Add this to your summer reading list

It's officially summer, hell yeah! One of my favorite parts of summer is getting to sit outside, enjoying the summer breeze, and reading a good book. If you haven't started a summer reading list I advise you do so pronto! Better yet, I have the first book you can add to your list.

Home is Where Your Boots Are by Kalan Chapman Lloyd (2011)

I’ll be honest, I was hesitant when I started this book because I’m not a big fan of the typical “chick-lit” genre. However, I was pleasantly surprised that not only was it far from one of those types of novels, but the writing itself didn’t reflect on that genre either. The narrative style comes across naturally and also humorous at times, which is just the kind of book you’d want to read during care-free summer days. 

Home is Where Your Boots Are is part mystery with some romance involved, but it’s also a story about dealing with big changes in your life, making the best with what we have and, of course, having the help of your family and friends throughout it all (something I can very much relate to right now!) One of my favorite aspects of the book is that it’s set in a small town in the South. I love reading books set in the South because I love reading about small town charm. 

While yes, this book appears to be the typical “girl moves back home and re-visits her past, including past lovers” type of scenario, there is so much more to that. The mystery in the book is enough to keep you on your toes and it’s one of those books that you won’t want to put down. It’s also an easy read, which I find perfect for summer reading lists. 

Kalan has turned this into a series, so Home is Where Your Boots Are is only the first in more to come. In fact, the second installment of the series, These Boots Are Made for Butt-Kickin', just came out this month! To get yourself a copy of either novel click here or here. To check out more information about the author or the books themselves, head over to Kalan's website.

To read more of my book reviews click here!

Book Review: Where'd You Go, Bernadette

Where'd You Go, Bernadette by Maria Semple (2012)

It's not often that I find a book I can read within just a couple of days, so when I do, I absolutely must share it with the world! By now you might have already heard about Where'd You Go, Bernadette by Maria Semple. It came out almost three years ago and I've been wanting to read it for almost as long, but always had a hard time finding a copy at the library. I had always heard great things about this book, but was also a little skeptical as I usually am when book's are given such raving reviews.

Basically, the reviews were right. I wouldn't give the book a 10 out of 10, but it's definitely one of those novels you can't seem to put down (and that's usually a very good thing). The story telling aspect is very unique and well-done. Maria Semple is able to tell a funny and captivating story that has a much darker root to it, in a way that gives you more than one side of the story. You're left wondering "Who's crazy? Who's not? Is anyone sane?!" But, alas, that is up to you to decide.

The only downside of Where'd You Go, Bernadette is that I wish it had gone a little more in depth with the character's stories and inner demons, so to speak. The book is meant to be funny, though, so we don't really get too into the backgrounds and feelings of each character and what has led them to be who they are at the present day. We get just enough information that it is up to the reader to form their opinions and thoughts on each character's background.

If you're looking for a book that you won't be able to stop reading until you've gotten to the end and find out what actually ends up happening, Where'd You Go, Bernadette is certainly the next book you should read! I also loved that the story gives us plenty of twists and surprises. More than one character ends up changing. 

Two of my favorite quotes from Where'd You Go, Bernadette:

"People like you must create. If you don't create, Bernadette, you will become a menace to society."

"My heart started racing, not the bad kind of heart racing, like, I'm going to die. But the good kind of heart racing, like, Hello, can I help you with something? If not, please step aside because I'm about to kick the shit out of life."

Have you read Where'd You Go, Bernadette? What did you think of it?

P.S. Check out all my other book reviews!

Book Review: The Light Between Oceans

The Light Between Oceans by M. L. Stedman (2012)

I'd seen this book on a few reading lists the past few months but I never really got around to reading it. Based on the book's description, I really didn't think it'd be my cup of tea. However, on my latest library trip I saw it on a bin with all the other books for their "reading club" so I decided to check it out and give it a chance.

I'll be honest, it's not my favorite book. It didn't leave me crying at the end, as some people claim, and I wasn't really left with that "after-book high" (is there a proper name for this feeling?) However, the story itself is unique and heart-warming at times. At first you only really get a glimpse of two main characters, but as the story line progresses you get a chance to experience other characters' perspectives. It's one of those books that has you rooting for everyone, even when they are on conflicting sides. The author did a good job of leaving you sympathizing with everyone involved in the story. 

There's never a dull moment in the book but it's also not one of those books where you simply cannot put it down. It's rather in between the two. The author throws in a couple metaphors that go along with the plot, but nothing too fancy. The ending felt a little short for me and I definitely wanted more closure then what the author gave.

