Summer Reads

Summer means books for me. Books at the pool. Books on a roadtrip. Books in bed on a lazy morning lie-in. Books by cell phone light under the covers after The Beard has fallen asleep. Booksbooksbooks.

I haven’t read quite as much as I would have liked this summer – I blame it on the increase in naps due to pregnancy. But I still have read some fantastic books that I’d like to review/share with you guys. Most of these I read on my cruise last week, and I separated the pregnancy books into their own section at the very end so just stop reading there if you’re not interested. Not even mad about it.

**Thank you all for your awesome suggestions! They were all logged in an Evernote and most of them requested from the library – these were just the holds that showed up in time! Can’t wait to read all the rest you recommended!**

Quick Sidebar – Go see Guardians of the Galaxy. Every book I read on vacation was outshone by the awesomeness that was that movie. Even if you aren’t usually into the comic book movies, this one is fantastic, hilarious, sweet and interesting. Do yourself a favor and buy tickets right now. 

#1 MUST READ – Adulting

adulting

My girl Emilee suggested this book to me, and I had seen it floating around Pinterest and other websites for a while. Finally I checked it out and it was kind of like reading my own diary. I’m serious. Read this book and tell me it doesn’t sound like Danica Anne Budge Holdaway wrote it. Basically she gives you snarky and honest advice in short paragraph sections for how to be an Adult, but in a non-judgmental, utterly unpretentious way (ok so maybe not completely like me). Most of it is hilarious. Most of it is very, very helpful. Beware of prodigious use of the f-word. I read this in under 24 hours because of her easy prose and short, readable sections. I’ll be buying a copy to keep for sure!

#2 THE ESCAPE – Where’d You Go Bernadette

bernadette

Sometimes you just want to completely lose yourself in a story. You know the ones – where you plan your day around maximizing your reading time and start reading just to find that suddenly it’s 3 am and your eyes are basically bleeding. Where’d You Go Bernadette is a compilation of emails, notes, documents and firsthand observation compiled by Bee, Bernadette’s teenage daughter, after her eccentric mother goes missing. I was laughing out loud, trying to explain the story line to the uninterested Beard, tearing up at the sad parts and rolling my eyes at the “gnats” (obnoxious over-involved housewives Bernadette can’t stand). While it lost steam towards the end for me, I consumed this interesting and hilarious tale in a single day as well. Think of it as a comical Desperate Housewives version of “Gone Girl.”

#3 YA FICTION – Code Name Verity

codenameverity

I try to read these when they get big enough to be on my radar (Divergent, Fault in Our Stars, next will be Maze Runner) and this one will be the next big YA thing – or so I’m told. It’s a great way to relate to my kids and even make curricular connections with what we’re learning. I love WWII stuff and I love it even more when my kids are reading well-researched historical fiction! I always kind of have to force myself through the middle third of a YA book, and this was no exception, but I really loved the ending. It tells the story of a young female British spy who is captured and tortured for information in Nazi-occupied France. It’s written first-person and the voice is just incredible. It’s been a while since I’ve cried over a book (thanks, Dobby) but this one had me wiping my eyes. Great suspense, history and complexity.

#4 THE FAIRY TALE – East

east

You’re lying if you say you don’t want to read a book that makes you feel like a little kid. Preferably like the little kid who sang Disney princess songs running through her yard – and not just to be the princess. To be the heroine! To be brave! To have adventures! But also to have a handsome prince at the end of the last chapter. My friend Kayla, who loves Robin McKinley as much as I do, suggested East and I jumped on it. It’s a Scandinavian retelling of Beauty and the Beast, with beautiful descriptions, interesting twists and giving Rose a much more kicka** adventure story. She’s more than just a prisoner in this one. Very YA and very quick, it’s definitely worth your time if you like fantasy.

#5 THE ADRENALINE – World War Z

worldwarz

Ok, ok. I have read this before. In fact, I re-read this every summer. And I will never EVER stop. It’s so good, you guys. The movie was awesome, and KIND OF goes along with the book. But the book, per usual, is a million percent better. Each chapter is a different interview with someone who survived the zombie war – a military official, an old fisherman, a loser teen gamer, a gun crazy old lady, all different kinds of people, all over the world, all different stages of the zombie war. It’s incredible. Very graphic and often gross. Worth it.

#6 THE SERIES – Game of Thrones

gameofthrones

In all fairness – I just started this the last day of my trip and I’m not very far into it right now. I decided to see what all the hype is about. And I’m a nerd. So here we are. So far quite interesting, and easier for me to read than LOTR. The Beard is pissed that I’ve never read LOTR (I did read Hobbit) and is even more pissed that I’d read this first. Sorry Beard. Every time I try LOTR it’s like someone stupefied me.

Pregnancy Books – *PROCEED AT YOUR OWN RISK*

What to Expect When You’re Expecting

whattoexpect

Because duh. I just read it as I go along. It’s way more information that I could ever need or use, but it makes me feel informed so I’ll keep reading it. It was worth the $12 or whatever I bought it for on Amazon for sure.

The Girlfriend’s Guide to Pregnancy

girlfriends

Now this one I really like. Not particularly well written, this book claims to be what your “girlfriends” would tell you about pregnancy – more honest than doctors, more helpful than moms, more terrifying than What to Expect When You’re Expecting. Still, the writing style, while not literary in skill, sounds about like what you’d expect your most honest girlfriend to sound like. It’s real, honest, and voices opinions that you secretly hold which maybe conflict with what every doctor and pretentious pregnancy website has told you (like that sushi and Diet Coke are not going to kill your baby, that’s stupid). It’s a quick read, and great for girls like me that don’t have big sisters or lots of girlfriends who have gone through pregnancy before you (this book limited my texting surveys to my bestie/young mom example Katie from 10 to maybe 2 per day, you’re welcome Katie).

 

Hopefully this school year will continue with the existing trend of each year getting easier and easier for me, meaning I’ll be able to read even more books this fall! What else should I be reading? Y’all gave me a list of like 50+ books but I ain’t afraid to keep that list going.

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One thought on “Summer Reads”

  • 10 years ago

    definitely give Gone Girl a try. i can’t quite pin down your reading style, but i freakin loved this book. it’s crazy. and a little inapprops, but i think you’d love it. it’s CRAZY

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