Catch a Rising Star

Despite the fact that I usually try to read books that are at least semi-intelligent, I sure am a sucker for a candy-colored spine. That's what made me pick up Catch a Rising Star by Tracey Bateman. Then I looked at the back and saw the words "soap star" and was hooked. It's about a former soap star who gets her job back. As a soap fan, I was sucked in immediately. I knew I would like the soapy elements, but what surprised me was that this is actually a Christian book. A Christian book about a soap star? Yep. It was partly about her struggle as a Christian to be on the soap and in that world and yet remain true to her faith. It was done in what I felt like was a realistic manner. She wasn't completely against sex scenes (I don't see how you could be and be on a soap!), but she confined them to her on-screen husband. She made compelling arguments about the character and why that makes sense. It also addressed how other church-goers viewed her being on the show, and how some of them watched it but wouldn't admit to it in public. That's kind of funny nowadays since soaps are actually cleaner than your average TV show or movie. It was also about finding love (of course) and dealing with all of the backstage drama at the soap. There are two more books that are about her best friends that I can't wait to read.

Side note on why I like soaps: they have great stories! Or are supposed to anyway. The writing on some has not been stellar recently. But my Grandma always refers to them as her "stories" and that's what they are. They're an ongoing story in a way that most shows just aren't. You connect with the characters, who are there day in and day out every day for years, even decades. You come to know them and love them, and you care about what happens to them. With prime time shows, half of the time they get cancelled after the first season or so and it's like you wasted all this time getting invested and it's just gone. Plus, most of the time anyway, they have actual story arcs, not just big plot points with a little bit of filler (although that happens sometimes). Lost and Grey's Anatomy are two of the few prime time shows that actually have story arcs, where you actually feel like you're watching a story unfold. That's why I like soaps.