My Nine Recent Reads

As a child I was one described as an avid reader and at the time I thought it was one of the highest compliments one could receive.  Decades later, I still agree, though sadly I do not read as many books as I used to.  That said, this post could also be called My Favorite Books of Summer as I read these nine books over the past few months.  Many of these will titles may that sound familiar as the majority, it seems, have been New York Times Best Sellers. Others have been on recommended by Reese Witherspoon or featured on Good Morning America’s book club but I wanted to share my recent reads regardless.  In no particular order:

The Book of Two Ways by Jodi Picoult    |   This was the second to last book I read and one of my favorite.  I love books where I learn things and whole fiction I not familiar with the concept of death doula until this book but it was a quick and interesting read. Plus many parts  reminded me of my trip to Egypt.

The Last Train to Key West by Chanel Cleeton   |   This was a great summer book – quick, quirky, and a page turner. Without giving anything away I like that it chronicled three very different woman and their experience with the 1935 Florida Keys hurricane (which really happened). I’ve come to enjoy historical fiction and while some books that follow multiple characters this one does now switch too quickly that it ruins the plot.  I can see why it was described as an Instant New York Times Best Seller.

Red Queen by Victoria Aveyard  |   This book is the first in a series Mark and I are listening to the second. We will likely finish before the end of the week and he already asked if we had the third one downloaded for Paris. There are five in all and Amazon lists it as a #1 New York Times bestselling series. The most accurate way I can describe it is the realistic sci-fi genre and I saw one description that it is perfect – a  Game of Thrones fans, which I would 100% agree with.

The Thursday Murder Club by Richard Osman |   I love a book that when you finish the last page you want to be friends with one (or more) of the charecters and that happened in this one. I did not know there was a squel until I went online to link to this book but I have already ordered it from Amazon which is a testament to how much I enjoyed it.

Shoe Dog by Phil Knight |   Having been a Nike athlete for nearly a decade I was very excited to read this one and at the end was surprised 90% of the book was before the coampny was even named Nike.  I had thought it would cover the founder’s experience up to present day but after reflecting, that’s the info that is public, this is how it came to be

Untamed by Glennon Doyle |   Not the best book I read.  I wanted to like it, especially after rave reviews from family, but while I found it an interesting autobiographical it was not a page turner.  Congrats to Glennon on two million copies sold but not for me.

Open by Jessica Simpson |   I was not expeting to like this and I assume there was a ghost writer but I found it riveting to learn more about her life.  I had no idea about her failure to become a star of the Mickey Mouse Club and as a adult, her addiction to alcohol. An interesting behind the scenes look at a girl whose been famous for decades.

The Personal Librarian by Marie Benedict  |   An amazing historical fiction novel about a real woman, Belle De Costa Greene, and her incredible life story.  I always find the robber barons or America’s Gilded Age fascinating and it made me miss New York.

The Lions of Fifth Avenue by Fiona Davis  |   A second book about books and NYC though very different than the fist. The book goes back and forth between the 1910’s and 1990’s and I kept waiting to see how the two stories intersected – another New York Times Bestseller!

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Have you enjoyed any of my recent reads?