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.