Wife Without Borders: Summer Reading

Today I went to Marshalls and did some shopping around for deals. I came home with 4 items, all for Forest, of course. Since he’s been born, I barely buy anything for myself, the exception being books.

Speaking of books, I left Marshall’s with 3 new toys for Forest: A set of rubber balls, a puzzle and a board book. When we got home, I put his new loot in from of him, and he went straight for the book. He is totally my child.

I read the book to him straight away, and then put him down amongst his toys so that I could do some things around the house. I peeked over and sure enough he had grabbed the book again and was sitting quietly just turning the pages.

This is not an inherently quiet or still child. I get giddy thinking that he might be a book lover like his mom and dad. Hurry up 'Young Adult' years!

Anyhoo….this rambling does have a (sort of) purpose. It’s been awhile since I did a book recommendation post, but I’m coming off of a book club high and am inspired to share some suggestions with you. First off, I’m obsessed with goodreads. It’s like facebook for nerds. I’m doing the 2014 reading challenge but for some reason there is a glitch in the system and it’s only logging like 1/3 of the books I’ve read which is making me look like a reading slacker.

I lament about this to Jonathan all the time (“I submitted that I read ‘Firefly Lane’ but it isn’t showing up on my challenge list. AAAARRRRRGGGGHHHHHH!!!!”) but he just rolls his eyes about the drama that is my life as a stay-at-home mom. I’ll admit, a glitch in my goodreads app is probably the dictionary definition of a 1^st world problem, but I’ve got a rep to protect as being a huge geek. Who is gonna believe that if my profile says I’ve only read 9 books so far this year ??? (I've read 20, by the way.)

Have y’all heard of TUEBL? A friend clued me into this e-book library that is full of free downloads. And good books too (unlike the monthly subscription to Kindle Unlimited, from what I can tell....Anyone have any experience with this?)! I’ve downloaded ‘Looking for Alaska’ by John Green, ‘Dark Places’ by Gillian Flynn, and ‘Orange is the New Black’ by Piper Kerman, all for free!

I’ve checked it out and it seems legal at least, though I’m waiting for there to be some sort of catch. Until then I am trying to ingest as much literature as I can while the getting is good. Check it out and let me know what you think!

On to suggestions…(And fair warning, I'm awful at giving book summaries so I've included goodreads links for all of the books if you want to know more about the plotlines. I tend to recommend a wide range of books that have two things in common: good writing on a compelling subject. That's really all I ask from these book things). Here are my recent 5 star picks:

1) And the Mountains Echoed by Khaled Hosseini.

goodreads info

Everything this guy touches is gold. Seriously, I lap it up. Such rich character development, intricate and complex plotlines with a dose of cultural education. Not to mention a beautiful writing style. The plot doesn’t really drive this novel so I won’t put in a summary review. But I will just say that I love how he interconnects all of the characters and ends this book with a neatly tied bow.

2) A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini

goodreads info

See above. You ever get into an author kick where you just read everything they write until you’re a bit burnt out? I did this with Jodi Piccoult and Anita Shreve a few years back (Forest is currently doing this with Eric Carle).

My new go-to author is Hosseini, if you couldn’t tell...

3) Waiting to Be Heard: A Memoir by Amanda Knox.

goodreads info

I’ll be upfront and say that I’ve been following Amanda’s case from the beginning, and I was always totally on her side. Read the book and make your mind up for yourself. Factually, there is nothing tying her or Raffael Sollecito to the crime scene where Meredith Kercher was murdered so why did they serve 5 years in prison when the confessed murderer was already behind bars? Read the book to find out. It’s a fascinating and gut-wrenching story that was hard to put down.

4) Glitter and Glue: A Memoir by Kelly Corrigan

goodreads info

Do you ever go on a genre binge where you read 20 books in the same style until you get burnt out? I've been in a memoir craze and it’s still not quite out of my system. Glitter and Glue is a pretty light read pertaining to a pretty heavy subject: motherhood. It mostly focuses on the author's time spent as a nanny while living abroad in Australia. It’s brilliantly written and I came away feeling like Ms. Corrigan was a close personal friend, which she could be one day, since she lives in the East Bay Area.

5) What is Left The Daughter by Howard Norman.

goodreads info

I could see this not being everybody’s cup of tea so I’m hesitant to rave about it. It’s a lonely little historical novel set in Nova Scotia during WWI. A teenage boy is orphaned when both of his parents commit suicide. He goes on to live with his only remaining relatives where he falls deeply in love with his adopted cousin. There is no happy ending with this one, but it was expertly written and left me feeling moved. That’s really all I ask from these book things.

6) The Husband’s Secret by Liane Moriarty.

goodreads info

I know I’m not alone in raving about this one. When I read the synopsis (woman finds letter from husband which states ‘to be read in the event of my death'…drama ensues) I was not too enthused, but it was a book club pick so I had little choice. This is why I love book club. I would have never chosen to read this book on my own and yet I loved it! It was so stinkin’ good. Great character development with a real, flawed, relatable, and likable cast. Scenarios which knocked the wind out of me and had me reading til the wee hours of the morning. Just all around, an A+ read. Nothing literarily (made up word) profound but a good, solid, entertaining book with a creative and masterful author.

In addition to these 5 star ratings, I also have a few 4 stars to recommend as well. Four stars to me usually means that it’s a perfectly pleasant book that I thoroughly enjoyed reading but I wouldn’t rank it up there with The Book Thief by Markus Zusak.

goodreads info

The Book Thief is my measuring stick. Have you read it? If not, put that first on your list of what to read next. On with the 4 stars:

7) One Hundred Names by Cecelia Ahern.

goodreads info

Way more chick lit than I usually go for, but the premise (journalist does a final story for her late friend but the only information she has is a list of 100 names) was interesting so I decided to give it a whirl. These days all I’m really looking for is something that is easy to read because my brain is usually fried after a day of baby-care, and this fit the bill. Well written and charming….but no The Book Thief or anything.

8) The Sea of Tranquility by Katja Millay.

goodreads info

Way more melodramatic than I usually go for, but a trusted friend’s recommendation had me curious. It didn’t disappoint. The premise is basically a mysterious mute girl starts at a new school and befriends a stoic solitary orphan. It was well written and the ending gave me goosebumps. That’s really all I ask from these book things.

9) Looking for Alaska by John Green (Really this gets 4.75 stars)

goodreads info

From the author of current fan favorite The Fault in Our Stars, John Green is a true artist. He somehow manages to make his characters utterly real, transports his readers into the height of their teenage years and makes his audience completely, hopelessly, and wrecklessly empathetic to his protagonists. Basically, if you liked The Fault in Our Stars then you should like Looking for Alaska. And really, who didn't like The Fault in our Stars?

So what’s next on my bedside table? Currently I’m reading Orange is the New Black by Piper Kerman (another memoir...).

goodreads info

Then I’ll be moving on to September and October book club picks: Dark Places by Gillian Flynn and I am Having so Much Fun Here Without You by Courtney Maum.