As a kid I remember the library hosting reading challenges every summer. You’d fill out your list, win prizes, and hopefully not lose too much of your brain power over the school break. Working full time and being an adult means there isn’t really a great amount of difference in free time each season, but there is something about summer that makes me want to read more books, faster. Here are the books I’ve read recently and what’s on my list. Let’s be friends on Goodreads so we can get recommendations from each other!
What I’ve Read
London by Edward Rutherfurd
This was an epic book (all his books are sagas). All of Rutherfurd’s stories follow families in a certain city/country for generations and it was interesting to learn more about how London has developed over the years. Now I am anxiously awaiting the publication of his next book, China.
What Alice Forgot by Liane Moriarty
After I read a Rutherfurd book, I always need a quick, easy read to clean my palate – enter, What Alice Forgot. This book tells the story of a woman who gets a head injury and thinks it’s a decade earlier, forgetting her divorce, change of friends, and even her children. It was the book I needed, when I needed it.
The Vatican Princess by C.W. Gortner
Nope. Not for me. I had high hopes because I love historical fiction and am interested in the life of Lucrezia Borgia. However, the book fell far short of expectations and actually inspired me to create a new rule for myself – I will not read any book that gets less than a 4 star rating on Goodreads. It’s just not worth it, especially because I’m the type of person who has to finish a book once I start it. Can’t afford to put myself in that position again!
 |
| Photo Credit: Ally Marcino |
The Secret History by Donna Tartt
Ok, now we’re talking. This was a beautifully written book (definitely could use some pacing work, and probably could have ended a hundred pages sooner) and it had been on my list for a while so I was glad to finally get to it. The story follows college students who find themselves in a series of issues, including murder, alcoholism, near death by freezing, you know, the usual college stuff, and is done in the best way possible.
Originals by Adam Grant
Here comes the non-fiction. Grant presents ways to have creative, and original ideas, and how your environment and childhood influences you. If you want to harness your creativity and learn how best to present your ideas, this is a quick read that will give you great tips and make you think.
America’s First Daughter by Stephanie Dray
I do not like Thomas Jefferson. Before reading this book I would have said I hated the man (there’s far too many reasons to get into now). Even though you absolutely must take historical fiction at its word of being fiction, this book humanized Jefferson for me and I have a greater appreciation for the sacrifices of the founding fathers.
Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel
This is the first dystopian book I’ve picked up in a while. A great flu sweeps over the earth, killing more than 90% of the population. We follow those who survived and go back in time to learn more about the world and people who were left behind. With short chapters, I was able to fly through this book.
 |
| Photo Credit: Ally Marcino |
What I want to read
Here are the goal books for the rest of the summer:
- My Dear Hamilton by Stephanie Dray
- A Man Called Ove by Fredrik Backman
- The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood
What have you read recently? What’s on your list for the summer? I’d love to hear your recommendations!
-AJF
Leave a Reply