I read a lot of books.

Just yesterday, at the post office, the new lady (who will be new for at least another year in our small town, because she hasn’t been there for 10 years already) asked me if I ever get sick of reading.

“Nope.”

She just looked at me. (And I didn’t have a booger on my forehead. I checked afterward.)

Apparently, this is not normal.

So maybe what I provide you, dear reader, is a service. I read through all these books and point out the gems.

(I really enjoy it. And they’re mostly different levels of good.)

The book I’m highlighting today is one the best novels I’ve read this year, on par with The Rising and the Unwind series.

cover-accidental marriage

From my review today at the Register:

Marriage is a hot topic right now, as well it should be. And I have a book that’s just what this whole conversation needs.

The Accidental Marriage: A Novel (Ignatius Press), by Roger Thomas, is a take on the issue of love that not only got my attention, but that also kept me smiling.

Here’s the set-up: Scott and Megan are friends, each in separate same-sex relationships. Megan and her lover decide to have a baby, and it’s natural to Megan that Scott be the donor. As it happens, Megan gets pregnant and her lover abandons her after some abusive acts. Scott, ever the problem-solver, comes up with a plan that involves Megan moving in and being his housekeeper.

Their friendship grows, but their life sort of falls apart in the background. In the midst of this, something happens, changes, deepens.

In a recent interview at the Ignatius Press Novels blog, Thomas said this book is not a romance, but a love story.

And WHAT a love story. You owe it to yourself to read this. I read it in two days and then wrote the author and demanded another book RIGHT AWAY.

In the shorthand I use with a certain friend, “Yes. Read this.”