{Day 343}

As part of my new blogging schedule I want to start sharing what books I’ve been reading.  Which means I need to read at least one book a month.  I love reading.  When I was a child I always had my head buried in a book.  No, really.  I would be reading as I walked, in the car, when I should have been sleeping…  As an adult I haven’t read as much and I want that to change.  Last month my new, sweet friend Rachel Coker (I introduced her here) sent me not just one book but two! Now that’s a good friend.  But to top it off she wrote them! Yes, she’s seventeen and has two novels published.  She writes historical fiction and to say that I was impressed with her work would be an understatement.  She writes a compelling story that had me turning pages as quickly as possible.  Her first book Interrupted: Life Beyond Words is set in the 194o’s and follows a young girl, Allie, through some tragic and life changing events.  I was pleasantly surprised to see Rachel weave in Emily Dickinson throughout each chapter.  It didn’t hurt that she had references to Debussy AND Louboutin in the same book too.  How could I not like it?! I had plenty to do the day that I started reading it but I just couldn’t bring myself to put it down and when it was over I wanted more!  Good thing she also sent me her second book Chasing Jupiter: When The World Around You falls Apart, Dreams Are All You Have.  🙂  In her second novel the main character Scarlet learns what it means to deal with family struggles and growing up in Georgia during the 1970’s.  Her relationship with her younger brother is sweet and touching.

I so enjoyed both of these novels and not because the books are written by an amazing friend but because Rachel is a wonderful writer.  She is cultured and it is evident in her composition of these books.  She writes with a depth that is a delight to read and she doesn’t shy away from hard issues but handles them with grace while still making her characters relatable.  But don’t just take my word for it! Go buy her books and read them! You won’t regret it.  I’m already looking forward to her third book. 🙂

You can find Rachel’s blog here and you can follow her on twitter as well.