2016 Summer Reads

As I mentioned in my "Oh Hey There"-sorry-I've-been-MIA-post, I have read a decent amount this summer. Not a ton as I am still easing my way back into an understanding of "reading for fun" or what I used to call "normal" before graduate school, but a good amount. Gosh I missed just picking up a book for pleasure and getting lost into the words... I digress.

Anyways, I thought that I would share which books I've picked up in the last month or so and see what you all are reading.

(--In the order that they were read--)

1.) Big Girl: How I Gave Up Dieting and Got a Life by Kelsey Miller - Great read. As someone who has struggled with disordered eating for years, I resonated a lot with the author and what she had to share. I also very much enjoyed her writing style. Miller writes over at Refinery 29 and I have read and loved many an article by her, especially this one about her experience of barre classes.

2.) Why Not Me by Mindy Kaling - I'm mildly obsessed with Mindy Kaling so I pretty much knew I'd love her second book as much as her first. It did not disappoint. She's a hoot.

3.) Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close by Jonathan Safran Foer - I was looking for a good book on tape for my 36+ hour road trip home and a friend highly recommended this one. It was touching and lovely and sad and beautiful and funny - pretty much all of the feels. Also found out that they made the book into a movie and am considering renting it. Any reviews? I'm worried I'll be pretty disappointed after loving the book so much.

4.) Yes Please by Amy Poehler - Another audio-book for the road trip. Loved hearing it in Poehler's voice. It was a nice light choice when the other option got too intense. She shares many words of wisdom along side many hilarious jokes. This book also helped me push past the first season of Parks and Rec which I'd tried watching multiple times. The other seasons are so much better and I finally understand the hype. Thanks, Amy.

5.) Is It Evil Not To Be Sure by Lena Dunham - As you might have picked up, I have a thing for autobiographies by female comedians. However, I wasn't a huge fan of this one. It was nice and short, so I thought it would be a good beach read but it wasn't really my style. It's excerpts from Dunham's college journal - sort of pre-twitter as she notes - but I thought there would be more of a story line and did not anticipate the majority to be about her sex life. I will say that the fact that all of the proceeds from the book go towards programs encouraging girls to write made me glad I purchased it. Not my cup of tea, but hey, not every book is.

6.) Harry Potter and the Cursed Child by JK Rowling, Jack Thorne, and John Tiffany - As a huge Harry Potter nerd, um I mean fan, it was no question that I would get this book the day it was released and read. it. all. #noregrets It's wonderful. A lot faster paced than the other books because of the script style, but that means those of us who obsessed over Harry Potter as tweens and teens don't have to take off multiple days of work to read it all.

I've also begun Just Mercy: A Story of Justice and Redemption by Bryan Stevenson (so far, so good) and Eat Pray Love Made Me Do It is waiting in the wings.

Have you picked up anything good this summer? I'm always on the lookout for new reads and keep a list in my journal that I love to add to! Suggestions are warmly welcomed!

Peace,
Sarah