My bookish confession...

Photo by Chris Lawton on Unsplash

Hello, my lovelies! Yes, this is confession time. Bookish confessions, of course! :) I've been pondering my reading life and realized something I should just own up to out loud (or, you know, in writing, at least). So you may just be horrified when you read the next paragraphs. (Or perhaps not, we shall see.)

So! My bookish confession? Is that I have spent a whole lot of my adult years pretty much determined not to read anything of depth. I loved romantic stories and refused to be willing to even contemplate reading something a little different, something that would require me to think a little harder. Friends would recommend a book that did not fall within my usual genres and I would tell them I was considering reading it when deep down inside I knew I was lying because I'd never read it, nope, not for me. There. I said it. (Wrote it? You know what I mean.) Even as embarrassing as this feels, I want to be honest.

Now. I feel I should clarify what I mean by saying that of all the books I've read over my entire life, there are a lot that have depth, that are so much more than just another romance. (I certainly don't want someone to go look at my Goodreads lists and assume that all those books are shallow!) But the type of books I'm referencing fall under other categories, such as classics, autobiographies, memoirs, and just nonfiction in general. Books by older authors, not contemporary ones. But also contemporary books that aren't just a simple romance. 

I don't know if that paragraphs makes any sense, I keep reading over it again and I don't know how to better get my point across. I just know that I'm no longer satisfied to simply read a sweet romance story. Now don't get me wrong! I am not eliminating those books from my TBR altogether! I'm just more willing to honestly try a book that is out of my reading comfort zone, so to speak. I want to read something that will surprise me because so many of the books I've been reading in recent years haven't truly surprised me. Some have, but not most. I want to try another Charles Dickens novel, even if I hate it. I want to read CS Lewis' nonfiction, even if I struggle my way through understanding what he's telling me. I want to read books that will make me think. I've read a whole lot of books that have only entertained me for a few hours, that allowed me to shut off my brain and wallow in make believe. And I still feel like there's a place for those books. I'm not saying that we shouldn't read them. I mean, I just read a couple Jane Austen sequels a couple Sundays ago and they didn't make me think at all, they were just fun.

However, I'm finally tired of only using reading as an escape, I want to allow books and stories to help me understand my world better. They've always done that to a certain extent, but now I want to actively seek it out, not simply stumble over it occasionally. 

I want to read out of my comfort zone. 

"It is only by struggling with difficult books, books over one's head, that anyone learns to read." ~Mortimer Adler

Probably most of you reading this right now have been reading such for years. I admit to feeling slightly embarrassed that it took me this long to be willing to even entertain the idea in my mind, let alone be willing to challenge myself to actually do it. I should've had this epiphany a long time ago, instead of in my late 30s. But there you go. And here I am. Better late than never, right? (I hope.)

So. I haven't gotten terribly far yet, in attempting this. But I have made a bit of progress. And I'm determined not to give up! What about you? Have you always read out of your typical genres? Have you been more like me and just always gravitated towards what was easier? Or has your reading journey been different than even those two options? 

And lastly, how about recommending one of your most favorite books that doesn't fall under the contemporary romance genre! I need more books on my TBR, don't you? ;)

books we relate to

Photo by Cristina Gottardi on Unsplash

I was reading through my drafts here on blogger. You know, those posts you began but never finished? Perhaps no one else does this, but I had 12 draft posts just sitting there. A few definitely worth deleting because you don't even want to know just how old they were and how not-relevant to my life now. *shakes head at younger me* ;)

Anyhoo! One such draft was this one. Which only had two sentences. And a link to an old blog post of Suey's. Reading over the article again made my mind spin with ideas and lo and behold! Here I am with a post. Yay me.

So! Books we relate to. In the blog post (in case you don't want to go read it, no judgment don't worry) Suey's friend Jenny mentions about how a certain book really connects with her. (I'm assuming it still does anyway, this many years later.) I completely understood what she meant because as I thought on it, that is precisely one of the main reasons why I love certain books over others. I have a lot of booklikes, but books I love? I have to love and connect with the characters. I have to relate to something they are experiencing or something inherent in their personalities. That connection will take a booklike straight to booklove for me. (Not always guaranteed, of course, but more often than not.)

