Books I’ve Read this Winter

Earlier this week I shared some of my tips for reading more and today I wanted to share some of the books I read over the past few weeks. During my week off from blogging, I spent so much time on the couch with the dogs reading. It was exactly what the doctor ordered! (In fact, I did so much “couch time” that I was really ready to jump back into work after a few days.)

Winter reading, I’ve decided, has to be the best kind of reading. Well, it’s a close tie at least with beach reading. There’s something to be said about snuggling up inside with a cozy book that you just can’t put down. The best part was that I loved everything I read… so I highly recommend them all!

City Baker’s Guide to Country Living // I was sent this as part of a press mailer. I loved the cover (I judge books by their covers sometimes, whoops) and there was a little blurb on the front about how it was like Gilmore Girls in book form. That alone had me sold. It’s not exactly like GG, but it’s also not that dissimilar either. A young professional baker from Boston finds herself working at an inn in Vermont. The book follows her as she navigates the small town politics and encounters with the “cast of characters.”

Is it the best book ever written? Not exactly. But I thoroughly enjoyed the book. Between the descriptions of all the baked goods and the slow love story, I couldn’t wait to find a few minutes to read it every night. It goes through all the seasons of the year, but I think it’s best read in the winter! It has a cozy feel!

Everything I Never Told You // Celeste Ng’s books have been topping my “to read” list for a while. I picked up a copy of Everything I Never Told You and Little Fires Everywhere* before Christmas, and I could not wait to dig in. I finished EINTY with lightning speed. Every chance I had to read, I was reading. Celeste Ng might just be one of my favorite authors now. Incredible storytelling. (Which, as an aside, I think “storytelling”/”storyteller” is way overused right now, but the description accurately represents Ng.) She’s incredibly adept at writing about nuanced and complicated family dynamics. Each of her characters is fundamentally flawed in such a perfectly human way. I cried at least three times while reading Everything I Never Told You. It follows one family grappling with the unexpected drowning of their teenage daughter/sister in the 70s. (I also rarely have favorite characters, but my heart just broke for little Hannah…. most of my tears were for parts of the book focused on her.)

* I’m almost finished with Little Fires Everywhere, and I can still tell you that I know this is going to be one of my top recommended books for the year too. Ugh, she’s such a great writer… I wish I had a whole library of her stories to read!

Turtles All the Way Down // John Green is one of my favorite young adult authors. I’ve read almost all of his books now. He has a unique way of capturing teenage angst in a non-caricature way. This book follows a teenage girl and her friends as they try to solve a mystery of a missing local businessman to collect a hefty reward. The plot itself is a little… out there. This is not one of his best books in my opinion. While I didn’t love every single part, it captures a particular slice of mental health, particularly in young people, that I think is too important to ignore. I read this over the course of about six hours, pretty much in one sitting. I was even compelled to send him a message which I’m sure he’ll never see, but that’s how much I liked the way he approached mental health.

Along the Infinite Sea // I know I’ve mentioned reading this book before, but I wanted to make sure that it was included in an official CTP book post. How have I never read a Beatrix Williams book before?! Amazing! I loved the way she wove the two generations of stories together. From what I’ve read, she loves to write about sisters and Along the Infinite Sea is part of a trilogy of sisters. I did not read in order, whoops! But the book still can stand on its own. It’s about one sister, Pepper, and how her current situation (and it’s quite the situation!) overlaps with the original owner of a vintage Mercedes that was found in a garage on Cape Cod. There’s everything you could want in a good story: romance, a little mystery, and WWII drama.

What should I read next?! I’m always looking for great books… and don’t forget that you can follow all of my reading on Goodreads!