The Last Five Books I’ve Read.
Hiiiii. I know a book post is SO overdue and while I’ve mentioned a few books here and there over the last year in my Tuesday Things and monthly Favorites, I haven’t done any sort of dedicated post in aaaaages.
Reading is my absolute favorite thing (next to writing) but it has taken such a huge backseat since I’ve had Max. I still can find time to read at various points of the day, but not as consistently as I’d like. Also, with the still somewhat unpredictable schedule of a toddler, I often get two pages in before passing out at night. Hence the hiatus. This summer though, I’ve made it more of a priority. These are the last five books I’ve read, plus a repeat mention and what I’m currently reading. I’d love to hear what you’re reading below!
Truly Madly Guilty by Liane Moriarty. I have loved mostly all of Liane Moriarty’s books. I never thought I was interested in reading “mysteries” but I find her stories to be the perfect combination of what I love with some mystery and suspense – and enough of the “light” read that I enjoy. I like this story a lot and flew through it, but it wasn’t my all-time favorite of hers. I found some of the characters just so unlikeable!
Modern Lovers by Emma Staub. Loved loved loved this story! It took me a few pages to get into it but I love the writing and found the story fascinating. I loved the little food bits too. Slightly predictable, but hey I love a good predictable story and sometimes that it just what I’m looking for.
Present over Perfect by Shauna Niequist. I liked this book. I really did. I love Shauna’s writing and her previous books. I think I was just super hopeful at the beginning that this book would give me exact details on how to make some changes in my life and maybe… someone would jump out of the book and do it for me? Ha. Kidding. Sort of. Still loved it, but was left wanting just a leeeeettle bit more. If that makes sense.
Tell Me Three Things by Julie Buxbaum. I read this book after Kristen mentioned it and oooooh I adored this story. I loved it so much! The characters are REAL. I tend to never search out YA novels on my own, but always find the best recommendations from friends and end up loving them. This was a quick read that tugged at my heart.
Falling by Jane Green. AH. I wanted to love this book and I did enjoy it for the most part, up until the end. Not just the ending but right before the end – it really changed how I thought about the book! Didn’t see it coming at all and was completely bummed out. Not sure what else I can say without spoiling it. Wish I was prepared for that.
Must mention: It Ends With Us by Colleen Hoover. This is the THIRD time I am mentioning this book on the blog in two weeks, but I just can’t even convey how much I loved it. Yes, it was an intriguing storyline, but what I think is most incredible was how the author makes your feel SO much for every character. Love, hate, doubt, pity, anger, frustration – every emotion I can think of. I felt it all for these characters.
Currently reading:Â Sweet Bitter by Stephanie Danler. I’m actually listening to this on audible at the moment (which can make me cringe, for some reason, the narrators of a few of these books convey the emotion in sentences in such a… funny? way!) Â and am only a few chapters in, but I like it. I probably should be reading this book as opposed to listening to it because the beginning jumps around a bit and unless I’m paying extremely close attention, I get lost and need to rewind. Anyone read this yet?
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40 Comments on “The Last Five Books I’ve Read.”
I just finished Modern Lovers too & really loved it!
http://www.kristinadoestheinternets.com
I really enjoyed Sweetbitter even though the writing style was not my favorite. Tell Me Three Things was great, too. If you haven’t read Julie Buxbum’s adult book (I think it came out like 8ish years ago) you should pick that up, it’s one of my favorites.
If you’re looking for more recommendations I just finished Monsters: A Love Story by Liz Kay and thought it was brilliant and entertaining (although full of unlikable characters). Results May Vary by Bethany Chase is very good as well. Her first book, The One That Got Away is even better!
I really loved Modern Lovers and Tell Me Three Things! I wanted to love Truly, Madly, Guilty but I felt like there wasn’t much of a pay off. All the build up and then…meh. I was underwhelmed. I am adding It Ends With Us to the list! I am currently reading The Rules of Civility and REALLY loving it. New York in the 30’s — it’s so glittering and descriptive (but in a good way — I hate wordy books) and wonderful. I love it!
