Books

More Books

| 27 Comments

There are quite a few books that I read this summer that are worth sharing here! I also (selfishly) love getting book recommendations from you guys so I hope you share some of your favorites in a comment! The train ride into NYC is turning into my favorite part of the day because I have 50 minutes of almost completely uninterrupted reading time. I have a feeling I’ll be getting more books under my belt… this all translates to a very happy Carly!

In the Unlikely Event | I had actually never read a Judy Blume book before this book. I wasn’t a huge reader when I was younger and I feel like I missed out on the classic Judy Blume books. However, with all the hype around this book, I definitely decided to give it a go. It was a pretty good read.

The book centers around the town of Elizabeth, New Jersey and a series of plane crashes that occur. While the book is fictional, it’s based on real plane crashes that happened in Elizabeth… where Judy Blume grew up.

While it’s pegged as a book for adults, it definitely follows the coming of age genre of a young adult book. That said, I still really enjoyed the books. I even read a big portion of it while flying, which wasn’t the most brilliant idea but I just couldn’t put it down!

Who Do You Love | I totally got sucked into the plot and storyline of this book. I threw it in my tote bag last minute before heading to the DMV. I ended up being there for six hours and read a good two hundred pages. This is the perfect book to read if you’re into good love stories… this one is exceptional! From childhood to adulthood, through the highs and the lows of life.

The Precious One | This book has been on my bookshelf for months. I forgot to get a book before going to Bonaire for the scuba trip. Considering the flights and how long we were there, I panicked. I couldn’t not bring a book but at three am, my options were limited. I thought of bringing a book I had already read to reread when I discovered The Precious One, which was sitting there unread.

I could NOT put this book down. I really, really loved it. I don’t give five star reviews often, but this one got a five without question. The stories of two estranged sisters wove together beautifully. Some of the dialogue was awkward at times, but the general prose of the novel? So good. I had to pace myself while on vacation! I could have read it in one day.

***

Now I’m just about halfway through All the Light We Cannot See…. Whoa. Whoa. That will likely receive its own blog post!



What books should I pick up to read this fall?!

xoxo
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27 Comments

Kate Rebmann

Americanah by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie – This book is fantastic. an interesting look at life in America through the eyes of a Nigerian. I highly recommend this book!

One Summer: America, 1927 by Bill Bryson – if you like non-fiction, this book is amazing. A fascinating look at one summer in America.

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Jessica

I'm on the waiting list at the library for All The Light We Cannot See – can't wait to get my hands on it! I highly recommend The Husband's Secret and Big Little Lies by Lianne Moriarty if you have read them already! On my list to read in the coming weeks are Why Not Me? by Mindy and You Are A Badass by Jen Sincero 🙂

26 and Not Counting

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Charity

The best book I read all summer was Fun Home by Alison Bechdel. It's the graphic novel on which the Broadway musical is based. Excellent (and quick — I read it in an evening).

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Hannah H

If you're a fan of To Kill a Mockingbird I would suggest Go Set A Watchman by Harper Lee. It brings back the same characters in a different light but seeing how it was never meant to be published it seems somehow unrefined. I haven't finished it yet but so for I've really enjoyed it despite its shortcomings.

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Unknown

I highly recommend Me Before You by Jojo Moyes. Read it for the first time at the beginning of the year and it quickly became my favorite. I would read it before the movie comes out in March of 2016!

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Jenn Cramer

Those all sound fantastic! I recently just read Don't Give Up, Don't Give in: Lessons from an Extraordinary Life by Louis Zamperini and loved it, but I also loved Unbroken, which I would also suggest if you haven't read it yet. I am curious, do you rent the books you read from the library or do you buy all the books?

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Leah Stivala

I have so many of these on my list and now I am definitely going to read!

A few books I loved this summer were The Knockoff by Lucy Sykes, Eight Hundred Grapes by Laura Dave and Maybe in Another Life by Taylor Jenkins Reid.

Check out my blog for more book reviews at hardbacksintotebags.blogspot.com!

Leah

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Kristen Woolsey

I always look forward to your book recommendations!
I just finished Outlander, on the recommendation from a friend. Technically it's a romance novel, so that's kind of not my usual read-but I really liked it! It's definitely a love story, but with an incredibly well researched historical- time travel plot.
And I just found out it's actually a tv show now too, so I need to check that out.
-Kristen
http://www.pugsandpearls.com

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Blaise

LOVE all of your book suggestions! A large chunk of my "To Read" note in my iPhone is books you've suggested. 🙂 I recently finished Brain on Fire, The Rosie Project and its sequel The Rosie Effect, and I'm almost done with John Green's Looking for Alaska. All amazing books if you haven't read them yet! I especially loved The Rosie Project and the Rosie Effect. Easy, entertaining, and captivating reads. You might wanna look into them. 🙂

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CaitB

Bellweather Rhapsody by Kate Racculia
Night Film by Marisha Pessl
The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern
The Perfume Collector by Kathleen Tessaro
and an oldie but very goodie, Heartburn by Nora Ephron

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Eleanor

The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah.

Fantastic read, I've read some of the same books as you and this is by far my favorite this year. Five Stars! Better than All the Light We Cannot See and The Light Between the Oceans!

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Jordyn Upchurch

I'm adding that Judy Blume book to my wishlist!

