So many great books out there, and so many of them made me lose track of time and made me feel that I was teleported into the stories.
Not every book that I have read I loved, but I do have a list on the ones that I devoured in one sitting.
Don’t you just love those books that make you forget about the world around you?
The Red Notebook, Antoine Laurain
The best way to describe “The Red Notebook” would be short and sweet. This book is published in France and has been translated to English. While reading it you can see the difference between an American writer and a French, which I loved.
If you are in the mood to read about a heartwarming tale, but don’t have the time to fully commit to a long story I would give this novel a whirl.
The story is short, but moves along in a smooth pace that you don’t feel rushed while reading it. Follow along with the character Laurent who finds a discarded handbag with a lovely personalized red notebook inside. After ruffling through the pages of the notebook Laurent becomes spellbound and makes it his mission to find the owner of the handbag.
This is the perfect day read. Take it with you to the beach and fall in love with the characters.
The Immortalists, Chloe Benjamin
This book infuriated me so much! If you love a good read about family this should be on top of your list. It centers around 4 siblings who believe in a fate for themselves that a fortune teller once told them in their youth. The book breaks up into 4 parts, and each part is devoted to the life of each sibling.
I feel like either readers love this book or have a distaste for it. It had me grasping the pages the whole time, and by the end of the novel all I wanted was to reach out to my own siblings and give them a big bear hug.
A Tree Grows in Brooklyn, Betty Smith
I read this book years ago, and yet it still has a place in my heart.
The characters are captivating and Smith possessed such descriptive brilliance in her writing. The story centers around a young Francie Nolan, who has two admirable traits in her…for she is a dreamer and a reader. Aren’t we all like that?
On a daily basis she deals with parents who are complete opposites of each other and we view them through Francie’s eyes. Johnny Nolan, an alcoholic father who yearns to give his family the stars and the moon but doesn’t possess the strength, and her sensible and practical mother who works hard to give her children a better life. As we read about Francie, we see a genuine heroine struggle in fulfilling her dreams and how brutal the outside and often your own inside world can be.
This novel goes to show us what our human spirit is capable of, and is a marvelously captivating read. Become entranced by Betty’s words, and fall in love with the little girl who grew up.
“There are very few bad people. There are just a lot of people that are unlucky (pg. 171).
Shadow Dance, Julie Garwood
Yes, this is classified as a historical romance novel, but it is my guilty pleasure (actually I’m not guilty about it) and it is amazing! If you feel like getting wrapped up in a novel and having your nose in between a book this should be your book of choice! I love Julie Garwood’s writing, because even though it’s technically a romance novel, she doesn’t spend so much time writing about the sexual scenes of the characters, and there is an actual buildup! Unlike so many other romance authors that just rush straight to sex scenes without so much of a great story.
If you start reading Julie Garwood, start with the Buchanan family series. They are all amazing, and all of the novels in the series are a suspenseful mystery, with a touch of a great love story.
Garwood writes her women characters with brains, sexiness, bad ass, and fiercely independent. Shadow Dance revolves around Jordan Buchanan, the genius bookish nerd who finds herself going out of her comfort zone and taking a wild adventure, but ends up in dangerous situations, which leads to drawing in the extremely alluring FBI agent Noah Clayborne.
P.S Shadow Dance is actually part of a series and it is number 6 on the Buchanan-Renard Series. It’s not necessary to read them in order, although many of the minor characters featured in one of Garwood’s novels will become the major character in her next story.
If you want to read them in order (I suggest you do, because all are my top favorites) the 1st book in the series is called Heartbreaker. I included Shadow Dance as my top, because I have the biggest spot for Noah and Jordan in my heart.
The Bookshop on the Corner, Jenny Colgan
If you want a feel good quick read, I recommend The Bookshop on the Corner. I read this around Christmas time sitting by my fire, and I thoroughly enjoyed every minute of it. I have read a few other novels by Colgan, but none of them I enjoyed as much as this.
If you are a lover of books (I mean obviously you are, because you are reading this post) you will definitely become jealous of the courageous Nina who packed up her life and started a mobile bookshop! Get lost in Nina’s story, and laugh out loud at the obstacles she faces on a daily basis.
BUT WAIT! Need more book recommendations?
Read about the Books I Judged from Their Cover and why I’am so happy that I did!