This is SO me! I love to read!
As busy moms and wives, I know it’s so hard to find time to make reading happen in our everyday lives. Typically, every evening I take a bath and read. It’s my twenty minutes of quiet in the midst of the chaos around our house.
This summer I was able to sneak in lots of other reading time…at the pool, on a road trip, at the beach, etc…but I know that extra time is coming to an end.
Several of my blogger friends AND real-life friends have great book reviews each month. Most of these recommendations came from them…Shay, Narci, or Amanda. {Thanks to these girls, I’ve avoided the books they read and weren’t big fans of.} I also love getting book ideas from YOU! And I’ve been known to scour Pinterest in search of great “Must-Read Lists”. #ialwaysfallforthose
Today, I’m sharing a little round-up of all my summer reads. I’ll be sure to highlight at the bottom of the post a few book awards so if you’re a reader, read all the way to the bottom. I’ve gotta say-I read some GOOD books this summer!
This book is one of those books that will stick with me for years. It’s a memoir written by Ruth who grew up in a polygamist family, the thirty-ninth child of her father. She details her tough life growing up in poverty, amidst abuse, and always hoping for a better future.
This novel begins with a plane crash and two lone survivors on a deserted island. I don’t want to give much a way, but that’s the premise. Holy Cow! The entire time I read I kept thinking, “WHAT WOULD I DO?”. This is a great one!
I’ve been slowly making my way through the Redemption Series by Karen Kingsbury. The Baxter family has my heart and if you’re looking for a good read…you should start this series ASAP!
When the father passes away, he includes a clause in his will stating that all three of his daughters must spend the summer together at his Nantucket house in order for them to inherit the property. We get to see a summer full of girl drama and then their mothers {all girls have different moms} join the fun. Even more drama! Super cute chick-lit book!
In this novel, the main character, Belle, works on Wall Street and attempts to juggle her life as full time executive plus mom, along with house keeper and all the other things. The year is 2008 and the economy is about to take a big hit…you get to watch it all unfold. I’m a big fan of any book that takes place in NYC and this one didn’t disappoint.
Have you guys listened to The Happy Hour Podcast with Jamie Ivey? I’ve listened to quite a few, but just didn’t know many details about Jamie’s life. In this book, she lays it out all. She shares her testimony and how all the mishaps brought her to where she is today…fully free in her relationship with Christ.
This book begins in Paris, in the middle of World War I, Sophie is trying to hold it all together while her husband is off at war. A German officer spots a painting by her husband and an obsession is born. Then the novel switches to modern day when the same painting is involved in a feud. The new owner, Liv, is then hit with one twist after another.
I got this book off one of those “Must Read Lists” not knowing it was considered “young adult fiction”. I actually really liked this one…Jessie and her dad uproot themselves to move halfway across the country to move in with her dad’s new wife and step-brother. Jessie is now thrown into a new school and is required to make all new friends as a junior in high school. Anonymously, she starts getting text messages from someone at her new school giving her lots of helpful hints about who to befriend, what teachers to avoid, etc. Throughout the book, we’re left wondering WHO is this anonymous friend and the end sums it up so well!
Ella, an American, begins her year studying at Oxford only to be faced with a huge decision…go back to fulfill her political dreams or stay. {Don’t want to give too much away!!} This was a chick-lit book meets twists and turns…I didn’t see it coming!
Alexa agrees to be “the wedding date” of a guy she just met on an elevator. They end up having a great time together and find themselves long distance dating. Cute romance, but VERY rated R. {You’ve been warned.}
An amazing thriller that will leave you guessing throughout the ENTIRE story! These types of books are some of my very faves and this one is GOOD!
Unlike the “young adult fiction” above, this one was a bit rated, “R”, in my opinion for teens and young adults. It’s all about an unlikely relationship between Eleanor and Park that begins on a school bus. They come from very different families {makes me so sad about some of the things kids have to deal with at home} and are destined to be together.
This book hit close to home on so many levels…growing up in a rural Chinese village a young mom gets pregnant out of wedlock and is forced to leave her child on the orphanage steps. Years go by and we follow both the mom and the Chinese daughter. I’m telling you…it’s a good one and touched my heart in so many ways.
And I’m in the middle of reading this one right now…100% chick-lit at it’s finest so far.
Okay, in no particular order…
BEST CHICK-LIT BOOK award goes to-My Oxford Year
BEST BOOK THAT WILL STAY WITH ME FOR YEARS award goes to-The Sound of Gravel
BEST THRILLER award goes to-The Wife Between Us
BEST TOUCHED MY HEART award goes to-The Tea Girl of Hummingbird Lane
BEST OVERALL BOOK award goes to-Castle of Water
Now it’s YOUR turn. Do you have any awards you’d like to give out to any of your summer reads? If so, please share!
Thanks for stopping by today, friends!
XO
