Books

Three Book Suggestions

I blew threw three books last week– special thanks to long commutes and a vacation for that! In college I used to read at least a book a week and I miss that steady pace. I miss meeting new characters every week and being able to transport myself somewhere new. It was nice to have a taste of that again recently!
I keep track of all the books I read with Goodreads and you can always see what I’m reading or wanting to read there. While I rate the books there, I don’t really “review” them in depth. I personally find reviews, well, personal. Sometimes I agree, sometimes I don’t. I don’t necessarily let a review deter me from a book and there are people I know in my life who have similar taste in books. I’m also always open to suggestions! I like walking into the bookstore with a huge list of books.
The books I read last week and a bit about what I thought (in case you’re so inclined…):

The Girl On the Train: I had heard amazing things about this book. The common thread that I kept hearing was that it was similar to Gone Girl, which I really loved. I listened to it on an audiotape instead of actually reading it because I knew I was going to be commuting a lot between meetings. I’m not sure this was the best book to test-drive audiobooks (different narrators for each chapter) with so maybe my opinion on the book is skewed because it took me a few hours of listening to get the hang of it. I will say though, it was an entertaining plot. I did want to keep reading– er, listening– to see where it was going. It’s a bit of a mystery/thriller following three women whose lives are quite intertwined through romance and happenstance.

The only major criticism I had was that I wanted to yell at all the female characters. Interesting story, yes. Continuous stream of stupid choices made by everyone? YES. My friends were right, if you liked Gone Girl, you’ll like this book too.

Delirium: Maxie recommended this book to me a while ago. I knew it’d be the perfect “beach” read. I’m a sucker for dystopian teen novels. Ever since I devoured read Hunger Games, it’s turned into my favorite genre. I like the teen-y romance plots. I love the thought of a terrifying could-maybe-happen-the-author-might-be-onto-something society. High entertainment factor! I absolutely blew through this book and couldn’t put it down. It takes place in Portland and features a government that has “cured” love.

I really loved this book. I think it had some of the best character development I’ve read in teen literature. Whereas I felt like Katniss was the same ole Katniss throughout Hunger Games, Lena’s character evolves and goes through a subtle, yet key, coming of age. Some of the word choice threw me off (“crappy” was one example I can remember), but it definitely read as an 18 year old narration.

Paper Towns: If you only have time for one book from this post, I recommend this one the most. I love John Green. The first book of his that I read was Looking for Alaska back in 2011 and I’ve been a fan ever since. Some of the books I’ve loved more than others. Paper Towns was one of my favorites. It’s a simple and quick read. The characters are interesting, the plot is entertaining. I felt emotionally attached to each character throughout the whole book.

I 100% read the book because I wanted to have read it before the movie came out. I didn’t let myself watch the trailer until after I completed the book. Cara Delevingne plays Margo (I know!). One of the reasons why I think I loved the book as much as I did… is that I had watched this video of John Green (nerdy-yet-lovable author) and Cara Delevingne (supermodel) hanging out on the set. Paper Towns is about a kind of nerdy guy who ends up reconnecting with his childhood friend who is now the coolest girl in school. I feel like Paper Towns is John Green’s way of blurring the lines of high school cliques… and he gets to play it out in real life. 



What new books have you read recently? Any books added to your nightstand?

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27 Comments

Jenny

I've been reading Dark Places by Gillian Flynn, same author as Gone Girl, and I absolutely love it. I actually tried reading it months ago (after I sped through Gone Girl) and couldn't get into it. I picked it up again this week and I've been hooked! I definitely recommend it- it's much darker, but really interesting. I've been wanting to read The Girl On The Train because like you said, so many people have said it's similar to Gone Girl, which I obviously loved. When/if I do read it, it seems like I'll definitely have to actually read it! I haven't gotten into audiobooks, although I do love podcasts 🙂

Jenny
fromthedeskofj.com

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LCRush

Yay! I love when you give your book recommendations. I always seem to like the books you do, so I am looking forward to diving into these. I'm also intrigued by the top book in your pic, "The Royal We," it looks fun.

Happy reading!
Laura | Surf & Hydrangeas

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Clémentine

I'm reading The Casual Vacancy by J.K. Rowling. It doesn't even feel like fiction sometimes because of the in-depth description of the characters. I'm a bit slow reading it because I've seen the BBC three parts adaptation but the book still leaves me a few surprises so far.

How is "The Royal We"? The cover speaks to me!

Clémentine | Ravacholle

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kelseydefined

I keep a running list of books to read on my phone and The Girl on the Train and Paper Towns definitely just made the list!

I recommend Lunch in Paris by Elizabeth Bard. It's a memoir about how the author met her French husband and moved to Paris. The author describes everything so well and really paints a picture of the city throughout the book. Plus she focuses a lot on food and meals to help tell the story and she places recipes throughout the story. Highly recommend!

– Kelsey
https://kelseydefined.wordpress.com/

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Jessica

The Girl On The Train is on my list! I just started Big Little Lies by Lianne Moriarty last night and I'm already hooked. If you haven't read her other book The Husband's Secret, it was great, too!

26 and Not Counting

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Obiter Darling

Paper Towns is such a fantastic read! The book I'm recommending to anyone who will listen at the moment is Funny Girl by Nick Hornby (author of About a Boy and a ton of other great reads). It's funny, quick-witted and set in the 60s in Britain.

Obiter Darling

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Olivia Stieren

I've actually been wanting to read all three of these books. I'm reading (listening) to Gone Girl right now and it's the best book I've read in a while.

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Julia D.

I HIGHLY recommend the MaddAddam trilogy by Margaret Atwood, if you're into post-dystopic fiction. She heavily researched the books so that all the technology she talks about actually already exists or could theoretically be developed soon based on existing technology. "The Handmaid's Tale" is also another brilliant book by the same author, though not part of a trilogy.

I feel like you might like Ned Vizzini, if you're a John Green fan. I recently read "It's Kind of a Funny Story" and it was an entertaining (literally laugh-out-loud at points) quick read. Other than that I've been reading "The Descendants" which I'm liking.

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kate

Great book recommendations! Delirium is definitely one of my favorites. I really wish they had gone through with the TV series (Emma Roberts is so perfect for the part of Lena!). I recommend the next book in the series, Pandemonium, as well; Lauren Oliver is an amazing writer.

I have to disagree with about The Girl on the Train. I think it makes for an amazing audio book. The only time the narrator changes is when the point of view switches, so it ends up being really helpful. Not to mention the narrator's English accent fits perfectly with the story's setting!

P.S. it should be "blew through", not "threw" (I would want someone to tell me!)

xx

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Sabra Gilbert

If you love dystopian novels, The Selection is a good one. It's a little cheerier than Hunger Games, but still has some crazy stuff going down and super fun to read!

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