I love to read and I’m always looking for something new to read. One of the things I miss about living in my hometown is walking through Chapters bookstore and just wandering through the stacks and browsing all the books. Of course there are plenty of bookstores in Madrid but the majority of the books are in Spanish and it’s just not the same; I can browse the English book section in about 5 minutes.
A frequent question among my friends is “what should I read next?” and I thought I’d share some of favorites. I definitely love the summer beach read and unfortunately I’m not as well read as I’d like to be (I struggle with the classics).
I’ve actually decided that I have to read a classic (preferably American/Canadian) for every 3-5 books I usually read. Let’s just say this isn’t going very well. I read The Great Gatsby and I hated it! There, I said it: I hated The Great Gatsby. Of Mice and Men was much better but I still didn’t get that I have to keep reading and I can’t put this book down feeling I get when I read other novels that I enjoy about a million times more. I did get that feeling with Blind Assassin: A Novel by Margaret Atwood but I think that was a one off (I don’t know if this book is considered a classic but Margaret Atwood definitely is). I’d love to hear any suggestions for contemporary classics that you think I should read and hopefully devour.
Anyways I digress! I don’t care if books are new or old, I just care if they’re good enough to make me think I’m there and that I want to be their friends and live in their house. I get way into the story and I’m usually sad when I finish a book I love cause I just want the story to go on forever and ever (I’m one of those people that can play the same song on repeat for a whole hour and not tire).
Here’s a selection of some books that I love:
The Matchmaker by Elin Hilderbrand: I just finished this book and I love, love, loved it!!! This book just came out and I’m so glad I didn’t wait to buy it. I now need to go to Nantucket and eat all the delicious food she talks about but that’s another story.
Crazy Little Things by Tracy Brogan: I need an Aunt Dody in my life and you’ll want one too after reading this.
Gone Girl: A Novel by Gillian Flynn: I’m not usually a suspense novel kind of girl but there was so much hoopla about this book that I gave in. The hoopla was spot on and I thoroughly enjoyed it. The other plus is that Ben Affleck will be starring in the movie coming out this fall. Four words: I love Ben Affleck!!!
Secret Daughter: A Novel by Shilpi Somaya Gowda: This is just a beautiful book. The author perfectly describes how two different worlds collide – I was left in awe.
The Fault In Our Stars by John Green: In case you’ve been living in a cave in Alaska during hibernation and haven’t heard of this book well READ IT. This was a suggestion from a friend and there are no words (thanks Cristina). Balled my eyes out and I’ll probably get kicked out of the theatre for ugly crying when I go see it.
Sh*t My Dad Says by Justin Halpern: Laughed the whole way through. This is definitely my kind of sense of humor (sarcastic and dry) and I had to stop reading it on the metro cause people were staring.
Anything by Kristin Hannah – chick lit at it’s finest.
The countdown has begun for this to be happening very, very soon!
These are books I’ve read and enjoyed and no one’s paying me to talk about them.
I'm MYC on Ravelry.
Happy you loved *The Fault in our stars* considering I read it not knowing that it was a teen book, yet it’s awesome! I think it has the best quotes on life ever, such as “that’s the thing about pain, it demands to be felt”….
I have no problem with reading teen books (maybe I shouldn’t say that very loudly). I just read a trilogy called The Summer I Turned Pretty and enjoyed every second! Thank you again for recommending TFIOS.