Usually in the summer I have lots of extra time on my hands so I get to read a ton of books.  It is definitely one of my favorite things about the season.  Somehow this summer that did not end up being the case.  But I thought I could share some of the books I did read and/or started to read and what I thought in case anyone is looking for a recommendation.

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~ A Moveable Feast by Ernest Hemingway-  I started this book some time after I finished reading The Paris Wife by Paula McLain, which was phenomenal.  A Moveable Feast was not published until after Hemingway’s death and consists of his memoirs from the same timeframe in which The Paris Wife was based.  I thought it would be interesting to have two different perspectives on the same time period.  Unfortunately, I never finished reading it because he wrote mostly about people he met on the street and his friends instead of discussing his relationship with his wife.  I guess I just wasn’t that interested and he lost me.  I am sure I will finish some day.

~ Game of Thrones– I started this as well but never gave myself enough time to get into it.  The story is very complex with lots of groups of people and characters and I was always reading too many other books at the same time.  I feel certain I will enjoy it once I am able to focus on it so I am pushing this to my Fall reading list.

~  To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee – Loved it so much I wrote a post about it.  It was seriously excellent and I highly recommend reading or re-reading it.

~ The Age of Miracles by Karen Thompson Walker – This is a beautiful but very sad story about the life of an 11 year old girl as the earth’s rotation starts to slow down.  It was touching and written in a way that made each sentence feel special.  It made me cry but the most important thing for me was that I felt moved.

~ The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern-  I just started this book and I am already in love.  I can tell this will be read quickly.   On the second page of text there was a paragraph that hooked me completely and I knew I was in deep.

“You are amongst them, of course.  Your curiosity got the better of you, as curiosity is wont to do.  You stand in the fading light, the scarf around your neck pulled up against the chilly evening breeze, waiting to see for yourself exactly what kind of circus only opens once the sun sets.”

I love that she talks to the reader as if they are there in the story.  Good paragraph, ya’ll.

~ Shadow of Night by Deborah Harkness- This book is the sequel to one of my Halloween books from last year called A Discovery of Witches.  While I liked A Discovery of Witches somewhat (was not in love), I am growing to despise this book.  Maybe I am just at a boring part but it puts me to sleep everytime I open it.  I am not giving up and will add it to my Halloween book list for this year.

~ Deadlocked by Charlene Harris- This is the 12th book in the Sookie Stackhouse series, which HBO’s True Blood is based off of.  They have all been light, easy and entertaining.  Some more so than others.  This one was pretty good and exactly what you would expect.

~ Replay by Ken Grimwood-  This was about a man who re-lives his life over and over but each time he comes back he starts at a later point in his life.  It is very interesting and thought-provoking and really made me think about the way we live our lives, the choices we make, and what is ultimately important.  Highly recommended.

I have started a list of books that I would like to read or finish for Fall with a separate list of books to be read starting in September for my Halloween book tradition.

Halloween books for this year include:

~ Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs

~ Legend of Sleepy Hollow by Washington Irving (only 76 pgs)

~ Shadow of Night- may as well finish the dang thing.

~ Abraham Lincoln Vampire Hunter by Seth Grahame Smith-  Sure, why not.

For Fall

~ Game of Thrones- finish it.

~ Sarah’s Key by Tatiana de Rosnay- recommended by several friends but seems like it is going to be very sad.

~ Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy- I want to read this before the movie comes out and the movie looks GOOOOOD, ya’ll.  Keira Knightly is killing it.  So excited.

Do ya’ll know of any books I need to add to my list?

Happy Friday!!  Make sure to take some time to decompress and read a lovely book this weekend.  Preferably in bed.