Summer Reading: Fictional Fun
Wanna win some of my books? There's a giveaway at the end of this post! Keep reading!
It's just too hot to hold on to a coherent thought or complete sentence. The toddler jumps into the pool right beside you, soaking you and your book. The group of loud 12 year olds run screaming as they chase each other toward the foosball table. And you think to yourself, "This, my friend, is not the time for Proust."
Summertime reading! It's the best. In the last post I covered my favorite non-fiction books of the summer so far (Read that HERE), and in this post, I'll be covering my favorite fiction books of summer 2019 thus far. All of them guaranteed to entertain, but also be as easy to jump in and out of as your grandpa's pool. Click on the titles/blue links to be taken to Amazon where you can stock up and make many an impulse purchase. And read to the end to see my FAVORITE BOOK OF THE YEAR (so far) - IT WAS SOOOOO GOOD.
Recursion by Blake Crouch. I was very much looking forward to this book, as Crouch's Dark Matter was named one of my top books of last year. Recursion introduces us to Helena, a scientist wanting to develop a way for us to preserve our best memories. Barry is a cop who is investigating recent cases of people going mad after experiencing what is known as False Memory Syndrome. The book then begins it's puzzle, following Helena and Barry through multiple realities (which one is real?) to fight against a power wanting to use the technology to destroy the world and its reality. Which begs the question, what is reality? It does take concentration to follow the plot in this one, but if you like adventure, you'll like the story!
Rating: 3.5 labcoats out of 5. Read it if you have a chunk of time to escape into a good story. (But definitely read Dark Matter by the same author as well- that is better and one of my favorite books.)
The Mother-In-Law by Sally Hepworth. Lucy struggles to feel her mother-in-law is accepting her, so Lucy's been known to speak rather unkindly about Diana. And then Diana turns up dead. The rest of the book looks into who killed Diana and why she changed her will right before her death to disinherit her children. If you like Liane Moriarty's books, you most likely will like this book. I ended up liking it more than I thought I would! This is the perfect poolside read.
Rating: 4 out of 5 unicorn floats in a pool.
The Death of Mrs Westaway by Ruth Ware A thriller following the story of Hal, a young lady who receives a sudden inheritance...but quickly realizes it is a case of mistaken identity. But, desperately in need of money, she decides she will attempt to assume the identity and receive the inheritance. When she shows up at the manor, she realizes something deeper and darker is going on.
Rating: 3.5 out of 5 magpies.
The Accidental Beauty Queen by Teri Wilson. All right, this is probably the lightest book on the list...but I actually thought it was cute and a fun summer read. Her twin is a beauty pageant star, but when her sister experiences an allergic reaction that affects her face, she steps in to take her twin's place. Somewhat predictable, the author's writing is what keeps it interesting, funny and cute. (Definitely PG-13)
Rating: 3.5 out of 5 evening gowns.
The River by Peter Heller. Listen, this book. It was good. Don't even question me, order it now and read it. I can't stop recommending it to my reading friends. Two best friends canoe the the Maskwa River up in Northern Canada. As they're enjoying the beautiful, peaceful outdoor life, they discover a fire has begun burning out of control just up the river. They decide to warn a couple they had passed a couple days earlier, but can't locate them. The man shows up at their camp - without the woman. The friends go back to find her - and that's where the rest of the story starts it fast-paced mystery. While the storyline is terrific, it's also the writing in this book that makes it move up a level. Loved some of his sentences and loved the suspense in this book. 100% read it.
Rating: 5 out of 5 wild blueberries.
And now for my giveaway, yay! Comment (either here or on Facebook) by telling me your favorite book you've read this year OR share this post on Facebook, and I'll pick one winner on Monday, July 15 to receive four of my reviewed books from my summer fiction or non-fiction 2019 stash. If you're the winner, I'll send you a list of my summer-read-books and you can pick what four books you'd like to receive and I'll mail them to you. (In other words, four books from my used books pile.)