Connecting with a character is HIGHLY important to me. (I think that's true in my real life as well. I deeply love being able to connect with people around me. If I can find something we share in common and we have opportunity to chat about it? That person is forever a sweet spot in my heart, and that conversation doubly so.)

Here are a few literary examples for you:

Anne from Persuasion by Jane Austen :: I relate to so much of Anne's thoughts and personality. A great deal of her outer circumstances have created a rich inward life for her and I get that. Plus her phase of life is one I understand as well. She's a huge reason why I love this book so much. (That and Captain Wentworth, of course. I LOVE Wentworth a whole, whole bunch too! ;)

Valancy from The Blue Castle by L.M. Montgomery :: I love Valancy. I don't personally have an awful family who basically browbeat me like she does, but I completely understand how she feels a little lost and unknown. How uncertain she is. Oh how I get that! And I love journeying with her as she finds her voice. Her story fills me with hope.

Autumn from Life After by Katie Ganshert :: I read this book during the year after my mother passed away and cried a bucket nearing the end. I just completely understood the grief journey Autumn was on. Grief is hard and jarring at times, yet gentle and constant at the same time. It's a strange sort of being and Ms. Ganshert wrote so much of what I could not put words to. (The way this story spoke so wonderfully to my grieving heart has made me slightly hesitant to read it again, for fear of not loving it so much now, which is just silly I know.)

Cori from My Hands Came Away Red by Lisa McKay :: I would say I connected to so much of the feelings of many of the characters in this one, not just Cori. I haven't ever been in such a terrifying situation such as they are, yet I still understand their fears, their uncertainties, their struggles to work together as a team with others that they don't always understand. I just got it. Plus the fact that they're overseas in another country and culture that they don't understand and yet have to survive in, that spoke to my longing for travel even before I ever imagined getting to go overseas myself! :)

These are just a few examples. There are many more and we'd be here for pages and paragraphs longer if I were to truly analyze what I related to in every story that I LOVE. (So I won't do that to you. ;) But I can say, again, that the biggest reasons I will fall in book love with a particular story hinges on me being able to connect with something or someone within it. Otherwise, it's pretty much a no go.

What about you?

Bite-Sized Reviews :: Edition Forty-Seven

More reviews coming your way! And how's your reading life going these days? I've slowed down a bit from May and June where it felt like I reading all the time. I did have a Saturday a couple weeks ago where I basically read all day. But the last few days or so, I haven't done a lot of reading. I've been writing instead! Go me. :)

Anyhoo! On to the fun stuff...

I Owe you One by Sophie Kinsella
This was cute. Sort of forgettable once I was finished, but cute while reading. I liked Fixie, yet she kind of drove me nuts a few times. Which necessitated me skimming quickly through a scene or two more than once. I just didn't love this one as much I'd hoped I would, but I did enjoy the romantic bits with Seb! He, too, made a couple decisions that made me wonder what in the world, but I liked him fairly well overall. So! If you're in the mood for an entertaining story to forget the world for a tiny slice of time, this may be the one for you! Especially the middle to latter half which had the best moments in my humble opinion...

The Bookshop on the Corner by Jenny Colgan
A delightful story about a bookish Nina who I loved from the first pages! This book was just a whole lot of fun and it made me want to completely overhaul my life and go run a bookmobile in the UK somewhere. :D I did love Nina a lot. I wanted her to choose this new life for herself so badly and so once she did, I was quite happy to travel alongside her as she figures this new chapter out. She is simply the endearing sort of bookish person who I could totally picture myself having lovely bookish convos with while we sat sipping our hot drinks in her bookmobile. Of course, her romantic prospects were an enjoyable diversion as well! This was simply a charming story that I want to reread again right now...

