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31 July 2014

all the things I read

... on nightfloat.

Normally I just put some innocuous (read: not scary) show on Hulu when Simon is gone and eventually drift off to sleep. This works fine but I've finally convinced Julia to sleep in my bed and there were many a nights on previous floats/call weekends I would wake up to Hulu having switched to a new (scary!) show and I would wake up to one of the kids crying and some scary scene playing and then ... hasta la vista sleep for that night and the next day would be a really fun train wreck. So, I thought reading might be a better way to lull my crazy bottom to sleep this time around. Plus, Julia loves screens and would never ever sleep if I had the computer on.

Simon let me use his NOOK (well ... I didn't ask but he let me!) which was great for reading in a dim room (you think I turn all the lights off?! never).

I thought I had read hundreds of books but I guess I only read six.

Oops.

Also, one of these days I will read something heady. Today is not that day. Candy lit for the win. Or the lose, according to some, I'm sure!

So here they be in all their teeny tiny graphic glory ...


1. Where'd You Go, Bernadette by Maria Semple - I saw someone reading this on Instagram and so, I followed suit. I have to admit I'm not quite finished but AH ... I just can't get into it. I'm not sure why.

2. Jemima J: A Novel About Ugly Ducklings and Swans by Jane Green- I know I've read at least one other Jane Green book before ... total TOTAL beach read guilty pleasure. I enjoyed this ... it was funny reading about when the internet had just come to be and the pre cell phone era .... so archaic. Laugh. But, it was a quick and breezy read that had a happy ending. Don't they all?

3. Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn - ain't no party like a tardy party. yes, I'm two years late to the this party but I saw the trailer for the movie coming out and it made me curious about the book. I could NOT put it down or stop thinking about it when I wasn't reading. It was really good. Until the ending! Terrible. I refuse to accept it and I've read that the movie's ending is different and I really hope it is. I would highly recommend but ... make up your own ending.

4. The Fault in Our Stars by John Green- Hopping on bandwagons is my forté and this book was no different. I lost it when the author showed up at the funeral but other than that I held it together. I'd like to see the movie ... especially if Simon reads the book and we can hash them both out. It was a good book; definitely sad but I didn't find it to be depressing. Maybe I'm just a terrible human.

5. All Fall Down by Jennifer Weiner - I had really high hopes for this book but eh. It kind of gave me an anxiety attack the entire time (maybe that was the author's intention) but it was pretty eye opening to read a firsthand account of an addict maintaining some semblance of a life. Very interesting. 

6. Where We Belong by Emily Giffin - LOVED this book. Maybe because parts of it were set in St. Louis but it was one of those books I couldn't wait to get back to reading all day long. The ending wasn't terrible satisfying but I need to get over my shallow happy ending obsession.

I linked to the books so you could read the synopses. Nothing puts me on the spot more than when Simon asks, "so what's it about?" when I'm reading a book. AH. I give too many details and can't throw him a succinct 1-2 sentence summary. I need help and it might drive him a little bit crazy when I ask if he can just look it up. Terrible wife. Terrible blogger too!

Have you read anything you'd recommend to a fellow year-round beach read enthusiast? Please share. Pretty pretty please.

70 comments:

  1. Glitter and Glue by Kelly Corrigan!

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  2. This is where I leave you by Jonathan Tropper, so good, so funny. The movie is coming out soon starring Jason Bateman, Tina Fey and Jane Fonda. can. Not. Wait!

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    1. Anything with Tina Fey is bound to be funny!

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  3. First time commenter, but I've been lurking for awhile.

    Not the point, the point is that I didn't find The Fault in Our Stars depressing either.

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    1. Ok good!!! I'm not that terrible :)

      And welcome to the comment world!!

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    2. I didn't find it *depressing* per se, but I did cry copious amounts of tears. However, I was also 6+ months pregnant at the time of reading. So. Hmm.

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    3. Haha. Oh gosh. I understand! I cry so easily when I'm pregnant and those few weeks postpartum :)

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  4. I just finished The Fault in Our Stars this week. I think I'm a horrible human, but I didn't find it to be sad OR depressing. Rather sweet and comical. Maybe I read too many Laurie McDaniel novels or whatever her name was, when I was a child.

