Monday, July 23, 2018

Awesome Summer Reads

Believe it or not, during my busiest season at work, every year we take some time to go up to the lake to our favorite resort and relax for a few days. 

It's never long enough, and it seems that just as I'm getting into the hang of just doing nothing, it's time to pack up and come home. 

Of course, when I get back to work I pay for it dearly...but it sure is wonderful at the time and I look forward to it every year.

I joke with Sweetie that that's pretty much the extent of my 'lazy days of summer' - those 4 days at the lake. 

One of my favorite things about doing nothing is that I can indulge in my favorite hobby - reading book after book after book. I used to do just that as a kid, I was an avid reader and could get lost for hours upon hours with a good book. I used to climb up into a big tree in the campground we summered at, and settle myself in with a book and read away the day. 

I don't have time for that any longer, but I've discovered another way to get my book 'fix' while still getting my chores done around the house. 

Audio-books. Yup, I've been converted. I'm officially an audio-book addict. 

I finally got my library card for our mountain top library, and I borrow audio-books from the library and read them on my phone or iPad using Overdrive and the Libby app.  I know, I know....I'm late to the party, I'm sure you all have been doing this for ages. My daughter bugged me for years to get my library card and borrow eBooks for free....what took me so long? 

Well, now I'm on board and completely hooked on audio-books. I listen to them on my phone using earbuds while I vacuum, mop, dust, weed-whack, weed the garden....anything that requires me moving around. I listen to them on my iPad without earbuds while I'm doing something stationary....getting ready for work, folding laundry, making the bed, cleaning out the fridge, cooking....you get the drift.  While at the lake, I listened using my earbuds so as not to disturb Sweetie or anyone else around us...but I was still able to take in all the lovely sights all around me. 

It's a perfect solution, marrying my love of books and my busy, busy life. 

So what have I been reading? Oh my gosh, some awesome books, and of course I have to share them here with all of you!

Ok here we go:

The first audio-book I tried out was this one:

The Stranger In The Woods
The Stranger In The Woods, by Michael Finkel. 

I have always been drawn to stories of real folks who follow their dream and move away from the city to carve out a new life in the country. 

This book takes that concept to the extreme, without a doubt, but I found it fascinating. 

I gave the fridge and freezer a great clean-out the day I was 'reading' this one! It sure made that task far more enjoyable!

Amazon says:
Many people dream of escaping modern life, but most will never act on it. This is the remarkable true story of a man who lived alone in the woods of Maine for 27 years, making this dream a reality; not out of anger at the world, but simply because he preferred to live on his own.A New York Times bestseller: In 1986, a shy and intelligent twenty-year-old named Christopher Knight left his home in Massachusetts, drove to Maine, and disappeared into the forest. He would not have a conversation with another human being until nearly three decades later, when he was arrested for stealing food. Living in a tent even through brutal winters, he had survived by his wits and courage, developing ingenious ways to store edibles and water, and to avoid freezing to death. He broke into nearby cottages for food, clothing, reading material, and other provisions, taking only what he needed but terrifying a community never able to solve the mysterious burglaries. Based on extensive interviews with Knight himself, this is a vividly detailed account of his secluded life - why did he leave? what did he learn? - as well as the challenges he has faced since returning to the world. It is a gripping story of survival that asks fundamental questions about solitude, community, and what makes a good life, and a deeply moving portrait of a man who was determined to live his own way, and succeeded.

Next up was one that had been on my list since last year. 

The Glass Castle
 The Glass Castle, a memoir by Jeannette Walls. 

Whoa, this was seriously one of those books I could not put down. If you have not yet read this book, please add it to your list - you will not be disappointed! 

Amazon says: 
The Glass Castle is a remarkable memoir of resilience and redemption, and a revelatory look into a family at once deeply dysfunctional and uniquely vibrant. When sober, Jeannette’s brilliant and charismatic father captured his children’s imagination, teaching them physics, geology, and how to embrace life fearlessly. But when he drank, he was dishonest and destructive. Her mother was a free spirit who abhorred the idea of domesticity and didn’t want the responsibility of raising a family.
The Walls children learned to take care of themselves. They fed, clothed, and protected one another, and eventually found their way to New York. Their parents followed them, choosing to be homeless even as their children prospered.

The Glass Castle is truly astonishing—a memoir permeated by the intense love of a peculiar but loyal family.

Next on my list: 

The Couple Next Door
The Couple Next Door by Shari Lapena. 

This book kept me on the edge of my seat, and really kept me guessing right up until the end. Awesome, electrifying read!

Amazon says:
It all started at a dinner party. . .