Despite it not being the best book I've ever read, or even close to that, I'd still recommend it. Some people may find they like it much more than me. As with music taste, people's taste in books are different, too. If I had to compare it to a song on the radio, I'd say it's one of those songs where I won't find myself jamming out to, but I'd still leave it on and casually listen to it as I drive along.

Have you read this book? What did you think?

Book Review: Eleanor & Park

Eleanor & Park by Rainbow Rowell (2013)

At first, I wasn't going to give this book a shot. I had heard a lot of rave reviews for it, but since it was classified as a "young adult fiction" novel, I stayed away. I'm not trying to enter the world of Twilight or anything like that (again...) Then, one day when I was at the library checking out books for the kiddos, I spotted this on display right in the teen books section and I just went for it. I figured there must be something so great about this kind of book if even adults (or you know, people my age) were giving it such good reviews. I put off reading it for awhile because I got stuck on some Netflix binge-watching, sleeping in all vacation long, etc. Once I started reading it though, it took me about 2 or 3 days to finish it. That is ALWAYS a good sign for a book when it comes to me. 

Reading this book had me smiling practically the entire time. I don't want to give anything away, so all I'll say is that it's essentially a love story. A story about your first love and all the craziness and wonderfulness of it. It's a sweet story, but it also has a bit of a dark side to it. The only thing I didn't like about this book was that I felt the ending was rushed. All the way up until the very last few chapters, the book had a great pace that kept me intrigued and wanting to keep reading. The end, however, came so fast and the story timeline was super sped up. I liked the ending overall, but I wish there had been more of a build up. 

I definitely recommend this book, especially since it's a quick read. Even if you're not a fan of young adult fiction or "love stories" I still think you should give it a try! I'm glad I did :)

Have you read Eleanor & Park? What did you think of it?

Check out all of my book reviews here.

Book Review: The Adults

The Adults by Alison Espach (2011)

It's time for another book review! I'm glad I've been able to read more lately, since I missed it a lot. One of the reasons I missed it? Finding hidden gems such as this. It's rare for me to give a book 5 out of 5 stars on goodreads.com, so you know when I do I mean serious business. This book was compared to The Catcher in the Rye and The Perks of Being a Wallflower in one of the reviews I read of it. In a way, it is very similar to those two stories. The best part, though, is that this time it's told through a girl's prospective. The Adults is basically a coming of age story that follows the main character, Emily, through her young teenage life all the way to her upper twenties. The story is set during the 90s/early 2000s and mostly takes place in her rich suburban town in Connecticut. Very frequently, the story gives off a cynical vibe, but in a very relatable way (not in a way that will make you hate the character and her negativity, such as I felt when reading She's Come Undone.) I think this is one of those books that you'll either love because you find yourself relating to the character(s) and storyline so much, or you'll hate it because you can't relate to it at all. Of course, the only way to really find out is by reading it.

Coming of age stories are always some of my favorites and this is a unique one. At times, Alison Espach's prose is so captivating and beautifully written. Emily, the main character, is one of those characters that observes everything about her surroundings and the people she encounters. She sees everything that other people don't (or refuse to accept) and in a way she really is a "wallflower." The beginning of the book focuses on young Emily trying to figure out the adults in her life and their problems, not fully understanding any of what goes on around her. She isn't even really able to relate to people her own age and is constantly finding flaws in their behavior. She fits in only because she pretends to be one of them, but truthfully I don't think she really is. As Emily ages, the reader sees her go through a transformation that in my opinion was rather sad, because she starts to become more cynical and thinking in the same way "the adults" would. The funny part about this, though, is that most of us turn out this way. As children and teenagers we have a different view of the world, and don't always understand our parents, but as we grow older we start to feel the same way they do. We essentially become "the adults."

Despite all this, the book itself isn't a sad book. I think it is a realistic book with a realistic ending. I did have a problem with the main relationship focused on in the book because it is never really fully explained, but I think that's partially due to the fact that the character herself never fully understood the relationship either. Regardless, I definitely recommend this book if you're into coming of age stories or if you've read the other similar books and enjoyed those (even if you didn't enjoy those books, I'd still give this a shot because it's different enough that you might like it.)

Book Review: She's Come Undone

She's Come Undone by Wally Lamb (1992)

Just like I believe some people come into our lives at certain times for important reasons, I also believe that some books come into our lives in that same manner. For me, She's Come Undone was one of those books. So just from that, it should be no surprise that I really enjoyed this book and it left me with that "after feeling" that great books so often do.

To start, this book took me weeks to really get into it. I don't even remember what month I checked it out. It had always been on my to-read list on GoodReads, but when I finally got my hands on it and started reading, for whatever reason I just couldn't delve into the characters and the world the book was creating for me. Now I think the reason for that was because I was meant to finish it this weekend, after a couple weeks of hard times. Or maybe it just really does have a hard to get into beginning. You be the judge of that. Regardless, if you start reading it, please make sure you finish it. It's totally worth it, I promise.

