Recent Reads

Coming at you with a few more book recommendations for you! My reading has definitely dropped off over the last few months. I'm not breastfeeding anymore and don't have a commute either. After struggling to pick up a book at the beginning of quarantine just because I couldn't focus, I've discovered that light, fun, easy reads are where it's at.

Ask Again, Yes
I literally finished this moments before I started writing this post. I love, love, loved it. I thought it fell in the light, easy read category (especially after I flipped through the first few pages quickly and my Kindle told me it would take 2.5 hours to finish - yeah no haha) but it definitely is not. It follows childhood friends Kate and Pete and what happens before and after the family tragedy that binds them together. It's about family, how love changes over time, and ultimately forgiveness.

Such a Fun Age
I had heard about this book for a while but it took me a while to pick it up. So glad I did because I ended up really enjoying it. It follows a black babysitter working for a white family, and looks at racism, entitlement, and ultimately whether having good intentions is good enough. It's written almost like a mystery, and I was racing through to figure out what the real story was. I would rate this as a semi-easy read, but deeper than your typical fun beach novel.

My Friend Anna
This true story is so completely unbelievable I had a hard time keeping up. I remember hearing the story in the news, a "German heiress" Anna Delvey was living the high life in New York City, living in a hotel, a regular at one of the most exclusive restaurants in town, expensive shopping sprees and spa treatments and gym sessions every week, a potential art gallery in the works. But then she flew her friends out to Morocco for an all-expenses paid trip, and tricked them into footing the bill. As her friend tried to get reimbursed and Anna's story started to unravel things went completely off the rails. The full story of this con artist was so crazy I raced right through the book.

The Flatshare 
Now here is the epitome of a romantic comedy novel. Two people share an apartment in shifts, never meeting but sharing a bed. They start writing notes back and forth, and manage to form a deep relationship without ever meeting. It's like the author knew quarantine was coming or something. This one is definitely light and fun!

The Gifted School 
In an elite, wealthy town in Colorado (that sounds remarkably like Boulder ;), an announcement is made that they will be opening a new gifted school, and that all children are welcome to test and apply. The race to prove that their children are gifted and worthy of admission ultimately tears up the lives of four friends. This was a fun and easy read, but as a child of the "gifted" school system, I found the commentary on the benefits and drawbacks of gifted programs incredibly interesting.

The Dutch House
One of my favorite books in a long time. It follows the story of Danny and his sister Maeve, growing up wealthy in an impressive but isolating house, The Dutch House. The story is about family, loss, and the ability to move on from the past. It's complex and rich, and I loved every moment of it.

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What I'm Reading

I've got more books to share with you!! I can't believe I haven't shared a books post since June, I've read so much since then. Like I said last time, I put the Kindle app on my phone and it is a game changer. Sure, it's not the best reading experience (I would so prefer a real book), but now I read every time I feed Mia. I used to read from my iPad on the train, but now on my iPhone I can pull it out to crank through a few pages anywhere and everywhere. Apparently I read a lot, because I have 15 books for you today! Leaving off a few more, because really, who wants to read more than 15 book recommendations at once?!

My favorite books of the last six months 

American Royals
Okay, picture America today, with everything the same, except that back at the end of the Revolutionary War, instead of choosing to be president George Washington became the King of America instead. It's such a simple concept, but initially what drew me into the story was how interesting the world itself was due to the American monarchy. It's a little bit of a butterfly effect, what might have changed, what wars wouldn't have happened or other historical events might have changed. I found the look into the royal history fascinating, and my sister said it immediately drew her in too. It is a YA novel so the story itself is a little predictable but ultimately a fun, easy read and an interesting fantasy to be a part of. It's the first in a triology, and you'd better bet I'm already dying for the next installment! 100% would recommend.

The Great Believers
This was the best book of the year for me. It follows the story of the AIDs crisis in Chicago in the eighties, as well as the ramifications on some of the characters in the present. I was immediately drawn into the character of Yale, a 30-something living in Boystown, and honestly cared about him more than any other character I've read since Jude in A Little Life. Every time I came up for air I literally had to fill Jeff in with what was happening with Yale and what I was worried might happen next (sorry Jeff). It was also so interesting to me because I lived in Boystown twenty years after the story takes place, and the stories of Chicago and descriptions of the neighborhood were completely fascinating. But whether or not you live in Chicago, I highly, highly recommend this one.

