At the beginning of last year, I decided to aim for a more reachable goal- to read more. I've always loved to read, but sadly when things got busy, it was usually the first to go. My pile of books would sit on my nightstand gathering dust while I spent my time checking on Pinterest or watching TV. But why do I feel like I need to read? Well, for me, reading is quite relaxing. It's the perfect way to unwind at the end of the day, not to mention I love falling into a story. So with the help of Goodreads and my ever-present competitive nature, I managed to read...50 books in 2016! My hope is that this little story might persuade you to pick up a book as well and enjoy a resolution that you might be able to keep as well. To get you started, below are my 5 top picks and bottom 5 you should avoid.
TOP 5
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I read this book to my class and fell in love with this amazing story about a boy who is born with major birth defects and is going to school for the first time. I laughed, I cried, I loved every single Star Wars reference. This may very well be one of my favorite books of all time. You’ve got to read it, you won’t regret it!
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A secret code that gets solved by a secret society by checking out books from a 24-hour bookstore...I didn’t think I’d be in to this, but I read it in two days! I loved how the story incorporated technology, mystery, and history to make a great read.
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Told from the point of view of an autistic man who has a plan to find himself a suitable mate. I loved the quirky nature of this story and the unique perspective. I will add that, sadly, I didn’t love the sequel as much.
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I read a lot of comedy books, but this book was more of a mix of comedy and facts about the modern dating world. I was fascinated by the findings of Aziz and found myself laughing at the crazy world that is now online dating. #hotstuff
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Surprise! Robert Galbraith is actually J.K. Rowling! This series of books however, is no Harry Potter. This is the third book in the series about an undercover detective. Great mystery/thriller type books and I can’t wait for the next one to come out.
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5 TO AVOID
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Coming from someone who loved the first three books in this series, this book was no comparison. I know that the author is different for this one, and to me, it was definitely obvious. Between the Swedish words and the 9 million characters, I didn’t even bother finishing this one.
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This book is about a man who kidnaps his own daughter for a few days because...well, because he’s crazy. I read this book super fast, but mostly because I skipped a bunch of it. Weird premise, weird outcome, not worth your time.
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Is there anyone who doesn’t love the classic, To Kill a Mockingbird? I was so excited to read this book and was so very disappointed. The story was super slow, the characters weren’t very likable, and it didn’t seem anything like its predecessor.
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When you look at the cover, you’d think I’d be able to tell this was Princess Kate fan fiction. However, it took me about 200 pages to figure out that this story was a no more than a weaker version of the true Windsor romance. It’s way better to read about the royal family in People than it was to read this book.
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I’m all about the baking-themed books. Essentially, if there is a cupcake on the cover, I’ll read it. However, from the very start of this book, I could not get over just how bad the writing was. It was super predictable and unrealistic and I can’t believe there are 24 books in this series!
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