A domestic suspense debut about a young couple and their apparently friendly neighbors—a twisty, rollercoaster ride of lies, betrayal, and the secrets between husbands and wives. . .

Anne and Marco Conti seem to have it all—a loving relationship, a wonderful home, and their beautiful baby, Cora. But one night, when they are at a dinner party next door, a terrible crime is committed. Suspicion immediately lands on the parents. But the truth is a much more complicated story.

Inside the curtained house, an unsettling account of what actually happened unfolds. Detective Rasbach knows that the panicked couple is hiding something. Both Anne and Marco soon discover that the other is keeping secrets, secrets they've kept for years.

What follows is the nerve-racking unraveling of a family—a chilling tale of  deception, duplicity, and unfaithfulness that will keep you breathless until the final shocking twist.

After that book, I was in the mood for another suspense novel, so next I selected:

The Woman In Cabin 10
The Woman In Cabin 10 by Ruth Ware had been on my wish list for quite some time, but had never popped up on my Kindle Daily Deals or on Book Bub. But my awesome little mountain top library had it!

This book did not disappoint, it was well worth the wait! If you haven't already read it, make sure you add it to your list....and plan on doing little else for the day other than reading this book, if you are not into audio-books like me! 

Amazon says:
In this tightly wound, enthralling story reminiscent of Agatha Christie’s works, Lo Blacklock, a journalist who writes for a travel magazine, has just been given the assignment of a lifetime: a week on a luxury cruise with only a handful of cabins. The sky is clear, the waters calm, and the veneered, select guests jovial as the exclusive cruise ship, the Aurora, begins her voyage in the picturesque North Sea. At first, Lo’s stay is nothing but pleasant: the cabins are plush, the dinner parties are sparkling, and the guests are elegant. But as the week wears on, frigid winds whip the deck, gray skies fall, and Lo witnesses what she can only describe as a dark and terrifying nightmare: a woman being thrown overboard. The problem? All passengers remain accounted for—and so, the ship sails on as if nothing has happened, despite Lo’s desperate attempts to convey that something (or someone) has gone terribly, terribly wrong…
With surprising twists, spine-tingling turns, and a setting that proves as uncomfortably claustrophobic as it is eerily beautiful, Ruth Ware offers up another taut and intense read in The Woman in Cabin 10—one that will leave even the most sure-footed reader restlessly uneasy long after the last page is turned.

I switched things up a little with my next choice: 

Necessary Lies
Necessary Lies by Diane Chamberlain. This was not a suspense novel, however it did draw me in completely and I found it most difficult to put down. I found myself thinking about Jane and Ivy long after I finished this book, the author did such an amazing job of making the characters come to life.

Amazon says:
After losing her parents, fifteen-year-old Ivy Hart is left to care for her grandmother, older sister and nephew as tenants on a small tobacco farm. As she struggles with her grandmother's aging, her sister's mental illness and her own epilepsy, she realizes they might need more than she can give.
When Jane Forrester takes a position as Grace County's newest social worker, she doesn't realize just how much her help is needed. She quickly becomes emotionally invested in her clients' lives, causing tension with her boss and her new husband. But as Jane is drawn in by the Hart women, she begins to discover the secrets of the small farm―secrets much darker than she would have guessed. Soon, she must decide whether to take drastic action to help them, or risk losing the battle against everything she believes is wrong.
Set in rural Grace County, North Carolina in a time of state-mandated sterilizations and racial tension, Necessary Lies tells the story of these two young women, seemingly worlds apart, but both haunted by tragedy. Jane and Ivy are thrown together and must ask themselves: how can you know what you believe is right, when everyone is telling you it's wrong?

I decided I needed something a little lighter for my next read, so I selected this completely charming novel:

Three Wishes
Three Wishes by Liane Moriarty.  I read another book by the same author last year, and I enjoyed it immensely, so I was excited to see this one available through my library. 

Well, it did not disappoint! I was drawn in from the first page, and found myself laughing out loud at the antics of these three sisters. 

Amazon says: 
Lyn, Cat, and Gemma Kettle, beautiful thirty-three-year-old triplets, seem to attract attention everywhere they go. Together, laughter, drama, and mayhem seem to follow them. But apart, each is dealing with her own share of ups and downs. Lyn has organized her life into one big checklist, Cat has just learned a startling secret about her marriage, and Gemma, who bolts every time a relationship hits the six-month mark, holds out hope for lasting love. In this wise, witty, and hilarious novel, we follow the Kettle sisters through their tumultuous thirty-third year as they deal with sibling rivalry and secrets, revelations and relationships, unfaithful husbands and unthinkable decisions, and the fabulous, frustrating life of forever being part of a trio.