I agree with you – I was disappointed in Liabe Moriarty’s new book. My favorite of hers was Big Little Lies (Reese Witherspoon is making it into a movie!) Also loved The Hypnotist’s Love Story. I also love anything by Beatriz Williams. Pick up The Hundred Summers. So good!
that was also my favorite of Liane’s!
These sound like good reads, i’m always looking for new books to add to my list. I do believe these have made it. I love reading on stormy days or a cozy Sunday but i haven’t finished a book since early August.
I listened to Sweet Bitter and felt like
If I read it I would have enjoyed it more. I could not stand the reader!
loving modern lovers. Could not finish sweetbitter – the writing was SO ANNOYING and the characters were so unlikable.
Thanks so much for sharing! I do audible books a LOT…and completely agree about different narrator styles! Sometimes do you find yourself deliberately not reading the book b/c it takes so much longer with the audio version….just b/c you don’t want the book to end? ??. Â I really loved “The Light Between the Oceans” and “Cooking for Picasso” this summer! Â
I just finished The Good Girl by Mary Kubica and it was a page turner!! I hate how some mysteries seem to conveniently wrap up the story line and you feel like “whomp whomp whomp.” This was AWESOME and the ending was like “whoa, WAIT, what?!?”
Present over Perfect is on my must-read list! I am finally finishing Cold Tangerines by her. I’m currently obsessed with reading through Karen White’s books. (I’ve read The Forgotten Room, Sea Change, The Lost Hours, The Time Between and Falling Home). I would HIGHLY recommend her – seeing as I was up until 2:00a.m. finishing The Forgotten Room. My favorites of hers so far are The Time Between and Falling Home (something so endearing and reminiscent of Sweet Home Alabama).
I’m ALWAYS looking for reading lists – thank you! I’ve read all but one of the books on your list which I am downloading right this very second – I have a 45 minute commute to and then from work every day, so I go through like 1-2 books a week lol. I felt the exact same thing about Present Over Perfect – I don’t even know how to put it, it was good, but not as good as her other books. It’s like there wasn’t any practical or real advice? I don’t know, it wasn’t bad, it was just meh.
I started reading Sweetbitter s couple months ago and I just cannot get into it. Maybe if I focused more on it I would, but when I really love a book it’s usually pretty effortless. I’ll pull out my kindle during the 5 minutes I’m in line at Starbucks because it’s just that good. so I’ll probably end up abandoning Sweetbitter. Thanks for this entry! I’ll be spending around 5 hours on a train this weekend and have nothing to read do your timing is perfect.
I read Sweet Bitter earlier this summer and thought it was pretty good. An inside peek into the NYC restaurant scene was pretty fascinating, and I found myself constantly thinking, “is this really what happens???”
I’m almost finished with It Ends With Us and I am completely completely into it right now. I thought it started a little slow, but now I don’t want to put it down!
Can’t wait to read Liane’s new one. I love all of her books!
Just read Carry On by Lusa Fenton. Very inspiring true story. It will make you laugh and weep. Read it!
My book club just picked Truly Madly Guilty for our next book, and when I was ordering it, I got It Ends With Us too because of your multiple recommendations! Can’t wait to devour both of them!
I enjoyed Sweet Bitter but I didn’t love it. The characters were just so I likable.
I was so upset with FALLING. SO UPSET!!!! I love Jane Green, and I had read that this story was a version of how she meet her husband, so I was really excited to read it. And, for the most part, I loved it; it really drawed on what I called the “old” Jane Green style that I love so much — lighthearted, happy, slight relationship drama but nothing too intense, etc. And then…like 20 pages before the end of the book, the bottom dropped out from under it and I wanted to throw the book against the freaking wall. Glad to know someone else had the same reaction as I did! *sobs uncontrollably in corner*
I read Sweet Bitter because it was a best seller and was not overwhelmed with it. It was kinda cool seeing into the workings of a NYC restaurant, but I did not like the writing style or the characters that much.
