5.22.19 2

Reading List: No. 7

Spring Reading List

I’ve read 9 books in the past 2.5 months, which is a pretty good pace for me. At times it felt like too much and made me anxious. I took two weeks off and now I’m ready to get into my next book, We Were the Lucky Ones.

After reading some heavy books last winter, my spring reading list is mostly lighter reads. Now I’m diving back into a couple of WWII books. You can find out what I’m reading next at the end of this post!

Spring Reading List

I Owe You One by Sophie Kinsella follows Fixie Farr as she navigates family relationships, a guy that clearly isn’t good for her and a random stranger that might be. It’s a solid Sophie Kinsella book and perfect for a vacation.

  • Rating: B+

The Royal Runaway by Lindsay Emory is the story of a princess that was left at the altar on her wedding day. She likes to disobey palace rules and gets caught up with a British spy that blackmails her. Beneath it all, The Royal Runaway is a romantic story with lots of twists and turns. As a fan of all things royal, I loved it (even if I never learned how to say her full name).

  • Rating: A-

The Mommy Group by Elizabeth Isadora Gold is the book I wish I would have read when I was pregnant with Lawson. It follows seven women from Brooklyn as they enter motherhood. It’s geared mostly at the newborn to early toddler stage. I was nodding my head in agreement in every chapter. It left me wanting to find a mommy group of my own.

  • Rating: B+

My Favorite Half-Night Stand by Christina Lauren is a romantic comedy featuring Millie, a college professor, and her gang of male friends. Millie and her friends enter the world of online dating for an upcoming black tie affair at the college, but she has a one-night stand with one of the guys. Their relationship takes some twists and turns while they are also online dating others. If you’re going to pick your first Christina Lauren book, I’d recommend Love and Other Words. It was one of my favorite books of 2018!

  • Rating: B-

Who Thought This Was a Good Idea by Alyssa Mastromonaco is full of personal stories from Alyssa’s time as Deputy Chief of Staff for President Obama. Alyssa is smart and funny. She comes across as really down to earth. I loved that working in a grocery store was one of her first jobs (mine too). She’s clearly a fan of President Obama, but the advice she shares applies to anyone regardless of political affiliation. I also loved listening to Alyssa when she was a guest on the Bad on Paper podcast.

  • Rating: A-

Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens has over 12,000 reviews on Amazon and averages 5 stars so you know it’s popular and good. A young woman from rural North Carolina is left by her family to live on her own. The book includes a murder mystery and a love story. I did want to know what happened and stayed up way too late one night reading it. It wasn’t my favorite, but I also couldn’t put it down.

  • Rating: B

Daisy Jones & The Six by Taylor Jenkins Reid is the story of Daisy Jones, a girl growing up near Sunset Strip in the 1960s. Eventually she joins a band, The Six, and they may one hit album together before breaking up. The story is told as an oral history, which I found interesting. There’s a twist at the end. I liked it so much I wanted the story to be real! After reading it, listen to Bad on Paper’s podcast episode about the book.

  • Rating: A-

Lost Roses by Martha Hall Kelly is the prequel to one of my all-time favorite books, Lilac Girls. The story follows a Russian family during WWI as they attempt to flee the war, an American friend of one of the daughter, and a local village woman. It took me over 100 pages to get into the book. I wanted to quit, but kept going after a few people mentioned the end was worth it. They were right, I’m glad I did.

  • Rating: B

The Southern Side of Paradise by Kristy Woodson Harvey is the last in one of my very favorite series. It’s the story of a mother and her three grown daughters. Each book focused on one of the daughters while interweaving the other characters too. The entire series is perfect for a beach vacation or even a rainy day if you have to settle like I did! I docked the rating a tiny bit because it seemed like the author tried to fit so much into this last book.

  • Rating: A-

Up next on my nightstand are We Were the Lucky Ones,  All the Light We Cannot See, The Matchmakers List, and finishing 1-2-3 Magic.

You can find all of my reading lists here.

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2 Comments

  1. Thank you SO much for reading and loving The Southern Side of Paradise!!! I appreciate your support!

    Published 5.22.19
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  2. Thank you so much for reading The Southern Side of Paradise!! I just finished Daisy Jones and LOVED it! Looking forward to lots of good reading when I get home from your! xoxo

    Published 5.23.19
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