After that lighthearted read, the next was definitely more somber, but equally entrancing: 

People Who Knew Me
People Who Knew Me by Kim Hooper. 

As someone who lived in NYC during the terrible tragedy of 9/11, there was no way I could pass up this book. It's a debut novel by Kim Hooper, and I will be looking for more of her work in the future, no doubt. 

Amazon says:
Everything was fine fourteen years after she left New York.
Until suddenly, one day, it wasn’t.

Emily Morris got her happily-ever-after earlier than most. Married at a young age to a man she loved passionately, she was building the life she always wanted. But when enormous stress threatened her marriage, Emily made some rash decisions. That’s when she fell in love with someone else. That’s when she got pregnant.
Resolved to tell her husband of the affair and to leave him for the father of her child, Emily’s plans are thwarted when the world is suddenly split open on 9/11. It’s amid terrible tragedy that she finds her freedom, as she leaves New York City to start a new life. It’s not easy, but Emily---now Connie Prynneforges a new happily-ever-after in California. But when a life-threatening diagnosis upends her life, she is forced to rethink her life for the good of her thirteen-year-old daughter.
A riveting debut in which a woman must confront her own past in order to secure the future of her daughter, Kim Hooper's People Who Knew Me asks: “What would you do?”

I finished that book yesterday, while prepping some of our homegrown produce in my kitchen. I immediately started another book, one my daughter has been telling me for years to read:

The Language of Flowers
The Language of Flowers by Vanessa Diffenbaugh. 

I'm flying through this book, I'm about half-way through, and it has completely drawn me in from the start.  I just wonder what took me so long to finally get around to reading it?

Amazon says: 
The Victorian language of flowers was used to express emotions: honeysuckle for devotion, azaleas for passion, and red roses for love. But for Victoria Jones, it has been more useful in communicating feelings like grief, mistrust and solitude. After a childhood spent in the foster care system, she is unable to get close to anybody, and her only connection to the world is through flowers and their meanings. Now eighteen, Victoria has nowhere to go, and sleeps in a public park, where she plants a small garden of her own. When her talent is discovered by a local florist, she discovers her gift for helping others through the flowers she chooses for them. But it takes meeting a mysterious vendor at the flower market for her to realise what's been missing in her own life, and as she starts to fall for him, she's forced to confront a painful secret from her past, and decide whether it's worth risking everything for a second chance at happiness. The Language of Flowers is a heartbreaking and redemptive novel about the meaning of flowers, the meaning of family, and the meaning of love.

Have you read any of these books? Do you have any others to recommend for my summer reading list? I'd love to hear your thoughts!

48 comments:

  1. Thank you for the list of books! The only one I have read is the Glass Castle. Hope you are having a great summer, despite being busy at work.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I try to take time each day to wander my garden with the pups, no matter how busy I am at work, Penny! It's my 'wind-down period' at the end of the day and works like a charm....except for the fact that I see all the weeds that need to be pulled and all the work that needs to be done!

      Delete
  2. Replies
    1. I'll send you the info, Penny! Hopefully some day you can visit it yourself, it's so worth the trip!

      Delete
  3. Great list of books. Our book club read Woman in Cabin 10 last year. Most said the Couple Next Door was even better.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I don't think I could pick one over the other, they were both amazing!

      Delete
  4. I'm a very visual person and learner and can't listen to audio books. I'm not good with listening to talk radio either, or podcasts. You're lucky you can enjoy books that way, so you get more "reading" done! I have to hold a book in my hands. (Can't do e-readers either, lol!) You sound like my husband on vacation with all his books. He's currently at home on vacation and he's been reading non-stop. I think he just finished his third or fourth book in less than a week.

    I read The Glass Castle many years ago. Great read, crazy, messed-up family. I read The Language of Flowers in 2012 - loved it! One of my faves. I am totally intrigued by The Stranger in the Woods. I just checked online at the little library by my house and they have it! I think I'll go up there tomorrow and get it. Thanks for all the suggestions!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I used to be the exact same, Melanie, and I fought e-readers for years!!! I'm a convert, no doubt, to both. E-readers are great because my whole library is with me both in my iPad and on my phone, and I can make the text as big as I need to. It's a lifesaver in doctors' waiting rooms and such! Hope you like the Stranger in the Woods!! It's not as amazing as the story of Dick Proenneke in Alaska (Alone In The Wilderness) which I was completely obsessed with (read the books, watched the documentaries)- his story is even more remarkable, you would probably love it!! I stumbled onto the documentary on PBS many years ago and was instantly hooked!