The Heart's Invisible Furies
Cyril Avery is born in Ireland in the 1940's. From birth, he's different - born to an unwed mother and adopted by parents who never treat him like their son. As he grows up, he struggles with being gay and having to hide it in a repressed, religious Ireland - and from his beautiful best friend, Julian. The story follows Cyril throughout his life as he tries to find himself. The story was beautifully written, heartbreaking at times, and really one of my favorites this year.

Daisy Jones & The Six

The Six are a band on the rise in the late sixties, and Daisy Jones is a party girl with a voice that gets her noticed. They end up joining forces to become one of the biggest bands in the world, until they unexpectedly break up. The book is written like a transcript from a documentary, letting you hear each person's side of the story from their own perspective. It was a really interesting read and had me dying for more. I've heard it's really great in the audio book version if you prefer that, as each character has a different actor reading for him or her. And no, in case you're wondering, Daisy Jones & The Six was not a real band, but I thought (and it appears the internets do too) that it sounds a lot like Fleetwood Mac.

Some great relationship-based novels

Normal People 
Normal People follows the lives of two teens in rural Ireland, one poor but popular, the other rich and a social pariah, both incredibly smart and both drawn to each other despite the fact that they won't even acknowledge each other at school. From high school through their years at college, the story follows how they change one another and how their relationship ebbs and flows. It's a little quiet and a little sad, but also beautifully heartbreaking with a lot of depth.

The Girl He Used to Know
Annika is a shy girl on the spectrum attending the University of Illinois back in the nineties, and Jonathan falls in love with her. The story follows the pair through their time at the U of I and then ten years later in Chicago as they try to figure out what went wrong in their relationship and become friends again. There is a twist in the book that I found upsetting, but for the most part the story is sweet and romantic. This was also fun for me to read since I went to the University of Illinois and live in Chicago - they even went to Kams!

Fleishman Is in Trouble
Toby Fleishman is going through a messy divorce, and is quickly learning the fun of being a single man in the world of dating apps. But then one weekend his wife drops his kids off without warning, and doesn't come back. At first I was not so into Toby's story as it seemed one-note on the surface, but the story builds and builds as we learn more about Toby's relationship with his wife, his kids, and his friends. Maybe Toby's wife is just as evil as he thinks she is. Or maybe, he just hadn't ever understood the full picture.

Beach Reads

The Unhoneymooners 

Okay if you want some cheese, here's some cheese. After a disastrous wedding, the maid of honor and the best man end up going on the honeymoon instead of the bride and groom. The two hate each other, but to keep up appearances pretend to be newlyweds - with quite a few unexpected side effects. A predictable romantic comedy at heart, while I wouldn't call this book "good," it was amusing enough if you're looking for a quick and easy read. 

The Last Year of the War

I expected this book to be total fluff, but I was really drawn into the story and some darker aspects of history I wasn't aware of before. The book follows German-American Elise and Japanese-American Mariko as they become friends after being sent to an internment camp during World War II. Both girls and their families end up being deported back to their home countries before the end of the war, despite the fact that the girls were both American citizens born in the USA. We then follow Elise as she tries to survive the end of the war in Germany and dreams of reuniting with Mariko in New York City. I knew that internment camps were a thing, but I literally couldn't believe as I was reading that the USA would actually send our citizens into war zones. The look at wartime and post-war Germany was completely fascinating too. This is a YA novel so it does err a little young and predictable, but I still really enjoyed it. 

Mrs. Everything

I wasn't really sure of this book at the beginning. Jo and Bethie are born to a conservative middle-class Jewish family in Detroit in the fifties. Bethie is the perfect, beautiful, talented daughter, while Jo can't do anything right. For the first few chapters, this read like a sitcom, with a big problem that is solved by the end of each chapter. But as you go and their problems get bigger and they learn how to be the women they want to be in a world where the expectations put on women area changing. I had really low expectations going into this, but I loved it by the end. It's a real feminist anthem, and makes you wonder how and why women are expected to be Mrs. Everything. 