I think part of the reason I had such a hard time getting into it was because I couldn't sympathize with the main character, Dolores. She was always so negative and mopey, also kind of just a bitch. Bad things happened to her, sure, but her attitude was a huge turn off for me and it made it hard for me to read, maybe because at the time I just couldn't relate. I tend to be one of those people who likes to relate to book characters, so sometimes that's a deal breaker for me.

I kept reading, though. Slowly, very slowly. Which is so rare for me. Usually I get into a book and finish it within just a few days. This book took me weeks to finish. Whenever I find myself attempting to read a book for over a week, I usually just give up on it. For whatever reason, I did not give up on this book and I'm so glad I didn't.

To sum it up without giving anything away (which will be hard to do) She's Come Undone follows Dolores throughout her life. From her childhood all the way to her mid-30s. The book, essentially, is a story about a transformation. A wonderful, not always pleasant, transformation. One that takes almost an entire lifetime to make. In that sense I think it's more realistic than other books that are also transformation stories. Realistically, we are transforming ourselves our entire lives and we don't always get things right the first time around. To me this book was a more realistic capture of what it's like to face your battles and constantly be changing, taking the long and hard journey life offers us in order to have that so called "happy" ending. The last third of the book you start to see how Dolores' life comes complete circle, and she is back where she began, but now in a different sense, with a different perspective. It's a story about growing up. It's a story about realizing how different people have different meaning in your life, but how each one plays an important role. It's a story about how life is always surprising you, sometimes in a bad way and sometimes in a good way.

One of my favorite quotes from the book, that won't give anything away, is this one found towards the very end:

"I thought about how love was always the thing that did that—smashed into you, left you raw. The deeper you loved, the deeper it hurt." 

This book has so many themes, that I'm sure everyone will find something they can relate to. I have a lot of feelings towards this book, but I can't really express them here without giving any spoilers away. It's definitely a book I would recommend.

If you've read it before, please share in the comments what you loved most about it (or didn't love!) because I love discussing these kinds of things with people!

Book Reviews: The Kitchen House & The Night Circus

The Kitchen House by Kathleen Grissom

I started reading this book because of the high ratings it got on goodreads and because as a history major I really enjoy reading historical fiction. For the most part, the depictions of the relationships between the slaves and the main household were accurate. Although considered unequal and separate, the lives of slaves and white families on Southern plantations were always heavily intertwined and spun many complicated webs. This book does a great job of showing just how complicated things can get. In a fictitious way, of course.

I had a hard time getting into the book; I felt it had a slow start. I had to give it a couple reads before I really got into it. Once I did, however, I couldn't put it down because I wanted to find out how the story unfolded and what would happen to the main characters. The story telling switches between Lavinia, the Irish indentured servant who comes to the plantation at a very young age and ends up being raised by the slaves, and Belle, the daughter of the plantation owner who is half black but always considered a slave. The two main protagonists lead very different lives but end up facing many similar hardships and struggles, mostly because of their complicated placement in society.

I think I would have liked this book a lot more if the ending hadn't fallen so short. I was expecting a bit more character development, but felt that the ending was rushed and we didn't get the closure we needed. Maybe some people liked how the book ended, but I was left thinking "that's it?" I was left a bit disappointed.

The writing, however, was well done and the way the story is told keeps you on your toes. There are a few times where we have those "years later" moments, which I personally don't like- but to each their own. If you're into historical pieces, family dramas, or stories that follow characters through the years, then I'd definitely give this book a try.

The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern

If I had to pick just one word to describe this book, I'd choose enchanting. From the very start, you are pulled into this world in which you're not quite sure what's going on, but as you continue reading this magnificent story unfolds. I read this book in such a short period of time because I couldn't put it down. I had to keep reading to see what would happen next.

I noticed a lot of people criticized the book because it had too many lengthy descriptions of scenery, but that's what made the book so enchanting. The descriptions were written in such a way that you can visualize the circus scenes in your mind and you become just as fascinated by it as the circus-goers in the book.

There's a lot of mystery to the story and the way some chapters are broken up keep you on the edge of your seat, wondering what happened to the characters from the last chapter. At times this annoyed me because I'm a rather impatient person, but I believe it's part of what kept the mystery and illusion so alive.

If you are a fan of magic or fantasy worlds, I would highly recommend this book. If you enjoy beautiful and well thought out descriptions, you will be a fan of this author's work. Even if you are looking for a new type of novel to read, put this book on your reading list, because it is certainly one of a kind.