Hello, hello. I just got home from my first cold, dark walk with the pups since the time changed. It was a brisk 39 degrees out there so I bundled up in a coat, hat, gloves and Smart Wool socks.
I haven’t worked out since last Wednesday and I planned to today but then I kept Finn home from school this morning due to a stuffy/runny nose and my afternoon got away from me. I was this close to bailing on any kind of exercise (especially once it got dark) but I settled on a walk and it was perfect. I feel ten times better after our hour long stroll around the neighborhood.
I did a mix of listening to an audiobook that I am hooked on and talking to my grandmother while I was walking. This leads me to today’s post topic…what I’ve been reading lately! I am way overdue a share and update on my summer reading list.
BOOKS I’VE READ RECENTLY: FALL 2021
So many books to chat about! I won’t copy and paste the book synopsis here, I’ll just give you my brief thoughts.
Apples Never Fall by Liane Moriarty
I had no idea that Liane Moriarty had a new book coming out until my grandmother told me she’d pre-ordered it and it was on our shared Kindle. Overall, I liked the book and the storyline. That said, it could have been very much edited down, especially in the first half of the book. I was like, “where in the world are we going here?” for pages on end. I would recommend reading it if you like a good family drama. I also really found Joy and Stan’s marriage/relationship to feel relatable/real life. 3.5/5
Malibu Rising by Taylor Jenkins Reid
Let’s jump right into another family drama…even more dysfunctional than the one above. Taylor Jenkins Reid’s book The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo was one of my favorite books ever. Then she wrote Daisy Jones and the Six and I hated it, put it down about 20% in and never went back. Malibu Rising falls somewhere squarely in the middle of those two for me. 3/5
Wisteria Island by Rachel Hanna
Love it when my grandmother adds books like this to our Kindle because I would never have picked this one out but it was EXACTLY the light and uplifting read that I needed in during a hard time. Breezed right through this one. It was predictable but quirky. 4/5
The Newcomer by Mary Kay Andrews
This was another book that could have benefited from some rather aggressive editing. I didn’t dislike the plot or characters (except for Joe, could not get into him), but it was too long and winding. Solid read, not my favorite read. 3/5
The Last Thing He Told Me by Laura Dave
I found this book easy to get into and slightly suspenseful but not in a stressful way. Breezed through it quickly and while I found it a little far-fetched, it was a good read. 3.5/5
The Wish by Nicholas Sparks
Full disclosure, I am only halfway through this one but it is doing it for me. I am hot and cold with Nicholas Sparks but this is one of his good ones. As I type this, I think I’m having internal revelations about the plot line. 4.5/5
Local Woman Missing by Mary Kubica
This is the other book that I am currently reading (listening to) and it had me hooked from the first chapter. I started this one on my drive home from Tennessee last weekend and I haven’t been able to stop listening! I have read a few of Mary Kubica’s books and she does a great job with suspense. 4/5
One Last Stop by Casey McQuiston
I’ve been trying to finish this book for weeks. It’s another that I’m listening to on audio but I got stuck when the plot got stuck. I am in need of some forward momentum that isn’t happening yet. I want to finish it because the reviews are great but it’s a plug along book for me. 2.5/5
How Not to Die Alone by Logan Ury
This is the lone non-fiction book in the round up but it was a good one. It’s dating-focused and data-driven and I found it to be very applicable to so many things about modern dating and relationships. 4.5/5
WINTER READING LIST
Okay, friends! It is time to make our winter reading list. I get almost all of my reading recommendations from screenshots of people’s Instagram stories or my grandmother so I would love to crowdsource this. What’s on your winter reading list? Leave a comment below and I’ll share them in another post in the next few weeks.
Love the book ideas! Crossroads by Jonathan Franzen is also a great book, would recommend!
If you are looking for something quite magical at Christmas, then I’d recommend Midnight in Everwood by M.A. Kuzniar. It is a reimagining of The Nutcracker. It’s lovely.
Girls with Bright Futures is my fave that I’ve read recently.
You’re the first blogger/friend I’ve seen also not enjoy Daisy Jones! I just could not get into it.
I just finished and loved The Star-Crossed Sisters of Tuscany!
On my list (light and heartwarming because that’s what I’m craving in this season of my life):
– The Blue Bistro by Elin Hilderbrand
– The Happily Ever After Playlist by Abby Jiminez
– The Magic of Found Objects by Maddie Dawson
– If I Never Met You by Mhairi McFarlane
I just finished listening to The Other Black Girl by Zakiya Harris, really good.
The House In The Cerulean Sea by TJ Klune
Three women by Lisa taddeo
I just finished The Paper Palace and it was the BEST book!!
All the Lonely People by Mike Gayle. I loved it so much I hugged it after I finished. It’s got A Man Called Ove (by Fredrik Backman) vibes.
You must read some of Wendell Berry’s novels! I just finished Hannah Coulter and it was one of the best books I’ve ever read. His writing is simple, beautiful, and full of truth about the human experience. I cannot recommend him enough!
A difficult, but important read about slavery (based on real people) – “The Yellow Wife” by Sadeqa Johnson.
“Ordinary Grace” by William Kent Krueger. Well developed characters.
Not a holiday book — but for anyone who liked The Silent Patient, I really enjoyed The Maidens! It had another ending I did not predict and was fun to revisit Alex Michaelides’s writing style.
I just listened to The Girl with the Louding Voice and it was outstanding. I definitely recommend listening to it rather than reading it to hear the Nigerian accent. At first I thought oh I’m not going be able to get through this, but I kept on (it didn’t take long) and it was incredible.
Also just read Pretty Things, The Paris Wedding, and Finlay Donovan is Killing It, all of which I enjoyed.
Currently I’m listening to Katie Couric’s new book and it’s *juicy.* 🙂
P.S. I think Daisy Jones and the Six was probably a better one to listen to as well. It had a full cast with some well known voices.
The Silent Patient and Where the Forest Meets the Stars are two recent reads that I can’t recommend enough! Love all your posts, especially reading lists! I too have eleventy million screen shots of ig posts!