An Enchantment of Ravens by Margaret Rogerson
This went in a very different direction than I expected from the synopsis, I admit. But that is not a complaint! I really enjoyed the world-building as the first few chapters sets up how everything works and just what sort of sword's edge Isobel is balancing on. It's a fascinating atmosphere that Ms. Rogerson creates around her characters and I loved getting all these tension-filled glimpses of things going on underneath the surface. The romance bits were pretty adorable, I wasn't sure what sort Rook would be. But I liked him! He and Isobel have great chemistry, especially in the beginning stages where I could so easily picture the both of them falling in love almost unknowingly. The story isn't perfect, but overall quite enjoyable! Enough that I hope to read Ms. Rogerson's next book sometime soonish. :)

The Bookish Life of Nina Hill by Abbi Waxman
A bookish Nina (yes, another one! :) whom I loved to bits! I loved her passion for trivia and how it was such an unconscious fascination for her. I loved her bookishness and love of stories. And I loved her way of pushing through all the new family who find her and bring her into their drama. How she basically finds her people (more than she had before now, I mean, because the girl has quite the awesome tribe around her already) and finally allows who she truly is to settle more firmly inside her. I related so much to her, even if my life is so completely different! I just got all her introverted uncertainties and how she was just fine as she was thank you very much. But being pushed out of her comfort zone is good for our Nina and her subsequent journey of discovery is simply delightful. Reading this story just made me want to go hug all my books in my personal library and if that doesn't convince you to read it I don't know what will. ;)

Bookish Finds in Thailand

Hello, my lovelies! So yeah. I did get to visit a few bookshops while I was in Thailand. Of course I did. And it was DELIGHTFUL. Naturally. ;)

One full day back in December, I took my rented motorbike and headed out with about three or four different bookshops pinned on my google maps. It such a glorious day, traversing the city going from bookshop to bookshop. I did do a few coffeeshop breaks in between, of which I will gladly share about another time (because Chiang Mai, Thailand is THE coffeeshop city in the world. I think there are literally close to a hundred or perhaps more and no, that is not an exaggeration. Coffeeshops are everywhere. And that's delightful too. :).

The above sign was in a bookshop where they had other signs that said NO PICTURES. Humph. So I surreptitiously snapped that one and didn't stay long. Any bookshop that doesn't want to share it's goodness with the world...well...that's not a bookshop I want to patronize very badly. Anyhoo. They did have quite a large collection of used and new books. A good mix of Thai and English language books too. But I didn't find anything I had to have, so off I went to find other places.

Not the same day, but on a different day...I found these GLORIOUS Jane Austen's...and it was all I could do not to take them home with me. But alas, by this time it was getting closer to time for me to go home and I knew my luggage space was going to be fairly limited. I just about cried to leave them there. Only I couldn't cry. Because I was with friends. And they'd have thought it bizarre if I'd've cried about leaving books in a bookshop. So I snapped a photo so I wouldn't ever forget the pretty! *all the heart eyes*

(Also, those were the only ones they had. No Pride & Prejudice or Northanger Abbey to be found. Trust me. I looked.)

SO much fun to see two of my favorites in Thai! And those covers... Aren't they gorgeous?!?! *sigh* I was sad to leave those there as well...

And this, my friends....is a coffee shop. Yep. A coffee shop. It was open 24 hrs and was awesome. Filled with all sorts of books everywhere! For school, we had solitude days where we went out by ourselves and worked on assignments. This become one of my favorite spots for such a day... I happily spent hours surrounded by books and drinking my mochas! Happiness indeed. :D

It was located at the very top most floor of a mall, so the views out the windows were amazing. But it was the inside I was most concerned with. All those books...!! ;)

*happy sigh* Doesn't it look amazing?! I agree. :D It was certainly a happy spot for me.

I happened to go on a trip down to Bangkok and one day while we were walking the streets, I happened to spot this little shop. There were at least two other aisles that looked just like this. TONS of books. Alas they were all in Thai so I couldn't read a single one. But it was still fun to "get to know them" a bit! :)

ALL the pretties!! The above two photos are actually from my very first adventure out to try and find a bookshop. Thankfully a new Thai friend had pity on me and showed me this spot...since I was still a bit terrified of trying to find my way out and about all by myself. Clearly, I got braver as time went on...but this first trip was wonderful even if I did have to have a travel buddy with me. :)

Amen and amen.

