Sparkles and Shoes

A Fashion, Travel, and Lifestyle Blog

  • Home
  • About
    • Contact
  • Fashion
    • My Style
      • Spring Style
      • Summer Style
      • Fall Style
      • Winter Style
    • Really Love My …
    • Shop My Instagram
    • Style Icons
    • Trending
  • Travel
    • Africa
      • Egypt
      • Kenya
      • Morocco
      • Southern Africa
      • Tanzania
    • Asia
      • Indonesia
      • Qatar
      • Russia
      • Singapore
      • Turkey
    • Europe
      • Austria
      • Belgium
      • Croatia
      • Cyprus
      • Czech Republic
      • Denmark
      • England
      • Finland
      • France
      • Germany
      • Greece
      • Hungary
      • Iceland
      • Ireland
      • Italy
      • Monaco
      • Netherlands
      • Norway
      • Poland
      • Portugal
      • Romania
      • Russia
      • Scotland
      • Spain
      • Sweden
      • Turkey
      • Vatican City
    • North America
      • Canada
      • Caribbean
      • Central America
      • US: East Coast
      • US: West Coast
    • South America
  • Lily Harper
  • Favorites
    • Beauty
    • Delicious Eats
    • London
    • My Wedding
    • Sparkle Sessions

My Nine Recent Reads

09/28/21 | books, Real Life

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:

Recent Reads - The Book of Two Ways by Jodi Picoult New York Times Bestseller
Recent Reads - The Last Train to Key West by Chanel Cleeton New York Times Bestseller

    |   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.

   |   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.

Recent Reads - Red Queen by Victoria Aveyard New York Times Bestseller
The Thursday Murder Club by Richard Osman

 

|   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.

|   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
Untamed by Glennon Doyle New York Times Bestseller
Open by Jessica Simpson

|   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

|   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.

|   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.

Recent Reads - The Personal Librarian by Marie Benedict
The Lions of Fifth Avenue by Fiona Davis

 

|   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.

  |   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!

– – – – –

Have you enjoyed any of my recent reads?

Signature

Subscribe

« Birthday Musings
Really Love My … Kiss Nails »

Related Posts

  • Pet Peeves 2.0
  • Guest Room with Watercolor Harbor Study I and Watercolor Harbor Study II from Photowall over BedRefreshing Our Flat’s Artwork
  • National Covid Memorial Wall on the River Thames in LondonThe National COVID Memorial Wall in London
  • Life Lately

Comments

  1. pauline says

    October 14, 2021 at 4:04 pm

    I just finished the plot. Spectacular ending.

  2. Charlene says

    September 29, 2021 at 3:40 pm

    Bad Blood and Red Notice are some of my two top favorites and Bad Blood is all the rage now that the trail has started!

    I hope she gets convicted.

  3. Sally says

    September 29, 2021 at 12:49 pm

    Reading Empire of Pain. All about the Sackler family fantastic story so far!!

  4. Winston says

    September 28, 2021 at 6:57 am

    I have read the Personal Librarian, one of my favorite reads in a long time and the Lions of 5th Ave. Also Shoe Dog and Untamed.

    Just finished The Plot which I would highly recommend to you.

    Happy reading.

Hi, I am Kelly and welcome to Sparkles and Shoes, a fashion, travel, and lifestyle blog founded in 2012.  After six years of living in London I am back in New York with my husband and two littles! 

  • Bloglovin
  • Email
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter

Search

Newsletter

WHERE I SHOP

Amazon

Anthropologie

J. Crew

Minted 

Sephora

Target

Walmart

Zappos

Archives

  • 2025
  • 2024
  • 2023
  • 2022
  • 2021
  • 2020
  • 2019
  • 2018
  • 2017
  • 2016
  • 2015
  • 2014
  • 2013
  • 2012

Fine Print

Sparkles and Shoes is a part of several affiliate advertising programs. This means that if you click and/or make a purchase through certain links on this site or any related social media platforms (including Twitter, Facebook and Pinterest), I may make a commission from that click and/or purchase. All opinions are my own.

© Kelly Donlin and Sparkles and Shoes, 2012-2022 Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this site’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Kelly Donlin and Sparkles and Shoes with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.

Get the latest

Receive Sparkles and Shoes right to your inbox!

Connect with me

  • Bloglovin
  • Email
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter

Copyright © 2025 · Designed by High Note Designs, LLC

Copyright © 2025 · Tasteful Theme on Genesis Framework