The other day I thought to myself, "wow! I've read so many books in the past few months!" and then I tried in vain to pat myself on the back and eventually sat down to tally them up and ... six. I have read six. So, I thought wrong or my memory is extra awful these days - who knows.
But! All six of them were pretty good so I thought I'd share the love in case you're in the market for something to read from the candy genre. I tend to (slash always) read to unwind or escape during naps or at the end of the day. I should get into something a little more heady one of these days. Maybe I will. Maybe I won't.
1. The Expats - recommended by my sweet sister-in-law this book deviates a bit from my usual nosedive into all things easy and breezy. I'll admit I got a little bit confused at parts so sometimes I'd have to read back through the pages trying to figure out if I missed something. My blonde roots don't lie. Anyway, It was probably the closest to a thriller (hmm unless Gone Girl counts) I've read in a long time and the change of pace was really nice.
2. The Husband's Secret - I suspected I would love this and I suspected correctly. I zipped right through it and enjoyed how well the epilogue tied everything together so nicely afterwards. I highly recommend this to all.
3. What Alice Forgot - Even though I knew the premise and the ending before I started this book I still really loved reading it. And now I'm petrified that I'm well on my way to becoming a raging b of a wife and mother. Mostly kidding. But - five more stars for this one.
4. Beautiful Ruins - I was SO excited to read this because it seemed right up my alley but it took about half the book for me to get into it. But I'm glad I stuck with it because the uphill climb was worth the downhill ride in the second half. That was a dumb thing to type. This isn't devourable but definitely enjoyable.
5. Yes Please - I grabbed this on a whim at the airport last Friday and finished it on my flights down to Florida because Amy is great. I loved that this book was hilarious and self deprecating but also serious at the appropriate times. I found the entire thing to be fascinating and appreciated how honest she was about her rise to fame. I'm sure it's not for everyone but I'd highly recommend it to all of my friends.
6. Family Pictures - and I grabbed this on Sunday on my way back to St. Louis and finished it on the flights because it was easy and a good story. Jane Green is good at that sort of thing and I was so thankful for the distraction from my perch in middle seat 22b where I was sandwiched between two people with no respect for the unspoken personal bubble of space on airplanes.
And on my list to read next:
Big Little Lies
The Rules of Inheritance
and ...... what else? Tell me.
If you want.
And now I'm off to hunt down some sort of magical Whole30 friendly personal pan pizza to celebrate my great reading success.
Bye.
But! All six of them were pretty good so I thought I'd share the love in case you're in the market for something to read from the candy genre. I tend to (slash always) read to unwind or escape during naps or at the end of the day. I should get into something a little more heady one of these days. Maybe I will. Maybe I won't.
1. The Expats - recommended by my sweet sister-in-law this book deviates a bit from my usual nosedive into all things easy and breezy. I'll admit I got a little bit confused at parts so sometimes I'd have to read back through the pages trying to figure out if I missed something. My blonde roots don't lie. Anyway, It was probably the closest to a thriller (hmm unless Gone Girl counts) I've read in a long time and the change of pace was really nice.
2. The Husband's Secret - I suspected I would love this and I suspected correctly. I zipped right through it and enjoyed how well the epilogue tied everything together so nicely afterwards. I highly recommend this to all.
3. What Alice Forgot - Even though I knew the premise and the ending before I started this book I still really loved reading it. And now I'm petrified that I'm well on my way to becoming a raging b of a wife and mother. Mostly kidding. But - five more stars for this one.
4. Beautiful Ruins - I was SO excited to read this because it seemed right up my alley but it took about half the book for me to get into it. But I'm glad I stuck with it because the uphill climb was worth the downhill ride in the second half. That was a dumb thing to type. This isn't devourable but definitely enjoyable.
5. Yes Please - I grabbed this on a whim at the airport last Friday and finished it on my flights down to Florida because Amy is great. I loved that this book was hilarious and self deprecating but also serious at the appropriate times. I found the entire thing to be fascinating and appreciated how honest she was about her rise to fame. I'm sure it's not for everyone but I'd highly recommend it to all of my friends.
6. Family Pictures - and I grabbed this on Sunday on my way back to St. Louis and finished it on the flights because it was easy and a good story. Jane Green is good at that sort of thing and I was so thankful for the distraction from my perch in middle seat 22b where I was sandwiched between two people with no respect for the unspoken personal bubble of space on airplanes.
And on my list to read next:
Big Little Lies
The Rules of Inheritance
and ...... what else? Tell me.
If you want.
And now I'm off to hunt down some sort of magical Whole30 friendly personal pan pizza to celebrate my great reading success.
Bye.
