Anyone who knows me knows that I love books. Most of my free time is spent between the pages of a good novel.
But…
I have been soooo burnt out with school. I spend so much time on assigned readings for class that when I finish the last thing I want to do is spend one more moment flipping a page.
So, in hopes of this motivating me to want to sit down with a good book, here are some of my favorite reads of the last few months!
You Between the lines by katie naymon
Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
I read this book nestled in my favorite coffee shop, where I sat for hours reading and writing over winter break. I would wake up in the morning and get dressed in a cute outfit, and rush to get my favorite strawberry oolong tea. I would immediately pop in my AirPods with my favorite classical playlist as the background music to opening this lovely, cute romance and get lost in the characters.
This book follows two poets pursuing an MFA (masters in fine arts). We learn that they have met before, in undergrad, where they had an almost rival-like relationship that ended abruptly years ago. We see them thrown together once again and how it impacts and inspires them as writers and people.
It was a cute short read that left me smiling like a fool in Overwinter Coffee shop.
The Friend zone by abby jimenez
Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
When I am back in my hometown for breaks from university, I work at a local hardware store. I have been working here for years, and I love it! My co-workers are some of my best friends, and I have the incredible privilege to be able to listen to audiobooks while working. This was a book I finished in only two shifts at work. I could not stop listening to it. Just like other Abby Jimenez books, I felt as if I knew these characters and could feel the emotion pouring off the page. There are very few romance authors that I think can truly make a well-rounded character like Jimenez.
This book is about Kristen, who is carrying a pretty big weight on her shoulders: she is suffering from immense medical problems that cause her to need a procedure that makes it impossible to have children. In walks Josh, a lovable firefighter who just so happens to be friends with her best friends. Intimidated by his desire for a large family, Kristen attempts to avoid any kind of romantic connection with Josh.
Abby Jimenez fills this book with friendship, yearning, and true friends-to-lovers romance. While this wasn’t my favorite book of hers, it was the one that solidified me as a fan!
The Housemaid by frieda mcfadden
Rating: 2 out of 5 stars
I was expecting so much more out of this book. As one of our selections for the SBU Book Club, I really wanted to enjoy this mystery that everyone has been raving about (especially with a movie coming out). However, while it wasn’t a bad book, I was disappointed.
We follow Millie, an ex-con, who has been recently hired by Nina to work as a nanny for her household. Immediately upon being hired, Millie is thrown into a creepy attic room, a disastrous boss, and Nina’s husband, whom she finds irresistibly attractive. The writing was very basic, and the development in the novel felt very unrealistic. The twist at the end (which was very shocking from what I heard) was incredibly underwhelming and predictable.
Sister Carrie by Theodore Dreiser
Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
This was one of the books that I was assigned in my American Lit class this semester. My friend (who had taken the class before me) raved about how much she liked this book. I was super excited for this class because I knew we would be reading my favorite book of all time as well (Stoner by John Williams). We were expected to read 10 chapters for each class, and I felt as if I was trudging through this book most of the time because of these tight deadlines. But in the end, I ended up enjoying the read.
Dreiser writes about Carrie moving to Chicago in 1900 and follows her as she adapts to city life and tries to climb her way up in society. Throughout this novel, I studied the ways masculinity and aging were portrayed, expectation of women, and how wealth worked to construct personal identities. While this may sound immensely boring (and at times it was), it inspired real thinking on my part, and I enjoy that out of a novel.
Overall, I think my reading over the past couple months—though less than in previous months—has broadened my mind and tastes. The novels I have read have sparked deep thought and that’s all I can hope for out of the novels I spend my time with.