The beginning of the year is supposed to be the most successful part because everyone’s got the motivation to exceed their own expectations. It’s usually in February when everyone drops their resolutions and returns to their former state.
But I always have to be the exception to the rule. ALWAYS. I have to defy the understood norm because I have problems with authority. That being said, it turns out I was only able to read three books for all of January.
Three.
Honestly, I was hoping to read more than four, but I was on vacation for more than half the month. What is with vacations and me just wanting to be a vegetable on the couch? Aren’t you supposed to read more when you’re on vacation? I ended up reading less and on top of it struggled throughout the entire time to read.
However, I need to stop beating myself up. I always give myself a hard time for not reading enough when I’m reading more than most people. Perhaps I needed to decompress from my regular life since I haven’t had a vacation since last July. Perhaps my brain just went on auto-reboot and it took me that long to get back on the track of things. Whatever it was, it’s passed and I think I can battle out the rest of February.
Reading and writing this blog has really opened me up to types of hobbies I really enjoy. I love sharing with you all my bookish thoughts and I hope you like them. Here’s my pitiful list from January.
Swimming Lessons by Claire Fuller
Ingrid Coleman writes letters to her husband, Gil, about the truth of their marriage, but instead of giving them to him, she hides them in the thousands of books he has collected over the years. When Ingrid has written her final letter she disappears from a Dorset beach, leaving behind her beautiful but dilapidated house by the sea, her husband, and her two daughters, Flora and Nan.
Twelve years later, Gil thinks he sees Ingrid from a bookshop window, but he’s getting older and this unlikely sighting is chalked up to senility. Flora, who has never believed her mother drowned, returns home to care for her father and to try to finally discover what happened to Ingrid. But what Flora doesn’t realize is that the answers to her questions are hidden in the books that surround her. Scandalous and whip-smart, Swimming Lessons holds the Coleman family up to the light, exposing the mysterious truths of a passionate and troubled marriage.
Isla and the Happily Ever After by Stephanie Perkins
Hopeless romantic Isla has had a crush on introspective cartoonist Josh since their first year at the School of America in Paris. And after a chance encounter in Manhattan over the summer, romance might be closer than Isla imagined. But as they begin their senior year back in France, Isla and Josh are forced to confront the challenges every young couple must face, including family drama, uncertainty about their college futures, and the very real possibility of being apart.
Featuring cameos from fan-favorites Anna, Étienne, Lola, and Cricket, this sweet and sexy story of true love—set against the stunning backdrops of New York City, Paris, and Barcelona—is a swoonworthy conclusion to Stephanie Perkins’s beloved series.
The Sun is Also a Star by Nicola Yoon
Natasha: I’m a girl who believes in science and facts. Not fate. Not destiny. Or dreams that will never come true. I’m definitely not the kind of girl who meets a cute boy on a crowded New York City street and falls in love with him. Not when my family is twelve hours away from being deported to Jamaica. Falling in love with him won’t be my story.
Daniel: I’ve always been the good son, the good student, living up to my parents’ high expectations. Never the poet. Or the dreamer. But when I see her, I forget about all that. Something about Natasha makes me think that fate has something much more extraordinary in store—for both of us.
The Universe: Every moment in our lives has brought us to this single moment. A million futures lie before us. Which one will come true?
Simone and Her Books 