So…this list has been in the making for MONTHS. I’ve gone through spurts of reading, reading, reading…and nothing but reading. I do this when I’m not in the midst of writing a book. BUT, the funny thing is, when I’m writing a book, at some points I start to get desperate to read. I miss other people’s stories. So I immerse myself in someone else’s world for a little while as a little break from my own worlds.
I’ve been doing that lately—getting in my word count goals as quickly as I can in the mornings, so I can read as much as possible that night. The hard part is forcing myself to go to sleep when all I really want to do is keep reading. But I’m a MUCH better mom (and person, in general) when I’ve actually gotten some sleep. Even so, there is occasionally a book that I simply cannot put down and will read into the wee hours, trading my patience and sanity of the next day for finding out what happens. (Sorry, kids.)
In order starting from what I most recently read, these were those kind of books:
What I Thought Was True by Huntley Fitzpatrick
I adored Fitzpatrick’s first book My Life Next Door, so I was so happy to see she had another book out. And it was just as good as her first. Fitzpatrick has a way of making you fall for The Boy as soon as he makes an appearance, and then you’re dying to see the two main characters figure out how to make it work as soon as humanly possible. (And you stay up waaaaay too late reading to do just that.)
Lock and Key by Sarah Dessen
This was a re-read because I knew Dessen had a new book coming out and I LOVE her writing so SO much…I couldn’t stand to wait, so I picked this one off my shelf while I waited for Saint Anything to be released. And had trouble putting it down to do other things even though I’d read it before. Sarah is GIFTED at quirky secondary characters and funny dialogue. She’s one of the few authors who have made me laugh out loud—it never happens, you guys. Not with books or comic strips. It takes a LOT to make me laugh, and Sarah does it. (The only book to have me laughing so much I was in tears, was the brilliant This is All: The Pillow Book of Cordelia Kenn by Aidan Chambers. It also had me sobbing at the end. Talk about an emotional roller coaster. One of my all-time favorite books.)
I Was Here Gayle Forman
I stumbled on this one by accident at the library, not knowing she had another book out. Brought it home and devoured it in one day, neglecting my husband and children because I simply could not put it down. She has such a way of telling a story.
Wife 22 by Melanie Gideon
I don’t know what it was that made me pick up this book, but oh my goodness, I loved it. It’s written in an unusual format and it’s at times uncomfortably honest in the portrayal of a marriage on the rocks, but it’s wildly romantic in a realistic, real-world way. I was in awe by the time I got to the end. I’d borrowed it from the library, and as soon as I finished, I went and ordered a used copy online.
(Side note: If you like buying used books like I do, my preferred vendor is BetterWorldBooks.com because they donate a book for every book you buy AND they donate to literacy funds among other fantastically literary-philanthropic things. Plus they send you funny emails when you order. I mean, how can I not support that?)
Can You Keep a Secret? by Sophie Kinsella
I’ve fallen head-over-heels in love with Kinsella’s books. They are romantic comedy at it’s absolute best. (I’m sure part of my love for her books stems from my deep, undying love of British humor.) If you haven’t picked up any of her books, go do it now. You won’t regret it. My favorites are Can You Keep a Secret, I’ve Got Your Number, and Remember Me.
What have you been reading lately?