Happy Monday, friendlies. Good weekend?
For real though. #weekendlove #liveyourstyle
Ours was good; laid back and borderline lazy. Hubs was in the southeast corner of Missouri with friends, doing country bumpkin type things, so the girls and I brunched and declared big bowls of popcorn as acceptable dinners and spent hours lounging in the backyard. I stayed up way too late watching terrible television I would never admit to enjoying (I’m looking at you, TLC), but I did start a new book, a novel, finally – The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins. It’s flip flopping between two main characters and two time periods telling the story in first person. I’m kind of enthralled with it so far.
I’ll report back about The Girl. In the mean time, here are a few titles I’ve read recently and my thoughts on each:
The Cuckoo’s Calling by Robert Galbraith (RG is a pen name for JK Rowling.) You know how you can sometimes think you don’t like a book while you’re reading it, but change your mind once it’s over? Yeah. That. Also, I was completely overwhelmed by the number of characters, perhaps why I didn’t love actually reading it. Super creative and, overall, a solid mystery. The style of writing felt unique to me.
Paper Towns by John Green, Looking for Alaska by John Green Ugh. Green is so talented. He must have journals from his teenage years, as I see no other way he so accurately writes to the thoughts and lives and nuances of teens. I enjoyed Alaska more than Towns. Green’s books are thought-provoking and say so much more than just the words on the page spell out, but Paper Towns went so far that I just didn’t get it. Womp womp. I was happy when closing the cover on the last page of Alaska. I was frustrated when I did the same with Towns.
The Most of Nora Ephron I’m picking my way through the pieces of this Ephron collection. Some of her political essays from the 80’s and 90’s, couldn’t care less. The experiences she shares regarding the development of the When Harry Met Sally script and the production of the movie, fascinating. Nora was such a beloved writer, I’m happy to be finally experiencing what all the fuss was about. Heartburn, arguably her most famous novel, is the last big piece of the collection I have left.
Fly a Little Higher by Laura Sobiech I read this on my computer after downloading a free copy from Jen Hatmaker‘s blog on a whim. Completely fascinated by this story, and overwhelmed with the emotion behind it. It was awww. It was wow. It was (sniff)(sniffle)(sniff). It was WOW. HOLY WOW.
A Little Sweet to Cut the Salty by Sophie Hudson I downloaded this on my Kindle, as I wanted to read it before I read what I really wanted to read (huh?), which was Sophie’s newest book, Home is Where My People Are. I was introduced to Sophie via another blogger and author I’ve recently started following, Melanie Shankle. A Little Sweet was entertaining, but didn’t have much substance. Several of the essays did make me shrug my shoulders and laugh about how culture in the south of the SAME COUNTRY I live in can be crazy and different and hilarious. Still planning to read Home.
The Husband’s Secret by Liane Moriarty I waited ages to jump on the Moriarty bandwagon. Secret didn’t disappoint. Crazy fast read, but that might have been because I read it while on vacay in Scottsdale sans kids and had little else to do but read and sit by the pool, read and sit in the spa, read and stare up at the mountains. Fantastic character development. The plot moved along quickly. Looking forward to picking up another Moriarty title.
Seeing Grey in a World of Black and White by Adam Hamilton My pastor has written ~20 books, and I’m slowly working my way through them. Seeing Grey is organized into neat and short chapters, which was a good thing as this book’s not necessarily a fast read. Pastor Adam’s intellectual approach to faith and religion is fascinating to me. Right up my alley. Love this book for braving so many of the controversial and dividing aspects of the Christian faith and offering thoughtful questions, evidence to support both sides, and encouragement to form your own opinions.
So. What have you been reading lately? Anything recommendable? Have you read anything by Moriarty? Have you read Girl on the Train? Or anything by Nora?
In book geekery,
AS
I'm an author, marketer, and mommy who loves to read, write, and drink coffee. My husband and I live in suburban Kansas City with our two little girls. This site chronicles my world. Thanks for stopping by!
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