A to Z April: N Reviews - The Next Big Thing by Johanna Edwards/North and South by John Jakes

Okay, I haven't had a chick lit review in a few days, not since last week actually!  So thought I'd share one today.  The other book has romance in it, but is a great saga kind of book.

First is The Next Big Thing by Johanna Edwards.  As a single woman who has had several points in my life where I've been overweight (like the present) this book about a single woman wanting to lose weight as part of a reality tv show really was fun for me.  Here's the blurb from Goodreads.com:
In this funny, poignant debut, a plus-size heroine becomes a reality TV show contestant and discovers she's already beautiful enough to be the next big thing.

Kat Larson figured she had nothing to lose by becoming a contestant on the new reality show From Fat to Fabulous-except maybe a few dozen pounds. Then she'd finally be able to arrange a face-to-face meeting with Nick, the British hunk she met online, who still thinks she's a size four. She'd finally be confident and graceful and thin-and there's that big cash prize, too, to pay for all those slinky new clothes she'd need. She'd finally have the perfect life.

Second is North and South by John Jakes.  I first was made aware of this book when the tv series was on in the 1980s.  The one that starred Patrick Swayze.  From the show I came up with a name that at one time I wanted to use for a girl if I ever had kids. But now, I can't have kids, but if I could, thanks to Ashton Kutcher, I wouldn't be able to use it because people might think I chose it because of him.  (Ashton is the name, I wanted to do an Ashton Leigh, and call her Ashleigh for short).   The Civil War is also a time period that is always fascinating to read about, at least for me.  If you haven't heard of the book or tv mini-series, here is the blurb from Goodreads:
When their two sons meet as West Point cadets, the southern, plantation-owning Main family and the industrialist Hazards of Pennsylvania find their lives interlocked, as the nation moves toward Civil War.
Wow, that didn't tell much, but it does give you the main idea.



Have you read either of these?  Have you seen the North and South mini-series from the 80s? 

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