      Delete
  5. I used to read voraciously, but once I started blogging, my free time seemed to be eaten up by that. I should definitely give audio books a try. Thanks for the recommendations!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I hear ya!! I'm hooked on both, it's tough to find a balance sometimes, isn't it Amy?

      Delete
  6. Glad you are having such a wonderful time on vacation Debbie! I read with interest your reviews on each of the books you read. I read so little now, but listening to audio books does sound intriguing, I may have to give it a try! So wonderful to find a new way to enjoy your love of reading! And being able to multi-task too, why that is even better! Glad you are enjoying produce from the garden already, it is an exciting time of year to be in harvest time!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It is both an exciting and extra busy time, Marilyn, for sure! By the end of the season I'm ready to put the garden to bed although I do miss the fresh produce, without a doubt!

      Delete
  7. WOW!! Those are some awesome books ( I read most of them) but the ones I didn't I'm def adding to my list!!!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I'm so glad I found a way to read as voraciously as I used to when I was younger, Ellen - I missed my books but there's always so much to be done I feel guilty when I sit for hours with a book!! Well, except in the winter when the fire's on....that's the perfect time to snuggle in with a good book!

      Delete
  8. I read The Stranger In The Woods - isn't that amazing, that he went undetected so close to "civiliation" for so long??... and The Woman in Cabin 10 - that one didn't grab me. The Glass Castle - amazing true story! I'll look for your other suggestions.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. So amazing, Karen Ann - I was so intrigued by how he managed to survive in the winter months, too - amazing!!

      Delete
  9. I remember reading The Language of Flowers and being entranced with it, recommended it to every reader I knew. All of your others are new to me but sound like great reads. I used to listen to books on CD while working in the kitchen but have never tried ebooks, must consider that so that I can get more books read.

    Those four days away sound lovely and much needed for a woman who truly does not have a lazy bone in her body!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I am so hooked on that book, Dewena, I'm more than halfway through it now and I just don't want to put it down - it's tough to go to work!! By the way I found all my lazy bones when I was at the lake, ha ha!!

      Delete
  10. I turned to audio books years ago when I was in a book club and just couldn't find the time to sit and actually read. I still do enjoy sitting down and turning the pages, getting lost in a good tale, but listening is just a lot more realistic for me. Good choices!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Same here, Kim, it just makes more sense for my life right now - and I love that it makes annoying chores less annoying!!! :)

      Delete
  11. Okay, so I added your whole list to mine. Now all I need is time to read on my kindle. A friend of mine also added "The Wife between Us" and The Woman in the Window". You would think that with all this rainy, dark weather we have been having I would get a lot of reading done. Not happening.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Ok I just put in a request for The Wife Between Us in the library, thanks for the recommendation Cindy! The Woman In The Window I have been on a wait list for for a month now....can't wait to read that one!

      Delete
  12. These all sound sooooo good. I love audio books and listen to them often. I have an hour and 15 minute drive one way when I babysit so I love to listen to books in the car while I drive the crazy highways of Chicago. Makes the time and traffic more enjoyable. I have read a few of these and will check into a couple you mention I have not read or listen too in the car. Thanks for sharing. Glad your 4 days at the lake were good.
    We all need those mental health breaks. Have a great week.
    xoxo
    Kris

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. That's the perfect time to listen to audiobooks, Kris! My daughter's boyfriend drives a ton for work, he's in the car all day long - he goes through about a book a day!

      Delete
  13. I never have tried audio books. I tend to not like things with sound.
    Brenda

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. You certainly get your fill of books without having to resort to audio books, Brenda - I think you're doing just fine without them!

      Delete
  14. I haven't read any of these, but Jeannette Walls is from southern West Virginia. All of these look like great stories. Living as remotely as you do, I'd be afraid of a few of those thrillers! Thanks for sharing!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I really hadn't thought of that until you said that, Rita!! I think I was more afraid when I was in the city than I've ever been in the mountains, even with all our wildlife!

      Delete
  15. Hi! Wow! You have really been reading a lot. I can't seem to concentrate listening when I am trying to do my work. Guess I move from room to room too much. I am wondering if I shouldn't get some ear buds and try! Thanks for sharing. Nancy

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. The earbuds definitely make it easier, Nancy - especially if you're moving around from room to room. I have my phone in a pocket (or sometimes a fanny pack ha ha!) with the earbuds stuck in my ears, and before you know it all the chores are done!

      Delete
  16. I loooooove getting recommendations for books, so I really appreciate your list. I definitely have to try the audio method. I used to listen to DVD's on my way to and from work in my car, and believe me, traffic in Chicago is messy so it was very less stressful with something to distract me.

