Add These To Your Reading List
I don’t know what is is about the summer months, but I tend to read more than usual. I think it’s because it’s been so hot in NYC (and Dallas) that I don’t want to get out and do anything. Instead I opt for sitting right by my AC unit on high with an iced coffee and a cozy blanket (for when I get too cold from the AC) with a book in hand. Are you an e-book or paper book kind of person? Have I talked about this before? These days I am an e-book kind of gal. It’s for a couple of reasons really. The first being that there is just not a lot of space in New York apartments for lots and lots of books. I keep a small collection of my favs (Harry Potter is obviously included) but that’s it! The second reason is that I am a very fast reader, and I’m often reading more than one book at a time. It’s just more practical from a travel/space situation to have all my books stored on my iPad. Anyways, I’ve read quite a few books this summer I wanted to share with you guys. Here are the books I’ve read lately-
Sourdough – Warning, this book will have you craving bread. I don’t even like bread that much (and I’m sensitive to gluten) but I found myself wishing I had some hot fresh out of the oven bread to munch on. The story is one of a girl who works in the tech industry in San Fransisco, doesn’t cook, and orders take out every day from the same place. When the owners of the restaurant have to unexpectedly move away, they leave their sourdough starter with her along with instructions on how to care for it. Then comes the series of trial and error as she learns to bake bread and selling it becomes a successful side business for her. Applying her skills from the tech industry, and her access to robots, she takes on the challenge of further upping her productivity as she sets her eyes on selling at this exclusive new tech food market. There is an element of fantasy to this book, but overall it was a funny and lighthearted read.
When Life Gives You Lululemons – This is a follow up to The Devil Wears Prada (which I’m assuming all of you have at least seen the movie), and I have to say is much better than the author’s previous follow up novel (Revenge Wears Prada). This novel is told from Emily’s perspective, and let’s be honest she has always been the most interesting character in this series, so there is a lot to pull from. It takes place in Greenwich, CT, which serves as the suburbs for Manhattan’s elite. Since we last saw her, Emily is married and is living in Hollywood working as an image consultant for celebrities. When a former supermodel gets arrested for a DUI, she hires Emily to help her. Along the way, Miranda Priestly (yes, she makes an appearance) emerges as a helpful ally. While we some aspects of this book I thought were very far fetched, overall it is a fun beach read that you can get through quickly.
Crazy Rich Asians – I never read this book when it was popular a few years ago. I recently saw the trailer for the upcoming movie, and was intrigued, so I decided to give it a read. I’m glad I did as I really liked it! The story is a classic boy takes girl home to meet his family after dating for a few years, while he is acting as best man in his best friends wedding back home. What she doesn’t know is that his family is one of the wealthiest families in Asia, and this wedding is essentially Asia’s royal wedding. Everyone who is anyone is in attendance. The family automatically hates her, as they think she is just after their money, even though she had no idea. The story takes some unexpected twists and turns and it was hard for me to put down. I thought the ending was a little unsatisfying, but I just learned it’s a 3 part series! So I’m looking forward to picking up the next book in the series soon!
All We Ever Wanted – The latest novel by Emily Giffin was an interesting one. It takes place in Nashville among the cities elite, and one family is torn apart when they find their son is at the center of a social media scandal. The story is very topical, and all of the characters were very well developed. There were twists and turns throughout that kept me guessing and engaged. But the end was so anti-climactic, it’s as if Giffin just got tired of writing it and handed it off to someone else to finish. It felt disconnected. Overall I think the book is worth reading, just prepare yourself for a weird ending.
Not Perfect – What would you do if you woke up one morning to find your husband had moved out and left a note “I’ll tell them what you did”? That’s where we drop in on the main character. Without a job (she was a stay at home mom), the main character has to figure out how to take care of her family. This premise sounded interesting, but the author lost me pretty quickly. I just couldn’t relate at all to any of the decisions the main character made, and she was so unlikable. I kept reading thinking surely this is gong to turn around, but it never did. I would skip this book.
The King Tides – It’s been awhile since I read a good suspense novel. This book was easy to read, I read it in a day, but despite that it didn’t captivate me as much as I wanted it to. The main character is an ex-Navy SEAL turned private investigator. He is hired by a family to help figure out why their teenage daughter is being stalked by multiple men. Even though the book had multiple twists and turns, I could easily see them coming, and while I felt that the character’s were very interesting, the storyline didn’t live up to it’s potential.
Ok, your turn- what have you been reading lately? Let’s start a reading list in the comments below!
-Ash
P.S. In case you missed it, here are my previous books I’ve read lately posts. And all the books I’ve read are linked in our Amazon Shop.