In case you haven't already noticed, (spoiler alert!) I'm a huge bookworm. Yep. It's true. Over the summer, I had so much time on my hands that I was reading a few books a month. Talk about bliss! Lately, I have a lot of other things taking up my time (work, wedding planning, football games, Netflix...) so I've been reading quite a bit less. I've actually had to renew the books pictured above two different times because I just can't find the time to curl up and enjoy them.
Quick Side Note- When I say "renew" I do mean from the library because HECK YES I use the library! I don't think enough people utilize their public libraries and I don't understand why. Even if I could afford to purchase every book I wanted to read, it's pretty rare that I read a book more than once and they just begin to take up so much space! So I try to only purchase books that I truly love and want stored on my bookshelf forever. In the meantime, the library is my best friend. Huge nerdy shout out to public libraries everywhere! You guys rock.
Now that I got that out of my system, here's some of the books I've read over the past few months:
Love & Treasure by Ayelet Waldman (not pictured): This book shares different fictional stories that are linked together by events related to the The Hungarian Gold Train during World War II. I'd be lying if I said I wasn't a sucker for love stories with happy endings and while this book did include love, there were no happy endings (in my opinion). Overall, I found myself pretty bored and constantly waiting for something exciting to happen. ★★☆☆☆
A Spool of Blue Thread by Ann Tyler (not pictured): A Spool of Blue Thread takes you across three generations of the Whitshank family. Each chapter shares the stories, thoughts, and secrets of a different family member. Typically, I love stories that include narratives from each character and in this book I felt that it really gave you a better understanding of the entire family dynamic. However, it felt like I was reading a diary. There was no real plot or storyline which made me feel like I learned a bit about each character for nothing. ★☆☆☆☆
The Pilot's Wife by Anita Shreve: This book was recommended by a friend and I'm glad I finally checked it out. It begins with Kathryn, the wife of a pilot, being woken up in the middle of the night to learn her husband has died in a plane crash. Everything spirals from there and let me just tell you it is heartbreaking! Get your tissues ready! As if reading about losing a loved one isn't sad enough, there are several unexpected twists in the story that broke my heart even more. ★★★★☆
Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert: I know this book has been around for a while but I've never read it or seen the movie so it was a completely new experience for me. I LOVED IT. I could relate to almost everything Elizabeth wrote about and I felt incredibly inspired reading it all. I think at times we all rely too much on other people and things to make us feel happy and complete, and I loved that she was searching to find that happiness solely within herself. Plus, food and travel are two of my favorite things in life, so I couldn't get enough! Definitely one of my favorite books ever. ★★★★★
The Rosie Project by Graeme Simsion: If you're looking for a cute love story with a quirky main character (think Silver Linings Playbook combined with The Big Bang Theory), then this is the book for you. I loved it because the story and characters were so odd and unique. It was a happy, light read that didn't remind me of every other romantic comedy out there. I thought it was funny and charming and I was definitely rooting for the Sheldon Cooper-esque main character the entire time. ★★★★☆
The Paris Wife by Paula McLain: I love reading historical fiction, so when I came across this novel about Ernest Hemingway's first wife I knew it had to check it out. I think what I loved most about this book was the historical details. The 1920's are always interesting years to read about (I mean really, how did people drink and party and dance nonstop and still look fabulous?) and when you combine this with a beautiful Paris backdrop and famous characters, you're bound to have a good story. The only downside was that Ernest and Hadley's tale is truly heart wrenching at times and I wish that in the book, and in life, there had been a happier ending for them both. ★★★☆☆
To Kill A Mocking Bird by Harper Lee: With all the excitement this year over the release of Go Set a Watchman, I realized that I had never actually read To Kill a Mockingbird. How is that possible? I really have no clue! I could have sworn I read it in school, but who knows. After reading it now, I can see why it's such a classic. There's so much you can dissect and discuss about this book but I'll let you find all of that in other scholarly articles online. I'll just say, I like that a lot of the writing was simple and to the point and I loved that such real and controversial moments were shared through the point of view of a child. Plus, who doesn't love Atticus? ★★★★☆
Eight Hundred Grapes by Laura Dave: Now this was an enjoyable novel about a family. Although my family doesn't have our own vineyard, I felt like I could relate to quite a few things in the story. Similar to the main character, I also have brothers whom I still want to share childhood traditions with whenever I see them, despite that fact that we are all getting older and living our own lives. This story takes you along the rollercoaster of family drama and reminds you of how it feels to come home. Plus, it's set in a beautiful place that will make you want to guzzle wine while you read. I did and it was lovely. ★★★★☆
At the Water's Edge by Sara Gruen: I have been wanting to read this book for a while because Water for Elephants is high on my list of favorite books ever. Like Water for Elephants, this includes a thrilling love story and a historical time frame. You can't go wrong with that! It also takes place in Scotland, which I love because Scotland is one of the coolest and most beautiful places ever. If I'm being honest, I thought the beginning was pretty boring and I almost gave up. I'm so glad I didn't because things quickly pick up and before I knew it I was hooked. ★★★★☆
I'm currently reading Yes Please by Amy Poehler and it's the BEST. She's so cool and funny and I basically want to be her best friend. After that, A Fall of Marigolds by Susan Meissner and We Were Liars by E. Lockhart are on my list.
What good books have you read recently? Let me know!
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