First Line Fridays :: Anne of Green Gables

Hello, my lovelies! It's been a few weeks since I joined in the fun on Fridays over at Hoarding Books, but as I'm currently in the middle of a read-along of Anne of Green Gables, I knew this would be a good week to participate again! Because that first line by Ms. Montgomery? Is just awesome! :D (Just you wait, you'll see!)


Without further ado....Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery!

Mrs. Rachel Lynde lived just where the Avonlea main road dipped down into a little hollow, fringed with alders and ladies' eardrops and traversed by a brook that had its source away back in the woods of the old Cuthbert place; it was reputed to be an intricate, headlong brook in its earlier course through those woods, with dark secrets of pool and cascade; but by the time it reached Lynde's Hollow it was a quiet, well-conducted little stream, for not even a brook could run past Mrs. Rachel Lynde's door without due regard for decency and decorum; it probably was conscious that Mrs. Rachel was sitting at her window, keeping a sharp eye on every thing that passed, from brooks and children up, and that if she noticed anything odd or out of place she would never rest until she had ferreted out the whys and wherefores thereof.

Wow! Is that not the longest and best "run-on sentence" that you've seen?? :D It perfectly sets the tone for this story! You cannot read that and think that this book is going to be boring and dull. It's simply not possible! I've read this story before, but it's been years ago and so had forgotten how purely delightful it is. But I read that first sentence and I just knew. There's a reason why I love Anne so much. Why I remember loving this series of books so much. Ms. Montgomery created a cast of characters that are simply awesome and her vivid descriptions of everything make me think that she must clearly have had an incredible imagination herself!

If you've never read this book, then I highly recommend that you do! It's so worth it to meet Anne. Trust me, it really, really is. :)

What are you reading this weekend? What is your first line?
Open the book nearest you and post the first line in the comments below…
Or just click over here to join in with everyone else!

Anne of Green Gables Read-Along :: March 2018

My AWESOME blogging friends Jenni, Suey, and Kami are hosting an Anne of Green Gables read-along in March (which starts the end of next week)!!!! So naturally I knew I wanted to participate. I've had chances to read this particular book with other friends, but it didn't suit my schedule as well. This time I'm determined to make it work! :) I love this story, and I love Anne, herself, to bits! But I haven't actually read the book in years, so I'm definitely excited. You should totally join in too! These ladies always host the BEST read-alongs, with fun, thought-provoking questions and every time I've read a book with them, it's always been fabulous.

(So have I talked it up enough yet?? You should listen to me then, and join in. ;)

Anyhoo! Here are all the details:

Reading Schedule:
Chapters 1-13: March 1-11   
Chapters 14-26: March 12-22
Chapters 27-38: March 23-31

There will also be Discussion Posts and Twitter Chats and even a Movie Watching! I have not seen any of the updated Anne movies/miniseries/tv shows (whatever they all are). I hear good things! But I'm still so partial to the '80s movies, so I was thrilled that they are going to watch that one!

Stay tuned, friends. And sign up here! :)

First Line Fridays :: A Brush with the Law

Hello, my lovelies. I am here for week three (for me) of First Line Fridays! How awesome am I?! (You don't need to actually answer that. ;) As usual, the lovely ladies over at Hoarding Books are hosting the fun...

So! Today is a special edition theme: Little Month...Little Book. I am not currently reading any novellas....BUT. I did remember one I read last year right around Valentine's Day and since Valentine's is almost here...

Without further ado, I give you... A Brush with the Law by Janette Rallison

It was going to be another great Valentine’s Day— at least for someone else. For Bethany Daniels it was another work day— one where her shoulders ached and she was splattered in paint.

