Fun with Goodreads

I joined Goodreads a few weeks ago, and I had the same thought I did about waiting till I was 18 to taste rhubarb: what took me so long? Although I'm just now learning how it works...with a little help from my Goodreads pals. What's been great is not only discovering what your friends are reading, but  pulling together your book list, and revisiting all your faves from days of yore.

Little Women, by Louisa May Alcott, was a book I discovered when I was nine. Unable to put it down, I would try to sneak read at my desk in the fourth grade. It never worked, but then, Mrs. Wolff, the teacher, didn't punish me for reading! Turns out, Alcott took a lot of the story from her own life, like Jo March's parents in the novel: both Mr. March and Mr. Alcott never really were gainfully employed; also Marmee March and Mrs. Alcott were extraordinarily strong women who kept the family going.

Gone with the Wind...my favorite read when I was fourteen. My heart still goes pitter-pat, remembering all the romantic chemistry between Irish-American heroine and hero Scarlett O'Hara and Rhett Butler. Author Margaret Mitchell was also of Irish ancestry...and knew a thing or two about forbidden love: she divorced her first husband, and remarried the man who'd been her first husband's best man at the wedding! Sounds like plenty of romantic tension going on in her life before she married Mr. Right.

What's really fabulous about Goodreads is the chance to give away copies of your books! I've scheduled a giveaway of my first novel, It Only Takes Once, which goes until December 8. If you'd like to take a look at the giveaway, here's the Goodreads link.

As you've probably guessed from my Village of Ballydara series, I love Irish stories...both writing them and reading them. If you enjoy books set in Ireland too, I've assembled a list on my website...

Until next time, happy reading!