Hello!
Hope you had a lovely holiday weekend-I can't believe the summer is half way over?
I've been on a real reading kick lately, and I love seeing what other people are talking about and thought I would recommend a few of my current reads. Summer is a great time to catch up on some reading, don't you think? I 'read' most books thru audiobooks. This time of year I am in the car alot, but I also like to have a book going on the weekends while I am cleaning or working on a project! I am a big supporter of my local library and I get most of my books from their website. Getting started with the library's download system can be a little tricky-if you need some guidance just find me on FB or Twitter and I'll help you get going. Also, I like to share books I've read with my friends on Goodreads-look me up and let's share.
A few books I have read and loved recently:
To Kill A Mockingbird
Have you heard of this little indie novel? ; ) I somehow missed reading this as a kid and all the recent talk about the new Harper Lee novel nudged me to finally read it. So so good! I fell in love with the Finch family and was genuinely surprised by several events in the book. I am really excited to read Go Set A Watchman now.Over the weekend I found the movie on YouTube and really enjoyed that as well.
Unbecoming
I read about this book in some random online article and decided to give it a shot. Its a mix of mystery and coming of age, following one character from her small town upbringing to her life in Europe. It wasn't like anything I had read before and the story kept me engaged from beginning to end. There are a few characters in the mix that frustrated the hell out of me, so much so I would 'ugh' and 'what are you doing?' out loud. That's the sign of a good story, in my opinion.
Where They Left Her and Reconstructing Amelia
I am now officially a Kimberly McCreight fan. Much like Laura Lippman she writes in the flashback/present day/various narrator style that I really like. I enjoyed Amelia more of the two, but both were very good mysteries with great character development.
The Farm
Another book I happened upon from a review online. It was ok. It is a family story, but with a lot of intrigue and back story involved. I was surprised by what transpired by the end, the middle did lose me a little. What kept me going was the uncertainty of the narrator. Who was telling the truth? Who was lying? I couldn't wait to figure that out!
Yes, Please
I am sure I am not the first blogger to recommend this to you, right? As expected it was funny and informative. What else can I add? Do yourself a favor and listen to the audio recording instead of reading the paper copy. It is an experience way beyond just reading a memoir. There are guest appearances (her parents! Patrick Stewart!) and live recordings and so many extra nuggets that make listening to it like an old style radio play in the very best way. Can't say enough good things about it!
The Marriage Plot
Did you read Middlesex? If not, add that to your reading list first. I really really loved Middlesex and was excited to read another book by Eugenides. This did not disappoint. It was not quite as engaging and thrilling as Middlesex, but I still really enjoyed it! His writing style is witty, quick, maybe a tad too verbose (the literary references started to remind me of guys I knew in college who tried to wow you with their vocabulary). I also had the experience (like in Unbecoming) of yelling at some of the characters while in my car listening to this. If I care enough to get mad about some of their choices I know I am into a book! Read this soon (after you read Middlesex).
BTW: Have you read Virgin Suicides? Should I read it too?
Next on my list is Mr. Mercedes. I also have a girls' weekend coming up that I need to find a good paperback to take. Any suggestions?
Please note that affiliate links are used throughout this post. If you click thru to Amazon a small portion of your purchase comes back here to help support this site. All opinions I shared are my own-Amazon does not bribe me to recommend books I hate = ). Thanks as always for all your support!
Have a great week, y'all and feel free to share your book recommendations in the comments!
Michelle