In The Past Week...

I finished my eleventh book and my first classic of the new year.

I chose Persuasion by Jane Austen as my book for January. I initially took reading it slower than I usually do. I usually read classics slower than I do contemporary books because of the language but this doesn't bother me as much as it used to. But on to the story.

I had originally watched the 1995 adaptation and fell in love with that. I wanted to see if the makers of the film translated the book onto the screen well. I think they did it justice. One thing that I did notice was when Louisa (I believe that's her name. I kept getting her mixed up with her sister.) fell from the steps. It was lot more dramatic on the screen than in the book. I actually had to backtrack for a minute to realize that she had actually fell.

I've only read one other Austen work and that's Pride and Prejudice which I just adore (Darcy owns my heart!), but I've noticed that she tells more than she shows. I felt that there were moments in the book where she could have let the characters speak for themselves instead of telling the reader what happened. It was for this that I rated the book four stars.

Today I finished a short little romance called By Royal Demand by Robyn Donald that has been sitting on my shelf for months waiting to be read. I probably wouldn't have picked it up if I hadn't been cleaning my shelves. But I read the blurb on the back and I decided why not?

It was enjoyable and quick read. I did think the hero Gabe, was just a much a jerk for my taste. The mystery with the Queen's Blood was resolved a little too quick for my taste, but the author is confined to see limit, so I could understand that. I did like the glimpses of Illriya and Sara's home island. I wish that I could have heard what Illriyan sounded like, but maybe that will be in the future books. I gave it three stars.