Monday, June 26, 2017

Summer Reads.

Happy Monday!!  Hope everyone had a nice, relaxing weekend!  Today I wanted to talk BOOKS!  I know I may lose a few of you right now but WAIT!!  Don't go! I know some of you hate to read so I have a suggestion for you.  Hang in there and just see what you think.  :)


I am a total bookworm and wanted to share some of my favorite books that make great summer reads.  But then I started going through all my books and there are just SO MANY to choose from.  I got totally overwhelmed. Instead, I thought maybe once every week or two, I'd do a spotlight on one of my favorite authors and focus in on some of their best books.

So I'll stop right there.  Some of you know what's coming because you've heard me ramble on about it before.  I have to do it though.  Just let me give my Audible speech. ;)

Audible is a website devoted to audiobooks.  And if you are thinking, "Audiobook?  Like my grandmother listens to?"...then no!  (Ok, well maybe.  I don't know your grandmother.)  I can't speak for all audiobooks obviously, but in my Audible library, I have around 300 books that I've "read' over the past 8 or 9 years.   And since I can be super cheap sometimes, I've re-listened to 80% of them at least twice while I wait for my new monthly credits to become available.  These are not boring people reading dull books.  The narrators (for the most part) are so fun to listen to and make the characters come to life. I promise!!  (I personally LOVE the British narrators!!)

When I had kids, I realized that although I still LOVED to read, I just didn't have time.  And when I did have time, I was too exhausted to focus for more than a few minutes.  Sleep usually always took precedence. 

Audible was my perfect solution.  I still love love LOVE traditional books.  I tend to always be working on a traditional book (my pool reading) but I just go through audiobooks 5 times faster. 

#truestory

 When I listen to books, it's like watching a movie with no picture.  The book comes to life through the narrator(s) and my hands are completely free to go about my day while I listen. I was absolutely hooked after my first book.  I listen while I cook (ugh), clean, drive, shop, work, do laundry, brush my teeth, do my hair, put my makeup on...  you get it.  ;)  I learned to multitask!  I could go on and on but I won't.  :)  I just thought that maybe those of you who are all "OMG I HATE READING!!!" might think this was a pretty cool compromise.  Reading is fun, y'all!! And this way, you technically aren't even reading!   

Check out more about Audible HERE and see how you can get 2 free audiobooks with a free trial!  (They should really hire me as some sort of spokesperson!) 

Ok.  Now that I've fangirl'd all over Audible, I'll move on to my favorite books and authors.  :)

My first spotlight has to go to one of my very most favorite chick-lit authors.


EMILY GIFFIN:

I have read and loved ALL of her books.  Well, except for one which I only liked, not loved. She hasn't written a TON of books so I'm just going to list them all here.  I can't summarize all of them or we'd be here forever but you can click on each title to view them on Amazon.  Because I know y'all have things to do. :)

Let's start with the very first must-reads.

Something Borrowed will make you immediately wish you had Something Blue in your hands (or in your ears!) so be prepared to read them both.  And if you haven't seen Something Borrowed, read the book first and then watch.  Supposedly, Something Blue is in the works as well and I can't wait!!

These books are all amazing summer reads. You'll fall in love with the characters, find yourself rooting for them, empathizing and sympathizing with them and crying and laughing with them.  You will love ALL of these books, I promise!!  (Except for First Comes Love which was GOOD but not her best.)

So be sure to give these a try if you need a good summer read!!  Click on the title of each of these to take you to the book on Amazon where you can read the full description.

 Imagine your BFF for like EVER (said in my best Valley Girl voice) falls in love with the guy you've been silently pining over for the past year.  And now they are getting married.  And you're the Maid of Honor and your friend has no idea of your feelings.  And then fate intervenes and all of a sudden you are in the love triangle to end all love triangles.  Do you follow your heart and live happily ever after with the man of your dreams?  Or do you turn away from true love for the sake of friendship?  

Like I said before, Something Borrowed also has a sequel that you should just go ahead and buy with it because you are going to want to jump into Something Blue IMMEDIATELY.  Childhood besties fall in love with the same man.  One is engaged to him and the other is having an affair with him. There's a marriage.  There's a falling out.  There are now babies on the way...

I loved this one and have re-read it many times.  A single mom.  A child who was burned badly in a bonfire accident.  A handsome and very married doctor with a heart of gold...

This is a novel about a couple who went into a relationship knowing they both didn't want children.  And then one of them changes their mind.  This was a good one!  I'm friends with a couple who dealt with this same issue so it made this one even better!

I thought this was one was so well done.  It deals with the whole "the one that got away" situation and what happens when that one comes back into your life.  If you've ever thought to yourself "What if things had gone differently with so-and-so", this one's for you!  The grass isn't always greener, ladies!

What happens when the daughter you gave away as a teenager finds you after 18 years??  This one tugged at my heart-strings, big time.

This book had all the good stuff.  Love between 2 people you would never expect and TX football.  Read and enjoy!!

This one was the one that wasn't my favorite.  I just thought it was a TEENY bit boring.  Not terrible by any means.  And there are many who will disagree with me, I'm sure!  But for ME, it just wasn't my favorite.

ANY of Emily Giffin's books make for a great beach read!  I'd love to hear from you if you are an Emily fan or if you are going to try out one of these books!!

Hope this gives you some new book ideas!  Follow me HERE on Goodreads to check out all the other books I've read, and see what I'm reading now!

Editing this post to add in one of my favorite tumblers from my Etsy shop!  Because you definitely need a cute tumbler that will keep your drink cold for hours while you enjoy your book!!  Click on the Drinkware section of the shop for alllllll the cute cup options!!





Linking up with Johannah and Heather for Hello Monday!


*This post contains Amazon affiliate links which means that I may receive a small commission on a purchase, at no cost to you.  Thank you for supporting my blog!!
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6 comments

  1. I really need to check out audiable bc just last week I was working in my craft room and wished I could read at the same time. HA.
    I loved. something borrowed and something blue. I need to read those again.

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  2. Emily Giffin is such a great author! I love her books too! :)

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  3. Emily Giffin is a great author. I am a big fan of hers. I love her books and her writing style. Great recommendation.

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  4. I love anything chick lit and Emily Giffin falls into that category perfectly! I have read all of her books. I am that person who finds a great book, then reads ALL of that authors books one after another! LOL

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  5. I'm getting married in 3 months and I definitely want to read something borrowed and something blue!

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  6. I just bought The One and Only on Amazon Prime ;) haha. I'm not a reader, but I WANT to be. I've always said that fiction isn't my thing-- I prefer more "self help" books. But maybe I'm not a reader because I have always stayed away from fiction? ANYways...you inspired me to get The One and Only and I'm hoping to love it! Thanks for the recommendation ;)

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