Reading is My Love Language.

I love reading more than most things in life. An afternoon with a good book and a cup of coffee is my happy place. It's one of the little things in life that is really one of the big things. People read for a variety of reasons: To learn things, to escape reality, to become better at something, to get lost in a story. It is truly amazing that the same hobby can be used for so many different things. 

It blows my mind when I meet people who say they don't like to read. I can't imagine living in a world that didn't include reading...my very earliest memories include stories of some kind, and books have been a part of my life ever since. I could write forever about all of the reasons I love to read (and think everyone else should, too), but I think my love for books boils down to three main reasons. 

1. An entire assortment of worlds exist, just waiting for you to discover them. When you read, you visit more worlds than just your own. You travel to places you may never get the chance to go. You meet people you would have never known existed. You experience magical things without ever having to leave your hometown. 

Life can sometimes become so mundane, and we're quick to complain about how we feel stuck and need an adventure. Sure, it'd be nice to peace out of work on a Tuesday afternoon and catch a flight somewhere exotic, but chances are, your boss thinks that's frowned upon. 

While you may not be able to shake things up with an adventure across the globe, you can dive into an adventurous book when you get home. And still make it to work the next day. It's a win-win.   

2. Whether you have 10 minutes or an entire afternoon, you can lose yourself in a good book. I love that reading is a hobby that you don't have to dedicate a whole day to--but you totally can. I love making crafts, but if I have a ten minute break, I can't really jump in on the middle of a craft project, spend ten minutes, leave it, and then be able to pick back up that night right where I left off. Too messy. But with reading, you can jump in and out whenever you have time. 

3. It's impossible to read a book without learning something. Even if it was a terrible book, chances are, you learned something, no matter how small. It doesn't have to be a non-fiction biography to be educational--sometimes fiction books are the best teachers of all. 

Why do you love reading?

Books I Read in August and Whether or Not You Should Read Them

What Alice Forgot by Liane Moriarty

Plot: "Alice Love is twenty-nine, crazy about her husband, and pregnant with her first child. So imagine Alice’s surprise when she comes to on the floor of a gym and is whisked off to the hospital where she discovers the honeymoon is truly over — she’s getting divorced, she has three kids and she’s actually 39 years old. Alice must reconstruct the events of a lost decade, and find out whether it’s possible to reconstruct her life at the same time. She has to figure out why her sister hardly talks to her, and how is it that she’s become one of those super skinny moms with really expensive clothes. 

Ultimately, Alice must discover whether forgetting is a blessing or a curse, and whether it’s possible to start over." -Via Goodreads

Favorite quote: 

"It was good to remember that for every horrible memory from her marriage, there was also a happy one. She wanted to see it clearly, to understand that it wasn’t all black, or all white. It was a million colors." 

My thoughts: I loved this book. Absolutely loved it. It was different than I was expecting, since the other two Moriarty books I've read were filled with mystery and, well, murder, but this one was just as compelling. 

She has a way of flawlessly weaving multiple characters' stories together in a way that is satisfying but not overwhelming. When I finished the book, it was like I had finished three books about three different people, and I didn't have any questions left about any of them. 

This book made me think a lot about marriage--what it means, what mine means, how certain things can change it and hurt it and help it. It was a really, really thought-provoking book. Can a relationship as big as a marriage stay the same when two people change so much? 

I don't really know how to go all the way into telling you why I loved it without spoiling some things, but I will say this: I was incredibly satisfied with the ending...and that doesn't happen too often! 

Should you read it? Yes!

Belly Laughs: The Naked Truth About Pregnancy and Childbirth by Jenny McCarthy

Plot: "Oh, the joys of pregnancy! There's the gassiness, constipation, queasiness, and exhaustion, the forgetfulness, crankiness, and the constant worry. Of course, no woman is spared the discomforts and humiliations of pregnancy, but most are too polite to complain or too embarrassed to talk about them. Not Jenny McCarthy! In the New York Times best-selling Belly Laughs, actress and new mother Jenny McCarthy reveals the naked truth about the tremendous joys, the excruciating pains, and the unseemly disfigurement that go along with pregnancy. Never shy, frequently crude, and always laugh-out-loud funny, McCarthy covers it all in the grittiest of girlfriend detail. From morning sickness and hormonal rage, to hemorrhoids, pregnant sex, and the torture and sweet relief that is delivery, Belly Laughs is must-read comic relief for anyone who is pregnant, who has ever been pregnant, is trying to get pregnant, or, indeed, has ever been born!" -via Goodreads

Favorite quote: There is not a single quote I can write here that isn't too embarrassing or too crude. And that tells you everything you need to know. 