The weird ones

Bunny
If you want to read something weird, then Bunny is for you. Are you intrigued, or did you already move on to the next book? The descriptions I had read about Bunny were that it took place in an Ivy League world and that it was hilarious and dark. Well yes, yes, and yes, but the main focus of the story is on fantasy/supernatural elements. The Bunnies are a group of friends who are so sugar sweet and loving that it disgusts their classmate Samantha, who prefers her dark insular world. But everything changes when the Bunnies invite Samantha to join their girl gang. This book read like something dreamed up in my college creative writing class, almost weird for the sake of being weird (or were those just the stories I turned in?). Dark, thrilling, a little gross, and with some fun twists and turns - it may have been my weirdest read of the year, but I also couldn't put it down. How many times should a person use the word "weird" in a single book review?

Bellweather Rhapsody
The Bellweather Hotel used to be one of the most beautiful in the country, but by the time a group of high schoolers descend on the property for a Statewide, a music festival, it has seen better days. The first night of Statewide, events unfold that seem eerily similar to a murder that took place at the Bellweather years ago. This novel was dark and odd, but a fun mystery to unravel.

And a few more

Trust Exercise 
What's the truth, and what has our memory changed over time? In Trust Exercise we follow the lives of several students at a performing arts high school in the eighties. The title comes from the different exercises the theater students do every day to break down their walls and learn to really trust each other. The relationships the students build and break are the bread and butter of this novel. But as the story goes on, we start to wonder - what was it that really happened? Who was exaggerating, who was lying, and what wasn't real? I found Trust Exercise a little dense and difficult to read at times, and the ending a bit too ambiguous to be fully satisfying. I liked it and would recommend it, but I wished there was more.

Tell Me Everything
They're a tight-knit group of seniors in college celebrating the end of their four years on Senior Day. But it turns out their group isn't as close as it appears from the outside, and one of them will die that night. The main character, Malin, has spent her whole college career trying to fit in and be normal after an unusual childhood with her sociopath brother. But the secrets, lies, and manipulations will finally catch up with her and end in disaster. I didn't love love love this book as I had a hard time connecting with Malin's character and motivations, but it was an interesting enough read.

The Hundred Year House
Zee and her husband Doug, two college professors, have moved back home to live in her parents' carriage house for a new job. Zee has always heard about the ghost of her great-grandmother who haunts the house, but now that she's back we start to wonder if the ghost is real. The house also used to be the former home of an artist colony, and an artist Doug is researching happened to have lived there for his work. But as Doug tries to dig further into the history of the artist colony, his mother in law becomes increasingly secretive, leading him to wonder what exactly happened in the house's past. I'm not usually into mysteries, and while parts of this story were predictable I was drawn into the story and found myself racing toward the end. For those of you who are also interested in the local aspect, although they never name it the story 100% takes place in Lake Forest, which is close to where I grew up. I apparently am fascinated by locations for this book post!

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What I'm Reading

I thought that having a baby meant I'd be reading way less, and initially I was. But then I realized I could put the Kindle app on my phone to read while breastfeeding, so I've been cranking through books faster than ever before! Here are a few of recent reads:

Pachinko
A multi-generational story about a Korean family living in Korea and Japan from pre-WWII through (almost) present day. This book is incredibly well-written and really pulls you into the world of the characters - definitely one of the best books I've read this year. I wouldn't quite call this devastating (Jeff always makes fun of me for how devastating my book choices are) but it definitely is sad, and full of twists and turns as you follow the strong matriarch of the family as she helps her family survive. I hadn't read much about this time period and had no idea about the incredible discrimination that Koreans face from the Japanese, as well as how the occupation and wars affected the Korean people. I also personally found it fascinating to read about the towns of Busan, South Korea and Osaka, Japan because my brother and his family are currently moving from Busan to Osaka.

A Well-Behaved Woman
The (fictionalized) story of Alva Vanderbilt, who marries into the Vanderbilt family when they're still new money and negotiates the waters of high society to raise the family name. While this wasn't the most well-written book, I found the whole thing fascinating. From the look into what immense wealth could buy you in the early 20th century to how Alva found her voice and championed a number of causes, I couldn't put this one down.

Rich People Problems
The third and last of the Crazy Rich Asians trilogy, in this book you travel back to Singapore to see how the Young family behaves when their matriarch is ill. No, these aren't the best books (and the footnotes are SO annoying) but it's definitely an enjoyable read and wrapped the series up nicely.

