Books!

Every year, my mom, sister, and I make reading goals on Goodreads for how many books we want to read that year. This year, I made mine 40 and I'm crushing it so far (if I do say so myself). I've been so enjoying some of the books I've read recently so I wanted to share them here. Book nerds, unite!!

Here are a few of my top favorites:

Manhattan Beach was really beautifully written and made me sad to leave the story. Definitely not an upper, but it's a great story and the characters feel real.

Next Level Basic - you can give me shit for loving this one all you want, but it was actually really fun and surprisingly really empowering. Like whatever you like and don't apologize for it!

The Silent Patient - finally a book with a believable twist! The ultimate quick read whose ending you probably won't guess, I sure didn't.

Code Name Lise - it took me a bit to get into this one, but once I did, I couldn't put it down. This woman was so inspirational. I love that the author wrote her truthfully; she was flawed, but insanely brave and kick ass. And also, next time I complain about something, remind me that I've never had all my toenails pried off without SAYING A PEEP.

Daisy Jones & The Six - this book was so well written and the characters so believeable, that I kept wanting to google the band like it wasn't a piece of fiction. I immediately checked out a book by the same author because I loved this one so much.

The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo - same author as the book above and just as good a book. Oh man, I love how she writes people. You want to hug them, slap them, and be them all at once. And borrow their wardrobes...

Maybe You Should Talk to Someone - this book made me cry a couple times and ultimately made me want to try even harder in therapy.

Sleeping Beauties - I have obnoxiously sung the praises of this book to everyone in my family and I don't care! It's so good! Go read it! 

What books are you guys reading right now?

Blogger Book Swap Link Up

For the Blogger Book Swap Link Up this week, we're supposed to talk about what books have our favorite covers, books that surprised us based on the cover, and whether or not we judge a book by its cover.  I, for one, get really drawn to books with cool covers, but I judge a book by reading the first couple of sentences and seeing if I want to read more.  I honestly could not think of a favorite book cover or book that I've been surprised was good when its cover was bad.  I can remember books that have shocked me with plot twists, drawn me in through their characters, or romanced me with their words, but when it came to covers I was drawing a total blank.  So instead I Googled cool book covers and here are some for you to enjoy.  (When in doubt, Google it.)

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Not the new Leo movie cover, thankyouverymuch.

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Oh man, how good is Beowulf?!  One English professor read it to us in the original language and it was cool.  Like, transports you back in time cool.  Love it.

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What about you, do you have a favorite book cover?

Blogger Book Swap Link Up

Hey All!  For today's Blogger Book Swap Link Up, we're supposed to talk about cities we love to read about.  Martie over at Spunkyrella, for instance, tends to gravitate towards books set in New York City because of her love for that town.  I browsed through the lists of my favorite books and realized that my tastes really go all over the place.  I think I might be attracted to books that take place travelling or in multiple places rather than in specific cities.  I also seem to be drawn to books where the setting doesn't necessarily matter; where it's more about the people and the changes they are going through and what they're experiencing.

To keep with the theme of the Link Up though, I picked a couple books that I have loved in large part due to their settings.  Here they are!

The Devil in White City by Erik Larson

I cannot say enough about this book.  It's one of the best, most compelling non-fiction books out there.  The descriptions of Chicago are gritty and fantastical and beautiful and you really feel like you can see, smell, and hear everything that Larson is describing.  I love visiting Chicago as it is today and it was really interesting to learn about how it was then and to learn about the fair that I never knew took place there.

Bangkok 8, Bangkok Tattoo, & Bangkok Haunts by John Burdett

I think I wrote those in the wrong order, but I'm too lazy to fix it.  I just woke up, alright?  Regardless, these books are incredibly exciting, compelling, and terrifying due in much part to their setting of Bangkok.  Burdett describes the surroundings in an incredibly static, frightening, and mysterious way which really sets up the feel for the entire book and its many mysteries.  It makes you want to visit Bangkok....but with a really buff guide to protect you.

Do you guys have a favorite setting for your books?

Five Books Every Young Woman Should Read Link Up

Hey guys!  I'm linking up again today with Summer Book Swap ladies for a book-centric post.  This time, it's the five books every young woman should read.

This was actually way harder than I thought it would be.  Partly, because I have an awful memory and partly because I read a lot of books that are inappropriate for young girls.  Here are my random five:

He's Just Not That Into You

My mom got me this book while I was "dating" someone who just so clearly was not into me, but I was of course head over heels, head buried in the sand, major denial, in love with him.  It was KIND of insulting at the time, but seriously, it helped.

Are You There God?  It's Me, Margaret

Or you know, anything by Judy Blume.  No one better encapsulated what it was to be a young girl than Judy Blume.  Fun fact, her more adult novels are pretty dirty.  Good stuff.

Memoirs of a Geisha

This might seem like a weird choice, but I think it's a very non-graphic way to introduce women to sexism, sexual enslavement, abuse, and all manner of things that women then were faced with.  It's also an amazing novel of female strength, perseverance, and courage.  And it's beautifully written to boot.

A Little Princess

I don't have the proper words for this one.  You just have to.  Every girl has to.  It's so good and beautiful and sad and courageous and fantastical.  I have vivid memories of reading this book and having it transport me so far away with its words.  Ohhhh I love this one.

She's Come Undone

This one has some pretty adult themes in it, but any young woman struggling with depression should read this book.  It examines depression, weight issues, being self conscious, being unhappy, being hurt by men...all of these things in an incredibly honest and heart breaking way.  It's also, like most of the books on my list, a great testament to how women can persevere regardless of what is thrown at them.

What are your Top Five Books Every Young Woman Should Read?

My Top Three Favorite Books

(Full disclosure, I typed that title accidentally the first time as My Top Three Favorite Drinks...that says so much about me)

Today, I'm doing a link-up over at I Believe In Story of my top three favorite books as a kick-off for our summer book club.  You might remember, one of my goals back in March was to read two books that month.  I failed, pathetically.  It was not cute.  I could feel all my English professors glaring at me through the tv I was watching instead of reading. Bad English major, bad.

So to help offset that, I joined up with this awesome group of bloggers for a book club and I can't wait!  To start it off, we're all linking up to talk about our top three favorite books to get to know each other a little better.  Here are mine!

One:  In Cold Blood

I remember reading this book in one of my first major courses and it had a huge affect on me.  I can't completely put my finger on what it is about this particular book, but I remember being blown away by how Capote got you, as the reader, to sympathize and even like one of the "bad guys" in this book.  It was the most complex character I had ever read; it made me look at characters in a different way.  I'm not explaining this right, but I just can't shake the influence reading this book had on how I look at writing.

Two:  Harry Potter (All)

I know this is a total cop-out, but I can't pick a favorite one...I can't!  I hadn't jumped on the HP bandwagon until Mike and I started dating.  He is a total HP lover and re-reads the books every single summer.  I hadn't ever been so sucked into a series before like I was with these books.  I've also never re-read a book before and I re-read these all the time.  There are few books where you get THIS invested in your characters.  I also, as cheesy as this sounds, love the lessons in these books...come on people, they're uplifting!  They're just so good, you have to be an HP nerd to understand...

Three:  The Joy Luck Club

I tend to be drawn towards books and movies that follow multiple story lines like this one does.  I love this book.  I also approve of the movie which is rare with me and movies made from books.  The themes in this book hit so many nerves, love, family, friendship, pain, war, etc.  I love every single character and love how flawed they all are.  I realized while writing this, part of what I love about this book is how affected everyone is by their own past which is something I definitely see in myself.  It's just beautifully written, can't say enough.

 

What are your top three favorite books?