romance on the side! It gives me hope that getting old isn't so bad!