Happy Monday book worms! I’m back with my second reading list of the year, my spring reading list 2019! I’ve read so many wonderful books so far this year and it brings me a lot of joy to share them with you. I seriously love talking about books so feel free to always leave me a comment, message me, or email me about your favorite books or your great book recommendations! This reading guide has a little bit of everything including a fluff book about a boy band that I couldn’t put down, a thriller that will literally rock your word, and some can’t miss historical fiction (my favorite!). I hope you find a fantastic new read to enjoy on the upcoming Memorial Day holiday weekend!
P.S. don’t miss my other book guide from this year: my Winter Reading List 2019!
P.S.S. The book I’m reading in this post is Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens. I reviewed it in my Winter Reading List 2019 (linked directly above)… it is fabulous and a beautifully written book! Also, these are my pajamas (more here!)!
Daisy Jones & The Six // Normal People // The Editor // The Secret Life of Violet Grant // The Proposal // Verity // You’d Be Mine // The Paris Seamstress // Save Me the Plums // Furious Hours // The Idea of You
Spring Reading List 2019
1. The Idea of You by Robinne Lee:
This book! I read it in 36 hours because I literally couldn’t put it down. The story is about a divorced mom who takes her daughter and friends to see a British pop boy band in concert. When the mother and lead singer of the band lock eyes back stage, their clandestine relationship begins! It evolves overtime and takes them around the world. You will immediately find yourself rooting for their unlikely love story (at least I did!). It is definitely a fast, fun, easy fluff book to read but so worth it! When you read the end, you’ll know why I’m dying for a sequel. P.S. I heard the book is loosely based on One Direction and Harry Styles (which made me obsessed with Harry Styles!).
2. The Secret Life of Violet Grant by Beatriz Williams:
This book is thoroughly fantastic! Beatriz Williams is one of my favorite authors so I’ve read a bunch of her books but somehow had never read this novel until last month (it came out in 2015). The story gets going when defiant Upper East Sider, Vivian Schuyler, receives a mysterious package on her doorstep. Before she knows it, Vivian, is thrown into the world of an aunt she never knew existed and given the chance to solidify her career as a journalist at the same time. The novel travels back and forth between Vivian’s 1960s New York City and her aunt Violet’s pre-WWI Europe. The story has it all: history, romance, deceit, family secrets, and more! Beatriz Williams does historical fiction so well so if you gravitate toward that genre, then I highly recommend this read!
3. Daisy Jones & The Six by Taylor Jenkins Reid:
After reading so much praise for this book, I knew I had to read it myself! I picked it up two weeks ago and already finished it because it is such a quick read. I really enjoyed it in part because of the story but also in part because I’ve never really read a book written in this format before. The book is written as an oral history that resembles a music memoir so it was really intriguing to read! The novel tells the story of the rise and mysterious fall of a fictional legendary 70s rock band with a beautiful lead singer, Daisy Jones. You will be captivated by how real the story feels (I know 60s and 70s music very well and even I had to keep reminding myself that the band was fictional!) and be swept away by how well the author captures the decade.
4. The Proposal by Jasmine Guillory:
You might read this title and think “woof another played our rom com book” but I promise you it’s more than that! The proposal that the book is centered around is actually an unwanted proposal and a very public one at that (think sports game scoreboard!). As you can imagine, the unwanted proposal makes its way around the internet and blows up on social media so the protagonist, Nikole (Nik) Paterson, is more than happy to be whisked away by an unlikely handsome stranger. What happens next between the two is so much fun to read! Add this book to your beach read list!
5. Verity by Colleen Hoover:
Okay, okay, this book, wow! Prepare yourself for everything that is this book! Verity is so twisted, suspenseful, creepy, and thrilling. Plus, there is a romance aspect… I mean, can it get any more complex than this!? The basis of the book is around Lowen Ashleigh, a struggling writer, who is hired by Jeremy Crawford to finish his wife, Verity Crawford’s, remaining books. Verity is a bestselling author but is injured and subsequently unable to finish her works.
Lowen expects to put together years’ worth of notes and writings in order to complete the novels. What she doesn’t expect is to discover Verity’s incomplete autobiography. The autobiography was never meant to see the light of day for it reveals family secrets that even Verity’s husband wouldn’t forgive her for. Lowen then grapples with her decision to show Jeremy the autobiography or not as her feelings for him intensify. This book is completely gripping and will keep you up at night (beware!)!
