I try not to read two books by the same author in succession unless it’s a series, because there’s such a thing called ‘author fatigue’ for me. This happens when the books I read begin to sound just like the last one I’ve read of the author that I tend to become disinterested in reading any more books by the author.

It came as a surprise when I decided to delve right into ‘I Thee Wed’ right after ‘Wait Until Midnight’ by Amanda Quick. Both heroines are unconventional go getters who rely more on their wit than feminine wiles to survive and support their families. I have a soft spot for strong heroines, so Quick had no trouble reeling me in with these two books.

Title: 44 Cranberry Point

Author: Debbie Macomber

Year published:2004

Why did you get this book?
It won the inaugural Quills Award (I spoke of that earlier), and curious about what the panel of judges sees in this book, I bought it.

Do you like the cover?
As covers go, this one’s okay. Nothing spectacular, just an innocuous looking cover that invokes the small-town romance feel of the book.

Did you enjoy the book?
It took me a couple of chapters to warm up to the story and the characters, but once I got into the story, I could see why the judges picked the book to be the winner. Debbie Macomber has always been known to favour ordinary women in small towns as heroines, and in this book, she has created several memorable characters, everyday Cedar Cove residents that readers can relate to. The women each have their hiccups in their relationships, something that’s very real to the modern woman, and therefore a plus point IMO.

Stumbled upon this insightful AAR interview with Judith McNaught, and since I’m about to start on her Once & Always’, it was really helpful to know how she started and what inspired her to write Every Breath You Take and all the wonderful Regency Historical she wrote.

This would be a change from 44 Cranberry Point, which I’ve just completed and will be blogging for Angie’s TBR Challenge.

Later, then …

Another week of rushing at work, but this time round with some results. With the newsletter out of the way, and one web editing assignment completed, I had some time to catch up on my reading.

Am very pleased to report good progress on my TBR pick for January – am about half-way through the book. Also, mid last week, I took advantage of a meeting with my girlfriends downtown to drop in on Borders. Managed to grab two books in the last half-hour before the store closed.

One of them is the Lisa Kleypas wallflower follow-up, It Happened One Autumn and the other is the latest Harry Potter instalment HP and the Half Blood Prince. Am now on a quest to find the first 3 novels printed with alternative covers to the kiddish ones.

So, Angie professed her skepticism on book reviews and questioned the credibility of review sites in this RTB column and asked:

“… how do you…as an author, reader, or even a reviewer feel about reviews?
What sites and magazines do you trust and which do you avoid? Do you find
yourself depending more on blogs or do you still turn to review sites? And for
places like Amazon, do you look at the reviews on a book? And in what
circumstances do you think an author or someone else should get a review
removed?”

Like her, I’ve grown to mistrust review sites, and would only give the Amazon reviews a cursory glance if I were undecided on an unfamiliar author (as in new to me). I tend to read up blogs nowadays, going for those who have similar tastes, for a balance of opinions. I’ve found that most, if not all, bloggers are brutally honest. But then again, these are still subjective views. After all, every reader has different opinions about the same book, and it’s almost impossible to find someone who loves every book you love, and hates every one you do. I do take exception, however, to having a readers’ review removed … unless it’s downright malicious or slanderous in nature.

It’s been a busy week at work, what with two newsletters to push out and a website to finish revamping to meet the end Jan deadline. I haven’t started on the book earmarked for January’s challenge, but I did have a good look at my TBR pile to find a match for each theme, and at the same time assess if I need to get those I haven’t a match for.

So, here’s what I’ve mapped out for the months ahead:
January: Contemporary Romance
44 Cranberry Point by Debbie Macomber

February: A book by a new-to-you author
Empress Orchid by Anchee Min
A friend passed this to me some months back, so it’s about time I finish reading it and return to her. However, I’m also very tempted to get some Liz Carlyle romances since I’ve never read her books. Let’s see if I can manage both … greedy me.