My thoughts: My sweet friend Meg gave this to me (just right before she went into labor, actually!) and told me "Ignore the fact that it's by Jenny McCarthy...it's hilarious and true and you will cry from laughing." 

I read this in one day--it's short and sweet and the chapters are 2-3 pages each. It didn't teach me anything, didn't tell me to do anything, it just sympathized with me hilariously. Yes, you WILL be pregnant forever. No, anchovies and ice cream isn't gross at all. No, you're not psychotic at all. It's totally normal to throw things at the television because you hate the commercial thats on.

Should you read it? If you're preggo and looking for a laugh, go for it. 

One More Wish (Christy & Todd: The Married Years) by Robin Jones Gunn

Plot: I'm not going to put the plot here because there are so many more books to read before this one, and I don't want to spoil anything for you. You can read it here if you want.

Favorite quote: 

"The future didn't frighten her when she felt this content. It was the joy of the sacred "now." 

My thoughts: Sometimes, fiction books can teach me more about what I'm needing to learn than books actually written on that subject can. This book taught me a lot about patience and contentment and not worrying about the unknown--it was the absolute perfect read for me right now. 

The Christy Miller series was my favorite in middle school/high school. Much to my happiness, the author has continued writing about her life, so it's like I've grown up with Christy. While I was turning 23 this year, she was turning 26. Reading this book was like catching up with an old friend, and I loved it. 

Should you read it? Yes! But, if you've never heard of Christy Miller, than no. You need to go read the very first book in the Christy Miller Series and then go from there. 

Books I Read in July and Whether or Not You Should Read Them.

Beautiful Creatures by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl

Plot: "Lena Duchannes is unlike anyone the small Southern town of Gatlin has ever seen, and she's struggling to conceal her power, and a curse that has haunted her family for generations. But even within the overgrown gardens, murky swamps and crumbling graveyards of the forgotten South, a secret cannot stay hidden forever.

Ethan Wate, who has been counting the months until he can escape from Gatlin, is haunted by dreams of a beautiful girl he has never met. When Lena moves into the town's oldest and most infamous plantation, Ethan is inexplicably drawn to her and determined to uncover the connection between them. In a town with no surprises, one secret could change everything." -via Goodreads

Favorite Quote: 

"Mortals. I envy you. You think you can change things. Stop the universe. Undo what was done long before you came along. You are such beautiful creatures." 

My Thoughts: This is very outside of what I normally read, but a friend from work recommended it so I thought I'd give it a shot. I surprised myself and loved it. I'm so happy there are more in the series. It reminded me a lot of Twilight.

Should you read it?: If you like paranormal YA books, yes. 

The Luckiest Girl Alive by Jessica Knoll

Plot: "Her perfect life is a perfect lie. As a teenager at the prestigious Bradley School, Ani FaNelli endured a shocking, public humiliation that left her desperate to reinvent herself. Now, with a glamorous job, expensive wardrobe, and handsome blue blood fiancé, she’s this close to living the perfect life she’s worked so hard to achieve.

But Ani has a secret. There’s something else buried in her past that still haunts her, something private and painful that threatens to bubble to the surface and destroy everything.

With a singular voice and twists you won’t see coming, Luckiest Girl Alive explores the unbearable pressure that so many women feel to “have it all” and introduces a heroine whose sharp edges and cutthroat ambition have been protecting a scandalous truth, and a heart that's bigger than it first appears. 

The question remains: will breaking her silence destroy all that she has worked for—or, will it at long last, set Ani free?" -via Goodreads 

Favorite Quote: 

“I think you know when two people are meant for each other when you see that they’re better people together than they are when they’re apart.”

My thoughts: Everywhere I saw this book, it was compared to Gone Girl. Even on the cover of the book! I think that was a very, very poor choice that someone in PR made, because I went into it expecting it to be shocking and twisty and enthralling. It wasn't. 

Yes, it's mysterious, but more in a way of you know something bad happened, you find out the bad thing that happened, and there's really no closure. It was a very raw, very rough book to read, but I kept reading it waiting for some big twist, and I just didn't feel like there was one. I know a lot of people liked this one, but I did not.

