In efforts to minimize time on my phone and time in front of the TV, I’ve been ramping up my reading since shelter in place orders began in New York. I’ve read 10 books in the past two months and thought I’d share what I’ve read so far.
I will note that I’ve personally been prioritizing feel-good reads at the moment. With enough anxiety and stress pumped into our daily lives as-is right now, I decided to take a break from any darker, dramatic books. That being said, two of the below were heavier reads (that I didn’t realize) but they were worth it.
Evvie Drake Starts Over by Linda Holmes. Hands down my favorite book I’ve read in quarantine. It was an utter delight and I may read it again some day. This uplifting and just-such-fun-to-read book is about an unlikely relationship between a young woman who’s lost her husband and a major league pitcher who’s lost his game. Read this book!
The Dinner List by Rebecca Serle. What would you do if your “The 5 people I’d invited to a dinner – dead or alive” actually played out in real life? This quirky but heartfelt story is a short read that’ll have you wondering what your dinner may look like.
In Five Years by Rebecca Serle. By the same author as The Dinner List, I preferred this book out of the two. An ambitious lawyer who always plans her life in great detail experiences an astonishing vision that could change her life forever. Heartbreaking but hopeful and a pretty short read.
The Lies That Bind by Emily Giffin. Oh man, this book. Like most Emily Giffin books it is a page tuner. But as half of this book takes place on/after 9/11 in New York City, it made my heart ache even more so than her books usually do. A story about love and the pursuit of truth and knowing what’s right for us. This comes out next month – I can’t recommend pre-ordering it enough.
Summer of ’69 by Elin Hilderbrand. This one took me a bit to get into (so many characters!) but then I really ended up enjoying it. Follow the paths of the various Levin family members as a summer they’ll never forget unfolds.
Would Like to Meet by Rachel Winters. This book was such a delight. If you enjoy romantic comedies, you’ll love the clever take on them in this book as cynical Evie – who doesn’t believe in happily ever after – begins reenacting iconic rom-com scenes in public to save her job.
Our Stop by Laura Jane Williams. My second favorite book I’ve read in quarantine. This book is delightful and funny and is all about a will-they-won’t-they romance set in London.
Goodbye, Paris by Anstey Harris. Not the dreamy escape to Paris I had hoped for but a quick read that reminds you of the power of putting things to rest that aren’t right for you and overcoming fear i the pursuit of fulfillment.
Bringing Down the Duke by Evie Dunmore. A vicar’s daughter takes on a powerful duke in a fiery love story that threatens to upend the British social order. This is a steamy, fun read.
Save Me The Plums by Ruth Reichl. This is a memoir by trailblazing food writer and beloved restaurant critic Ruth Reichl covering the time when she took the job as editor in chief of Gourmet. This was a delightful read.
. . .
Currently I am reading Beach Read, Super Attractor and I am also listening to Jessica Simpson’s memoir Open Book via Libro.fm. I have to say, an audiobook has been the best accompaniment to my walks outside of late. If you’re curious to try Libro.fm, use this link to sign up and you’ll get 3 audiobooks for the price of 1 when you sign up for a membership that you can cancel at any time.
And I have to say, while I have always loved getting my Book of the Month, it has become truly the best mail I get each month during quarantine. So nice to have it to look forward to these days.
Do you have any great book recommendations?
p.s. my 2020 reading list and all the books I’ve read and enjoyed in the past few years.
Summer of 69 was my first Hilderbrand novel. So good!
It was only my third by her – I highly recommend her Winter in Paradise series!
All of these are going on my list! 🙂 I loved The Flatshare by Beth O’Leary and The Wedding Date by Jasmine Guillory this year. Also Natalie Tan’s Book of Luck and Fortune by Roselle Lim! So many good ones lately. Thanks for sharing!
The Wedding Date is on my list! And I LOVED That Flatshare as well! Such a cute book.
Living Alone and Like it.
https://www.amazon.com/Live-Alone-Like-Classic-Single-ebook/dp/B002WAUVEQ/ref=sr_1_4?crid=2IC88ITUK5B1S&dchild=1&keywords=living+alone+and+loving+it&qid=1590161220&sprefix=living+alone+an%2Caps%2C288&sr=8-4
I own the softcover and I read it maybe once a year. Not always in its entirety. Sometimes I pick it up and put it down again after a few chapters.
It’s not OMG the best book ever. But a capture in time of the
“Thus begins Marjorie Hillis’ archly funny, gently prescriptive manifesto for single women. Though it was 1936 when the Vogue editor first shared her wisdom with her fellow singletons, the tome has been passed lovingly through the generations, and is even more apt today than when it was first published. Hillis, a true bon vivant, was sick and tired of hearing single women carping about their living arrangements and lonely lives; this book is her invaluable wake-up call for single women to take control and enjoy their circumstances.
Hillis takes readers through the fundamentals of living alone, including the importance of creating a hospitable environment at home, cultivating hobbies that keep her there (“for no woman can accept an invitation every night without coming to grief”), the question of whether single ladies may entertain men at home (the answer may surprise you!), and many more.
With engaging chapter titles like “A Lady and Her Liquor” and “The Pleasures of a Single Bed,” along with a new preface by author Laurie Graff (You Have to Kiss A Lot of Frogs), Live Alone and Like It is sure to appeal to live-aloners and many other readers alike.”
Always love your book posts, but I also wanted to comment on the nice enhancement to your blog with the book button! 🙂
Yay! So glad you’re happy with the update!