I’m currently reading You are a BADASS and Opening Belle and am enjoying both!
I was pretty disappointed with Truly Madly Guilty too and generally I LOVE Liane Moriarty! I just finished Everything We Keep and I really liked it! Â
I just finished ” it ends with us” at your recommendation and I loved it! I could not put it down  and I agree that the author does an excellent job in capturing the reader in every chapter.  A definite must read!Â
I felt the same way about Falling. Normally I love her books but this one made me upset. I also hated Sweetbitter. I found the characters so unlikeable and whiny. Looking forward to reading Tell Me Three Things.
I read “It Ends With Us” last week based on your recommendation and I couldn’t put it down. At one point, I knew where the story was headed but I was so hoping it wouldn’t be that way. (Don’t want to give too much away for those who haven’t read it!) He was so likable and it was so difficult to imagine walking away AND even more difficult to imagine staying in that situation! Definitely heart wrenching…
I’m on the waiting list at the library for It Ends With Us. Does anybody still library? I get the free kindle download on overdrive.
Another really great thing–my own book published on kindle getting FIVE STAR feedback! And, I’ve been asked by a local book club to attend one of their meetings–as an author–gulp–to discuss my own book Trading on Trust!! Can’t wait. https://www.amazon.com/B01KMVQUFA
Just read “it Ends With Us” in 2 days. Talk about all the feels! This book gutted me emotionally. I really cannot stop thinking about it.
I’ve read more this summer than I have in years and I’m loving it! I read two of Liane Moriarty’s books: What Alice Forgot and The Husband’s Secret. I really liked both of them and plan on reading more of her books. I finished When Breath Becomes Air in just a few days and enjoyed that even though it was different from what I normally read. I’m finishing up This is Where I Leave You by Jonathan Tropper right now and I’ve really enjoyed it. Going to watch the movie afterwards. I’m definitely adding It Ends With Us to my list now that I see everyone raving about it!
Read “It Ends With Us” based on your recommendation. So good!! Know it is only a sliver of what it must actually feel like to be in a situation like that but wow, all the heavy feels. Couldn’t put it down – totally agree with you that you feel for every character separately but deeply. Thanks for the rec!
I also really enjoyed Modern Lovers and devoured It Ends With Us, but I did not particularly like Sweetbitter. I finished it, but only because I bought it on Kindle and I can’t stand to waste money. It seems like I read a lot of okay-but-not-awesome books this summer, so I actually just started rereading a book that captured my heart and imagination last summer: The History of Love by Nicole Krauss. It’s not a new publication, but so worth the read if you haven’t already. It’s a beautiful story with unexpected turns and her characters are gorgeous in their humanity.Â
If you’re ever looking for something that is not quite as light, but that is a compelling and transformative read, I can’t recommend books Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie enough. Her writing put me squarely into a world I wouldn’t have known I could experience and feel so deeply. Half of a Yellow Sun chronicles Nigeria’s descent into a civil war while beautifully exploring themes of love, loss, and hope. Adichie’s Americanah is also fantastic (maybe more relatable for us?), but I wouldn’t read the two books back to back. A book that has been likened to Adichie’s is  Yaa Gyasi’s Homegoing. While it is remarkable, I don’t actually think that it parallels Adichie’s either in tone or in content (there seems to be a tendency to say “ah, here’s a well written book that has something to do with Africa! These books are all alike!”). Anyway, it’s a book illustrates the importance and power of history and is worth the read in its own right.Â
I love your writing, Jessica. Thanks for sharing with your invisible friends.Â
I really have to read It Ends With Us. You’ve got me so intrigued. Reading is one of my very favorite things too, and I always wish I had more time for it! I said I would prioritize it in 2016, and I haven’t at all! Not giving up on this year yet though. If nothing else, I gotta get some audiobooks from the library.
I LOVE talking books! Thanks for the list!