This Is How It Always Is
Oh my gosh, I loved this book. I don't want to give anything away, so let's just call it a story of love and what parents are willing to do for the happiness of their children (and questions whether happiness is really the right choice). I thought the family dynamics as well as the discussion of hot-topic societal issues were really well done, and really, it's just a beautiful novel.

A Window Opens 
When a woman's estranged husband suddenly reappears wanting to reconnect with their kids, she ends up finding herself during a summer alone in New York. This is definitely a fun, light read (while a bit predictable) but would be perfect for a beach read!

A Place For Us
Okay, so you want to talk about those devastating reads? The novel opens at the wedding of an Indian woman from a very strict Muslim community, where you learn that her younger brother is estranged from the rest of the family. The rest of the novel dips back and forth through time and perspective showing what led to the estrangement and how each member of the family shows their love but still end up failing one another. The story made me smile and made me cry, one of my favorites this year.

French Exit
This book was truly bizarre but so amusing to read - a true dark comedy. It follows the story of an older wealthy Manhattan socialite and her co-dependant adult son as she is on a quest to literally spend every penny of their fortune. They end up moving from New York to Paris with their odd cat to continue their quest to dump the fortune, and make an amusing set of friends along the way.

We Were The Lucky Ones
A Holocaust story of a Jewish family spread across Europe from the outbreak through the conclusion of WWII. It follows the characters through Poland, Russia, the Middle East, France, Morocco, and South America as they try to find ways to survive. The story is so sad but also full of familial love, and unbelievably based on a true story. I wouldn't say it's terribly well-written, but the story itself was enough to keep me going.

Nine Perfect Strangers
I really wanted to love this, since it's Liane Moriarty's follow-up to Big Little Lies, but it just didn't hit the mark. The story follows nine people as they check into an unconventional spa retreat to try to solve various issues in their lives. I just couldn't get into the characters and found the story a little too ludicrous, so I wouldn't recommend this one.


I just started The Whole Thing Together, which I'm finding so far to be an interesting concept but not as well-done as it could be - focused on two teenagers who share step-siblings but aren't actually related themselves. I'll let you know if it gets better!

Do you have any book reccos for me? I'd love to hear! And in case you're looking for more than 11 book recommendations, check out my last reads post here.

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Recent Reads

I do a ton of reading (although I have a feeling that may change in the near future ;) and wanted to start coming in here more regularly to share what I've been reading! In the past month I've finished two really good books, one that was okay, and one that was a nice, trashy read - read on for my recommendations!

	If You Leave Me by Crystal Hana Kim If You Leave Me opens in 1950's wartime Korea, following the lives of three teenage war refugees trying to help their families survive while leading entangled romantic lives. The story follows them as the years pass, and covers themes of wartime and loss as well as post-war recovery and growth. But mainly the story is about never-ending love and family obligation, with an interesting focus around postpartum depression. It's really beautifully written too with deep, complex characters. If you're into WWII fiction, I suggest giving a different type of war story a try!
	Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens This book is incredibly popular right now so I thought I'd give it a try, and it did not let me down! Part novel and part murder mystery, the book follows the heartbreaking story of a girl abandoned in the swamps of North Carolina in the 1950's, while simultaneously flashing forward to the murder of a young man in town in the 1970's. I won't spoil anything for you, but just know that I basically had to talk about the murder mystery to someone and spoiled it to Jeff instead - it was that good. But besides the murder plot, just the story of the young girl growing up on her own and learning to survive is so heartbreaking but also beautiful, it was hard to put down.
	The Ensemble by Aja Gabel I had really high hopes for this story, as it has everything I usually love in a novel. The story follows the members of a string quartet as they graduate from school and try to make it as musicians in the real world while growing into adulthood. I just found the actual career path of the group very niche and hard to relate to, which is interesting because I actually played the violin for fifteen years and was a part of string ensembles. The author tries to relate everything in the story, including the language, back to classical music, which I would definitely say is not for everyone.
	China Rich Girlfriend by Kevin Kwan I breezed through the first Crazy Rich Asians during our trip to Hawaii and was amused enough by it to try out the second book. China Rich Girlfriend picks up a little after the first book ends, and follows Rachel and Nick as they travel to Hong Kong and, of course, dives into the drama of a whole new group of the crazy wealthy. I thought it was fun to have a new city for the book to explore and new characters, while still including characters from the first book of course. I was annoyed that, reading the digital version, the author decided to add even more unnecessary footnotes, which are so obnoxious on the iPad app. But, overall it was a fast and fun read, definitely good if you have a beach trip coming up!

