KEEPING THE CASTLE by Patrice Kindl

First Read: August, 2012. I read this in line for the Toy Story Midway ride at Disney's Hollywood Studios in Florida. I am not even kidding. It was a long line and a really fun book. I read a bunch of stuff in line. Hey, it beats fiddling around with my phone.

The Story: Althea is a beautiful young girl who MUST marry well. Her family (widowed mother, little brother, awful stepsisters and assorted servants) are depending on her to keep the castle that her grandfather build standing and they are going to need a LOT of money to make that happen. Althea keeps driving off men with her common sense and honesty, so when she sets her cap for Lord Boring, the new rich boy in town, she dumbs it down a lot. But she still tells it like it is with Boring's pal Mr. Fredericks, who just makes her crazy. You might be able to see where this is going, but it is very fun getting there.

Re-Read: February vacation, at my sister's house. Sure, it had only been 8 months, but I didn't remember a lot of details and I am glad I reread it. It is charming and very funny and after a winter being obsessed with DOWNTON ABBEY it was fun to step into British nobility, or at least money, even though KEEPING THE CASTLE is in a much earlier era. It is just jolly good fun.

Summer Reading Tips:

• Well, drink tea while reading it, of course. 
• You know that guy you have had a crush on forever? Take a look at his friends, they may be the reason he is so charming.
• For your project, you could make a castle out of popsicle sticks and compare it to Crawley Castle. And maybe film yourself tossing it into the sea.