First, don't judge me for the fluff I read. Summer is not the time for heavy reading. Some of these books came from recommendations, some I just thought looked good, one I remembered from a long time ago. I read 23 books from May 1 to August 31. (I actually read three of them twice, but I'm not counting the second time.) Given that I work full-time plus after-hours some nights and have the kids, I was pretty impressed with this. I will tell you upfront that I like books where I can put myself in the main character's shoes and feel what is happening. Here's a quick recap and my thoughts on the first 11 books I read.
1: The Christmas Wedding by James Patterson. This was not his best work. It wasn't even his best non-creeper work. But I was committed to find out what happened at the end and read the whole thing. It wasn't horrible, just not what I expected from ol' Jim.
2-4: Switched, Torn, and Ascend by Amanda Hocking. These were total teen-lit but had an interesting (albeit weird) story-line. The first book was really hard to get into, but once I started, I read all three quickly because I really wanted to know what happened at the end. The story-line is about a girl who was switched at birth and is actually a member of the Trylle tribe and the story follows how she finds out and what happens because of it. If you liked the Twilight series, you'd probably like these books.
5-7: The Fifty Shades trilogy by EL James. Yep, I jumped on the bandwagon and read these. The writing is AWFUL. She's a middle-aged (I'm guessing, I didn't fact check this), British woman trying to write like a 27 year old American man. She says words I doubt anyone uses, let alone a dude, and uses phrases that are definitely not American. But, if you can get past that, the story is actually okay. If you have a soft spot for people who had screwed up childhoods and were adopted, you will probably end up wondering what craziness will come spewing out of Christian Grey next. Also, if you just like really graphic word porn, these are the books for you. If you don't like that, you can skip those parts and still get a decent story.
8: Cold Sassy Tree by Olive Ann Burns. This was my favorite book in junior Honors English and it has just stuck with me since then. (Seriously it was about the only thing I enjoyed in that class.) The book is set in the early 1900s and follows a few years in the life of a boy, Will Tweedy, and his family after his grandma dies and his grandpa gets remarried right after. It's funny, touching, and just a great read.
9: Bared to You by Sylvia Day. XXX. Think Fifty Shades with more mental health issues and less S&M.
10: Leaving Cold Sassy by Olive Ann Burns. Poor Olive only got a few chapters of this book cranked out before she died. Will Tweedy is all grown up and married himself. The rest of the book is Olive's editor/friend and talks about what Olive's ideas were and how it would have panned out.
11: The Light Between Oceans by M.L. Stedman. This was seriously one of the most intriguing books I've read. The story totally captivated me and I wanted to read the entire thing immediately, while at the same time wanted it to last. I just happened to spot this at the library and brought it home. It's set in 1920ish in Australia, so some of the writing is old-fashioned, but it's easy to read. The story follows a lighthouse keeper and his wife who discover a dead man and baby washed up on the island they live on alone - what they decide to do and the rippling effect it has.
Part 2, coming soon!
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