Have you read anything good lately? Let me know!!

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Recent Reads

I keep going through phases where I'm reading a ton of new and then I go a few weeks where I have no new library books and work my way through a Harry Potter or The Devil Wears Prada for the eight hundredth time. And yes, those are really my two repeat reads as I only have a couple books on my Kindle I've actually purchased haha ;) This summer I managed to get a ton of new books in, here are a few of my favorites:

Love and Other Words
This could be considered more of an easy beach read - it jumps between the story of childhood best friends who fall in love in high school, and the present day when they meet again as adults. While it has all the hallmarks of a fun, easy summer read, the emotions and the characters definitely go deeper than that. It had me completely sobbing at one point, but was a beautiful story that I couldn't put down.

The Female Persuasion 
I've loved Meg Wolitzer's other novels, and this one was no different. It follows Greer as she goes off to college and make sense of her life, and ends up meeting her feminist idol who gives Greer her first big break. She slowly grows and finds her ambition and true calling in the world, while dealing with her long term boyfriend whose life is falling apart. It's a fun fluffy novel that also deals with real social issues - definitely a must read!

Educated
This and The Female Persuasion have been the most talked about books I've seen this year, and really it did not disappoint. This is a memoir following a girl as she grows up in an extremely sheltered fundamentalist Mormon household. As she grows from a kid idolizing her family and barely receiving a homeschool education to a young woman striving to go to college, it's incredibly interesting to see her world view change. The story includes a lot of violence, partially through neglect and partially through abuse, and honestly had me incredibly nervous for the majority of the story. It's a glimpse into another world that exists in modern day America and was completely fascinating, it was by no means an easy read but I flew through the book.

The Zookeeper's Wife
I was interested in reading this after seeing the preview for the movie, and I have to tell you, I did not realize the book was non-fiction. Like through a good chunk of the book I thought it was fiction, and I was totally floored to find out the characters and the things they did were real. This follows the story of the family that took care of the Warsaw zoo and continued to live there through the Nazi occupation. The zoo ended up functioning as a hiding place for hundreds of people hiding from the Nazis, with a few incredible stories of saving individuals and close calls. Since this is non-fiction there are some history lessons sprinkled throughout that you might find dry but I found them fascinating, especially the parts about Nazi zookeepers breeding animals during the war to try to recreate extinct species and basically succeeding. If you're into history and love World War II stories, then this is the book for you.

Nothing to Envy: Ordinary Lives in North Korea
Much like Educated, I found this book completely fascinating as a look into another culture. The book is non-fiction and was written based on interviews with six North Korean defectors, including those who planned for years to try to escape, people who left out of necessity, and even one mother who was a true believer in the doctrine of North Korea but was tricked into leaving. It was truly heartbreaking, especially during the famine years, but such an interesting look into a culture that's so isolated and controlled.

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What Books Are You Reading?

As we move into summer (please? maybe? please?) it means it's beach reading season! I personally love nothing more than curling up on a chaise near the pool (ahem: under a beach umbrella, still wearing a rash guard and a hat) and reading a good book. Or heck, a really terrible book ;)

The first trip I took with Jeff's family was to the beach in Florida with them for the week, and I neglected to pick out some paperbacks ahead of time and ended up grabbing The Yonahlossee Riding Camp for Girls at the airport bookstore. It was super trashy but enjoyable, and I told Jeff's mom I loved it and she had to read it. Before I got more than ten pages in and discovered a major theme was kissing cousins. Oops. She asked to borrow it when I was done and I had to pretend I had lost it.

To avoid embarrassing myself, this year I made sure to stock up on some paperbacks ahead of time. I'm super excited to read The Female Persuasion (the latest by Meg Wolitzer - did anyone else love The Interestings??), Educated, and Atonement, and pretending I'm not excited but definitely am psyched for a little YA action with The Thousandth Floor.

