The Misadventures of Maria O'Mara, by Deborah Skelly

I recently (last week, perhaps?) bought four books, specifically to leave on my nightstand so that I can read before I fall asleep. Didn't do any research- just popped into a store and bought books based on either their covers (how can you not judge a book by its cover?!) or the (self-lauding) descriptions/blurbs printed on them

For bedtime reading, I prefer light, fluffy books that will slow my mind down, either from the amount of adjectives (usually describing shoes) or from the predictability of the plot. For instance, The Devil Wears Prada (I refuse to link to this book. It's gotten enough linkage). Perhaps a chapter or two from The Lovely Bones, (which, despite the rather grim setting, is essentially a quiet book that calms me down).

I thought that The Misadventures of Maria O'Mara was going to be such a book. Something easy to read, something light. It has a comic-ish cover, a pretty title ... how serious can it get, right??

It took a few chapters for me to realize that I wasn't going to be getting a completely breezy read. The opening was just light enough for me to continue ... but the middle and the end of the book forced me to stay up and finish reading it in one go. Until 4:00 a.m., when I have to be awake at 8:30 a.m. to go to work (by the way, work is getting busier and busier! On the plus, I met Tom Cruise last week. On the minus, I have a meeting tonight that starts at 8:30 p.m. Which means I'll get home around ... 11:00? Ugh!).

All in all, I appreciated this book. It showed (in a simplistic way, but pretty effectively) how easy a downward spiral can be, and how one can come to terms with one's own life.

It's no longer on my nightstand, but has been placed in a bookshelf. Bedtime reading it is not, but I do want to read it again.