Should you read it?: No.

And, not a book, but one of the reasons I didn't read so much this month: 

Serial. Serial is a podcast from the creators of This American Life, and is hosted by Sarah Koenig. Serial tells one story - a true story - over the course of an entire season. Each season, we'll follow a plot and characters wherever they take us. And we won’t know what happens at the end until we get there, not long before you get there with us. Each week we bring you the next chapter in the story, so it's important to listen to the episodes in order, starting with Episode 1. 

Plot: "On January 13, 1999, a girl named Hae Min Lee, a senior at Woodlawn High School in Baltimore County, Maryland, disappeared. A month later, her body turned up in a city park. She'd been strangled. Her 17-year-old ex-boyfriend, Adnan Syed, was arrested for the crime, and within a year, he was convicted and sentenced to spend the rest of his life in prison. The case against him was largely based on the story of one witness, Adnan’s friend Jay, who testified that he helped Adnan bury Hae's body. But Adnan has always maintained he had nothing to do with Hae’s death. Some people believe he’s telling the truth. Many others don’t.

Sarah Koenig, who hosts Serial, first learned about this case more than a year ago. In the months since, she's been sorting through box after box (after box) of legal documents and investigators' notes, listening to trial testimony and police interrogations, and talking to everyone she can find who remembers what happened between Adnan Syed and Hae Min Lee fifteen years ago. What she realized is that the trial covered up a far more complicated story, which neither the jury nor the public got to hear. The high school scene, the shifting statements to police, the prejudices, the sketchy alibis, the scant forensic evidence - all of it leads back to the most basic questions: How can you know a person’s character? How can you tell what they’re capable of? In Season One of Serial, she looks for answers." via Serial Podcast

My thoughts: I realize I am way behind the times here, but I'm not a huge podcast fan. Now that I know podcasts like this exist, my commute to and from work is so much more bearable. It was like listening to an episode of Law and Order play out each week, and it was incredibly interesting. 

Should you listen to it?: Yes! And it's free. 

What have you been reading this month?

Books I Read in June and Whether or Not You Should Read Them.

The Passion of Mary-Margaret by Lisa Samson

Plot: When Mary-Margaret Fischer met Jude Keller, the lighthouse keeper's son, she was studying at a convent school on a small island off Chesapeake Bay. Destined for a life as a religious sister, she nevertheless felt a pull toward Jude--gorgeous, rebellious, promiscuous Jude. But Jude, driven by demons no one really understood, disappeared into Baltimore's seamy red-light district. Mary-Margaret moved on with her life, preparing to serve God with her sisters as a teacher and artist.

Then Jude comes home--but now he's bitter, dissolute, and diseased. And Mary-Margaret receives a divine call that shakes her to the core, a call to give up her dreams for the troubled man who befriended her so long ago. For Jesus' sake, can she forsake the only life she ever wanted for a love that could literally cost her life?

Favorite quote: 

"We all want to be rescued and we'll look in the craziest of places for that rescuer, won't we? We all want to be found." 

My thoughts: This is a book about a nun who thinks she can see Jesus. If you would have told me that description, I wouldn't have ranked it as something I thought I would enjoy. But I devoured this book. It was so good, so beautiful, and such a good reminder that no one is ever too far gone for love and grace, and that sometimes what we've always thought we wanted isn't the best for our life. 

It's such a deep, funny, unique story with so many layers I want to tell you about, but I don't want to spoil anything. So I'll just say it's a book about a nun who thinks she can see Jesus, and you really, really need to read it. 

Should you read it?: YES.

Looking for Alaska by John Green

Plot: Before. Miles "Pudge" Halter's whole existence has been one big nonevent, and his obsession with famous last words has only made him crave the "Great Perhaps" (François Rabelais, poet) even more. He heads off to the sometimes crazy, possibly unstable, and anything-but-boring world of Culver Creek Boarding School, and his life becomes the opposite of safe. Because down the hall is Alaska Young. The gorgeous, clever, funny, sexy, self-destructive, screwed-up, and utterly fascinating Alaska Young, who is an event unto herself. She pulls Pudge into her world, launches him into the Great Perhaps, and steals his heart.

After. Nothing is ever the same.

