Becca’s World

I think I should dispense with the term “bookworm” and label myself a “book monster.” I just read two novels in two days, and the local library will be closed for almost half of the month of December. How will I make it through those days?

Sophie Kinsella did it again with “Shopaholic Ties the Knot.” I thought Becky Bloomwood might have changed a lot with the way the second book ended, but she was still quite capable of getting in a huge mess and not knowing which way to turn to fix it. (Avoidance isn’t a strategy, but she certainly tried it on for size.)

I often feel like two good stories in a row is a miracle, but I kept an open mind when I started “A Rush of Wings” by Kristen Heintzmann. I loved it! I often cringe at how easily the conversions occur in Christian novels, but there was no need with this book. It was realistic, refreshingly so, and I became very involved emotionally with the main characters. I think they’ll be in my mind for a while, haunting me in a pleasant way.

For all those who love to look at Christmas lights (4 MB video).

While I wait for “Pride & Prejudice” to come to my local movie theatre (or the video store, whichever occurs first) I have gone on a minor Jane Austen binge. I tried “Pemberley,” a sequel to P&P (didn’t like it) and watched “Persuasion” thanks to the NB library system. I’m also re-reading “Sanditon,” Jane’s unfinished novel that a descendant did a great job of completing according to the clues in the original manuscript and Jane’s unique writing style.

Don’t know if I’m finished with Jane yet. I love her writing!

Good day, readers of this fine blog! Waston and I are taking time out of a very intriguing tour of the world to speak to you from Miss Rebecca’s home on the Net.

What’s that, Watson? Oh yes, right you are, old chap! Beg your pardon, Rebecca, I had forgetten you’re married. Seems I’ve known you for ages as “Miss Rebecca.” Tell me, how is married life? Oh yes, I agree, silly question. Won’t happen again.

Now, where was I? Thank you, Watson. Yes, dear readers, I am in fact the world-renowned Sherlock Holmes. I pop in now and then to visit Rebecca and catch up on the goings-on in her life. She’s been telling me about a few of the plots that have come to her lately. I must say, she has quite the imagination. And have you seen how often she visits the local library? She certainly defines the term “bookworm.” I can understand why she intends to become a librarian someday. “Right up her alley,” as they say.

I was just telling Watson the other day that I’d received a request to solve a mystery involving a library, two Scottish gentlemen, and a rather fat feline. He thought I was mad for wishing to consult with Rebecca, but I reminded him that she is a lover of both books and mysteries. Perhaps she wil be an excellent assistant on this case, for you must know I am the most brilliant man in the world and do not need a partner in the detective business. Only a nudge in the correct direction. Watson is good for that, too.

Yes, yes, I hear you, Watson. He wants his name on the case reports too, not merely as an observer but as an active participant. How can I explain to him that everyone expects me to be the genius and I can’t let them down? Not that Watson is an ambitious fellow, but it must be trying on the nerves to have the spotlight on one’s companion and never on oneself. Fortunately, I have never had that dilemma. No, the world flocks to my door and I graciously entertain all my loyal fans.

What’s that, Watson? Oh yes, time to be off! I’ve had an epiphany regarding this library mystery, and we shall now apprehend the criminal, furry though she is. (Who would have thought that a cat who resembles her name – Pumpkin – could ever find the agility to steal and escape with the oldest copy of Robbie Burn’s poetry collection?)

Cheerio, readers! Until next time…

I’m not sure why it took me so long to get to Sophie Kinsella’s books nor why I still don’t see “chick-lit” as a genre I would enjoy on a full-time basis. I may be a bit of a snob, avoiding both “the classics” and whatever is currently popular – it took me a while to read the Harry Potter series, partially because I hate jumping on a bandwagon. (Curiosity won out eventually.)

At first, I had a difficult time reading how much Sophie’s main character, Rebecca Bloomwood, spends and the lengths she’ll go to avoid the truth of her huge debt.

Rebecca’s personality grew on me, though. (Have I mentioned that I am drawn to actresses, writers and fictional characters who share my first name? I was pleasantly surprised when I opened the book and discovered another Rebecca.) The hints of a romance by the end of the novel didn’t hurt either, since I can rarely resist a love story. (Oh wait, I don’t even try. )

One thing that I’d like to thank Sophie for is the boost in confidence she gave me. Though I enjoy accumulating possessions (primarily music and movies), I am nowhere near the spender Rebecca Bloomwood is. No shopaholic in this household.

The second book is more romance-slash-relationship-problems than the first, but it is evident early on that the spending spree isn’t over. And again, I hated to go through the process of out-of-control shopping, yet I felt less guilty about my own purchases. I am not obsessed with clothes or shoes, and I know when to tell myself “You can buy it later, if you still care so much about it.”

The last book in the trilogy is still ahead of me and I look forward to the experience. I like Miss Bloomwood, despite the differences in our habits. And I hope I’ll be less judgmental if I actually meet a shopaholic. Maybe fiction can be more than entertainment when it brings us to love and understand those we previously condemned in our minds.