What I Read: July

As part of my 15 for 2015, I am challenging myself to read 15 books, and one of my favorite times to read is during the summer. What's better than a little sun and a great story? Nothing. The correct answer here is nothing.

During the month of July I didn't find myself on any beaches, but I was on my fair share of planes. Nothing is quite as good as reading on a cross country flight when you're in an exit row. Hello legroom, nice to see you. 

In July I was able to finally finish Vegas Rich by Fern Michaels, which I started in June and had a bad habit of picking up and putting down, as well as start and finish A Perfect Life by Danielle Steele. 

Vegas Rich by Fern Michaels

via Booktopia

I enjoyed this book, though it was a very, very thick one. Some parts were extremely slow, but I did find myself becoming really invested in the characters. Set during the Great Depression, WWII and the post War 1060s, I really enjoyed following the characters go through so many changes, all under the background of fabulous Las Vegas. I found myself going through spurts where I couldn't put it down and where I couldn't quite bring myself to pick it up. It's apparently part of a series (I have no idea how I got my copy, probably a yard sale find honestly) and I didn't find myself compelled to order the second book‚though it is currently free on Kindle!


A Perfect Life by Danielle Steele

via Random House

L'amour n'a pas d'age. Love has no age.

A love story between a glamorous but complicated network news anchor and a well-bred but semi-simple-living special ed teacher caring for her blind, diabetic daughter. He's younger than her and she's been deeper hurt before... It's really easy to get caught up in the jet setting and Steele paints a vivid picture of network news. It was easy for me to fall in love with this story, for obvious reasons. How could I not love a love story about a couple with an age disparity and a few other surprises along the way? I loved it. Obviously. Did I say that already? While I did cry, I wasn't like wracked with sobs a la a Nicholas Sparks novel, water did come out of my eyes at two distinct points in the 330 some pages. Perfect quick read. I read the entire thing, cover to cover, on a plane from Atlanta to San Diego. 

Summer Reading: June 2014

I'm going to be hard on myself for a minute. Which I know is a terrible idea—especially pregnant. BUT I didn't meet my summer reading goal for June. I read only one book. I got through a stack of magazines I've been "meaning to read" but in terms of actual books, I just knocked out one. And in the process, disappointed myself. But hey, one is better than none? I don't really have any reason I didn't read more except the ever present Fitz and Alex Notebook of Things to Take Care Of.

That won't overwhelm me this month though! Over the long weekend I started a new book and I've got two work trips in the pipes for this month. It's looking like I will get back on the reading tract!

The book I did read for June was Summer Blowout by Claire Cook. I loved it.

Cover via Amazon

Definitely in line with what I normally read, Summer Blowout was easy and enjoyable. I could relate to the complex family dynamic and loved that the book was partially set in Atlanta. It would be a perfect weekend read: some drama, lots of humor and a few twists you might not exactly see coming. I'm also a sucker for strong female leads with rag tag dogs by their side. Go figure.

Interesting side note, Cook is the author of the book Must Love Dogs, which should sound familiar to a few folks thanks to the lovely Dianne Lane, John Cusack movie of the same name. I now want to both read the book and watch the movie for the eleventy billionth time.

Let me know if you read Summer Blowout, I'm always looking to talk books with people! And, as always, I'd love to hear some suggestions on what to read next!

Summer Reading: May 2014

Thanks to our little vaca in Curacao and then a story gathering trip to south Georgia, which included a weekend in St. Simons!, I was able to read a lot this month. Not a bad start to what promises to be a fun summer.

Last year I had the lofty goal of reading a certain amount of books, and then was disappointed when I didn’t reach it. This year my goal is going to be much simpler. I am going to attempt to read three books a month, and write my reviews. So many times I read books quickly and then will give them away, without jotting down some thoughts. Here goes…

Hero at Large by Janet Evanovich

Cover via Amazon

I literally read this entire book during the five hour plane ride to Curacao. I both love and hate these type of books. They are easy to read and fun for planes, but you really need to read them in one sitting. The story was cute, I like Evanovich’s other “romances” that aren’t Stephanie Plum books. It wasn’t Earth shattering, but it wasn’t terrible either.

The Matchmaker of Perigord by Julia Stuart

Cover via Amazon

I literally have no idea how this book came into my possession, but I saw it on the shelf and grabbed it for Curacao. I’m trying to refrain from buying any new books until I’ve read what I’ve got on my shelf. This was a good beach read. It was a little slow in parts, and you really have to under French culture to appreciate it I think, but it was definitely cute. The character and scenery descriptions were Stuart’s strongest point. Gave me a case of French wanderlust, bad!

Reconstructing Brigid by Lee Nichols

Cover via Amazon

This was a spur of the moment purchase at a flea market in south Georgia. I have to admit the purple cover got me to shell out the $2. This was probably my “favorite” book in May. The story had some inconsistencies, but overall it was a perfect beach read. It was binge worthy but I was also able to find good stopping points when it was time for bed, if that makes sense. I really loved the mystery aspect of the book as well as the love story. It felt a little like an episode of ABC’s Castle in that regard. The way the book ended made me think Nichols might want to turn the story into a series, and that would be totally fine by me—I'd buy them.

I’ve already started Summer Blowout by Claire Cook for June and it’s proving to be quite a funny little book. Otherwise I have no idea what I’ll end up with for this month. Probably another ragtag collection of “off the shelf” stuff, which is either going to go really well or really…not so well. I'd love to hear some suggestions on what to read next!

The 'Heart of the Matter'

It's no secret that as an English major, I love to read. And I read a lot. A ton in fact. My reading goes in cycles: I'll read like crazy for a few weeks, devouring all kinds of things. Then, I'll see my reading taper off and I'll struggle through one novel in a month. I blame it on college. Welllllll, college is over now. I'm out of excuses, time to make a commitment to reading my tail off. Summer's always been my favorite time for reading: between the pool, vacations and the warm air, being outside with a book is second nature to me. In fact, when I was about 15 I read 100 novels over the summer. Yes, I'm that nerdy. And yes, my Momma and I are that competitive. But I digress...

I started this “Summer of Reading” off with Emily Giffin's Heart of the Matter. Giffin, the brain behind Something Borrowed and Something Blue, two of my absolute favorite novels. When I came across Heart of the Matter I was thrilled. In fact Giffin even references the Something characters in Heart! From page 1 to page 288 I could not stop reading. I fell in love with the heart stoppingly fierce leading lady that sleeps with a married man. (It's not what you'd think....) But then when the married man finally makes his decision, I became disenfranchised. I hope I'm not giving too much away, but the ending left a lot to be desired, something I never thought I'd say after having read all of Giffin's previous novels. Each character is thoroughly developed, strong yet raw. Real. Exactly what you'd expect from Giffin. I had to force myself to continue on, push through the final eighty pages. I owed it to Giffin and myself to give it a fighting chance. I was disappointed. Check it out for yourself and tell me what you think? I'd love to talk about it with someone!

Wish me luck as I tackle another title on my seemingly never ending reading list: Beginner's Greek byJames Collins.