The one with the secret

8. Rosie Dunne by Cecelia Ahern (library) new read.
Her first book, P.S. I Love You, is a charmer. Lots of tears, but good and unpredictable ending. Not the neat, tied in a satin ribbon ending I would have anticipated. But more real because of it. As much as I enjoyed this book (and blew through it during an easy day at work), it's not one I'll purchase. The story is a series of narratives in various formats, focusing on Rosie and Alex. It starts as small, misspelled notes from primary school. It evolves into instant messages, emails, letters, cards, and all the modern ways we communicate in the written word. Although the characters came across surprisingly well in these formats, it's almost too gimmicky for my tastes. Definitely worth the time to read it, but not on my list of "books to purchase."

9. Romancing Mister Bridgerton by Julia Quinn (new purchase full price) new read.
It's a rare book I'll purchase straight off the shelf, although I did try to use a coupon for 25% off (can't use it until tomorrow). But I WANTED it. In the Bridgerton Series (about eight siblings) this one reveals the BIG SECRET. A minor character from the first story, The Duke and I, had taken on a life of her own. To the author's amazement, this character had a cult following, you might say. Her name is Lady Whistledown. She's an anonymous gossip columnist. Various bits of her "Lady Whistledown's Society Papers" head each chapter. But nobody knows who she is, and Julia never let the secret out even to the readers, much less to the characters. Until this book. The answer is delightful.

And it would be terrible bragging to say that I guessed correctly, therefore I won't.

So I bought it today, started reading it at Borders with a cup of coffee, and finished it on the couch while distracting the dogs with pork rind chews. I should probably do something more useful with the rest of my afternoon. Like practice the Messiah. And I should give myself some credit, I did look first at Half-Price Books. Another treasure was found there, One Night For Love by Mary Balogh. This book is the story of Neville and Lily, but introduces the character Lauren Edgeworth. She's the jilted bride in this story, becomes the heroine in A Summer To Remember, which introduces the six Bedwyn siblings who each have their own story in the "Slightly...." series. I love it when all these books are intertwined.