Hi there! It’s been a minute. :)
I’m emerging from the book deadline cave (and book release frenzy) and finally have time to write something that is not a book! *blinks in the sunlight*
The good news is that, even though I’ve been writing most waking hours of the day for a couple of months, I have managed to carve out reading time along the way. (Because if I stop reading, the muse stops giving me words for my writing.) So, today I have some books to recommend!
Fave Fiction So Far
Wanderers by Chuck Wendig
Warning: This is a pandemic book. I bought this last year and had to put it on my shelf for a later date because I just couldn’t have handled this book in the early days of the COVID crisis. But last month, I decided to finally pick this up. I’m a person who gets anxiety relief from reading (or watching) horror stories (a concept I actually explore in my next book What If You & Me with the heroine), so your mileage may vary if you’re not wired that way. But I thought this epic book was very well done, and any author who can get me to read 782 pages of anything these days is doing something right. This hits the sweet spot between character-driven and plot-driven. It slowed a little in the middle for me, and I switched to audio to get through that part, but then after that, I raced to the end. If you’re looking for something like Stephen King’s The Stand, this is for you.
About the book:
Shana wakes up one morning to discover her little sister in the grip of a strange malady. She appears to be sleepwalking. She cannot talk and cannot be woken up. And she is heading with inexorable determination to a destination that only she knows. But Shana and her sister are not alone. Soon they are joined by a flock of sleepwalkers from across America, on the same mysterious journey. And like Shana, there are other “shepherds” who follow the flock to protect their friends and family on the long dark road ahead.
For as the sleepwalking phenomenon awakens terror and violence in America, the real danger may not be the epidemic but the fear of it. With society collapsing all around them—and an ultraviolent militia threatening to exterminate them—the fate of the sleepwalkers depends on unraveling the mystery behind the epidemic. The terrifying secret will either tear the nation apart—or bring the survivors together to remake a shattered world.
Boys Like You by Juliana Stone
This year, I created a TBR Backlog Reading Challenge so that I could tackle those books that have been sitting on my shelves for years. This book was one of them. It had been sitting on my shelf since 2015! That’s a long time to hold onto a book. But once I picked up this YA contemporary romance, I was hooked. I read through it in a day. A sweet, emotional romance.
About the book:
Two shattered hearts are about to collide in this achingly poignant young adult novel. Monroe and Nathan are two lost souls each struggling with grief and guilt from a mistake that changed their lives looking for acceptance, so they can find forgiveness.
For Monroe Blackwell, one small mistake has torn her family apart―leaving her empty and broken. There's a hole in her heart that nothing can fill. That no one can fill. And a summer in Louisiana with her grandma isn't going to change that...
Nathan Everets knows heartache firsthand when a car accident leaves his best friend in a coma. And it's all his fault. He should be the one lying in the hospital. The one who will never play guitar again. He doesn't deserve forgiveness, and a court-appointed job at the Blackwell B&B isn't going to change that...
There's No Going Back
Captivating and hopeful, this achingly poignant novel brings together two lost souls struggling with grief and guilt―looking for acceptance, so they can find forgiveness.
When He Was Wicked by Julia Quinn and It’s In His Kiss by Julia Quinn
I had read most of the Bridgerton novels years ago (and loved them!) but I had left a few unread. After watching the Netflix show, I got a hankering for those Bridgertons again. :) Luckily, I already had these on my shelf. I raced through them and had such a good time reading them. I only have one left and am waiting to savor it. Julia Quinn is one of those authors who I can always rely on to give me a great read.
Fave Non-Fiction So Far
My Life in France by Julia Child
The ultimate comfort read—or listen, in this case, because I listened to this on audio (highly recommend!) I love that this book was so many things—personal memoir, a peek into a time in history, a foodie memoir, a travel memoir, a love story, and the tale of a wonderful, strong, talented woman. The whole thing was a delight.
Text Me When You Get Home by Kayleen Schaefer
When I finished this, I immediately wanted to go out and buy a copy for all my friends. This essay collection was such a tribute to the beauty and richness of female friendships that I just wanted to hug it to my chest. I love how it explored how female friendships have been portrayed in the media (cat fights, mean girls, etc) and how, for most of us, that hasn’t been our experience. Instead, we are uplifted by the women we’re closest to. Readers often comment on the way I write supportive female friendships into my books, and I think I do that because I have wonderful friends in my life but also because it’s something we don’t see portrayed often enough on screen and in books.
Share Your Stuff by Laura Tremaine.
Speaking of friendships, I really enjoyed listening to this audiobook about digging deeper and sharing your stuff in a journal, with friends, or in other aspects of your life. This book is hard to describe. The official description says part memoir and part guidebook, and I think that’s apt, but also doesn’t fully convey the mood. I listen to Laura Tremaine’s podcast 10 Things to Tell You and enjoy it, so that’s what made me pick up this book. If this sounds interesting to you but you’re unsure, I encourage you to check out her podcast first. If you like the vibe, you’ll probably like this book. Recommended in audio since she narrates it herself and podcasters give good audio. :)
Solve For Happy by Mo Gawdet
This is another one that is a little hard to describe. It’s a book about happiness but uses math and physics and philosophy to tackle it. This is one I couldn’t rush through because the concepts took some time to wrap my head around. But I LOVED so much of this. It’s one I will probably reread so I can take notes the second time around.
Group by Christie Tate
I was a therapist before I was a writer, so therapy memoirs are my jam, and I hadn’t read one before that tackled group therapy. This one took me a little while to get into. The author made some life choices that made me want to yell at her “not to go there” like when I watch a horror movie, but I’m glad I stuck with the read. I ended up really enjoying the journey. I was also fascinated by the style of therapy because it wasn’t the kind I was trained in.
Light the Dark edited by Joe Fassler
My fellow writers, this was such an inspiring read. It’s a collection of essays from well-known writers (mostly literary fiction writers) about the different aspects of inspiration and the writing life. I felt so “seen” in the way some of them described their writing processes. This will be one I want to read through again.
Those are my faves so far. I hope you’ve found something that looks good to you!
What’s been your favorite read so far this year?