Friday, July 26, 2019

Books I've Read Lately

summer book recommendations

I love to read but I wouldn't consider myself a 'big' reader. That's because I ebb and flow in terms of how much I read. In the summer months, I read a ton because I have vacations and create more downtime for myself as I sit by the pool! 

During the fall and holiday seasons, I just don't read much because I don't find the time. I find it hard to read around bedtime because I either get so drawn into a book, I can't put it down and am then so tired in the morning. Or, I fall asleep way before I was meaning to. So, I like to do my reading in the early mornings with coffee, in the later afternoons or after I'm done working for the day. 

Since we are in the busy season of reading for me, I thought I would share some books I have read recently because there are a few very good ones that I am recommending! I also thought I would share what is on my to-read list! 

If you have any book recommendations, leave them in the comments so we can all benefit from the suggestions!
Books I've Read Recently 
Verity// I didn't even read the description on this one- it was free with Kindle Unlimited so I started it and had absolutely no idea what to expect. It was so good. I read it in about 48 hours. The first 20-30 pages are weird and aren't anything that will suck you in, but once it gets going, it's a page-turner. The ending will shock you. It's definitely a thriller and even scared me a tiny bit at times. Plus a love story plus a mystery of sorts. A good beach read. This gets a 9/10 for me (a 10 is near impossible on my scale, ha!).


The Last Mrs. Parrish// Read this while at the beach and I'm pretty sure I devoured it in 2 days. The first half of the book goes along and it's good- not great. You're kind of wondering where this story is going, and then BAM! Halfway through, the book changes and it's a page-turner! It's not really a thriller but it is definitely shocking. I give this a 9/10.


The Light We Lost// I loathed this book. The only reason I finished it is because the storyline was SO drawn out. I kept turning the page to find out if anything was ever going to happen. It was boring and the end falls flat. I do not recommend this one at all. I'd give this a 0/10.


One Day in December// I was really excited about the prospect of this. I love a rom-com-style book and loved that this one was set in England. But, the characters bored me and I just thought it was all a little ridiculous. It was an OK read, though. It held my attention and kept me through the end. Definitely a chick-lit type of book... I give this a 6/10.

All We Ever Wanted// A lot of people DM'd me saying that they didn't love this one so I had very low expectations for this. I actually liked it. I didn't love it, but I liked it. It's about a wealthy Nashville family who has a child at a private school and 'something' happens and that is where the story takes a twist. It was likable enough and a good beach read. I give this a 7/10.

Once We Were Brothers// This book is set in the 2000s in Chicago and it's all about WWII in Poland. It's an interesting story and I love how the author seamlessly wove the two very different time periods and places together. I also learned so much about Poland and WWII as the author was so descriptive and painted a really great picture of what was happening. Not to mention the twist and turn towards the end! I give this book an 8/10.

Books I Want To Read
The Towering Sky // I have read the first two books in this series and I love them. They are about a futuristic society in Manhattan and it's really a YA series, but it's so good and they are really easy reads! 

The Nightingale// I've had this one for forever but just forgot about it. It gets rave reviews and I've heard it's similar to All the Light We Cannot See which I loved. 

A Man Called Ove// My mom and grammie loved this book so I thought I would read it. They said it is interesting because it's set in Sweden and even just learning about life in Sweden was interesting. 

Summer of '69// I love Elin Hilderbrand so I am excited to read her latest novel set on Nantucket. 

Lilac Girls// I heard this is another good WWII book similar to Once We Were Brothers, All The Light We Cannot See, etc. 

The Alice Network// Another WWII book- can you tell I enjoy books set in that time period? 

The Tattooist of Auschwitz// And another one! I saw this recommended to me after Once We Were Brothers- it's been on my list for a while. 

American Royals// This doesn't come out until September 3rd, but it sounds like a fascinating read. It's a story about George Washington becoming a king (aka America has a monarchy) rather than a democracy. 

10 comments:

Lindsey said...

City of Girls
The Woman in Cabin 10
Lying Next to Me
City Baker’s Guide to Country Living

Danielle Ragghianti said...

I just read ‘Carnegie’s Maid’ and loved it. I always enjoy historical fiction but really appreciated this book because it was set in Pittsburgh. Many familiar street names and neighborhoods are mentioned and I enjoyed imagining how similar or different our city was in that era.

Maureen said...

Charleston by Margaret Bradham Thornton, Queen Bee by Dorothea Benton Frank, The Matriarch by Susan Page (Barbara Bush bio)

Deborah said...

The Nightingale is a FANTASTIC book! I highly recommend it.

Deborah said...

The Nightingale is a FANTASTIC book. I highly recommend it.

Lucym said...

Beartown is an amazing book. I also recommend the audio version of Daisy Jones and The Six.

Lucym said...

Beartown is an amazing book. I also recommend the audio version of Daisy Jones and The Six.

Hill said...

I read the Alice Network last year and it was one of the best books I've read in years!

karen said...

I loved the Alice Network. Enjoy!

JHoyle21 said...

OH MY GOD !! The Alice Network was amazing and so was A Man Called Ove. I would read Ove first personally!

Would love to know what you thought post read!

 

© Summer Wind Blog 2017 / site design by kiki and co. / disclosure