Favorite quote: 

“We need never be hopeless because we can never be irreparably broken.” 

My thoughts: Sometimes things are super mainstream and popular for a good reason. John Green books are some of those things. 

Some people end up not liking these books for the very reason that I love them. They read The Fault in Our Stars first and fall in love with it (because it's wonderful) and immediately after finishing that they buy another John Green book (a natural reaction), only they're disappointed because they were expecting a grand story of tragedy and heartbreak like in TFiOS. 

I love John Green's books because while they are all magical and very obviously written by him, they are all so different. All of his books are filled with tragedy and heartbreak; only they're different kinds. This one covers the tragedy of being someone who feels things deeply and the heartbreak of being alive. 

I loved this book, and much like after I read Paper Towns, I wanted to run around and live life and experience everything, because being alive is just so great. Any book that reminds you of that is one worth reading. 

Should you read it?: Yes. Immediately. 

Water from my Heart by Charles Martin

Plot: Charlie Finn had to grow up fast, living alone by age sixteen. Highly intelligent, he earned a life-changing scholarship to Harvard, where he learned how to survive and thrive on the outskirts of privileged society. That skill served him well in the cutthroat business world, as it does in more lucrative but dangerous ventures he now operates off the coast of Miami. Charlie tries to separate relationships from work. But when his choices produce devastating consequences, he sets out to right wrongs, traveling to Central America where he will meet those who have paid for his actions, including a woman and her young daughter. Will their fated encounter present Charlie with a way to seek the redemption he thought was impossible--and free his heart to love one woman as he never knew he could?

Favorite quote:

“This is love with legs.’ My father used to say that you can tell someone you love them until you’re blue in the face, but until they see that walked out, they have no idea what it means. Hence, ‘love with legs.’

My thoughts: This story has so many layers of different stories all intertwined and I don't want to spoil them for you, so I'll sum it up because I don't think the Goodreads description does the book justice. 

Charlie deals Cocaine (in the big leagues) with his best friend. Some things they do get his best friend's son in trouble. When Charlie goes to rescue him, he stumbles upon a group of people whose lives he has inadvertently ruined, and he sets out on trying to make things right. And then an incredibly beautiful story unfolds. 

Once again, Charles Martin blows me away. 

Should you read it?: Absolutely. 

The Good Girls by Sara Shepard

Plot: Mackenzie, Ava, Caitlin, Julie, and Parker have done some not-so-perfect things. Even though they all talked about killing rich bully Nolan Hotchkiss, they didn't actually go through with it. It's just a coincidence that Nolan died in exactly the way they planned . . . right? Except Nolan wasn't the only one they fantasized about killing. When someone else they named dies, the girls wonder if they're being framed. Or are they about to become the killer's next targets?

My thoughts: I shamefully watched Pretty Little Liars every week because at this point, I just have to know how it all ends. I started reading the books, because I'm always interested when a tv show is based on a book series, but then I realized the tv show and the books have very different plots, and that was just too confusing. 

So I read The Perfectionists, the first book in this series. It was just kind of ehhh. But since it's a mystery, I had to finish it, so I read the second book, which ended up being much better. 

It's a juvenile read with incredible plot-twists and an end that I really didn't see coming.

Should you read it?: Only if you've read the first one, or if you enjoy the Pretty Little Liars books. If not, I'd pass.

What have you read lately?

11 Quotes That Will Make You Want to Spend All Day Reading

There are few things I love more that a new book, warm coffee, and an empty to-do list. Books are at the top of my list of favorite things, and not so far down that list are quotes about books.

"Books are a uniquely portable magic." -Stephen King

"What really knocks me out is a book that, when you're all done reading it, you wish the author that wrote it was a terrific friend of yours and you could call him up on the phone whenever you felt like it." -J.D. Salinger



"She reads books as one would breathe air, to fill up and live." -Annie Dillard

"I do believe something very magical can happen when you read a good book." -J.K. Rowling

"Keep reading. It's one of the most marvelous adventures anyone could have." -Lloyd Alexander

"Once glance at a book and you hear the voice of another person, perhaps someone dead for 1,000 years. To read is to voyage through time." -Carl Sagen

"Books may well be the only true magic." -Alice Hoffman

"Some books you read. Some books you enjoy. But some books just swallow you up heart and soul." -Joanne Harris

Are you a reader? What are you reading right now?