Wintertime makes me want to curl up in bed or on the couch with a cozy blanket, a hot mug of tea, and a good book even more than ever, and I’ve read a few great books lately that I’m excited to share with you.
I also added a list of the books I plan to read next so you can add them to your holiday wish lists or get reading right away.
As usual, I’m giving each of them a rating based on my personal reactions to them. But if you’ve read any of these, I’d love to know what you think as well!
Recently Read
Educated: A+
I can’t get over this book. The Glass Castle is one of my favorite books of all time and Educated rivaled it and maybe even surpassed it in terms of an excellent (true!) story and writing style. Tara Westover recounts her childhood growing up in the mountains of Idaho with survivalist and fundamentalist Mormon parents. She grew up with no education or health care (besides homeopathy) because her father didn’t believe in schools, hospitals, or anything tied to the government in any way shape or form.
Tara overcame all of the odds and ended up getting herself into college at BYU then a program at Cambridge, followed by a fellowship at Harvard, followed by a casual PhD at Cambridge. Talk about a hustler! This woman is so inspiring and her story is beyond fascinating. I can now say with 100% confidence that this is the best book I’ve read in the last two years.
Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine: B+
When I started this book, I thought it was light, quirky, and funny. Then it turned dark real quick! But despite a stormy undertone, it made me laugh throughout and was a quick read. The story is told by Eleanor, a woman with severe social issues. She doesn’t really know how to interact with other humans until she meets a new man at work who takes her out of her comfort zone and introduces her to a whole new world. I loved reading a book from the perspective of someone who thinks very differently than most of us.
Where the Crawdads Sing: A (So far)
I just started this book a few nights ago so I’m just getting into it but so far I’m loving it. Everyone I know has recommended it to me so we’ll see how it goes. So far it toggles between a murder mystery in 1969 set in the marshlands of North Carolina and a story of a little girl surviving on her own in in those same marshlands in 1952. When I read the synopsis, it sounded really random but I was sucked in from the very first page!
On my Reading List
The Other Woman
I’ve really enjoyed all of Reese’s bookclub picks, and I plan to start this as soon as I finish Where the Crawdads Sing.
Becoming Michelle Obama
I just adore our former first lady and have this book on my Christmas wish list! I am so looking forward to learning more about her and reading her story.
Nine Perfect Strangers
Liane Moriarty can do no wrong and I so look forward to reading her latest and greatest!
Beneath a Scarlet Sky
So many of you guys recommended this on my WWII post that I had to add it to my list. It’s sitting in my pile of must reads but I had to take a little break from the genre because it was giving me horrible nightmares! But I am going to get to it before the end of the winter for sure.
Tell me what you’ve read and loved lately and what’s on your winter reading list! Need more book ideas? Check out the list of WWII novels that I loved or the quick reads that I read over the summer.
Photos by Julia Dags.
