Written by: Brenna, Callie and Kenzie

Photo by: Ashley Gillen Photography

Does anyone remember the days when school wasn’t focused around standardized testing and you read for fun once your work was finished? Specifically on bean bags or a comfy couch? Well we do and we still try and carry those times out even now… Only not on a cracking, pleather bean bag. We thought we would compile a nice little list of our recent favorites and what we are reading now. Spring Break is right around the corner and summer isn’t far away so now might be the time to start scheduling your “reading time”. It’s sad that life gets so hectic you almost have to schedule out your time to read. I personally like to read while I get my nails or toes done. #treatyoself

Brenna

While I was on my honeymoon I wrapped up Next Year in Havana by Chanel Cleeton. It took forever for me to finish, honestly. I don’t know if that’s because I was up to my eyeballs in wedding planning or because it just didn’t spark anything for me. It is about this woman who goes home to Cuba to spread her grandmother’s ashes, put together the pieces of her past and winds up falling in love. It was a good story but it was just slow. However, I did read all of Something in the Water by Catherine Steadman and it was seriously so good. It’s about this couple who goes on their honeymoon, comes across something they shouldn’t have, and then this wild story unfolds that leaves you like “WHAAAAT”. So good. It’s one of Reese Witherspoon’s book club books. If you take one thing away from this post it should be that you need to slip on over to her Instagram page and give her a follow. If you’re not already following her… Let’s be real though.

Now if we are talking all time favorites, Hopeless by Colleen Hoover tops my list. I can’t really tell you what it’s about with out giving anything away so you just have to trust me. It’s THAT good. Like I read it in a day good.

Up next, I’ve got 'The Proposal by Jasmine Guillory, Girl Wash Your Face by Rachel Hollis and Where The Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens lined up. Now that the wedding is over and we are about 80% settled into the apartment, I’ve got more free time to read! I’ve linked each book below, just click the pic.

Callie

Brenna and I both subscribe to Reese Witherspoon’s Book Club so we end up reading at lot of the same books. But I do want to second her recommendations Something in the Water and Where the Crawdads Sing because both of those books were fantastic!

I read a plethora of genres but always find myself sucked back into the YA books. It’s like a guilty pleasure, like I know that I am probably too old to still be reading these books, but do I care? Not really, because, well, I just really like them. So that being said I would like to recommend reading The Fault in Our Stars by John Green. A magically tragic tale of two star-crossed teens. And if your mind immediately goes to Romeo & Juliet when you hear that phrase, just know that this is so much better!

Next up might just be my favorite book of all time, Me Before You by Jojo Moyes. The two sequels to this book are also great (much like all of Jojo Moyes’ books) but this one gets me every time. For a while I had a rule to not reread books. I thought there are so many books out there, why would I read one I’ve already read when I could experience a whole new one? Well, that rule went out of the water a few years ago and one of the reasons was because I just needed to reread this book. Be prepared to cry.

Unlike me, you’re probably not picking up a book with the intention of bawling your eyes out. And I get it. So here’s my recommendation for a suspense-y book, The Thirteenth Tale by Dianne Setterfield. I read this book 8+ years ago and still think about it sometimes.

Now, for our manly men readers. That’s right, I’ve got a book for you too! It’s called Fallen Angels by Walter Dean Meyers. Freshman year of high school I had an off-the-wall English teacher that did not do things normally. Like one day we listened to different versions of the song “Smells Like Teen Spirit” and wrote the differences of how it made us feel, and that was the WHOLE CLASS. Anyway, one of our assigned reading was Fallen Angels. It’s a war book and I was certain I would not like this book. And boy was I wrong! It’s an amazing story that everyone should read. My dad even picked it up and read it!

The last book I finished was Little Fires Everywhere by Celeste Ng. It was extremely interesting and follows the lives of three very different families and the impact they have on each other. I very much enjoyed it and found myself staying up late just so I could read the next chapter. And the next.

Currently I’m reading The Other Me by Saskia Sarginson. I’m not too far into it but so far it’s been great!

Kenzie

I’ve been trying to get back into reading. It’s something I truly enjoy and miss, but have found recently that when I’m on the couch or trying to relax, I reach for my phone instead of a book. I love my phone and being connected to everyone, but I also love a good old-fashioned paperback.

I’ve begun the journey of re-reading all the Harry Potter books a handful of months ago which is always an adventure. I’ve only read through the whole series once growing up with Harry but have watched the movies countless times. It’s so fun to dig back into the story and catch all the details the movies miss and pick up on new undertones you didn’t get when you were younger. If you have a favorite book, I recommend re-reading it every few years to really remind yourself of the story and what drew you in in the first place. (Also, I always recommend Harry Potter, a story for all ages.)

One of my all-time favorites is City of Thieves by David Benioff. Fun fact: David Benioff now writes for Game of Thrones. I did not know this at the time of reading City of Thieves, but it doesn’t matter because it’s SO GOOD! It’s a historical fiction that takes place during World War II and it’s funny, intense, nerve-wracking, and entertaining as heck.

This probably doesn’t count as an actual book, but I’m including it anyway. Any and all of the Calvin and Hobbes comics by Bill Watterson. They are so funny and real and clever. Anytime you’re down, let Calvin and his buddy Hobbes cheer you up with antics and knowledge told in a comic.

I read Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury in high school and it was one of the assigned readings I actually enjoyed. I think Ray Bradbury’s style takes a little bit of getting used to, but this one is worth the read. I’m sure a lot of you have already read it, but for those that haven’t, get into some dystopian Bradbury, people!

I’m not quite sure what my favorite genre would be, but I’m a sucker for a good romance novel with very little cheesiness. I found that in The History of Love by Nicole Krauss. I actually read this because the lead singer of one of my favorite bands (Mikel from The Airborne Toxic Event for you curious folks) recommended it. I think he went to school with the author and he wrote fantastic lyrics so I was keen to see if this book was as beautiful as the band’s songs and it is! Truly gorgeous storytelling and lovely prose.

The most recent book I read was on my trip to England. I always take books when traveling to help pass the time waiting for planes or riding a train. I took two books on my this trip, but only managed to read one, almost all in one day on a 15 hour layover in Istanbul. It was called The Muse by Jessie Burton. I read nearly all of it while staying up late and laying on hard metal airport chairs. It tells the story of two separate characters living in different time periods and how they are connected through a unique piece of art. There were so many twists and intricate details that kept me hooked.

That’s it, y’all; a rundown of our favorite books! Hopefully, you were able to find your next read or feel inspired to pick up a paperback soon to go on a journey with the characters. We are always willing to talk books; let us know your favorites in the comments or on Instagram!