What’s on my Bookshelf

I’ve always LOVED reading.  At any given time, there are usually at least three books stacked on my nightstand and two more downloaded on my iPad waiting to be read.  When I was younger, my mom would take me to the library, and I would leave having checked out the maximum number of books allowed each time.  There’s just something about being able to put reality aside for a little while and curl up with a good book.  And who doesn’t love a good book with a happy ending?   But I’ve found that as I’ve gotten older, some of the best books aren’t necessarily always the ones with the happy endings, but the ones that feel most relevant to our lives.

I remember those days when I only read non-fiction books when they were required reading in school.  Of course, if you look at my bookshelf now, the titles range from parenting help to memoirs to cookbooks to chick lit.  These days, I won’t hesitate to pick up a parenting book recommended by a friend on feeding a picky toddler or dive head first into the latest Beth Moore bible study.  When I’m packing for a beach trip, I always look for those good, easy beach reads by authors like Emily Giffin and Nora Roberts.

My Top 3 Book Recommendations

Anytime anyone is looking for a book recommendation, the first words out of my mouth are always “Have you read The Help yet?”   It’s definitely one of my all-time favorite books.  I will admit that it took about a hundred pages in before I was able to really get into it.  Once I got used to the writing style, though, I couldn’t put it down.  Kathryn Stockett did a terrific job introducing the characters in such a way to get her readers emotionally invested in them. I’m not sure I’ve ever felt such a range of emotions from one book before.  There were times when tears were rolling down my face from laughing so hard, but other times when the tears were certainly not from laughter.

Another book I am quick to recommend is The Secret Life of CeeCee Wilkes by Diane Chamberlain.  I downloaded this one last summer and barely put it down from the minute I started it.  I found myself becoming attached to the main character and trying to give her advice when she would make an unwise decision.  I kept waiting to see which direction the book would go in next.   Just when you think you know what’s going to happen, you find a new twist as you turn the page that keeps you interested.

My mom first introduced me to Karen Kingsbury when she gave me her book Oceans Apart, another book I could not put down and finished within a few hours, when I was recovering from an appendectomy quite a few years ago.  Although most of her books are written in a series, she does have some stand-alone titles as well.  She writes in such a way that her readers develop a deep connection with her characters as they grow and mature spiritually from book to book.  The thing I enjoy the most about Karen Kingsbury’s books is that they are real life situations that we can all apply to our everyday life.  Not every story line has a story book ending, but there are life lessons to be learned in each one.   And each time I finish one of her books, I dry my eyes and head to her website to see when the next one will be available for purchase.

Do you like to read?  What is your favorite book recommendation?

10 COMMENTS

  1. I just finished reading The Mortal Instruments series by Cassandra Clare. There are 6 in the series, 5 of which have been published to date. They are science fiction/fantasy. I absolutely LOVED them! Another book I devoured recently was The Ark by Boyd Morrison. It’s a modern day thriller with a twist on the biblical story of Noah’s Ark. Extremely interesting and addictive. I could hardly put it down!

  2. I was so excited for this past weekend and I actually got to read 2 books! I like all sorts of books- especially suspense thriller/murder mystery types… so I read Never Tell by Alafair Burke and a Sophie Kinsella ones. I have all sorts of books I like to read! 🙂

  3. I keep hearing about Gone Girl as well. If you have not yet read Same Kind of Different as Me, you simply MUST. I also loved Into Thin Air about Mount Everest, as well as A Long Way Gone (which is a memoir about a boy soldier in war-torn Africa). And of course The Glass Castle is really good. Those are some of my “go tos” when people ask what to read.

    • Same Kind of Different as Me is a good one too!! I have The Glass Castle but haven’t read it yet. Maybe I should read what I have before I buy another one. 🙂

  4. Yes, I love to read!! I am now reading “Past Forward” by Chautona Havig which is a serial novel released weekly on Kindle. I have acquired a number of them free from amazon.com. I read at night till I drop off to sleep.

    PAST FORWARD: Alone without friends or family to comfort her after the death of her mother, Willow Finley’s idyllic life is over—and just beginning. When Willow Finley awakes on a hot summer morning, she is unprepared for the grief that awaits her. Jerked from a life of isolation with her mother, Willow learns what alone really means when she finds her mother still in her bed, never to awaken again in this life. From the moment Willow arrives in the police station with her startling announcement, Chad Tesdall fights the friendship he knows he can’t avoid.

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