I'm on Goodreads here and also there a lot. I spend probably too much time checking my library holds, thinking about what I'm going to read next, and then obsessively checking my library holds again. But friend me there if we have similar reading tastes! And linking up with Modern Mrs. Darcy!
On to what I read!
Looking for Lovely: Collecting the Moments that Matter by Annie F. Downs
I've been listening to her podcast for awhile and figured it was about time I picked up one of her books. This was exactly what the title suggests, looking for the lovely. I was thinking about this book and wondering if I would have appreciated it more in our long "when are we getting another baby" months, maybe those years needed more lovely? Then I remembered that our whole family was still awake at 10:45 last night (inlcuding both boys) and the baby was up twice in the night and...I still need plenty of reminders of looking for the lovely. I did this on audio and it was a really quick listen. 3.75 Stars
When Life Gives You Lululemons by Lauren Weisberger
This book is pretty much what I look for in a summer read. Or at least a few books like this each summer. It's #3 in the Devil Wears Prada series but, really, the first book barely matters and the second not at all. I think it could have been a stronger book with just changing the main character's name and removing the few references because it just felt like a way to latch on to that very popular book (which I've never read because I really like the movie and I've heard the movie is better anyways, which is rare to hear). It was fun and light but not fluffy, I've read books that are TOO fluffy and get annoyed. I read this whole book in a day. 4 Stars
Laughing Without an Accent: Adventures of an Iranian American, at Home and Abroad by Firoozeh Dumas
I read her first book a few months ago and this was more of the same but still so so enjoyable. Memoir of her life in the US (mostly California) and life in Iran. She has a lot of love for both countries and both cultures but also mines a lot of humor from each. I didn't laugh out loud as much as with the first but it was still a really fun read. 3.5 Stars
Amy & Roger's Epic Detour by Morgan Matson
This was very enjoyable for exactly what it was: YA about a boy and a girl who are driving across the country (California -> Connecticut) because their Moms' arranged it. A little predictable but takes me back to being a teenager and feeling like all the decisions were huge ones but you also just wanted to have fun and see the world, or at least the country. I plowed through this one and it was a very satisfying summer read. 3.75 Stars
The Girls in the Picture by Melanie Benjamin
A look at old OLD Hollywood (silent movies) and two real life women who had a big part in it. One was an actress, the other a writer and reading about how they shaped their lives & careers was so fascinating. Around the time women were getting the right to vote in the US they had a strong hand in how movies were being made. I looked up both of them on IMDb after I finished reading. 3.25 Stars
Campaign Widows by Aimee Agresti
Pretty much everything I know about how our government worked I learned in school so this behind the scenes look at the "campaign widows", the partners left behind while their significant others are off on the campaign trail, was very interesting. I know basically nothing about how society works in DC and this was all about how that works. Not quite what I was expecting but I enjoyed it. 3.5 Stars
Until Tomorrow, As You Wish, I Promise by Robin Jones GunnI think these three are my favorites of the whole Christy Miller & Forever Friends saga that I've been reading for 20 years (although this particular series is only ~18 years old). Christy, Katie, and Todd are traveling around Europe in the first and then in college together for the last two. Making big life choices and growing closer to God. I've reread these SO MANY times since they came out. We are easily talking double digits and it feels like reconnecting with old friends every time. 4.5 Stars
The Island by Elin Hilderbrand
I did a lot of rereading this month! I've read this 4 years in a row now over Memorial Day weekend, to kick off summer. Every year I think it'll be my last and then late May comes around and I know I'm going to reread it again. Two sisters, their mother and their aunt go to the remote Tuckernuck Island for a month to all get over/get away from various personal issues. Their cottage is old, their caretaker is cute. It's one of my favorite ways to mark the beginning of summer. 4 Stars
Something Borrowed by Emily Giffin
I read this on the train out to New York and it remains my favorite book of hers. The people don't make great choices but you root for them anyways. Light and fun "chick lit" without being TOO light. Always enjoy rereading this one. 4 Stars
12 Ways Your Phone is Changing You by Tony Reinke
We all know our constant connection to our phones is changing us but how? This was a bit dry at times but mostly informative about just how much our phones are impacting our lives, and not always for the better. Ranting about people being on their phones around other people is one of my favorite soap box issues but this goes much deeper than that. Definitely worth reading just know it's not real enjoyable but is necessary. 3.5 Stars
The Royal We by Heather Cocks and Jessica Morgan A reread and an old favorite, specially one of my favorites from 2015. I was up at 4:30 to watch Will & Kate's wedding back in 2011 (and "slept in" until 5:30 for Harry & Meghan's a month ago) so OF COURSE I was going to read the fictionalized version of what happened. A delight to reread, especially around this year's royal wedding with an American! If you are the "get up way too early to watch a televised royal wedding" type, you'd probably like this (although, you've probably already read it). 4.25 Stars
What have YOU been reading lately?
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