I'll Pay Lots of Pennies For Her Thoughts!

I know I was supposed to introduce you to a Beach Read today.  But instead, I'm going to tell you a story.

This is Penny Reid.

Not the shrimp on the left.  Penny is the other one.

One day, Penny was working as a lowly biomedical researcher when a friend started complaining about books.  The following conversation is not at all accurate, but you'll get my point:

Penny:  What don't you like about books?
Friend:  I want a book about a smart girl.  Why doesn't anyone write about smart girls?
Penny:  I bet I could write a book about a smart girl.
Friend:  I bet you couldn't.
Penny:  I bet I could.
Friend:  I bet you couldn't.
Penny:  I bet I could.
Friend:  Well what would you bet?
Penny:  I'd bet dinner.
Friend:  You're on!

So Penny went off and wrote a book about a smart girl and then ordered the steak and lobster because she won the bet.  

And that was the last Penny thought about her book.

Fast forward a little while and Penny's now one-expensive-dinner-poorer friend asks Penny to put the bet-winning book up on Amazon so her book club can read it on their Kindles.

Being the good friend that she is, Penny created a quick cover, came up with a random pen name and BOOM!  Penny's book was on Amazon.  

And that was the last Penny thought about her book.

A week-ish later, Penny remembered the book was on Amazon.  So she logged on to make sure all five book club members had downloaded the book and it could now be removed from the world wide web.  All five members had downloaded the book...along with EIGHT THOUSAND OTHER PEOPLE!!

Penny's reaction?

"No, no, no!!  You're not supposed to be reading that!"

But they were and the reviews were coming in.  Readers appeared to be very happy with the book.  So Penny sucked it up and wrote another book.  And then another.  And so on and so forth.

True story.  She tells it so much better though.

Penny's bet-winning book is called "Neanderthal Seeks Human" and it is one of my top reads of the year.  It is quirky.  It is smart.  It is fun.  It's like reading Tara Sivec with a Ph.D. and not as much sex talk.  You never know what direction it will take and some ridiculous things seem to always happen.  But, just like Tara Sivec (who is one of my favs), Ms. Reid knows how to make it work in a non-stupid way.

The main character, Janie, reminds me of a combination of Amy Farrah Fowler and Zoey Dechannel.  Super smart, full of all kinds of weird trivia and quirky to a fault.  She is awkward and endearing and you just want her to get the guy the end.  

I cannot even tell you how much fun this book was to read.  I started with the paperback, but when my husband went to bed I immediately bought the Kindle version so I could read the dark.  And I HATE spending double money on books!  But I just couldn't stop reading.  In fact, I'm still reading.  I've already moved on to "Neanderthal Marries Human" and it is just as entertaining!

I'm so, so glad I ran into Penny Reid in Kristen Ashley's line .  It was the best chance encounter I had at Book Bash!

You can get your copy of "Neanderthal Seeks Human" by clicking here.  It gets a very smart and quirky