Let’s Get Started

Oh my!  Time sure does get by fast.  I meant to post last night about the two books that I read, but I got drawn into PBS last night watching Les Miserables.  I have loved the songs "Castle in the Clouds" and "Do You Hear the People Sing?" ever since I saw it on stage during my college years.  Amazing!!!!! 

Anyway without further adieu, here are the books that I have been reading.

Since the beginning of June I read two really good books by Nancy Moser.  When I requested them at the library I thought that they were stand alone works, but they are connected to one another.  By some miracle I actually read them in order. 

The first book was Masquerade and follows English heiress Charlotte Gleason and her lady’s maid Dora Connors from Wiltshire, England to New York City in the year 1886.  The Victorian era is definitely fascinating to read about.  Basically the story is about Charlotte being set to New York to marry an American heir, whom she has never met.  Not being one to follow the whims of society, she hatches a plan to switch places with Dora once they cross the ocean.  This story is about appreciating what you have, learning how to be humble, and following your heart.  The story does not quite end up as you would expect, but it is very delightful and ultimately a perfect ending.

 

The second book was An Unlikely Suitor and follows Italian immigrant and dressmaker Lucy Scarpelli and New York socialite Rowena Langdon.  Lucy and her family were supporting characters in Masquerade and it was great to see their story continue.  The year is 1895, nine years after the setting in the first book.  Rowena meets Lucy while trying on dresses for the fall ball season and Lucy has an ingenuous idea to help disguise the fact Rowena she had suffered a disabling injury years earlier.  This story is about break social boundaries, following your dreams, and looking at what is on the inside.  I really enjoyed reading this story and wondering what the characters would do next and how they would overcome a jam in the road.  

I would definitely recommend reading these wonderful books!  What is on my upcoming list?   The Garden of Happy Endings by Barbara O'Neal and Marduk's Tablet: What If The Legend Is True? by T.L. Higley.