REVIEW-Donna Hill's If I Could

So I finished another book… Unfortunately not one of the ones I’m writing, lol, though I do think its damn impressive I can find any time at all to read for pleasure with all the hecticness of life… I firmly believe that reading is an essential part of this ‘business’. Not just for enhancing professional karma by supporting other authors, but because reading the work of Great authors helps you become a better writer. Heck, even reading terrible authors is useful in that it can provide a timely ego boost And staying abreast of trends and studying the competition is always a good idea.

I selected If I Could by Donna Hill for several reasons. 1) the book was published by the publisher that is currently reviewing my manuscript 2) Donna Hill is a national bestselling author with over 50 books under her belt – she obviously knows what she’s doing, and 3) it’s in the same tone/style/genre as mine. It was good research material on several levels.

Well, I really enjoyed it. It was a thoughtful novel – a quick read, but didn’t give the issues addressed in the book superficial treatment. It follows three women through life, exploring the paths they took, the choices they made, and the consequences of their actions. They deal with the aftermath of divorce, adultery, emotional abuse, spousal neglect, codependence — all kinds of things that most people can relate to on some level. All the characters, even when doing bad things, retained their humanity, and I really felt for each and every one of them. As a writer, who knows the challenge of creating likable, dynamic, three-dimensional characters, I appreciate Donna Hill’s skill. This was definitely money well spent. I also find myself wondering if there’s a sequel, cause I’ll be damned if I’m not wondering what ended up happening to Parker in California, lol. I will definitely be purchasing and reading another Donna Hill novel (probably Getting Hers cause I just love the cover

Now the coolest thing about finishing a book is that I get to start another one I can’t even tell you how many books I’ve bought in the past year, sitting untouched on my bookshelf, that I am just aching to read. I was eager to resume Eric Jerome Dickey’s Chasing Destiny, which I had to abandon when I left for my road trip because I was having too much fun to read. But then I realized Chasing Destiny is written in the first person… I find that if I read first person narrative while trying to write in the 3rd person, I get my voices all jumbled in my head. Totally counterproductive. So that was disappointing. BUT, what this means is that I’m now freed up to read the next book down on my list, Lolita Files’ sex. lies. murder. fame.. which has just been getting rave reviews all over the damn place. This book is Hot and I finally get to find out why Don’t worry, I promise to post a full review when I finish it