Tag: books to read

Book Recommendations, Books

10 Nonfiction Novels I’ll Be Reading This Year

by Simone12 Comments on 10 Nonfiction Novels I’ll Be Reading This Year
10 Nonfiction Novels I’ll Be Reading This Year

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This year, one of my big goals is to read more nonfiction. Nonfiction is a category I’ve rarely explored mostly because I’m an escapist and I use reading to leave the confines of my own world and enter another.

But on occasion, I do read some nonfiction. My preferred genre is memoirs and autobiographies, though. I love reading stories of real people and their everyday lives. I usually pick memoirs of public figures I admire.

And while there are tons of nonfiction I could be picking up this year, I think I’m going to start off slow and read what I know. If I like it enough, then maybe I’ll be converted to nonfiction exclusively. But I don’t think that’s the case. Here’s a list of some of the nonfiction novels I’ll be reading this year:

Becoming by Michelle Obama

Of course I want to read about Michelle Obama’s life. Is there anything more I need to say about it?

Educated by Tara Westover

I’ve heard so many wonderful things about this particular book. Reading the description, I’m now more intrigued. I love the idea of education being a journey through the dark unknown. The idea of someone who had been homeschooled her entire life in an isolated part of America and then setting off to find education outside the confines of what she knew. I mean, that sounds intriguing enough for me to continue reading.

My Life in France by Julia Child

This book has been sitting on my shelf for years and it’s finally time for me to read it. I’m a huge fan of Julia Child and I’ve read biographies about her in the past. I even made her recipes to celebrate her birthday. However, I’ve never read her first-hand account of living in France and it’s finally time for me to read it and enjoy it like a delicious dish.

Born a Crime by Trevor Noah

I’m not a fan of The Daily Show, but I’m a fan of Trevor Noah. Born a Crime is his personal stories of growing up in South Africa during apartheid and even calls his own birth a crime. It sounds like such an interesting story and I can’t wait to see what drives him to comedy and becoming the host of The Daily Show.

To Shake the Sleeping Self by Jedidiah Jenkins

I didn’t know that Jedidiah Jenkins quit his job to create his career. If you’re not aware, Jedidiah Jenkins is Instagram famous for taking pictures of his beautiful journey. It’s like Wild, but in pictures. I love stories like this because I always become so inspired by their lives. I’ll definitely be reading this one and perhaps planning my own cross-continental journey.

Heavy by Kiese Laymon

This book is actually going to be the first nonfiction novel I’ll be reading this year. I didn’t know about Heavy until a friend talked about it on her Instagram page. I think that honest accounts of the world make reading more interesting and I think Kiese Laymon’s life will be one that will not only surprise but educate us all.

Watch Me by Angelica Huston

I know after talking about a book like Heavy, I’m going to chat about Watch Me by Angelica Huston. TBH, this book has been on my TBR shelf for years and I want to read it to get it over with. Don’t you love a good celebrity autobiography once in a while?

Hunger by Roxane Gay

When Roxane Gay first put out this novel, I was definitely there to pick it up. I think body image and food are two very big topics that get messed around with a lot. We’re told so many things about the way we eat, what we eat, and what we look like. I want to explore Roxane’s book and listen to her account.

Men We Reaped by Jesmyn Ward

Over the holidays, a friend of mine told me that reading Men We Reaped brought a lot of insight to the other books Jesmyn Ward’s written. It’s a memoir about five men Jesmyn lost in five years. Each of these men died for different reasons, but I can understand with a tragedy like that why someone would want to look into it. I think the most interesting book will be learning what she’s learned from it and what we’re all going to be taking away from reading her novel.

Books, Upcoming New Releases

My Most Anticipated Reads of September 2018

by Simone6 Comments on My Most Anticipated Reads of September 2018
My Most Anticipated Reads of September 2018

New month and new reads! I hope it includes some of these titles because I’ve been waiting for what seems like forever for these to be published.

I’m most definitely excited for Whiskey in a Cup by Reese Witherspoon. Like everyone else, I’m a huge fan of Reese and probably seen every movie she’s ever been in. And being an advocate for books always wins points with me.

I’m also excited about Wildcard, the second book from Marie Lu’s successful Warcross series. If you’re looking for a science fiction novel written by a woman, definitely check this one out.

And finally, the best book I can’t wait for this month is Hank Green’s An Absolutely Remarkable Thing. I’m such a huge fan of both Hank and John Green and I can’t wait to read his work!

What are you excited about this month?

Continue reading “My Most Anticipated Reads of September 2018” →

Blogging, Lifestyle

Reading Slumps Are Tough, So Don’t Read

by Simone7 Comments on Reading Slumps Are Tough, So Don’t Read
Reading Slumps Are Tough, So Don’t Read

After finishing A Place for Us by Fatima Farheen Mirza, I’ve been having the worst book slump ever. It might be because I’ve spent the last month and a half trying to read all the books I have for various projects this summer. Usually, I like to spread these out throughout the months to come so that I’m not bogged down with required reading.

Continue reading “Reading Slumps Are Tough, So Don’t Read” →

Lifestyle

#TamingTheTBR – My road to reading freedom

by Simone5 Comments on #TamingTheTBR – My road to reading freedom
#TamingTheTBR – My road to reading freedom

I love blogging about books. The other day I was talking with some friends about work and the differences between working for yourself and working for a big company. If you work for a big company, you’ve got your steady income and your health insurance. Your job may be a pain in the ass every once in a while, but it works out because you’re living comfortably. There’s nothing wrong with that.

If you work for yourself (specifically in blogging), you’re making little-to-no money. You might have to hustle 200x harder than you were at that company job and you don’t have normal hours like a company person may have.

