Okay, okay… first of all – I am so sorry. I have, in all honesty, been a bad reader! November + December were very heavy with both work projects… and when work gets really busy I tend to watch more TV and read fewer books. BUT! I have something exciting to share with you…. my developers and I have been very busy and we have added in a new interactive book finder: meet our Book Club page! It isn’t finished yet (I added twenty+ books to it yesterday but over the holidays Kelly and I have about 100 more books to add… it’s a little time consuming). I really wanted a place to house all of my favorite books… and more importantly, a way for you to easily filter + find what you are looking for. There is a filter at the top where you can sort by genre. So if you are looking for a cookbook, you can find that… a juicy YA novel, a light read, a heavier read, and so on and so forth. I hope it is helpful and that you love it as much as I do!!!
As always – I’d love to hear what you are reading! Tell me in the comments!
First and foremost, drop what you are doing and go pre-order Follow Me Into the Dark. It is written by my brilliant friend Felicia Sullivan. I love a good twist (and I know you do too)… this one has TWO. It is so dark and twisty… and amazingly written. I liken it to a cross between Gillian Flynn’s work and The Silence of the Lambs, but better written. I have been trying to figure out how to properly describe it and feel like I don’t do the greatest job. It deals with two generations of women (both really mistreated by their mothers), and siblings. So you have these fascinating mother-daughter relationships (both wrought with disturbing abuse), as well as the relationship between Gillian and her brother Jonah. Buried in there, there’s a serial killer, the two big twists I told you about, and a lot of pain + sadness. It is a masterpiece.
Rich & PrettyΒ is great – it’s a much lighter read, but it was fun. It’s the coming of age story of best friends from middle school through middle age. (One is very rich, and one is very pretty). I thought it did a really great job capturing the intricacies of female friendships. It is a little bit slow at times but overall I really enjoyed it.
After You is the sequel to Me Before You, everybody’s favorite. It picks up where we left off after Me Before You… Louisa is an absolute wreck. I chatted with a lot of you about this on Snapchat, but it’s pretty polarizing. Everyone I talked to either LOVED it or was not impressed. I personally really loved it. I felt like I got a little bit of closure and liked knowing what Louisa was up to after Will’s death… and I thought the plot + character development were both really interesting. As a character, Louisa can be pretty annoying at times, but if you loved Me Before You as much as I do you will enjoy this a lot.
On the non-fiction front, I tackled What if We’re Wrong by Chuck Klosterman this month. Full disclosure: I am still reading it, and it’s taking me a while. I am a big fan of Chuck Klosterman’s work… he has such a brilliant mind. I don’t read enough non-fiction so when I do, it tends to take me a long time to get through it. I’m plowing along through this though… it takes an interesting perspective, looking at the present and future through the lens of the past. It will change your perspective and help you remember how little we actually know!
I had a brain fart and accidentally shot The Regulars again… oops! If you want to read about that, go to last month’s list!
For more books, check out our October Reading List + our new Book Club Page!
Great recommendations!!!
Love the new book club page!
Thank you so much Tracy! Happy holidays π xo
Oooh, Rich & Pretty sounds really interesting. I’m not lucky enough to have such a long lasting friendship, so it’d be interesting to see how difficult or crazy it would be. Girls are so hard to get along with sometimes, especially when you hit that high school drama age!
Charmaine Ng | Architecture & Lifestyle Blog
I am not either! I think that may have been what is so interesting about it to me. π xx
I love that you are a Chuck Klosterman fan!! I absolutely love all his stuff and actually also had trouble getting through his latest. Not my favorite of his books but I love learning how he thinks since he is so creative.
Yeah, this hasn’t been my favorite either but I am powering through as I do think it’s very interesting!!!
Grace! This is the first thing I read today and what a wonderful way to start the morning. It means so much to me that you loved my strange little book. xo
Aw! That makes me so happy to hear. I LOVED it. You are brilliant. Xo
Currently reading: Maestra by Lisa Hilton. It’s a good one!
Thank you!! I will check that out π xx
Woohoo! I love your reading lists and I’m looking for a new book π Can’t wait to get all cozy on Christmas Day evening with a new book and a hot toddy!
http://www.englishgirlinnewyork.org
That sounds like the most perfect Christmas evening plan!! Happy Holidays!!!
I have Rich & Pretty on my list, but will have to check out the others! Just shared my favorite reads of 2016: http://www.salerackstyle.com/surviving-holiday-season/ (and cute Bones pictures too!).
Thanks Sam! Heading over to check that out now!! xx
wow I love the new book page, so awesome. Thanks for putting so much effort and time into it, will be definitely useful!
Thank you Patricia! I hope it’s helpful!!! Have a great holiday weekend and thank you for commenting π xx
This is great! I’m not the best at keeping my reading goal, but I do have lots of books that I want to dig into – like The Regulars! Super cool page and I plan on using it often! Jessika / beautybyjessika.com
Aw, thanks Jessika! That makes me happy to hear! Hope you find it helpful! xx
Just finished reading Hero of the Empire by Candice Millard, about the young Winston Churchill. Also finished reading The World of Pooh, for some lighter fare.
Can’t wait to browse your new book tab!
Thank you for the recommendations!! I was so obsessed with The Crown, so Hero of the Empire sounds like something I would enjoy. Love that you are reading World of Pooh!
Hope you enjoy the new page! xoxo
Adore the new book club page. What a great idea!!!
Yay – I am so happy you like it! It will be a bit more full in the next week or two… we are working like crazy to get all of my favorite books up there! xx
I loved After You as well! I’m so excited to check out your book club page! xo Devon Seventeen Dresses
So glad you liked it as well! And hope you love the new page π xx
Love your book club page, what a cute idea!! I am reading The Couple Next Door and can’t put it down!! It’s sooo good so far!!
xo, Sarah
I am so happy to hear that you like it!!!
I loved The Couple Next Door as well!!! Have a great holiday! xo
Behind Closed Doors — Super messed up, but easy to read in like a day or two.
http://shannoninthecity.com
Oooh thank you for the recommendation!
Just finished The Sun is Also a Star β a love story contained entirely within a day. There are definitely some heavier themes but it’s an overall light read.
Thanks for the recommendation Theodora! That sounds interesting, I love the “one day” element. Xoxo
I’ve had ‘Me After You’ on my bookshelf for so long, I really need to pick it up! Loved ‘Me Before You’, but needed a bit of an emotional break before starting the sequel, if you know what I mean.
I know exactly what you mean!!!! It was so emotional. When you are ready, I think you will love it! xo
LOVE this new reads page! I was looking for a new book – will have to read through.
Alyssa | Feathers and Stripes
Yay! Glad to hear it!! Let me know how you like it. π
I have After You on my list! I bought is as soon as I realized that there was a sequel.
http://thegirlfromconnecticut.com/
Yes! Hope you love it!!!