Janette Rallison has become one of my go-to author's for sweet romances. Especially when I need a quick little pick-me-up! This particular story is super short, but super adorable! Poor Bethany has a seriously awful day, which only means there has to be a chance for it to become better, right? And when a certain fella makes his appearance? The cute really begins! It's my favorite of all the stories in this anthology and never fails to make me grin no matter how many times I've reread it. (And I've reread it at least ten to fifteen times so far! I told you. I really like it! See my review for further reference. :)

So, what are you reading this weekend? What's your first line?
Open the book nearest you and post the first line in the comments below…
OR just click over here to join in with everyone else!

First Line Fridays :: A Song Unheard

It's First Line Friday time again! The ladies over at Hoarding Books are hosting, as always, and I am just excited to actually keep it going for my second week! (I guarantee this every week business won't continue, I just know myself too well. So I'll pat myself on the back just this once! ;)

So, without further ado, I give you... A Song Unheard by Roseanna M. White

The music seeped into her soul like fog over the Thames. Willa Forsythe leaned back against the grimy bricks and tilted her face up to the early-evening mist. It kissed her cheeks, cooled her, dampened her clothes. She let it. It was a reasonable price to pay for this.

I am SO excited to share the first line from my current read today! I had been hearing amazing things about this book and so far they are well deserved! (In fact, this book might have been featured on someone's FLF post last week? I've seen it so many places that I forget for sure. But no matter! I'm featuring it anyway!) This is my first Roseanna White book and if things continue the way they're going, I do not think this will be my last. SO good!

What are you reading this weekend? What is your first line?

Open the book nearest you and post the first line in the comments below…
Or just click over here to join in with everyone else!

First Line Fridays :: Speak Easy, Speak Love

The ladies over at Hoarding Books have been hosting First Line Fridays for quite some time now and I've always thought it would be fun to join in. So! No guarantees of this every single week, but today seemed like a good day to begin! I've been in need of some quick and easy (and fun!) posts to spice up the blog a bit and here we are. :) Check out the other links and maybe we can all add to our TBRs together!

For my very first post, I pondered which book I should choose. I figure it works better when you showcase your current or next read, but as I'm currently not in the middle of anything and I don't have any of my next reads with me right now....well! That means you get the first line from a book I read a while back and don't think it's gotten enough love from me around here. (One of these days I will actually get my review written. Promise! :)

Without further ado... Speak Easy, Speak Love by McKelle George

Benedick Scott was on his way to freedom or profound failure or, if the usual order of things held up, both.

This story is amazing, friends. It was on my list of top ten from 2017 and if you haven't read it (and like Much Ado About Nothing by Shakespeare), you should totally check it out! It's set in the Roaring 20s and, seriously, it's way more awesome than I can tell you. Way more! :D

Photo by Patrick Tomasso on Unsplash

Happy Release Day, The Austen Escape! {Also, you're invited...}

Happy release day to The Austen Escape by Katherine Reay! 

Did y'all know that I LOVE Katherine's stories? I have been known to gush in my reviews, I believe, so you probably do, right? ;) Anyhoo! Today is publishing day for her latest release The Austen Escape, and you can imagine that combining two of my favorite authors, Jane Austen and Ms. Reay herself, means that I am definitely reading this one! :D

I've actually had my copy for a couple weeks, but life prevented me from starting. Which is not all bad! Because I'm going to be reading it simultaneously with my #bookbesties starting today. Yay! (Which also means I'm planning to go straight home after writing this post and immediately beginning chapter one. Double yay!)

Which leads me to the main reason for this post. If you care to join, we're doing a little read-along. Mainly we'll be discussing on Twitter, using the hashtag #TAERAL. Even if you don't join in, but want to check out our convos, I guarantee there'll be LOTS of gushing and pure awesome going on. (Just sayin')

Also! Courtney says she's collecting questions to ask Ms. Reay, which she'll then post about once we're finished reading. So head over to her post for the details!