    I've read 2 of the books on your list: The Woman in Cabin 10. That ending was a huge twist! The Couple Next Door had such good reviews but I had a very hard time getting into it. Maybe I should have stuck with it but sometimes I have to put books aside as I always have a huge pile of books on my nightstand. Hope to share some of those if I ever get a post out!!

    Hope you continue to have a good summer. I so enjoy your blog!

    Jane

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Doesn't that stink when everyone loves a book and you have such a hard time getting into it? I had that problem with Gone Girl, but I finally got into it and loved it! Funny enough, I've read so many books since I've kind of forgotten what it was even about at this point!

      Delete
  17. Im so happy to hear you got away for a vacation, and REST, AND READING! Some great books here. I love Diane chamberlain, have loved all her books. She has a brand new one coming out in October so be watching for it!I've been a reader all my life, I adore books, old ones especially. I like to hold a book and turn pages, so have not "converted", LOL! But I know alot who enjoy books this new way!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Oh that's a good tip, I must look for more of her books - Necessary Lies was amazing!!! I used to love a real, turn the pages book until my eyesight got pretty lousy, then I started to appreciate the kindle app where I could make the font larger! Getting old is fun, isn't it?

      Delete
  18. I have not read any of these books as reading has been extremely slow this summer, but I sure look forward to a few of these.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. There's definitely more time for reading and relaxing in winter, isn't there Carol? There are still chores to do, but without all the gardening chores it seems I have more time to relax, even with the firewood/wood stove/shoveling/etc.

      Delete
  19. These all sound like great choices! I only have time to read just before bed so I can only pick one at a time.....gotta get to the library.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Choosing just one at a time is so hard, isn't it AnnMarie? I am the same, I can't be reading more than one book at a time - I need to immerse myself completely in the story and the characters.

      Delete
  20. Thank you for sharing this terrific list of books!! I have not yet tried audio books either, but it sounds quite interesting! I have to start reading more...if only there were more hours in the day! I am here from Karen Ann's Blog...I have followed Karen for years! I live in the Thousand Islands in the summer so I can totally understand your love of Lake George and the Adirondacks! We spent tons of time there! It is truly beautiful.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Oh how lovely, Jeanne - I've never been to the Thousand Islands but I hear it's a spectacular place! Thanks for coming by and your comment - I love meeting new blog friends!

      Delete
  21. Thanks for the list of books. Always happy to add to the list I'm working on! The Glass Castle is the only one I've read, so I have lots to choose from.
    Glad you were able to get away even for 4 days. Sometimes you just have to do it...not so important for me now since I'm retired, but I remember a time however that I absolutely needed the change of pace.
    Take care and have a great weekend
    Jeannette

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. You're so right, Jeannette - I did need the change of pace! Of course I've been trying to catch up at work ever since, but that's the price I pay for taking any time off during my busiest season!

      Delete
  22. I have read all those books except for the last two--which I promptly jotted down.
    If you have not read Woman In The Window by A J Finn- it is quite interesting with several turns in it.
    Also-I just read The Borden Murders (the Trial of the Century) about Lizzie Borden...quite interesting!
    I am also reading an old book A Map of the World by Jane Hamilton...good so far
    Just reread-Apple Tree Lean Down by Mary Pearce(a VERY old book) that was as good this time as when I read it before-really draws you in and it is a story-teller's book rather than a drama-no sex or swearing--a true story that follows 3 generations. My daughter has read it three times over the years.
    Glad you were able to get away. That is not going to happen for us this summer...sigh....xo Diana

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Diana! The Woman In The Window is one of my 'holds' on the library app - I should be able to read it soon, can't wait! I'm going to look up the others, especially the one by Mary Pearce, thanks for the suggestions!!

      Delete
  23. Oh I loved the Glass Castle so I imagine I will like your other fabulous selections. I hope you are enjoying all of summers delicious offerings.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. That was such an amazing book, wasn't it??? Sad, but amazing.

      Delete
  24. I've read several of these! I read The Glass Castle in 2010 and thought it was painful but amazing! The Language of Flowers was a book I couldn't put down...again painful but so interesting. The Woman in Cabin 10...I'm the one person in my book club who couldn't put it down but then found it disappointing at the end. I found it very unbelievable.

    Now I'm reading Leaving Time. It's so good!!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks for the suggestion, Stacey - I just added Leaving Time to my wishlist!!

      Delete

I thank you from the bottom of my heart for taking time out of your busy day to leave a comment...I truly love reading your comments and I try to respond to each and every one of your sweet comments right here on my blog page!

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...
09 10