Late Night Reading

No, I didn't stay up late reading HP7. One plus to showing up late to that party, is that I am no where close to being ready to read the final installment of this series.

Instead, I found I couldn't put down yet another book by Dorthea Benton Frank. Pawleys's Island marks the 3rd book that I've read by her. And while she does indeed follow a similar pattern in all her books, I either like her stories enough not to mind or it isn't such a structured pattern that it annoys me. Her books are perfect for summer reading: rich characters, with a bit of a quirk, a simple story that pulls you in but doesn't burden you down with heavy thinking and a crisp clear resolution by the time the book finishes up. This story is set on Pawley's Island, a coastal community located between Myrtle Beach and Charleston. Having been there a time or two, and realizing the power of an ocean breeze in terms of helping clear your head and renew your spirit, I loved the story as it unfolded. However, about 2/3 of the way in, she did pump the drama up just a tad too much where I thought "no way lady, dial it down a bit". The story would have been just as good without her adding that extra bit. But, she managed to bring it back down and wrapped the story up into a nice little package with all the lose ends tied up by the time I got to the last page. I like that in my chick lit: everything all wrapped up nice and neat. Because well, we know that real life isn't like at all and so it makes for good story telling on a hot summer evening.

But now I fear my days of reading will soon be winding to a close. While I won't put up a count down, I can tell you school resumes in just over a week. This week's plan is to work on getting back in the groove. Late last week, I worked on reestablishing bedtimes and evening routines and now we're getting a handle on eating breakfast and getting our day started rather than lounging around in. Notice I save this piece for last because I'm even more guilty than my children when it comes to the morning stall.

With that in mind, I'd better wrap up this post and get my day going. Make it a good one..