Meanwhile, please promise me that you'll check out her books? Believe me when I say that she's a fabulous writer!! :)

Christian Fiction Readers Retreat :: 2017

Hello, my lovelies! Guess what I did a couple weeks ago? (As if the picture doesn't give it away, huh? ;) Yes! I did indeed drive up to Cincinnati to CFRR. Oh, friends, it was an AMAZING day. It truly was! I'm still pinching myself to try and convince me that I was actually there! :D

(It's been a somewhat difficult year for me so far. It seems that for as hard as 2016 was in dealing with my initial grief, this year has been harder. I've just struggled to keep on top of my emotions on a daily basis. So to have this weekend in August to look forward to and then experience? Ah, I cannot describe what happy it gave my heart! :)

There were so many awesome authors and readers there this year! I admit to dealing with some anxiety all the way up until the moment I was standing in line (as all of us introvert types do, am I right?), but then I saw a couple ladies I'd met last year and I *happy sighed* when they were just as thrilled to see me. :)

{The only downside to the whole day was the fact that I knew I wouldn't get to see Rel and Jamie again. But someday we'll meet again, I just know it!}

The whole day was so amazing and awesome and I've been wanting to share it with y'all...life just kind of got a bit crazy once I got home again. But here I am now, better late than never, right? :) So how about a little recap?

I began the day with my bag of books for signing and a stop at Starbucks for a chai tea. A perfect beginning! :)

Then I saw Carrie (from Reading is my Superpower) and got my hug. She is a wonderful reader/blogger/FRIEND that helped head this whole deal up. I was thrilled to see her! :D

Follow that initial sign in and greeting with entering a huge room full of readers, bloggers, and authors and I didn't know where to start! Once the party officially got started, I can't describe to you what it feels like to look up front and see this whole row of authors in person. (I was at the very back of the room, I apologize for all the heads in the pictures. Just what it had to be.)

There were games, author panels, and my favorite: hearing a few specific authors share their hearts.

• Cynthia Ruchti - She talked about how important readers are. We have to have authors writing books, yes, but without a reader to read it, it doesn't complete it's purpose. Plus she shared a wonderful poem she had written herself!
• Becky Wade and Dani Pettrey - Dani was unable to actually be there in person, but we got to see her via technology for a little. She and Becky had put together a way for those of us readers to get the chance to see the actual process of writing a book. (Click here for Becky's blog post about the workshop.) It involved M&Ms, which means it was a delicious experience! ;)
• Shelley Shepherd Gray - She spoke about how much she loves reading herself and how that flowed over into her attempting to write her own story. She's so incredibly disciplined that she writes at least 10 pages a day and she says she won't let herself get up from her computer until all 10 pages are written. (!!!!)

We had lunch, in which I ate at a table full of readers, bloggers, one gal from...Bethany House I believe?, and Rachel Hauck! Rachel is very sweet, I enjoyed getting the chance to chat with her. I think that's probably my very favorite part of CFRR as a whole. That we can socialize and interact with authors and get the chance to see beyond their "writer persona" into who they truly are. They become friends instead of this "high and lofty celebrity type" (if you know what I mean?). 

Before the afternoon author panel, I had the chance to chat with Ann Gabhart. I haven't actually read any of her books yet and had to admit that to her (*gasp* I know!), but I definitely knew who she was! She helped me figure out which of her books I'd been highly recommended but couldn't remember the title. (It's Angel Sister, for those interested.) She's just this lovely, southern woman who has this comfortable feeling about her. I would love to spend a whole day just listening to her, she has a lot of wisdom to share. :)

L to R: Karen Barnett, Rachel McMillan, Laura Frantz, Serena Chase
Ronie Kendig, Rachel Hauck, Melissa Tagg, Meghan Gorecki
Ann Gabhart, Courtney Walsh, Susan May Warren, Gabrielle Meyer
Katie Ganshert, Ruth Logan Herne, Dawn Crandall, Pepper Basham

Then came the author signing at the end of the day! It was a delight to meet several and get their signatures. But two particular meetings stand out to me the most!

