I currently moderate the Lolita Bookclub, although I will admit that I am not the best at this. I can’t seem to post things on time–although that was actually one of my resolutions for the year. I need to stay more aware of my intended time management–too often things I’ve really wanted to do get pushed to the wayside because of time conflicts with “real life.” I find myself thinking, “Oh, I should post to loli_bookclub… nah, I’ll check the mail/sweep the kitchen/scrub the bathtub/write a memo for class.” u_u It’s procrastination, but it feels a bit backwards.

The book for January was The Masqueraders by Georgette Heyer. It promised to be a charming book about siblings who have switched gender roles to avoid detection and punishment for their roles as former Jacobites. I hurried off to check it out from the main library, after verifying that it existed in the collection…and absolutely could not find it. I registered to put a copy on hold and have it shipped to my local branch library. In the meantime, I picked up another Heyer book (to at least keep with the theme) to amuse myself while waiting.

I selected Friday’s Child based on its title and cover image–admittedly not a very sound method of selection! I started reading it the next day…and once I started, I found myself so enraptured that I continued reading right through class the next evening, jotting a line in my notes about how my notes were incomplete because my attention was elsewhere. e_e

Friday’s Child is not really a Pulitzer Prize winner, but it is a thoroughly enjoyable book! The characterization is amusing and diverse, with quirks and faults providing dimensions instead of presenting flat personalities. The storyline flows smoothly, avoiding pauses or dull overstretched moments. At first it almost seems to have not much in the way of an actual plot, but it knits itself together before becoming tiresome. The dialogue is witty, realistic, and enjoyable to the fullest extent–I couldn’t stop myself from reading passages to my husband. I haven’t read anything so entertaining in a very, very long time!

The story itself is a romance in the Regency era. A fiery-tempered young Viscount is crushed when the Incomparable (renowned beauty and childhood playmate) refuses his proposal. She doesn’t believe he lovers her, and she knows that he must either marry or wait until age 25 to inherit his fortune. While griping about his failure to woo her, he comes across another childhood playmate, an orphan of good breeding, upset that she has been given the ultimatum of marriage or becoming a governess. Impetuously, he proposes to her and she accepts! This is the start of their crazy adventures, as the Viscount doesn’t quite understand how his life will change when he takes such an innocent, unworldly wife!

I had so much fun reading this that I plan to check out a few more Heyer novels the next time I’m in the library. Sometimes it’s nice to enjoy something lighthearted and sweet~ ♥