I loved Life After Life, and A God In Ruins is the companion novel - they run at the same time from different points of view.

In case you're on the hunt for some recommendations, here are some books I've read lately that I loved:

Rules of Civility - If you loved A Gentleman in Moscow, this is another novel by the same author. I actually didn't realize it when I started reading the book and was somehow able to guess they were written by the same person. The story follows a woman in New York in the years leading up to World War II and how her life changes after a chance encounter with a handsome millionaire. It sounds like a beach read, but it really is a lot more substantial than that.

Little Fires Everywhere - This story opens with the Richardson's family home on fire, and then dives back through the seemingly perfect lives of their four teenage children over the previous year to see how the arrival of a new girl in town causes their family to fall apart. This was a fast read but so much more than your typical beach book.

Manhattan Beach - By the same author as A Visit from the Goon Squad, this book weaves together a coming of age story about a young woman in New York City during World War II, a mystery about the disappearance of her father after he starts working for the wrong people, and the life of a glamourous nightclub owner with ties to the mob. I really felt submerged into the world of NYC in the '40s, and the driving force of the storytelling combined with the beauty of the writing made this novel hard to put down.

The Identicals - Now here's a true beach read! This story follows the life of identical twin sisters living so close but so far from each other: one on Martha's Vineyard, the other on Nantucket. Just like the islands, they look alike at first glance but are completely different below the surface. Until, that is, circumstances cause them to change places for the summer. This is definitely a great easy read for the summer!

Do you have any favorite books you've read lately?

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Recent Reads

I'm sure I've mentioned it before, but I've always been a huge bookworm. When I was little my head was always in a book, and unfortunately usually a bucket hat too. These days I have a lot of time to read during my daily commute into River North, and I usually go through about a book a week. I had a little more time over my break from work plus had a couple of overlapping library books that I had to finish in a hurry, so I've gotten through a lot of books over the past couple of weeks. Here's what I've been reading:

The Mothers: A story about two best friends and how decisions can ripple through your life for years to come, The Mothers was a book that really stuck with me. The book follows two girls who have both suffered loss as they grow from high schoolers to adults, and find that their lives are more intwined than they could have imagined. I thought the characters were really relatable and the writing compelling, and I found it really interesting that the story was told through the eyes of "The Mothers," the church ladies in their community. This was one of my favorites of the year. 

Secrets of a Charmed Life: I should have known from the cover that this wouldn't be my favorite, but I have a soft spot for historical fiction about WWII, so I decided to give it a chance. The story takes place in London, where two sisters have to be evacuated to the countryside ahead of the Blitz. One girl's ambition takes her back into the city, which has unintended consequences that tear their family apart. Ultimately, I could see every twist coming a mile away and thought the conclusion was a little too far-fetched, making it hard for me to love it. If you're looking for an easy historical read though, this still may be your jam. 

Losing It: If you're looking for a fun, easy read, this is the one! Losing It follows the life of Julia, a twenty-six year old virgin, as she moves in with her aunt for the summer with the goal of losing it. I actually ended up reading the whole thing in one flight, and kept holding myself back from laughing out loud at Julia's awkwardness and the situations she keeps getting herself into. The story was hilarious but also touching, and Julia was so relatable and fun that I was definitely rooting for her and her v-card the whole book! 

Heroes of the Frontier: I so, so wanted to love this since some of Dave Egger's other books have been my absolute favorites, but I thought Heroes of the Frontier just missed the mark. The story follows a single mother, Josie, and her two children as they run away from reality to Alaska, where they drive through the wilderness in a rusty old motorhome narrowly escaping one disaster after another and, of course, finding themselves. Ultimately, Josie and her mid-life crisis felt forced and unrelatable, and the situations she got the family into implausible - I literally laughed out loud at how crazy the ending was. Maybe next time, Mr. Eggers, maybe next time. 

So tell me, what have you been reading lately? Any good recommendations? 

