Sunday, September 17, 2017

Books I Read This Summer

One thing that I have already begun to realize that I am going to miss as this school year picks up is reading for pleasure. I've never been the best at closing my laptop and picking up a book before bed since I always find that there is more work to be done. Somehow in the summer when the workload lessens and sitting by the pool becomes an option I am much better about getting in the groove of reading. If you've somehow missed the book recommendation series I have going on the blog, Novels with Nell, then you may not know that I'm also not the best at straying from my preferred genres and reading what friends recommend. In my defense however, one of the books on this list is one that Nell recommended (for the better part of two years...) so maybe I am getting better at that as well. 


I am including below all of the books I read this summer either by the pool, in bed, or on a plane. I honestly think I read more this summer than I did all of senior year. It's amazing what you make time for when you have a bit of free time to spare. I decided it would be fun to go ahead and say whether or not I'd recommend each of the books since I did read some that were a bit of a dud in my opinion. Different strokes for different folks though and y'all may love one of the books that wasn't my favorite so I may as well include them all. 

Some of y'all may remember from previous posts that my taste in books is a little funky. I like to jump from scary psychological thrillers to self help books which makes my book shelf look a bit strange. With that disclaimer aside I think that there is just about something for everyone on this list. 

Self-Help / Nonfiction

You Are A Bad Ass (toss up)
This was a pool side read between psychological thrillers. While it definitely is good and worth being talked about (as it is by so many people) it wasn't one of my favorite self help style books. There are different sections in the book that include money, love, etc and while there are some good takeaways overall it wouldn't be the first book I'd recommend.

The Defining Decade (my top recommendation of this list)
I flew through this book. Holy cow was it good! I had a number of friends look at the title of this book and think it as going to be discouraging to 20 somethings but it is the exact opposite. This book highlights why your 20's can be such a pivotal time in your life without scaring you that you're not making the most of them or making you feel behind. I have recommended this book to so many friends and continue to do so. Nell and I actually read this book at the same time and I piped up on her Novels with Nell about it because I liked it so much. Not only does it include tips but it also includes stories about the difference that taking these tips to heart can make. 

Love Lives Here (recommend)
If you've ever read Love Does by Bob Goff you may recognize this author considering it is his wife. This is a faith based book with short chapters making it the perfect before bed read since you don't have o completely remember the last chapter for the book to make sense. The stories in the book relate to some life experience or impactful decision that the author made and it's a nice encouraging non-fiction read. 

Psychological Thrillers

Bittersweet (wouldn't recommend)
I read this book at our beach house this summer and was so mad at the ending. The decisions made by the characters were not the most "moral" and ended up frustrating me so much that I left the book at the beach. In retrospect I probably shouldn't have done that since someone may think to pick it up and read it but then I'd have someone to vent my frustrations of the book to. 

The Girl on the Train (recommend)
I think this book is hyped a little bit more than it should be. The cover and a number of reviews compare it to Gone Girl (which I read and loved) but I didn't think it pulled the reader in quite as much. Regardless, it is still really good and the ending was a bit more surprising than I had anticipated. A good pool side read if you like a murder mystery that is written in diary-esque form. 

This was my favorite psychological thriller of the the summer. After I finished reading it I was still making connections to different parts of the plot which is the sign of a good book. It's set on a luxury cruise liner and you can't help but believe the protagonist throughout the story. Would highly recommend this book. 

The Husband's Secret (recommend)
This was one of the first books I read this summer. It took a while to understand what was happening with the three different families that took over various chapters but once you made the connection the plot really started to pick up. This book is written by the same author who wrote Big Little Lies. It does switch perspectives a lot but was a good read with a lot of unexpected aspects. 

In a Dark, Dark Wood (currently reading)
I just started this book the other day so I don't feel like it is fair to state whether or not I recommend it. It's written by the same author as The Woman in Cabin Ten so I'm expecting to love it as much as I loved that one.

Beach Reads

Whistlin' Dixie in a Nor'Easter (Nell's recommendation)
I am finally reading this book based on Nell's recommendation. I'm a little over halfway through with it but picked up In a Dark, Dark Wood to read at the same time. While this book is good I don't think I've really gotten to the point where it's really hooking me. If you like girly or southern books then this is a good pick for you! 

I hope that y'all are enjoying your Sunday!

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