I have read a lot in my lifetime! But let me be more specific; for the past 26 years I have been reading lots of nerdy stuff for school. During the summers I get a chance to read for fun, and once I finished my degree I dove right into my stack of books I had reserved for the summer on my bookshelf. Normally I read nonfiction; I typically only read memoirs because I like real life stories. So I've read some memoirs but I have also dabbled into some fiction. Check out what I’ve read so far this summer:
Escape by Caroline Jessop- In January I participated in a book swap (see post here). Becca sent this book to me because she knows how much I enjoy memoirs. This book was phenomenal and I couldn’t put it down. I am NOT exaggerating; I literally could NOT put the book down! This is a story of a strong woman who escaped her torturous life of polygamy and entered a foreign society. She uses her past experiences to bring awareness of the polygamist lifestyle through working on the set of HBO’s Big Love. This is a story filled with raw emotion and courage. Such an inspiring story!
Bossypants by Tina Fey- My sister let me borrow Tina Fey’s memoir. I have always enjoyed Fey’s work on SNL, especially the Palin skits, so I was really looking forward to this book. I read it on an airplane and it was hilarious. I had to apologize to the people I was sitting next to for cracking up the entire flight :-) Tina is beyond humble and a wonderful writer! She is a remarkable woman who believes in women. 
A Place of Yes by Bethenny Frankel- Speaking of wonderful women, I adore Bethenny Frankel. Yes, I am guilty of loving reality television; I can’t help it, I just love to watch the ludicrous drama because it’s hilarious! My DVR is basically set to record every show on Bravo. LOL. I love Frankel for being a wonderful role model of hard work, dedication, and following your dreams. Of her many books, this one is about her “10 rules for getting everything you want out of life”. It’s not about financial success but about how she found peace, happiness, and fulfillment on her journey using 10 strategies. It’s a interesting book and I definitely learned more about her character. Has anyone seen her new talk show? It hasn’t started airing in Houston yet, but I’m SO excited for her!
Heart of the Matter by Emily Giffin- I absolutely love Giffin, even though I’m not a fan of fiction. Not only is she from Virginia (like me wahoo), but she is an impeccable writer. You have probably heard of her; she wrote Something Borrowed that was recently made into a movie. She also wrote the sequel, Something Blue. I have read all of her books and really loved all of them. Giffin really captivates her readers with her stories, and the pages just keep turning. This story is about an accident which causes the paths of two women to cross in one of the most unlikely ways. These two women have to ultimately decide what priorities come first in their lives. This is a fabulous story. Aside from this being a great story, I loved getting the rest of the story. This book is not meant to be a sequel of Something Borrowed or Something Blue, but it completes the story. The characters in Heart of the Matter are the same supporting characters in the previous books, so you really get the full picture on the previous novels after reading this book. I loved how Giffin intertwines her characters and builds an awesome story. I can’t wait for her next book to be released. I highly recommend all of her books if you want some light but captivating poolside reading :-)
One Thousand Gifts by Ann Voskamp- The ladies in my bible study read this book this passed semester. It’s about a woman, the author, determined to find joy and blessings in her life. The ladies in my smallgroup and I kept a journal, as Voskamp suggests, of all the blessings in our lives. Amidst the utter chaos for me last semester I found this list to be such a relief. While I very much enjoyed the message of the book and recommend it for that purpose, the writing wasn’t my style personally. She writes very eloquently and it’s very flowery. Sometimes I found myself getting lost in the metaphors, but I really did enjoy her message about finding joy in our storms. Voskamp has a great website for the book, as well as free discussion questions (which I found very helpful).
Ok that’s all the books I’m going to throw at you right now; I don’t want to bombard you with reading material ;-) Part 2 will be next week, so get ready peeps!
Also, please tell me what you’ve been reading this summer? Do you have any book recommendations for me of something you’ve read lately? Please share with me!!!