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  5. Gah I miss reading! Anyway- did you ever read the sequel to devil wears Prada? It's called "revenge wears Prada" and total chick-lit/ beach reading. Also a fast read. Pretty sure the last book I read though was "Rome sweet home" by the Hahns. I guess my reading taste is eclectic? Ha

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  6. Love your synopsis. I want more beach-lit in my life. I can't pull myself away from self help/parenting books. Like they're going to help. Haha

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  7. 'The husband's secret'. Such a great story! You should try listening to it on audible.com

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  8. Birthmarked by Caragh Obrien (and go ahead and buy the oth 2 titles in the trilogy - you'll thank me later)

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  9. Liane Moriarty, Elin Hilderbrand, Rainbow Rowell the book War Brides...

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  10. Anything by Marian Keyes. I particularly like "Lucy Sullivan Is Getting Married." Also "Sushi for Beginners."

    Though I must admit that I liked them most when I was in my twenties and single, since they're mostly about single women. I'm getting old and boring, obviously.

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  11. Ahhh, I think I lost my comment. Here I go again (on my own... whitesnake). Sorry if it's a dupe. NEWAYZ.... Paris Letters is really good because 1) it's written by a blogger (fist bump) and 2) it's about her story of how she figured out how to quit her job and move to Paris so we get to live vicariously. I'm not done yet so I can't vouch for a happy ending, but so far, I'm hooked. http://www.amazon.com/Paris-Letters-Janice-MacLeod/dp/1402288794

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  12. It's not exactly fluffy, but it's straight up crack: the Outlander series by Diana Gabaldon. Love those books. Have read them repeatedly. So, so good.

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  13. I feel the exact same way about Gone Girl! Couldn't put it down and then I HATED the ending! I do hope the movie ending is different. I read another one of her's - Dark Places - on vacay and I enjoyed it (but also was disappointed by the ending).

    This is what I read on vacation - http://spiritualworkoutblog.blogspot.com/2014/06/vacation-reads-whats-in-your-stack.html

    I super recommend anything by Kate Morton and Ann Patchett! Read many books by both of them and love them all!

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  14. Code name verity was my fav last summer. I haven't hit on this summers great book yet, although I've read dozens.

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  15. Anything/everything by Elin Hilderbrand! Also I've recently started reading Liane Moriarty's books and love them - I have to stop myself from laughing out loud during my commute. "Life After Life" by Kate Atkinson is also really good, but it's less of a beach read. Oh, and "Maine" by J. Courtney Sullivan is one of my faves and one of the few books I've read more than once.

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  16. I'm a little late to this bandwagon, but "A Thousand Splendid Suns" is ah-mazing.

    Also, I live in the STL too! Our kids should have a playdate! I'll bring wine...and my kid.

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  17. This Song Will Save Your Life by Leila Sales. It's about a high school girl who is struggling with life and if it is worth it, and than she happens upon an underground nightclub and goes up into a DJ booth. I read several books a month and this is my far my 2014 favorite. Lots of laughing, some tears and a beautiful ending. Ha! Now I want to read it again!

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  18. omgosh. I totally agree with Where'd you go bernadette. I also decided to read it because of an Instagram person...and I was just not into it. I kept waiting for a climax or punch line...but it was just kinda blah. I am reading Wild by Cheryl Strayed....SO GOOD! Definitely recommend.

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  19. Room by Emma Donoghue. Suspenseful yet sweet. Although maybe not the best thing to read if you have a touch of paranoia.

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  20. i'm a beach-read master (self proclaimed obviously). try what alice forgot, eleanor & park, reconstructing amelia, and the night circus.

    100% guaranteed non-scary.

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  21. Ooooh I will put a few of these on my reading list! I just finished The Light Between the Oceans and I loved it...couldn't put it down!

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  22. I didn't read Gone Girl yet (gonna jump on that bandwagon too) but everyone says that Reconstructing Amelia by Kinberly McCreight is similar and maybe better. I liked it, left me thinking but wasn't too heavy.

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  23. I really liked the Shopaholic series (can't think of the author at the moment) even though the main character is so stupid/shallow that sometimes she wants to make me poke my eyes out BUT easy reads and really entertaining.

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    1. And there's a new shopaholic coming out soon!!

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  24. Beautiful Ruins is a wonderful beach read and reminded me how much I love love stories.