6. Save Me the Plums by Ruth Reichl:
All my foodies, this book is for you! If you aren’t familiar with Ruth Reichl, then you’re about to be. She’s had a huge career in the culinary world, which includes jobs as a food writer and restaurant critic for the New York Times and editor-in-chief of the iconic food magazine Gourmet. I’m not always a huge memoir reader but I really enjoyed this book as Ruth shares a behind-the-scenes look at the riveting and stressful world of magazine publishing, introduces us to multiple renowned chefs (I loved learning about these people!), discusses the massive rise of farm-to-table cooking, and sheds light on how and when restaurants became an integral part of pop culture.
I miss reading magazines in favor of always reading on the internet so I loved and was fascinated with Ruth’s story and her ability to transform Gourmet! Ruth also included recipes in her memoir (of course!) so my mouth was watering at parts!
7. Normal People by Sally Rooney:
I read a great review of this book and then a trusty friend also recommended it to me so I was super excited to pick it up (I read it last week!). It was one of those books that I thought I wouldn’t want to end because I expected to be left reeling and still thinking about the characters… turns out I was kind of right! I know people who loved this book but, while I was intrigued by the characters and their pull toward each other, I wasn’t captivated by them.
The story starts out with the two main characters, Connell and Marianne, as teenagers. Connell is confident, athletic, and popular in high school while Marianne is the exact opposite. They meet and start a secret relationship as they are both determined to keep it private. Fast forward to college and the roles are reversed. Marianne is well-liked while Connell hangs on the sidelines. The book follows their relationship through ups and downs as they both get together and resist their obvious pull toward each other. The book is super raw so it’s not the happiest story at times but a good read nonetheless! While it wasn’t my absolute favorite read, I would still recommend this because it is an emotional and believable telling of young love and because it is being made into a TV show, which is always fun.
8. The Editor by Steven Rowley:
Fans of the Kennedys will definitely want to add this book to their cart! My mom recommended this book to me leading up to our New York Trip because it is about a struggling author, James Smale, who finally sells his novel to an editor at a major NYC publishing house. Guess who his editor is… Jackie Kennedy! The novel threatens to reveal James’s deep family secrets and unravel his relationship with his mother. Jackie encourages him to face his realities but does she have a larger plan at hand!? I liked this book a lot!
9. Furious Hours by Casey Cep:
This novel has so many layers so get ready to really dive in when you pick up this read. In rural Alabama in the 1970s, a preacher, Reverend Willie Maxwell, was accused of killing five members of his family for insurance money. He was acquitted thanks to the help of a savvy lawyer but then shot dead by a relative seeking revenge. The shooter was also acquitted with the help of the exact same lawyer. In the courthouse, for the trial, was one very famous guest, Harper Lee, who traveled home to cover the story in hopes of turning it into a hit novel of her own. The book includes a wonderful look into the life of Harper Lee and her ongoing struggle with her rise to fame.
10. The Paris Seamstress by Natasha Lester:
Historical fiction buffs will love this novel! The story starts with a Parisian seamstress, Estella Bissette, who lives in France in the 1940s. As the Germans advance closer and closer to Paris, she makes the decision to leave her entire life behind to set out for safety in New York City. Fast forward to modern day and her granddaughter, Fabienne Bissette, heads to the Met’s annual gala to celebrate her grandmother’s designs as she became a legendary designer! However, Fabienne discovers much more about her grandmother along the way. Also, her life will be forever changed by family secrets that she discovers.
11. You’d Be Mine by Erin Hahn:
I read a review of this book claiming that anyone who is still obsessing over A Star is Born will love this novel. Honestly, I thought, that sounds like me so I’m going to give this book a go! I found it to be a super fun, fast read – perfect to bring along on a summer trip! It’s about two country music stars, Annie and Clay, who spend a summer on tour together wondering if their chemistry is real and strong enough to overcome the struggles and heartaches of their pasts. If you love country music (like me!). And, you breeze through books about young love (like me!), then I definitely advise you to pick this book up!
Photography by Edwin Eversole
