Bookworm

Reading has always been a passion of mine. And I've gone through some weird book phases, as I'm sure everyone has. Early high school was purely romance novels, sweet books that made me want to "awww" every few seconds, maybe even tear up a little. Pretty much anything that said Nicholas Sparks had written it (along with the corresponding movie immediately after - okay okay, I'll be honest, the Notebook still makes me cry every time I watch it). Late high school was dark stuff, creepy and weird, and I'm still confused by my choices of that time...Dean Koontz was my #1, followed by Stephen King. I read everything from Whispers to Salem's Lot, anything dark and twisted and I was all-in. Weird. Now, anything that pops out to me on the shelf, or anything that I've heard was good from friends of friends is okay in my book (pun intended)...

As a student, summer is of course one of my favorite times, mostly because I'm study free. Also, I love reading, but I feel overwhelmed and guilty reading during the school year because I know I should be reading my textbooks instead. So, summer is the time when I fly through books every few days, following editor's picks off Amazon and National Bestsellers from my "to-read" list from throughout the year.

I flew through some really amazing books since this summer started, so I wanted to share my top 4 picks with you (not in any meaningful order), along with my continued "to-read" list for the rest of the summer!

Room by Emma Donoghue

I found this book at a used bookstore in Bham, having heard that it was supposed to be really good, so I grabbed it off the shelf. That was probably about a year and a half ago. I finally got around to reading it the start of this summer, and I'm so glad I did, because of the writing alone.

Room is about Ma and Jack, who live together in a room (imagine that, good synopsis, Amber). They have been locked in this room by a man they call 'Saint Nick', secluded from the outside world. It is more difficult for Ma because she once experienced the outside world, and she misses all of it. She has tried every way to get her and her son out, but Saint Nick has made every option impossible. Jack has never seen anything but the inside of the room, he has only ever known captivity. The book is about their life in the room, and what happens when Ma breaks down and tells five-year-old Jack that the outside world does exist.

What makes this book so interesting is Emma's writing. The book is narrated from the perspective of five-year old Jack, which is a little hard to get used to at first, but it was so well done. Since Jack hasn't learned anything except what exists inside their room, inanimate objects like lamps and rugs are 'Rug' and 'Lamp', 'He' and 'She'. I've never read anything written like this book before, and Emma's writing was definitely what hooked me. When I hit the last 100 pages, I couldn't leave the house or put the book down!

The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd

My favorite read of the summer by far. If I had to put ranks on this list, this would be #1 no doubt! After I read this book, I had the hardest time starting my next because I was still so hooked on this one. The writing and plot had me captivated from page 1 until the last, and the characters were impossible not to love. And the best part - the movie adaptation I watched afterward was actually good (usually I'm a snob about them).

Secret Life of Bees is about young Lily Owens, in 1964, who has spent her entire life thinking about her mother's death. She lives with her unloving and ungrateful father, who makes her kneel on grits for hours on end when she does anything he doesn't agree with. After an incident that gets her dear house maid, Rosaleen, in trouble with the authorities, she decides they will flee town together, and head to Tiburon, South Carolina. Here, she discovers things about her mother and learns who she is. Her and Rosaleen meet three kind-hearted women who live on a bee-farm. They stay here with the three sisters and become like family. The amount of love and passion in this book continues to amaze me.

The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger

My second favorite read this summer. This book could have been confusing, jumbled, and hard to follow, but Audrey did an amazing job. This book is full of beauty, heartache, sadness, and so much love, you won't be able to put it down.

The Time Traveler's Wife is about a relationship between Henry and Clare. Henry meets Clare in a meadow when she is six, and he is 36, time traveling. After this date, he continues to time travel back to this meadow (his traveling is involuntary). Every time he comes, he is a different age or coming from a different time, but Clare continues to age normally as everyone else in her world does. She falls in love with Henry, as he does with her, and they are destined to be together. The story follows events in their lives at different ages and through different years, and what becomes of their lives together.

Note to people who have read or plan to read this - don't watch the movie. I think I would've loved this movie if I hadn't read the book. Honestly, watching the movie just ticket me off. I love Rachel McAdams, and she played Clare wonderfully, but there were so many things that were changed for reasons that weren't clear to me throughout the movie. And to top off the cake, the perfectly written ending for the book was changed! So, if you plan on watching the movie after, prepare yourself my friends.

The Summer of the Bear by Bella Pollen

This one took me a little longer to read than most, honestly, because I was still getting over Secret Life of Bees. I actually just finished this one last night! Loved it! The reason this book was so captivating was because of the strength of the characters. Each of the children could not have been more different, and their characters were strong and independent for such young ages, which drew me to them in a way I didn't expect.

The Summer of the Bear is about a family of four, mom Leticia (Letty), daughters Georgiana (Georgie) and Alba, and son Jamie. Letty has just lost her husband, and the children have lost their father. The time is 1980, and their father, Nicky, died unexpectedly, while a traitor was assumed in the British Embassy. The government investigates and questions the family, trying to figure out the cause of Nicky's death, and what he may have been involved in, if anything. Letty moves her and the children to a remote Scottish island dear to them, hoping to keep the family in tact. Here, a bear has recently been sighted, and Jamie begins to think that his father's spirit has a connection to the bear. This book is about the family's experience dealing with Nicky's death as they unravel the true story of what happened.

Okay, that's it for my so-far summer faves! I just started Wild by Cheryl Strayed this afternoon, and am already hooked. Want to see what is next on my list? I have a lengthy list below, all with links for purchase on Amazon :)

The Shack by Wm. Paul Young
The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins
Where'd You Go, Bernadette? by Maria Semple
The 100-Year Old Man Who Climbed Out the Window and Disappeared by Jonas Jonasson
The Invention of Wings by Sue Monk Kidd
Paper Towns by John Green
Our Souls at Night by Kent Haruf
The Tipping Point by Malcolm Gladwell
All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr
The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah
Lila by Marilynne Robinson
The Art of Hearing Heartbeats by Jan-Philipp Sendker
A Fall of Marigolds by Susan Meissner
The Light Between Oceans by M.L. Stedman
The Storied Life of A. J. Fickry by Gabrielle Zevin

Are you guys bookworms too? What have you read this summer? I'd love feedback on anything good! What's on your "to-read" list?

Xoxo