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  25. My son and daughter-in-law gave me a Nook for my birthday and I thought... "meh." Because I do most of my reading online and the library is one of my few outings... but I found that I can get a lot of free stuff at Barnes and Noble's website bn.com and you can also join bookbub.com (I think that's right) and they offer a lot of free and super cheap books. It's perfect for reading myself to sleep at night... waiting at the doctors office... waiting in the carpool lane to get my nieces. I also use to it place sudoku and kakuru.

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  26. I just finished The Rosie Project and it was hilarious and sweet and interesting, really really good.

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    1. I second this! I just read The Rosie Project this week! Good good. Next up for me: Me Before You and The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry...next up or whenever the library deems me worthy to loan to again because I couldn't very well return the books while I was in Hawaii, now could I?

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  27. I was going to recommend her books as well, good call!

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  28. I am with you 100% on Gone Girl. I hadn't heard that the movie ending was different, I may watch it now!
    Where'd You Go Bernadette was hard for me to get into but I ended up loving it!
    The others I've read and loved except the Jennifer Weiner one.

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  29. I'm with ya on Gone Girl - I was so into it and then hated the ending but I do still want to see the movie.

    I just read 13 Reasons Why by Jay Asher and it was great and a quick read.

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  30. Do NOT read either of Gillian Flynn's other two books. Dark Places was so traumatizing I still haven't recovered. SERIOUSLY.

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  31. I love everything by Elin Hilderbrand (light reads) and just finished The Husband's Secret, which I loved even though it took a while to get into. I don't know why but I always seem to read more in the summer! Oh and I can't sleep when my husband is gone either and don't think I'll ever get used to it (I'm a total scardycat and jump at every tiny noise)!

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  32. I just finished Where'd you go Bernadette and I LOVED it. I can't believe you didn't get into it...!! Thanks for all the reccos, I'm having a hard time finding a good book right now :)

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  33. I loved Bernadette!!!! Definitely feels like it's not real though...or something?

    I've been doing the Outlander thing...getting ready for the show in a couple of days. (Google it and you will want to watch it, mainly for the guy who plays Jamie)

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  34. I love when people share what books they've read recently! A good easy read is 'Me Before You' by Jo Jo Moyes!

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  35. Lived the movie and enjoyed the book The Help. unveiling Grace by Lynn Wiilder

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  36. Check out Sarah Addison Allen's "Garden Spells." It's a light and airy girlie read with the perfect amount of romance and whimsy. :) Plus there's four more books in the series, although all of them can be read independently (which is always fun to know, if you've enjoyed the first book!) AND the author is from my own home town, Asheville! :-)
    xox
    giedre

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  37. I've loved everything Kate Morton has written. Just enough suspense to keep me coming back for more, but not so much that it's frightening. Win-win!

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  38. I know it's really not funny but picturing you at home alone at night makes me giggle. I too loathe everything about it. Maybe we need a weapon or something to make us feel more safe? I had an alarm system in our old house but I always felt like a wire could be cut somewhere. It's an illness.

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    1. these days you can get wireless alarm systems which get rid of that nasty cut-the-wire risk. - nancyo

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  39. I was thinking about picking up Gone Girl recently so I'm glad someone else is showing up at the after party for this book. The cool kids are the ones going to the after party (I keep telling myself), haha :)

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  40. Gone Girl ending = HORRIBLE. It may have ruined the whole experience for me :[

    I'm in the middle of The Goldfinch - so far it's been very interesting.

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  41. I think you would really like "Beautiful Ruins" based on your reviews. Also, if you enjoy YA novels, "The Book Thief" is an amazing story if you haven't had a chance to read it yet. (Plus, the movie is also not too bad!)

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  42. Thanks for these suggestions! I'm just getting back into reading after a 2 1/2 year hiatus called, having two kids in under two years and barely showering and sleeping let alone reading. It's not exactly chick lit, but I just finished Dad is Fat by Jim Gaffigan. I thought it was funny, though not roll on the floor laughing like his standup. I really enjoyed the fact that it was broken down into short, 2-4 page essays so I didn't feel like I was constantly breaking my stride when I could only sneak in a few pages.

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  43. I would definitely recommend Jojo Moyes latest, One Plus One, it will completely suck you in. Also, keep a tissue box on your nightstand.You'll need it! :)
    Lovely post, thank you for sharing :)

    Evie

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  44. yep i second that suggestion...the husbands secret.
    i just bought a copy for my mom and mailed it off so i can talk about it with someone!