Oooh if you like light mysteries, have you ever read any of the JD Robb “In Death” books? They are so worth reading if you like the intrigue with fantastic characters. Eve Dallas is a female homicide detective who is super badass. And it’s set in the future (2060) which made me think I’d not like it, but instead they just add really awesome inventions that I constantly wonder why we don’t have yet. LOL. There are a lot of books in the series, but you’d have to start at the beginning. Naked in Death is the first book if you feel like checking it out! Thanks for your recommendations!! I’m gonna have to pick a couple of these up. <3
I just read The Nightingale – it’s an amazing story about two sisters in France during World War Two, and it has such a unique perspective. I highly recommend it , plus it’s being turned into a movie soon!
I’m currently reading the second book of the Neopolitan Novels series and am loving it so far. http://www.newyorker.com/books/page-turner/elena-ferrante-liking-like
Thanks for the list! I just finished The Husband’s Secret (finally) and really enjoyed it. Thoughts on Present Over Perfect — it really hits hard if you need it to. Maybe it’s just the phase of life I’m in right now, but it’s got some zingers that I needed to read and re-read. And maybe it’s just Shauna’s personality that I relate to, especially in this book.
I went to the library after work yesterday to pick up It Ends With Us based on your recommendation and stayed up all night reading it! I love when you post book recommendations- we have very similar tastes, and you have never steered me wrong!
I finished Modern Lovers a couple weeks ago, and found it such a bore! The story line is in par with a Disney Channel movie or maybe a Freeform tv show… I was expecting a lot more! I’m tearing throughout Falling right now and loving it. Bummed to hear that there is a disappointing turn in the story but appreciate the heads up.
I looked at Sweet Bitter when I was trying to find a new book and decided to go with The Nest instead.  I just started reading it last night so I’m not far enough in to say if I like it or not  :)
Love book posts! I actually just finished Truly Madly Guilty today. I flew through it in two days and while I loved it, Big Little Lies is still my fave.?
I am currently reading Before the Fall by Noah Hawley which I highly recommend. Also reading Home going by Yaa Gyasi and I am so impressed. It’s an incredible debut novel. Also reading The Making of a Chef by Michael Ruhlman (finally). Why did it take
me so long to read this one? I do not know.
Soooo good and I’m learning so much.
A few favourite reads so far this year:
Here’s to Us by Elin Hilderbrand (Just love love live your recipes! They fit the story to a
tee!)
Food and the City by Ina Yalof. An incredible
behind-the-scenes look at New York’s food
world from the perspective of professional
chefs, restaurateurs, line cooks, and
purveyors. I am still thinking about the
stories. In complete awe!
The End of Your Life Book Club by Will
Schwalbe (so happy I finally read this amazing memoir. A must-read if you’re a book lover)
Inside the O’Briens by Lisa Genova
(absolutely loved it! I couldn’t finish Still Alice
because it was too real to me but after
watching and loving the movie recently, I am
giving it another try)
The Language of Flowers by Vanessa
Diffenbaugh (finally!)
I Let You Go by Clare Mackintosh (re-reading it at the moment. It’s that good!)
The Good Father by Noah Hawley (an amazing psychological thriller. I am becoming a huge fan of his writing!)
2 A.M. at The Cat’s Pajamas by Marie-Helene Bertino
Tiny Little Thing by Beatriz Williams (love all her historical fiction!)
Missoula by Jon Krakauer (an important work)
Stay Up With Me: stories by Tom Barbash
Thanks for sharing and happy reading!
just felt compelled to tell you that i read ‘tell me three things’ last night from start to finish. Â what a great book, even to this 33-year-old pretend adult! Â i wholeheartedly thank you for the suggestion, i can’t remember the last time i read a book in one day! :)
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What did you end up thinking of Sweet Bitter? I have mixed feelings. Although I absolutely love her writing style, super poetic, descriptive and realistic, I didn’t love some of characters or certain stuff (I’m one of those people who REALLY hate drugs being condoned…and excessive use of the F word…). However, despite interviews I read with her saying none of the characters were real people, I’m still convinced this was somehow her story. It just felt too real to be made up! (Which is a great art as a writer!)