I'm listening to Yes, Please on audible right now and loving it. I've cried almost as much as I've laughed, which I'm sure is completely normal because newborn and oh hey, hormones! But seriously, love her, love this book. She's my spirit animal.
ReplyDeleteI'm salivating at the chance to read big little lies, I do wish the library would just place my name at the top of the hold list, forever and ever, amen. I gobbled up My husbands secret in record time and now I'm all, hello (free) library book, could you hurry?!
ReplyDeleteI'm currently reading two books (because I have the attention span of a fruit fly) -- Life in Motion (abt a ballerina) and a book on Marathons, which, in hindsight I should have read BEFORE my first marathon last month, but, details.
I've read every single one of Jodi Picoult's books...die hard fan right here....and have loved every single one. They are not everyone's cup of tea, but they are always mesmerizing, surprising, and hard to put down.
ReplyDeleteWell, 6 books in a few months has me beat with 6 books in over a year so I'd say you are Winning in the book department! Love getting new book recs though, really, even though I don't get around to reading as much as I would like. I am just about to start Gone Girl (late to the party) and then I'm a sucker for Nicholas Sparks books and any book about a real life person (memoir, autobiography) is my jam....so Yes Please is on my list! I just LOVE a good book about a person's real life....sucks me in every single time...like have you read I didn't Come Here to Make Friends by Courtney Robertson?!!! You would likey and maybe we already discussed this cause it's sounding familiar as I type...anywho, that's all!
ReplyDeleteI still remember when we got personal pan pizzas for reading!!! I missed that.
ReplyDeleteI loved The Husband's Secret and got through half of What Alice Forgot before the library copy I had expired and I never bothered re-checking out. Maybe I'll have to go back to it!
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ReplyDeleteI'm in the middle of "Still Star-Crossed" by Melinda Taub. It's a continuation of the Capulet/Montague story, with cousins of Romeo and Juliet as the main characters. It's for teens, and pretty much the ultimate in fluff, but also highly enjoyable. So far, anyway.
ReplyDeleteGoing to add these to my list.
ReplyDeleteI just read Hannah Coulter by Wendell Berry because I am terribly behind the times and SO GOOD. Read it! I need to read the rest in the series. Last year (I know ... so bad) I read May the Road Rise to Meet You and The Shoemaker's Wife, and I loved both.
I loved What Alice Forgot. The Husband's Secret was okay. I love most of Jodi Picoult's books (someone mentioned that up above). I just read Orphan Train, which I LOVED. Such a good story. I'm on the waiting list at the library for Big Little Lies, and Jan Karon's new book - I love all the Mitford ones. And John Grisham. Love him too. I just love reading, period.
ReplyDeleteI've gone through a major Liane Moriarity phase (started with The Husband's Secret, then devoured all 5 of her other books) lately--thanks pregnancy insomnia! I'm at a complete loss for what to read next. Your post came at the perfect time!
ReplyDeleteOkay can I get a quick run down of how you manage to read so much? I don't even watch TV but I can never seem to find 10 minutes to myself to read the stack of books I have collecting dust. You are amazing, seriously. I can only hope when baby number four arrives I can figure out a schedule, but I am adding these to my reading list!
ReplyDeleteJust finished Jane and Lizzy and it fits nicely into your candy genre. And it was good!
ReplyDeleteI highly recommend anything by JoJo Moyes - I have read both Me Before You and The Girl You Left Behind and they were fabulous.
ReplyDeleteI second "Me Before You." I also really enjoyed "Delicious" by Ruth Reichl. She writes so well and is so descriptive, it was easy to get sucked into that book.
ReplyDeleteMake paleomg.com 5 ingredient spaghetti squash pizza pie - as close as you'll get to a deep dish
ReplyDelete"You Should Have Known".
ReplyDeleteThe Borrower or the Hundred Year House...both by my talented friend Rebecca Makkai
ReplyDeleteThe Rosie Project by. Graeme Simsion is heartwarming and funny : )
ReplyDeleteOthers have mentioned "Me Before You" so I will as well - really good read. I am a fan of "Reconstructing Amelia" by Kimberly McCreight (Gone Girl style book) and "A Hundred Summers" by Beatriz Williams.
ReplyDeleteI went to the library and got some books that you had mentioned somewhere else.. maybe in a linkup or guest spot on someone else's blog.. (is that kind of creepy?)… Anyway, loved the recommendations and have been devouring books for the past few weeks… now I feel that maybe I've been neglecting the Squids a bit… hmmm
ReplyDeleteThe Secret Keeper - so so good! A page turner with a stunning end. Loved it!
ReplyDeleteYou have to read Wednesday Wars. It's technically young adult fiction, but uplifting and funny and well-written.
ReplyDeleteGone girl and Brain on Fire!!
