Book Club Friday: The Teacup Novellas

Friday rolls around, every week, right on schedule, just like Fridays tend to do. Every week, I tell myself "Link up for Book Club Friday." Yet, I haven't managed to do so since April.

It's not that I haven't been reading. Au contraire. I just get distracted with things like flying to Tennessee for a wedding, or finishing up a job application, or sleeping all day because I'm sick.

To keep myself in check, I am writing this June 1 post on May 26. Then, I'm going to write ANOTHER book review for my birthday. We all know I will not be blogging during my birthday weekend. Hello, the boyfriend will be visiting!

Trying to catch up with all the books I've read lately, I'll be reviewing two books. You're welcome.

Confession: Bargain books are not my only shopping problem with Amazon. I also can't resist buying Kindle singles. Priced between $0.99 and $2.99, they're an inexpensive way to discover a new writer. Since they're shorter than regular books, they're a nice alternative to magazines for folks who love to read, but don't have the time to tackle long novels.

Diane Moody has started the most delightful series called The Teacup Novellas. Her format is to tell a story within a story. Each novella is connected by one continuing storyline of an author writing books inspired by a collection of antique tea cups she inherited. Each novella starts with the author reflecting on her work and ends with her finishing each book.

Summary of Tea with Emma, from amazon.com:

Fresh from a Jane Austen tour in England, Maddie Cooper returns home to Texas, determined to bring a touch of "Austen to Austin." She dreams of opening an authentic English tea room and, like Austen's Emma, put into practice her self-proclaimed gift as a matchmaker. But an airport mishap with a cranky Englishman gets her off on the wrong foot (quite literally), especially when he moves into the university guest house across the street. Can Maddie find a love for her unapproachable new neighbor, or has she finally met her match?

Summary of Strike the Match, from amazon.com:

The last place twenty-four year old Keri McMillan wants to be is back home in Waterford Bay, Oregon. But after two years at prestigious New York University pursuing a degree in journalism, her bank account is drained. Keri is determined to move home for one year - and one year only--- to make some serious money working for her dad's log cabin company, but her goals all go up in smoke when the company's new showcase home burns to the ground.

Six months ago, Grant Dawson bought the Waterford Weekly, a small newspaper in his father's hometown. Burned out as a reporter for the L.A. Times and tired of all the inherent politics, he welcomed the slower pace of this Oregon coastal town and the more relaxed lifestyle producing a weekly paper. He enjoys being close to his dad again, a quiet man who captains a whale-sightseeing boat.

Grant is surprised at his unexpected interest in Keri, the niece of columnist Luby Sanders...

I loved both these books. Yes, they're a bit predictable at times. (Woman meets man. They fight. They fall in love. Surprise!) Yes, they're a bit formulaic. (Older woman mentors younger woman in the ways of love and religion). But they're just so sweet! And Diane Moody still manages to weave a beautiful back story for her protagonists, with a few unexpected twists.

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