Finding the time to read just didn’t happen for me in college. Besides reading for my assignments, I read squat–which is sad for me. I’m a true bibliophile at heart, so basically reading is my jam. I’m pretty highly strung and naturally worry all the time. Reading is therapeutic for me and takes me to different places and perspectives. I feel like it somehow gives me the ability to live a thousand different lives.
Although I’m still a pretty busy bee these days chasing after a toddler and building my makeup artistry EMPIRE business, I make time to read a little each day. It’s so nice to finally read for pleasure instead of having books forced on you about whiny, one-dimensional teens like The Catcher in the Rye. There. I said it. Take that high school English requirement.
So if you want to read great books about great things, here’s a look at my recent reading material in no particular order…
01. The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss
This is my current read and so far, I’m about a third of the way through. I love how beautiful and descriptive the author describes the scenes and how he ties in the title again and again. Fans of The Lord of the Rings, Harry Potter and The Magicians would love this book. I love when Fantasy and Science Fiction novelists make their world believable for their readers and tie it to the real world. The main character, Kvothe, (apparently pronounced, “Quoth”: weird) is shrouded in mystery from the very beginning which makes for an enticing read. The book includes sinister creatures, magical universities, traveling court musicians, deep romance and an epic story you will get sucked into.
While I have grown up watching the fantastic imaginings of Stephen King on screen, I have strangely never read any of his actual books. I wanted a good, classic Stephen King to ground me, so I decided to go the classic route and get his first book, Carrie. Apparently he tried to get it published 30 times before it was finally accepted. 30 times!!! I really liked it and gave it a 4/5 stars on my Goodreads account. As with most book to movie stories, the book was much better. The movie got cheesy realllll quick when it got to the climax at the highschool dance. The book does a much better job developing the Carrie character so that you simultaneously pity and sympathize with her but also revile her gross nature. I currently have Full Dark, No Stars on my to-be-read shelf as my next King.
03. The Other Typist by Suzanne Rindell
I’m so surprised with myself concerning this book. The crime/mystery genre remains to be explored by my eyeballs but I am quickly learning I like it. The story takes place in the 1920’s at a New York crime precinct where the main character, Rose, works as a typist. All day long, she records the confessions of murderers and petty criminals alike. One day, another typist named Odalie is hired. She is gorgeous, witty and alluring. The mystery makes itself present as Rose and Odalie’s friendship blossoms into something potentially dark, dangerous and murderous. I loved the twists and turns in this novel and how the author makes you question the integrity of both characters and their motivations. The ending was incredible, unexpected and so satisfying. This debut novel is not to be missed!
04. Slade House by David Mitchell
A classic haunted house/ghost novel with a twist. The story takes place over the course of many years and jumps to the perspectives of several different characters over the decades. This book was genuinely creepy and held me with a supernatural power to its pages. It’s a nice short read but I love how the author made plenty of room for rich metaphors, symbols, foreshadowing–all that reading addicts love. This is a must read!
05. All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr
Reading this book was like reading poetry. The words were blooming with meaning and sentiment and it transported me to 1940’s WWII. The perspective jumps back and forth between a Nazi soldier and a blind French girl during German occupation. Their stories eventually intertwine but the author does it in a way that is so clever yet so effortless at the same time. It follows both of their lives, detailing their dreams, experiences and tribulations as the war rips through Europe. I have been recommending this book to everyone–my husband is currently reading it and then I plan on forcing my mom to read it too. Yes, it’s that good.
I’m guessing you can tell that I really like Fantasy/Sci-Fi/Fiction novels. I do want to branch out more so if you have any must-reads for me please let me know in the comments!
