Hello, hello, bookworms! Happy Monday! With just a week to go until Christmas and all the chaos that goes with last minute holiday prepping, I wanted to take some time to jump on here to do a blog post for you.
I thought that perhaps I was getting ahead of myself posting this tonight rather than next week, but I have my reasons. One, there’s still a week until Christmas so for any of you last minute shoppers out there (myself included), this may serve as a shopping guide for the book lover in your life, and two, because at the rate I’m moving my butt with my blog posts, I’m better off posting this early as opposed to late, which I have a feeling is what I’d resort to if I didn’t stay on top of things in this holiday crunch.
Last year, I rounded this out to a smooth top ten, but 2018 has me at an odd number of books completed , so I thought I’d keep it a bit more intimate. That being said, let’s get to it! I read some awesome books this past year, and I’d like to share my top reads with you (note: these are in no particular order)!
Love and Other Words by Christina Lauren
This is the kind of book I wish I could write. I’m just so in love and envious with everything about this story. I read it in one sitting (which hasn’t happened for awhile) and sat, stewing in a funk once it was over. What a beautiful story.
“Love, loss, friendship, and the betrayals of the past all collide in this first fiction novel from New York Times and #1 international bestselling author Christina Lauren (Autoboyography, Dating You / Hating You).
The story of the heart can never be unwritten.
Macy Sorensen is settling into an ambitious if emotionally tepid routine: work hard as a new pediatrics resident, plan her wedding to an older, financially secure man, keep her head down and heart tucked away.
But when she runs into Elliot Petropoulos—the first and only love of her life—the careful bubble she’s constructed begins to dissolve. Once upon a time, Elliot was Macy’s entire world—growing from her gangly bookish friend into the man who coaxed her heart open again after the loss of her mother…only to break it on the very night he declared his love for her.
Told in alternating timelines between Then and Now, teenage Elliot and Macy grow from friends to much more—spending weekends and lazy summers together in a house outside of San Francisco devouring books, sharing favorite words, and talking through their growing pains and triumphs. As adults, they have become strangers to one another until their chance reunion. Although their memories are obscured by the agony of what happened that night so many years ago, Elliot will come to understand the truth behind Macy’s decade-long silence, and will have to overcome the past and himself to revive her faith in the possibility of an all-consuming love.”
The Great Alone by Kristin Hannah
This is a book I just came off reading. Thanks to Audible, I got to enjoy this one while I worked, and as usual, Kristin bowled me over. I loved her book, The Nightingale, and I’m falling head-over-heels for the book I’m reading now, Winter Garden. Hannah just knocks it out of the park every time for me. Being transported to the Alaskan wilderness with a family past the point of broken was an emotional one and I couldn’t get enough of their journey.
“Alaska, 1974.
Unpredictable. Unforgiving. Untamed.
For a family in crisis, the ultimate test of survival.
Ernt Allbright, a former POW, comes home from the Vietnam war a changed and volatile man. When he loses yet another job, he makes an impulsive decision: he will move his family north, to Alaska, where they will live off the grid in America’s last true frontier.
Thirteen-year-old Leni, a girl coming of age in a tumultuous time, caught in the riptide of her parents’ passionate, stormy relationship, dares to hope that a new land will lead to a better future for her family. She is desperate for a place to belong. Her mother, Cora, will do anything and go anywhere for the man she loves, even if it means following him into the unknown
At first, Alaska seems to be the answer to their prayers. In a wild, remote corner of the state, they find a fiercely independent community of strong men and even stronger women. The long, sunlit days and the generosity of the locals make up for the Allbrights’ lack of preparation and dwindling resources.
But as winter approaches and darkness descends on Alaska, Ernt’s fragile mental state deteriorates and the family begins to fracture. Soon the perils outside pale in comparison to threats from within. In their small cabin, covered in snow, blanketed in eighteen hours of night, Leni and her mother learn the terrible truth: they are on their own. In the wild, there is no one to save them but themselves.
In this unforgettable portrait of human frailty and resilience, Kristin Hannah reveals the indomitable character of the modern American pioneer and the spirit of a vanishing Alaska―a place of incomparable beauty and danger. The Great Alone is a daring, beautiful, stay-up-all-night story about love and loss, the fight for survival, and the wildness that lives in both man and nature.”
Long Shot by Kennedy Ryan
Yet another stunning book. I read this one because I kept seeing it popping up on social media, and I was NOT disappointed. I’m so thrilled I was introduced to Ryan’s work. It was dark, angsty, and even scary at times, but it made the ending that much more worth it. This book does contain uncomfortable/ difficult subject matter so proceed with caution, but please keep in mind, tough topics needs to be addressed so we better know how to handle them in life. Plus, sometimes beauty stems from tragedy and that’s exactly what we get with this gorgeous book.
“A Standalone FORBIDDEN LOVE SET IN THE EXPLOSIVE WORLD OF THE NBA…
Think you know what it’s like being a baller’s girl?
You don’t.
My fairy tale is upside down.
A happily never after.
I kissed the prince and he turned into a fraud.
I was a fool, and his love – fool’s gold.
Now there’s a new player in the game, August West.
One of the NBA’s brightest stars.
Fine. Forbidden.
He wants me. I want him.
But my past, my fraudulent prince, just won’t let me go.
*Some aspects of this story may be sensitive for some readers.”
Beneath A Scarlet Sky by Mark Sullivan
My goodness. Where to start with this book? Based on a true story, Beneath A Scarlet Sky tells the story of a young Italian man who is forced to join the Nazi party in order to save the lives of Jews in Italy and send information to the right people to take down the regime.
This was another Audible read I listened to while at the office, and not only was I impressed with the life Pino Lella lived during such a dangerous time in world history, but I commend his courage and his willingness to do the right thing.