You should definitely read Go Set a Watchman by Harper Lee & Orange is the New Black if you haven't. Go Set A Watchman is going to be a new classic, I'm sure of it! And OITNB is the book that the show is based off of, but less raunchy and kind of inspirational. I laughed, cried, and really enjoyed it!

xoxo, SS

The Southern Stylista

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Madeeha Syed

I loooved All the Light We Cannot See. I read it this past spring and have been recommending it to everyone I know! I'm so glad you're enjoying it too! I made a blog post a week or so ago about some of my recent reads as well!

xx Madeeha
theschoolgirlsnotebook.blogspot.com

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Books

more books :)

| 25 Comments

My New Year’s resolution of no television may be the best decision I have ever made.
Instead of mindlessly watching a show and trying to multitask and doing five other things at the same time, I’ve turned to reading.
If I watched a forty minute show, I mostly ended up feeling like I wasted forty minutes.  Reading for twenty minutes gives me the impression that I’ve taken a much longer break (more like two hours) and I can pick right back up on my work and continue to be productive!
You can check out the other books I read during the first quarter of 2011 here.
I collected a ton of recommendations via Twitter, Tumblr, and College Prep and started out to read a bunch of the books…
Since then, I have read:
Water for Elephants
(which I’m, like, the only person who didn’t enjoy it…)
The Other Daughter
The English American
Thirteen Reasons Why
The Adults
(I’m about 75% through with this)
and
of course
Saving CeeCee Honeycutt
(the current College Prepster Book Club book!)
Please keep sending me book recommendations!
Have you read any of the books I’ve read so far?  What’d you think?
xoxo

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25 Comments

Christina

Breath, Eyes, Memory – Edwidge Danticat
and I just started reading Something blue by Emily Griffin. One of the characters has a fiance who went to Georgetown.

unoconleche.tumblr.com

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Danielle

Being a Literature major, I read. All. The. Time. I just finished a novel for my Young Adult Lit class, and while it was marketed for YA in the United States, it was not listed as such in its country of first publication, Australia. Anyway, the book is "The Book Thief" by Markus Zusak and it is absolutely wonderful.

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Kate

I read every night before bed and I have found some really great books through other bloggers.
My most recent favorites:
The Secret Lives of Dresses
One Day
Commencement
The Devil in the Junior League

My whole list is here

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rhianna brooke

I thought Water for Elephants was so/so, I'm with you there. Now everyone that reads it lately because of the movie keeps raving about it and I don't get it. Maybe I need to reread it again?

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Katie Honerlaw

I would totally recommend reading Water for Elephants again! I seriously was so obsessed I was able to read it in under 3 hours!! I thought it was a riveting story and I am so excited for the movie! I have also started her new book called Ape House and I think that is going to be just as good! I'm not finished with it yet because I have had a million exams this week!!

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Sundresses and Smiles

I'm so impressed, I knew you had resolved to read more, but I didn't realize it was also to stop watching TV. Reading is one of my favorite escapes, but I do love my TV time too, haha!

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Jennifer

I actually hated Water for Elephants. I'm starting to think I should give it another try since everyone else seems to love it, but I don't know if I can subject myself to it again!

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Anonymous

You must read "The Help" by Kathryn Stockett. You'll devour it in a day because it is so good. I could not put it down. Also if you're more of a chick lit type anything…I mean anything by Jennifer Weiner is wonderful, just a sassy as any trashy tv show but a million times better. And Emily Giffin has wonderful books too. Also Dave Sedaris has hilarous books that will make you laugh in public unashamed.

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Raychel

You should get a Goodreads account, Carly. You might already have one. It has helped me keep track of everything I've read, plus you can make a to-read list so you can store all those suggestions somewhere. You can also rate your books. I try to have a reading goal every year and Goodreads helps so much since you can make different bookshelves. So far this year I've read 19 books! I try to read one a week, which means I'm ahead since this is the 16th week of the year.

As for suggestions, The Secret Life of Bees would be right up your alley, I think. And if you need some funny, light reads, the Georgia Nicolson series is HILARIOUS. Seriously laugh out loud funny stuff.

The nice thing about having a Kindle is that I can preview books. I've discovered so many books I would have never read without my kindle! Does the Nook have that feature too?

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Kasey

I felt sort of the same way when I finished Water for Elephants. I enjoyed the beginning so much but I felt the end was way too rushed and read like a 13 year old girl wrote it.

If you haven't already read it, I highly recommend "The Glass Castle"

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Carly

I recommend Riding the Bus with My Sister by Rachel Simon. I'm in the midst of reading it myself, so far it's a very sweet and uplifting story.

Also, Three Cups of Tea by Greg Mortenson is a very well written and inspirational memoir of his journey to build schools in the Middle East. However, Mortenson is under fire as some of the stories in the book recently appear to have been fabricated.

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Grace

Ok, I sort of thought Water for Elephants was weird too, so you're not alone! Also, many congrats for sticking to your no TV! If you need another recommendation, I really liked I Capture the Castle.

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Anonymous

Little Bee by Chris Cleave is amazing! Can get a little graphic at times but addresses such an important issue and keeps you thinking! It's one of the best books I've ever read!

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SKB

Good for you! I LOVE reading. I have found myself reading so much more than watching tv and you are right, taking a break with a book is a great way to destress for a minute and then get back to work. The Last Lecture was a great book-check it out if you haven't already!

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Anonymous

You're not the only one who didn't enjoy Water for Elephants! I saw your previous blog post and when I read all the recommendations for it, I was like "Seriously?" haha. So don't worry!

An absolutely AMAZING book is Middlesex by Jeffrey Eugenides. So, so, so well written. Also, if you like classics, Persuasion by Jane Austen is still my favourite book ever!

Love the blog 🙂

Chelsea x

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Kailey

google the Rory Gilmore book list. I've enjoyed almost every book I've read from that list. There is a great mix of classic and modern

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