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Favorite Reads of 2015

This year I read a lot. I think the 3 hour daily commute I was doing helped a bit (since we moved it's dropped to 30 or 40 minutes each way!). I went into my Kindle history and pulled about 30 books for this post before I realized that may have been, you know, too many. I narrowed it down to 12 and separated them into categories to help with your perusing. Sadly, unlike last year, there wasn't much in the way of summer camp stories ;)

Deep Reads

Purity Jonathan Franzen A twisted web of a story that unfolds as you go, it follows Pip and the journey she takes as she tries to find her father.	Fates and Furies Lauren Groff A story that follows a relationship through its ups and downs and makes you question whether you can ever really know someone.	The Precious One Marisa de los Santos A daughter goes on an extended visit to her ailing father's house and get's to know his second family and discovers the power of a second chance.

Lighter Reads

Me Before You Jojo Moyes A story about a newly disabled man and a woman surprised to find herself as his caretaker.	What Alice Forgot Liane Moriarty The story of a woman who loses her memory of the last 15 years and has to discover what her life has become.	Orphan Train Christina Baker Kline The juxtaposition of two orphans - one in foster care in present day Maine, the other forced onto an orphan train in the 1920s.

Historical Fiction / Nonfiction

All the Light We Cannot See Anthony Doerr Set in WWII, this is the story of a blind French girl and a German boy whose paths cross.	Unbroken Laura Hillenbrand I'm sure you've heard of the movie, but this is one of those cases where the book is better.	The Nightingale Kristin Hannah Because you need more WWII, another story of occupied France and two sisters who do all they can to survive.

Young Adult / Beach Reads

Denton Little's Death Date Lance Rubin The first of a trilogy, this novel takes place in a dystopian world where everyone knows the exact date they will die.	Everybody Rise Stephanie Clifford The story of a social climber in New York, it's a fun look into the lives of the super rich.	The Girls' Guide to Hunting and Fishing Melissa Bank A story of a young woman trying to find herself in the dating and working world.

Want to see more of my favorite books? Check out my 2014 Favorite Reads post.

What were some of your favorite reads this year? I'd love to hear!

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Favorite Reads of 2014

Are you into reading? I've always been pretty voracious, aside from a small break in college when I was reading too much for class, and tend to go through about a book a week. Jeff always makes fun of me because he says I'm a bit pretentious when it comes to my book choices because they tend to be pretty serious, but I do have a soft spot for books about summer vacations or summer camp. Here are some of my favorite reads of 2014:

		Were you a fan of choose your own adventure books growing up? Life After Life looks at one girl's life growing up in the English countryside in the early 20th century and how small changes - the language she chooses to study in school, or turning left versus right during the walk home - can have huge consequences. Life After Life was a trickier read because each time the story regenerates, the reader is left to figure out where it has picked back up in her life and what is different from the last version of the story, but I found it incredibly interesting.
In The Gravity of Birds, a famous artist reveals a secret painting from the beginning of his career, which leads to a cross-country search for the two sisters featured in the painting and unravels the mystery of his relationship with both of them. I loved it for the discussion of art and the intricacies of the characters' relationships, and it didn't hurt that a portion of the story took place at a summer house.
		A number of people recommended The Girl You Left Behind, so I picked it up without even reading a description. It was nothing what I expected, and so, so good. The main character is a woman in occupied France during the first World War who would do anything, including befriending the German soldiers, to keep her family safe and reunite with her husband.
I started reading Jhumpa Lahiri's books in college when one was assigned for class, and they are all tragically beautiful. The Lowland centers around two brothers growing up in India in the '60s and how they respond to political changes within the country.
		I initially was turned off by the title of Paris Was the Place because it sounded like it should be a romance novel, but while there's a little romance it's so much more than that. Paris Was the Place is about a young college professor who moves to Paris in the 1980's to be near her brother and find herself, and gets drawn into her volunteer work with immigrants seeking asylum in France.
Everyone's been talking about The Goldfinch all year, and there are lots of differing opinions. It's at once a tragedy and a mystery spanning several decades centering around a boy trying to find family and a home as well as one famous piece of stolen artwork. What I loved most about The Goldfinch though is the beautiful prose and full of wonderfully complicated characters.
		I told you I liked books about summer vacation, right? Well We Were Liars is that and so much more. About a famous, wealthy family that summers on a private island each year, We Were Liars is a suspenseful and haunting story of a young damaged girl trying to remember her past. Be warned though, I really enjoyed the story but this is actually young adult so it's a very easy read.

I love getting book recommendations, so tell me, what were some of your favorite books of this year?

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