ReplyDeleteOhh, some of these are on my list! Going to look into the others. I wish I could make the time to read. I enjoy it, and it's relaxing, so, it should be easy for me to make time for it, right? Nah, I'd rather read blogs. ;-) Must. Make. Time.
ReplyDeleteThe Good Girl by Mary Kubica, The Last Letter from your Lover by Jojo Moyes and The Silent Wife by A.S.A. Harrison
ReplyDeleteWith What Alice Forgot and The Husbands Secret, have you read Where Did you Go Bernadette? I loved the first two and couldn't put the third one down. So glad to see someone with same taste in books, I was needed a new book. www.eatallovertheworld.weebly.com
ReplyDeleteHaha I have! I didn't like it at all - what's my problem? My friends loved it so I think I'm just nuts!!
DeleteI just got Amy's audio book today, it only came out in the U.K. today. I am so excited to list to it.
ReplyDeletehttp://worldbloggers.net/
I am currently reading The Lost Wife by Alyson Richman, and I am having trouble putting it down. I am at work today and all I can think about is reading it! It's about WWII/the Holocaust, so that can be tough subject matter if you're not freakily interested in it like I am, but it is just so beautifully written. I can't wait to see where it goes.
ReplyDeleteThe Memory Book was fantastic, and The Story of Beautiful Girl were both fantastic books. Absolutely fantastic. Add them to your list!
ReplyDeleteFor some light, fun reading I suggest reading first Daddy Long Legs by Jean Webster and then Dear Mr. Knightly. The second is a modern adaptation of the first and both are epistolary novels - which I happen to enjoy.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the suggestions, Grace. Have a great day!
I loved Dear Mr. Knightley! I'd also recommend anything by Rainbow Rowell, particularly Attachments or Fangirl.
DeleteI'm just now starting Gone Girl but because I'm a total chicken, I'm only reading it during the day... if I read it before I go to bed, I know I'm going to have super creepy nightmares and I need me some serious beauty sleep. I recently read The Night Circus and loved it - just the right balance of light read, mystery-ish, and a love story. I loved Unbroken, but whoa brother it is heavy. Here are a few others I've read! http://thenancefamilia.wordpress.com/books/
ReplyDeleteI'm going to be finishing What Alice Forgot today. I keep envisioning what the me from 10 years ago would think about the me now. I think I'm doing ok, but I'm not sure. I'm always looking for new books, thanks Grace and commenters for recommendations!
ReplyDeleteMe Before You and We Were Liars!!
ReplyDeleteAbout half way through "yes, please"...so good! Have you read b.j. novak's book "one more thing?" such a fun easy read and hilarious!
ReplyDeleteBeautiful Ruins has sat on my bookshelf for quite a few months now. I was also beyond excited to read it after passing it on three separate occasions in a local bookstore, but I just cannot get into it! I'm glad I'm not the only one who felt like it was really an uphill battle. Maybe I'll give it another try just to get to the second half.
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ReplyDeleteYay! I read almost all the other books from your other post and loved them! We have very similar taste in reading material. Easy, breezy all the way. My brain ain't able to function at the end of no day. Ok, I don't really talk like that. Apparently, my brain isn't functioning right now either because that was an attempt at humor.
ReplyDeletePS. Gone Girl was sooooo good! I was stumped at the end of the 1st section because I had no idea what could possibly happen in the next 2/3 of the book. Boy, did they surprise me! Loved.It.
I couldn't even get through the uphill of Beautiful Ruins so I applaud you.
ReplyDeleteI'm listening to The Silkworm...good but LONG. Just finished Reconstructing Amelia, very good!
All the light we cannot see - Anthony Doerrs
ReplyDeleteI love your book list. I have downloaded Rules of Inheritance, sounds like a good read.
ReplyDeleteI recommend Crazy Rich Asians (a lot of characters and can be confusing because of that at times, but quick fun read), Engagements by J. Courtney Sullivan (Commencement and Maine are good too) and you can't go wrong with anything by Kristin Hannah. Happy Reading.
I totally read this and then went and bought 3 of them from Better World Books--I really needed some new book candy recs!! I was going to tell you to try "Where'd You Go, Bernadette", which I really liked...but I see above that it wasn't a winner...so..."The Time Traveler's Wife" (oldie but goodie) or...something by Anne Tyler?
ReplyDeleteI actually read two of those recently. I read Beautiful Ruins b/c we were in Cinque Terre, but I was fairly meh on it (but not on Cinque Terre!). Agreed on The Husband's Secret.
ReplyDeleteI couldn't get into what Alice forgot but big little lies is AMAZING and I also ditched beautiful ruins halfway through
ReplyDelete