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  45. I like Gillian Flynn's books but they are pretty dark, Sharp Objects was really good but disturbing!

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  46. Landline and Attachments, both by Rainbow Rowell. Love them both!

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  47. Yes, I love book reviews/suggestions! I looooved The Winter Sea by Susanna Kearsley, it's one of my very favorites. I also really liked The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer, The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern (and if you're into YA) The Truth About Forever by Sarah Dessen, and Stargirl by Jerry Spinelli.

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  48. I always love seing what other people are reading!
    Although I LOVED Gone Girl and am still reeling from its ending... DON'T read it! It's the scariest ever!! That's why I'm still reeling from it ;]
    I'm currently in a Liane Moriarty phase, really love her stuff.

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  49. I skimmed the comments, so forgive me if someone has mentioned these already!
    "Water for Elephants" by Sara Gruen. Skip the movie, the book is a billion times better!
    "The Marriage Bureau for Rich People" by Farahad Zama. Set in India, this book is such a delicious treat. Think mango groves and morning tea - simply divine. Also an interesting view into how marriage is treated in Indian culture.
    (Also, hello! Lurker turned first-time-commenter here!) :)

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  50. Based on what you've just read, you must read The Rosie Project if you haven't already. It's really quite brilliant. And the sequel comes out in September which makes me really happy. For another easy, teen read, Eleanor and Park is SO good. Set in the 80s, the pop culture references is a fun blast to the past. Plus, it's just a really good story. Read in one sitting.

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  51. Isn't Gone Girl scary? I don't know why I've always thought that, but I think it might be the way the front cover looks. Due to your evaluation I am tempted to read it since it's $8.97 on Kindle, but I share your propensity for mega-irrational nighttime fears when I'm home alone, and my husband's about to start his classes 3 nights a week again (won't say which in case internet stalkers are reading this), so I don't need to do ANYTHING to scare myself. And somehow I think scary books scare me more than scary TV, but they both scare me so I don't want any of it. I am even scared by Orange is the New Black. Soooooo ... it's pretty bad.

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  52. Since you liked TFIOS, I'd recommend Me Before You by Jojo Moyes. Similar to Gone Girl, I'd recommend Before I Go to Sleep by SJ Watson (it's slightly creepy, not sure its more creepy than Gone Girl though). Someone already mentioned Rainbow Rowell, but yeah, try Attachments or Eleanor and Park. Super cute. :)

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  53. Attachments is so freaking good!

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  54. I read Where'd You Go Bernadette and I think I just really liked it because I was in Seattle at the time and I caught all the references so I felt super duper cool. But it's a quick enough read so just finish it :)

    Also I HATED HATED HATED the ending to gone girl. I refuse to say I liked the book because I feel it was such a cop out.

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  55. I'm not going to read through all the comments so I apologize if these have already been recommended ten times (because they probably have, they're that good). But you MUST read Me Before You and What Alice Forgot. They're all in this same genre, although slightly less fluff. Just slightly, though. I liked them almost as much as The Fault in Our Stars and much better than Where'd You Go, Bernadette.

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  56. To your Gone Girl comment, Gillian Flynn actually decided to rewrite the ending for the movie! So don't worry, it'll be completely different!

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  57. I really liked/read as of late and actually remember "The One an Only" by Emily Giffin -- great book, LONG, and the ending made me go waahaaat? But thrilling all the same. Just finished "Catching Air" by Sarah Pekkanen -- couldn't put it down, or stop thinking about it. I literally loved it so much I read, at work, far past an reasonable lunch break because, I HAD to keep reading. Happy literary goodness :)

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  58. I read Where'd You Go, Bernadette after finishing What Alice Forgot (by Liane Moriarty). Not nearly as good, in my opinion. I've read 2 other Liane Moriarty books since (The Husband's Secret & Big Little Lies) and all 3 of them were good, fast, easy reads!

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  59. I would suggest any of the books by Lynn Austin. Great reads for a variety of settings and characters. I loved Wings of Refuge! I would also suggest books by Davis Bunn & Janette Oake. Also very good reads!

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  60. Catching up on posts. I agree w/ what you wrote on Gone Girl and Bernadette. Haven't read the others.

    I just read "Me Before You", "The Light Between Oceans" and "All the Light We Cannot See"

    All three I could hardly put down, never wanted to end, couldn't stop thinking about once they did.
    Two of them made me bawl.

    Highly recommend.

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