My reviews of The Ryn, The Remedy,
The Seahorse Legacy,
& The Sunken Realm 

First, I went up to Serena Chase (who, by the by, is the author of that incredible series in the picture and if you haven't read them, you must!) and started talking about how much I loved her books and how happy I was that she was there so I could meet her and all of a sudden.... She said something like, "Are you Kara from Flowers of Quiet Happiness?". Talk about getting my attention! I hadn't even mentioned my blog name at all yet! She then proceeded to get so excited to meet me. To meet ME. How crazy is that? I've been a fan of her stories since...2013 when The Remedy (from her Eyes of E'veria series) first came out, but to have ever imagined she'd remember me and my little blog? I couldn't seem to wrap my brain around that idea! I don't think either of us stopped grinning during the subsequent conversation. :D So yeah, that bit was awesome, friends! 

The second one was getting the chance to meet Rachel McMillan. I did mention my blog name to her first, but she knew who I was once I did! Which is still crazy to me. This little spot feels so small and cozy to me. I love it, but I don't think of myself as being all that well known on the blogosphere. Which is fine! But makes for funny moments when an author tells me they remember my blog name! :D Rachel is just awesome, for the record. I was so excited for the chance to meet her that I had to sneak a picture earlier during the day when she was on an author panel. ;)

But talking with all of them was just pure awesome! When I went up to Ronie Kendig and mentioned that I knew she and Rel were good friends, she said she'd been texting with her just a few minutes before. So it kind of felt like Rel was there for a second! :) I admit that it took me a while to recognize Dawn Crandall because her hair color was different than in her Official Author Pic. But she was so sweet once I did finally go up to her. I was thrilled to bits to get to share why I loved Life After so much to Katie Ganshert! And as I totally expected because of last year, Laura Frantz and Pepper Basham were both as lovely as ever.

Seriously, friends, this was an incredible day! If you get the chance to go next year, I highly recommend it! And it's a day I definitely won't soon be forgetting. :D

My {mid} Summer Reading Recs

So, yes, I do realize that summer is been here for weeks and weeks (believe me, I only have to step outside into that yucky humidity to realize it!) and that everybody and their neighbor already did one of these lists. But I'm just behind the times, okay? :) Actually, many moons ago on Instagram, a friend suggested that I should write a summer reading list and I totally meant to get it written long before now. Alas! So, here I am finally. (Hope you enjoy it, April! :)

Just to clarify some things officially (because I know I've ranted over these sorts of lists before), these are a few of my very favorite stories. Ones that I reread multiple times a year (meaning that I skim through all my favorite scenes again usually), and ones that I have been known to recommend to lots of people when they ask for recs. You may or may not agree with my list, so these books are NOT "have to" reads, they are Kara's favorites. :D

(But you know, if you happen to try one or three and really like them, then you're welcome. ;)

On with the list, how about it....

1. The Q by Beth Brower ~ historical fiction that is fabulously written and has one of my very favorite characters ever!

2. The Scorpio Races by Maggie Stiefvater ~ fantastical setting that feels very vivid and atmospheric, plus characters I fell in love with.

3. Barefoot Summer by Denise Hunter ~ a swoony romance that builds very naturally, as well as characters learning about forgiveness of others and of self.

4. The Maya Davis series :: Cool Beans, Latte Daze, Double Shot by Erynn Mangum ~ one of my favorite friends-to-lovers romances with lots of laughter, coffee, and chocolate!

5. Can't Help Falling by Kara Isaac ~ C.S. Lewis' Narnia references!!! Enough said. ;)

6. The Lady and the Lionheart by Joanne Bischof ~ EXCELLENT historical fiction! I cannot recommend this story too many times!

7. The Savannah series :: Savannah From Savannah, Savannah Comes Undone, Savannah By the Sea by Denise Hildreth ~ because Savannah is awesome, friends. The character and the city!

8. My Hands Came Away Red by Lisa McKay ~ a story that will grab your heart, break it to pieces, and put it all back together albeit changed for the better.

9. The Blue Castle by L.M. Montgomery ~ I think everyone needs to meet Valancy at least once!

10. The Truth About Forever by Sarah Dessen ~ it will make you dream of being at the beach even if you're in the dead of winter! Besides which, the lessons learned are bittersweet at times and the slow building romance is super adorable. The quintessential beach read! (in my opinion. ;)

What would be on your mid-summer reading list?