Straight Up

Here's the thing that bugs me... I've said it before, but there are just some writers who don't get their due. Lisa Samson is one of those writers. Highly respected and envied among her peers, so why isn't she a household name? I don't know... But there are very few writers that keep me awake, prying my eyes open, so desperate to keep reading that I wake up with the book cuddled in my arms, bookmark in a page I don't recognize because I turned pages in my sleep. This is what happened. I bought STraight Up because I saw it last week at the beginning of deadline rush where I sat alone in a hotel all week. Boo hoo for me. Anyway, there were only three copies on the shelf, so of course I panicked, worried that all the copies of this book that I desperately wanted to read would be gone if I waited until my deadline was over. I know. I worry about things like that...what if the store burns down and the internet suddenly goes totally off or we have an electrical surge in space and go back to the dark ages and no one is buying and selling books. I mean, at least I'd have a candle and a Lisa Samson book, right? So my reward this week for getting my deadline in. Straight Up, by Lisa. Calm Cool and adjusted by Kristin Billerbeck, and the Kite Runner because everyone else is reading it and I'm a big fat follower. So last night I turn in my book at 9:30pm, watch all the missed Survivor shows including the finale where I felt totally ripped off. Wanted Ozzie to bring it home. at 1:30 am, I really tried to go to sleep because, well, it was 1:30 am. But all I could think of was, "I have to read that book." What if I wake up in the morning and I suddenly don't know how to read anymore? Or I can't find my glasses, OR contacts or my other pair of glasses, or the ones I had three years ago and didn't throw away. I mean, what if books are suddenly outlawed? I would live with regret for the rest of my life.... So of course I HAD to get up and start reading. But then I couldn't stop. So I stayed awake until 4 am. Where does she get her words? Her writing is magical and truly an artform. If you haven't read this woman's work and you are a booklover, you truly are missing a rich experience. I highly recommend Straight Up. Tiger Lillie, Songbird, The Church Ladies. She's tough, I'll tell you this. Lisa doesn't skirt issues. So her books are not for the faint of heart. Read, read, read. This has been a non-paid advertisement for Lisa Samson. Now back to your regularly scheduled program....