Lessons in French, and Also Getting Back in the Groove

And so I ease back into the swing of the blog writing.

Having finished one book and reading another in its entirety over the weekend, I finally feel like I'm at a point where I can, you know... write about books again. Sorry it's been so long, but with the Festival-ing and the driving, I honestly had not finished a new book before this weekend. And now I'm going to write about it. Woot.

But first a digression (try not to be shocked):

Dear Nicholas Sparks,
No, your books are not "romance novels." They're the stories romance editors dismissed as being too repetitive and trite. You sir, are the heir to the Danielle Steel throne. Got it?

Kbye.

(those wondering wtf I'm talking about should visit http://www.usatoday.com/life/movies/news/2010-03-11-lastsong11_CV_N.htm)

Moving swiftly onward.

Oh oh oh! Speaking of the opposite of Nicholas Sparks, the book that I finished this weekend (as opposed to the one that I read in its entirety) was Lessons in French by Laura Kinsale.

WAYS IN WHICH THIS BOOK IS EXCELLENT (unlike Nicholas Sparks' books):

1. The heroine was not stunningly beautiful, as acknowledged by just about everyone in the book, including the hero, who nevertheless was madly in love with her.

2. The heroine had a quirky habit (obviously), but it was animal husbandry, which was both realistic for the time and her life-station. Not to mention that Hubert the Bull needs his own sequel.

3. The hero was damaged, but not in such a way that he behaved like a complete douchebag toward the heroine. In fact, despite his damage, he is a totally cool and adventuresome dude.

4. The hero tells the heroine he loves her well before the halfway point of the story, and lo! The L word does not in any way solve any of the problems besetting our characters, nor does it make them particularly mopey and naval-gazey

5. The hero has a badass mother who is one of the best new characters I've read since Nucking Futs Nix. And that's saying something.

6. The story ends a little conveniently, but there's still a nice little zinger in the epilogue to make things go out with a bang.

So, let's review:

Laura Kinsale, widely acknowledged to be one of the best living romance novelists, wrote a novel that, while reportedly not her best, was still far superior to anything Nicholas Sparks has ever written. Awesome.

Tomorrow: The Book I Read In Its Entirety Over the Weekend (or) Why My Boyfriend Is The Best.

Excited much?