Add These To Your Reading List
I find this really hard to believe, but looking back in preparation for this post, it’s been over a year since we shared the books we’ve read lately! How is that possible?! While Shelby admittedly hasn’t read much in the past year, I’m constantly reading something, so I will make a better effort to share that more often here. These kind of posts are always my favorite to read on other people’s blogs, because I like knowing that a book is worth my time from a recommendation from someone else. I also LOVE when you guys leave your recommendations in the comments, so please share what you recommend I read next! Without further adieu, here are the books I’ve read lately-
Little Fires Everywhere – I had heard good things about this book and was excited to finally pick it up. I did really enjoy it, but while there were a couple of interesting twists, I was able to see them coming, making it not as suspenseful/eventful as I maybe would have liked. It was recently announced that Reese Witherspoon and Kerry Washington have teamed up to adapt the book into a limited mini-series for Hulu that they also plan to star in. Can’t wait for that!
Still Me – Did you guys read/watch Me Before You? Did you know that there are two more books in the series? After You, and most recently Still Me. I’ve read After You, and I enjoyed it, but I think I like Still Me better. It picks up shortly after the second novel, and brings Louisa to NYC. I particularly enjoyed it, because she’s living on the Upper East Side, not far from where I currently live, so the landmarks and scenery described are all things I’m very familiar with, which just helped to really paint a clear picture of the story for me. I was almost able to read it as if I was watching it on film. If you’re a fan of the series, you’ll like this one. I promise the second and third books are WAY less sad than the first.
Sisters First – I enjoyed this book. Jena and Barbra alternated chapters, sharing stories from childhood all the way through present day. Politics aside, they definitely have an interesting family life. I watch Jena on the Today Show all the time, so I felt I knew a little more about her, but it was interesting to me to get to know Barbra through this book. Since Shelby and I are sisters, who also grew up in Texas, it was interesting to see the similarities. While Shelby and I are not twins, I found myself smiling in agreement with stories about their sisterly bond.
The Little Book of Hygge – I’m going to do a whole separate post on this topic soon, so I won’t dive to deep into it here, but the subject of hygge (pronounced HOO-GUH), is a lifestyle that the Danish people swear contributes to them consistently being ranked the world’s happiest country. And I think they are onto something…
Bachelor Nation – If you love to hate the Bachelor/Bachelorette then you’ll find this book interesting. With interviews from participants in the shows, and celebrities sharing letters of why they can’t stop watching, it takes you deep into the world of Bachelor Nation.
The Woman In The Window – This was one of my favorite books I’ve read in awhile. I’ve heard people compare it to Girl On The Train, and while it’s definitely a different kind of story, after reading it I understand the comparison. I’m usually really good at predicting where a story is going, and I did not see this one coming. At all. Also, this would make a great movie, so somebody needs to work on that. Looking at you Reese 🙂
Unqualified – I occasionally listen to Anna’s podcast of the same name, and find her advice and outlook on scenarios interesting, so I downloaded the audio book version of her book to listen to. I like to listen to the audio book version of “celebrity” books like this, because most of the time it’s them reading it, and in most cases they are actors, so they have the ability to “act out” their book in a way I find more interesting than just reading the words on the page.
Futura: A Novella – This short read (it’s less than 100 pages) is different from what I usually go for, but I found this short story to be fascinating. If you like to binge watch Black Mirror on Netflix, then I think you’d really like this. I found the premise and the setting of the story to be very interesting, but overall the storyline was a little to fast paced. I think it might be served better as a full novel where you can really flush out the individual characters. However, taking it for what it is, I found the ideas presented regarding the futuristic dystopian society thought provoking, making it worth the read for me.
*A copy of Futura: A Novella was provided to us by the publisher, but all thoughts and opinions are our own.
Ok, your turn- what have you been reading lately? Let’s start a reading list in the comments below!
-Ash