“Based on the true story of a forgotten hero, Beneath a Scarlet Sky is the triumphant, epic tale of one young man’s incredible courage and resilience during one of history’s darkest hours.
Pino Lella wants nothing to do with the war or the Nazis. He’s a normal Italian teenager—obsessed with music, food, and girls—but his days of innocence are numbered. When his family home in Milan is destroyed by Allied bombs, Pino joins an underground railroad helping Jews escape over the Alps, and falls for Anna, a beautiful widow six years his senior.
In an attempt to protect him, Pino’s parents force him to enlist as a German soldier—a move they think will keep him out of combat. But after Pino is injured, he is recruited at the tender age of eighteen to become the personal driver for Adolf Hitler’s left hand in Italy, General Hans Leyers, one of the Third Reich’s most mysterious and powerful commanders.
Now, with the opportunity to spy for the Allies inside the German High Command, Pino endures the horrors of the war and the Nazi occupation by fighting in secret, his courage bolstered by his love for Anna and for the life he dreams they will one day share.
Fans of All the Light We Cannot See, The Nightingale, and Unbroken will enjoy this riveting saga of history, suspense, and love.”
Midnight Blue by L.J. Shen
A troubled rockstar and the quirky girl hired to babysit him and keep him sober on the road. This story was funny, angsty, and absolutely sexy at its core. I listened to this one on Audible as well, and got to enjoy narration by Shane East (who also voices Ethan Blackstone for the Blackstone Affair series by Raine Miller) and he’s just pleasant as all get out to have chatting in your ear. The words of this story read like poetry and had a magical element to them I just couldn’t get enough of as I listened.
“From bestselling author L.J. Shen, comes a new, standalone, contemporary romance.
It should have been easy.
I needed the money. He needed a babysitter to keep him from snorting himself to death.
I was cherry-picked especially for him. Responsible. Optimistic. Warm. Innocent.
The worst part is that I should have known better.
Alex Winslow. British rock star. Serial heartbreaker. Casanova with whiskey eyes.
“Don’t get near the devil in a leather jacket. He’ll chew you up and spit you out.”
Guess what? I didn’t listen.
I signed the contract.
World tour. Three months. Four Continents. One hundred shows.
My name is Indigo Bellamy, and I sold my soul to a tattooed god.
Problem was, my soul wasn’t enough for Alex Winslow. He ended up taking my body, too.
Then he took my heart.
Then he took my all.”
One Day in December by Josie Silver
This is a book I just finished mere days ago. I haven’t even given it a proper review yet, but it was so utterly charming that I added it to my top reads list for the year. I was lucky enough to score a copy of this book while I was at Book Expo last May and I waited for the right season to give it a read and I’m so glad I did. I made it the December book club pick for The Blabbing Book Club, and it looks like Reese Witherspoon did too. They say this one is like Love Actually meets When Harry Met Sally, and it is, but as I progressed, I thought of nothing but Serendipity. Anyway, full review on this one still coming, but if you need a sweet holiday read, give this one a go!
“A Reese Witherspoon x Hello Sunshine Book Club Pick
Two people. Ten chances. One unforgettable love story.
Laurie is pretty sure love at first sight doesn’t exist anywhere but the movies. But then, through a misted-up bus window one snowy December day, she sees a man who she knows instantly is the one. Their eyes meet, there’s a moment of pure magic…and then her bus drives away.
Certain they’re fated to find each other again, Laurie spends a year scanning every bus stop and cafe in London for him. But she doesn’t find him, not when it matters anyway. Instead they “reunite” at a Christmas party, when her best friend Sarah giddily introduces her new boyfriend to Laurie. It’s Jack, the man from the bus. It would be.
What follows for Laurie, Sarah and Jack is ten years of friendship, heartbreak, missed opportunities, roads not taken, and destinies reconsidered. One Day in December is a joyous, heartwarming and immensely moving love story to escape into and a reminder that fate takes inexplicable turns along the route to happiness.”
Becoming by Michelle Obama
This is purely an anticipatory pick. After I’m finished with my current read, I’m finally sitting down with the former First Lady’s highly-anticipated and highly-praised memoir.
An intimate, powerful, and inspiring memoir by the former First Lady of the United States.
In a life filled with meaning and accomplishment, Michelle Obama has emerged as one of the most iconic and compelling women of our era. As First Lady of the United States of America—the first African-American to serve in that role—she helped create the most welcoming and inclusive White House in history, while also establishing herself as a powerful advocate for women and girls in the U.S. and around the world, dramatically changing the ways that families pursue healthier and more active lives, and standing with her husband as he led America through some of its most harrowing moments. Along the way, she showed us a few dance moves, crushed Carpool Karaoke, and raised two down-to-earth daughters under an unforgiving media glare.
In her memoir, a work of deep reflection and mesmerizing storytelling, Michelle Obama invites readers into her world, chronicling the experiences that have shaped her—from her childhood on the South Side of Chicago to her years as an executive balancing the demands of motherhood and work, to her time spent at the world’s most famous address. With unerring honesty and lively wit, she describes her triumphs and her disappointments, both public and private, telling her full story as she has lived it—in her own words and on her own terms.
Warm, wise, and revelatory, Becoming is the deeply personal reckoning of a woman of soul and substance who has steadily defied expectations—and whose story inspires us to do the same.
That’s a wrap for 2018! I hope you all spend the remainder of this year with your TBR piles and if you haven’t checked out any of these stories yet, consider adding them to your list for 2019.
I’m sure I’ll stop in at least once more before Christmas, but if I don’t get time until after, I wish you all a very Merry Christmas, happy holidays, seasons greetings, and tidings of great joy. Happy reading!
