6 Books to Read With Your Book Club

The temps are on the rise in Seattle and we are loving every minute of it! There is nothing I enjoy more (well maybe a few things…) than sitting outside and reading or listening to a book on tape while taking Quinn on a walk. Yes, I’m a weirdo and I am usually listening to one book and reading another at the same time. I try to pick very different genres, so I don’t get them confused.

I’ve read (and listened to) a handful of good books recently that I wanted to share with you guys. I feel like I’m always asking my girlfriends for their book recommendations, so hopefully this list will give you some reading inspo this summer 😉

The Great Alone
I loved this book! The Great Alone is written by the same author who wrote The Nightingale (which I also LOVED). To be honest, this author’s books take me a while to really get into, but once I do I can’t put it down! She does a tremendous job character building, but it makes for a slower start. I loved learning more about Alaska and how people live “off the grid” there. I stayed up really late a few nights trying to finish it, which made up for the slow start. It has some unpredictable events take place throughout the book that keep you on your toes and turning pages.

Educated
I listened to this book on tape and found it completely fascinating. I found myself comparing this memoir to The Great Alone often and there were many “oh my god” moments that these events actually happened to the writer and that was her truth growing up. It was a very eye opening book and very different from books I typically read. It took me a while to get through because it wasn’t necessarily an “on the edge of your seat” thriller, but I’m glad I read it.

The Silent Patient
I love a good psychological thriller and I was excited to start this book. I read it quickly and liked it, but didn’t LOVE LOVE it. It kept me turning the pages late at night trying to get to the bottom of what was going on. There were twists and turns I was completely not expecting which kept me thinking about the book a few days after I finished it trying to put all the pieces together. I think this would make a great book club book because I found myself wanting to discuss it with someone after I finished it because the ending was so unexpected. This would also be an easy vacation read.

Woman in the Window
Another psychological thriller…surprise surprise! This book made me sort of uncomfortable and down to be honest. The author did a good job sucking you into the story and questioning what was real and what wasn’t. There are a couple of good twists I didn’t see coming which helped me move through the book quickly. Overall, not my favorite book this round.

Where the Crawdads Sing
I feel like there was SO much hype leading up to me reading this book that I was honestly let down. I listened to this book, so I’m not sure if that had an impact on me being able to really get into the book. I enjoyed the book and found Kya’s story of survival on her own inspiring, but I predicted the ending pretty early on. It was a well written book so I would still recommend it, but I don’t think it measured up to the hype for me.

The Idea of You
This book is the perfect easy beach read. The premise of the book might sound a little cheesy…a mother takes her teenage daughter to a boyband concert and develops a romance with one of the (much younger than her) band memebers. Hayes Campbell is one of my fave leading male characters and you will fall in love with with this romance novel I promise 😉

Up Next…The Perfect Couple and The Proposal