A Very Good Read, Indeed!

So, after a much delayed start, I have started to read Very Valentine by Adriana Trigiani. Just as I thought I might, I'm loving every minute of reading it.

The story here is much more dense than Viola in Reel Life. It's interesting to read two different styles (young adult, then adult) from the same author. Valentine tends to include a lot more elaborate descriptions of things, especially the Greenwich Village home that the titular Valentine lives in with her grandmother. It's a place I'd like to live, too ... even if I'm stuck in what used to be the guest room (as she is).

I still have a lot to go in the story, but right now? Valentine is an apprentice for her grandmother who makes custom shoes, mostly for weddings. I don't know a lot about shoemaking, so I'm learning something new from this book. The business is in trouble since grandmum, in order to keep the business afloat, took out a lot of loans over the years which have finally ballooned into the badness that all loans become. Valentine is trying to find a way to keep the business afloat while her evil brother (okay, he's not evil... but he is the most villainous character so far) is seeing it as his opportunity to put grandma in a nursing home and get his way. Directly after all this happened, a chance encounter with a young PA from a movie filming near their shop (who happens to have THE SAME EXACT NAME AS MY REAL LIFE SISTER!!) gets their shoes in a movie production. Will this help save the shop? I'd like to think so, but I guess I'll have to read on to find out.

They'll be a little big of a delay since real life is getting in the way of my literary one; this weekend I'm moving a few blocks away into a studio apartment. After I'm settled, I'm planning on delving into the novel completely so I can move on to the sequel, Brava, Valentine.

CURRENT: Very Valentine!

So, after suffering through several chapters of The Seven Rays and still not finishing, I've decided to officially take a break from it. They'll be a full review when I finally finish... but... well, I wouldn't hold my breath.

I've finally started to delve into the charming Very Valentine book, which HarperCollins was nice enough to send me (and my contest winners!) for free. Valentine is exactly the type of a book I'm in the mood for; a woman slowly leaving her prime, living in New York City, who has yet to find true romance. Sometimes, I am that girl! I've gotten through the first chapter so far, where the titular character aptly named 'Valentine' is stuck attending her sister's lavish Italian wedding. Her family drama is on full display, including a stuff passive agressive brother, a lovingly overbearing mother, and her two sisters who are more like best friends than family. I have a feeling I'm really going to enjoy the book, and may immediately move onto the sequal (just released in hardcover) right when I'm done. Check back for updates!

The Dry Spell.

It happened again. I finished a few books all in a row... and now I'm taking a reading break. Since I did start reading The Seven Rays awhile back (was it only a month and a half ago?) I do feel obligated to finish. It's in my bag. I've been carrying it around with me. But... I read some reviews on Goodreads and on LibraryThing and two chapters later? I might be slightly agreeing with the negativity. Still, I'm going to give it a shot. Every book deserves a chance, I always say.

I did attend the ALA Conference in Boston last month and I did actually pick up an ARC book that's not coming out until later this year. It's an adult title, and kind of more geared towards the fantasy genre, so I might try that one after I finish up Rays. If I ever finish it up. Honestly... don't you just sometimes need a break? I think I will be recharged when I get my copy of Very Valentine in the mail because I love Adriani Trigiani, but for right now? I'm kind of enjoying the not reading.