Continue reading “#TamingTheTBR – My road to reading freedom” →

Books

My January 2018 TBR

by Simone11 Comments on My January 2018 TBR

With all this talk of resolutions, I forgot to post what I’ll be reading this month. I’ve basically themed this month as “get your act together” month. This means reading those ARCs that have been sitting on my desk for months and clearing out some books before they’re released. That’s mostly what was going through my mind when I was deciding what books I wanted to read.

For the first half of the year, I think I’m going to be doing a mix of books I want to read and books I need to read. Not everything is about work, but sometimes it can be so throwing in a few books that engage me will help break up the stuff that needs a review. Here’s a breakdown of all the books I will be reading in January!

This might look like a formidable list of books, but I’ve got a lot of time to read now with my new job and will definitely taking advantage of it. I know that my “need-to-read” books will take precedent over my “want-to-read” books, so fingers crossed for me that I get to read everything I wanted.

What does your TBR look like this month?

Books

June 2017 Book Haul

by Simone1 Comment on June 2017 Book Haul

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I recently received some lovely book mail and I couldn’t be more excited about them. Two debut novels from two new authors means that the world is filling up with more beautiful words and stories for us to read and enjoy.

Flesh and Bone and Water by Luiza Sauma

Published by Scriber Books. André is a listless Brazilian teenager and the son of a successful plastic surgeon who lives a life of wealth and privilege, shuttling between the hot sands of Ipanema beach and his family’s luxurious penthouse apartment. In 1985, when he is just sixteen, André’s mother is killed in a car accident. Clouded with grief, André, his younger brother Thiago, and his father travel with their domestic help to Belem, a jungle city on the mouth of the Amazon, where the intense heat of the rain forest only serves to heighten their volatile emotions. After they arrive back in Rio, André’s father loses himself in his work, while André spends his evenings in the family apartment with Luana, the beautiful daughter of the family’s maid.

Three decades later, and now a successful surgeon himself, André is a middle-aged father, living in London, and recently separated from his British wife. He drinks too much wine and is plagued by recurring dreams. One day he receives an unexpected letter from Luana, which begins to reveal the other side of their story, a story André has long repressed.

Everything Belongs to Us by Yoojin Grace Wuertz

Published by Random House. Seoul, 1978. At South Korea’s top university, the nation’s best and brightest compete to join the professional elite of an authoritarian regime. Success could lead to a life of rarefied privilege and wealth; failure means being left irrevocably behind.

For childhood friends Jisun and Namin, the stakes couldn’t be more different. Jisun, the daughter of a powerful business mogul, grew up on a mountainside estate with lush gardens and a dedicated chauffeur. Namin’s parents run a tented food cart from dawn to curfew. Her sister works in a shoe factory. Now Jisun wants as little to do with her father’s world as possible, abandoning her schoolwork in favor of the underground activist movement, while Namin studies tirelessly in the service of one goal: to launch herself and her family out of poverty.

But everything changes when Jisun and Namin meet an ambitious, charming student named Sunam, whose need to please his family has led him to a prestigious club: the Circle. Under the influence of his mentor, Juno, a manipulative social climber, Sunam becomes entangled with both women, as they all make choices that will change their lives forever.

I think I’m set for the rest of summer 🙂

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Book Recommendations, Books

Celebrate Black History Month with Some Amazing Fiction

by SimoneLeave a Comment on Celebrate Black History Month with Some Amazing Fiction

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Welcome to February! What is with February and being all romantic and lovely and all those good things in the world? It’s like December is all about Christmas even though there’s so much more going on in December than just Christmas.

But February is also Black History Month and being an advocate for diverse reads, I’ve got to put in a plug for some of my very favorite reads. You can go hardcore and read Frederick Douglass or Malcolm X. You can listen to Dr. Martin Luther King’s “I Have a Dream” speech on repeat. Do whatever it is you want to do, but do it in celebration of black culture.

Before I get into my quick list of recommended reading for the month, I want to mention (as I tend to do from time to time) that diverse reads are so important. Many people (including myself) believe that racism is an extension of fear and ignorance. Why not break that stigma and read about other cultures!

Books about cultures aside from our own (or even our own, let’s not forget we come from somewhere!) opens up our minds to how other people live and exist in the world. We are humans and each of us holds traditions and heritage and culture different from the person you’re sitting next to. Why not celebrate our differences, learn a little bit about being someone else, and spread the good love across this universe.

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Anyway, here’s a few of my favorite books to read during this month as well as a few I’ve got on my TBR for the rest of February. Let’s celebrate diversity and learn more about what it’s like to be on the other side of the pendulum OF LIFE!

Continue reading “Celebrate Black History Month with Some Amazing Fiction” →

Book Recommendations, Books

2017 Sabbatical Reading Challenge – An update

by SimoneLeave a Comment on 2017 Sabbatical Reading Challenge – An update

Hey folks!

I’m finally back from my two-week long vacation, which basically extended to three weeks because the week we came back was such a jet lag black hole. I just sat around for a few days watching enormous amounts of TV and eating every single snack I bought in Hawaii.

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But now I’m back. I’ve already added a few posts on the blog, but my New Years resolution is to write more topics here and not just book reviews. So I figured I’d write up a quick note on my reading list.

In the month of January, I only read three books. Two of the three were books from the list. Plus Isla and the Happily Ever After which I read in like two days because it’s so great.

If I continue at this rate, I’ll finish the list in seven and a half months.giphy1

That is much longer than I hoped for. You can find the original post here.

But that’s ok! If this is my tbr list for the next six months, then BRING IT ON! I’ve now made it my yearly goal to finish these books. I think I can do it! I’d be more than happy to read all these books this year. Also, excited to read some other anticipated reads! It’s just going to be a good reading year either way. Here’s an updated view of my book list. Who else is challenging themselves this way this year?