reading list // vol. 2

As if I haven't talked about this enough on here, I have another reading list for you! Since deciding to make reading more often one of my 2017 goals, my book list has been getting longer and longer with each passing day. Literally. I have a window open that has eleven tabs of titles I want to read. I just finished a book yesterday {it took me forever to get through} and am ready to get started on the next!

If you saw my last reading list, then you know that I love a good psychological thriller. But a person can only read so many of those before starting to freak themselves out at night. Seriously. I was starting to have nightmares.

So while this reading list has a few thrillers, I've picked books that are a bit lighter and won't have you thinking scary thoughts at night.

Everything, Everything by Nicola Yoon // Beauty and the Beast: Lost in a Book by Jennifer Donnelly // Until I Met Her by Natalie Barelli // The Hopefuls by Jennifer Close // Sugar by Kimberly Stuart // The Lost Girls by Heather Young // The Boy is Back by Meg Cabot // My Not So Perfect Life by Sophie Kinsella // After I Do by Taylor Jenkins Reid // The Possessions by Sara Flannery Murphy // The Hating Game by Sally Thorne

Please let me know if you've read any of these or plan to add them to your own reading list. Is there anything that you think I should add to this? Let me know in the comments, I'd love to hear from you!

books to read

Image via Domino

I've mentioned it before, but my reading habit fell to the wayside in 2016. I tried really hard to get back into it last fall, something that didn't really happen until my vacation at the end of the year. I read 6 books in seven days! And that just put me on a roll. 

One of my goals for the year is to keep this going and read more. I'm pushing for 25 books this year, which I really hope I exceed. I have quite a long list of titles that I'd like to get through {I'll be sharing next week}, and that gave me the idea to share some of the ones that I've loved recently!

All The Missing Girls by Megan Miranda // This book was a standout for me on vacation. Nicolette Farrell returns home to North Carolina, a place she hasn't been since her best friend Corinne disappeared a decade ago, to take care of her father's personal business. While she's home, she runs into all of her old friends and ex-boyfriend, all of whom were suspects then, including Nicolette herself. And now they're in the center of a new investigation when another girl goes missing - a girl who not only has ties to this whole group but Corinne, too. It's told backwards, so you'll start two weeks after the second disappearance and end on the first day.

The Couple Next Door by Shari Lapena // Ann and Marco Conti return home from a dinner party next door to discover that their baby is missing. The supposed "perfect couple" now find themselves rushing to find their baby girl while desperately trying to keep secrets under wraps - secrets that could destroy their reputation, secrets they were keeping from everyone, including each other. There was a twist towards the end that I wasn't expecting and completely through me for a loop!

The Twilight Wife by A.J. Banner // This book was a page-turner and one that I couldn't put down. I stayed up so late reading this that getting up for work the next day was rough. Since her diving accident, Kyra Winthrop can only remember the tiniest bits and pieces of the last few years of her life. She and her husband, Jacob, live on an island where everyone seems to know their life, but she can't recall anything about them. Then, she starts having visions of a marriage that is less than ideal and another man who seems very familiar and needs to piece everything together before these memories are taken from her again.

Dreamology by Lucy Keating // The best way to describe this book is sweet. So sweet and so cute! It's lighthearted and easy, something I desperately needed after all the mysteries and thrillers I've read. Alice has been dreaming of Max for as long as she can remember. That's all he is, the guy of her dreams because Max doesn't actually exist. But then Alice and her dad move to Boston and she learns that Max is real. He's real and sitting in her class and nothing like the guy she's dreamed of. When the line between dreams and reality starts to blur, Max and Alice have to figure out whether or not dreaming of one another is worth it.

I've got my next book lined up, but I would really love to know what you're reading. Have you read any books lately that you would recommend?

fall reading list

To be quite honest, I haven't been so good at diving into my reading list this year. I'm usually so good at reading a ton of books, but for some reason, I just haven't been able to get into it. I think a part of it is because I'm no longer commuting via public transportation to and from work. I used to spend every morning and night reading on the subway or bus when I was still in New York City. Now that I drive, I typically listen to the radio or podcasts since I've never been into audio books.

I'm actually leaving later on today and heading to Minnesota with my parents, and I think it's the perfect time to hop back on the reading band wagon! I'm hoping to read a lot while I'm away so I bought several books for my Kindle last night. I thought I would share my list with you, and then you can let me know if you've read any of them or if you have books that I should add!

I'm going to start off with The Girl On The Train, a book I've read already and loved, since the movie is coming out next week and go from there...

The Girl On The Train by Paula Hawkins // Behind Closed Doors by B.A. Paris // The Life We Bury by Allen Eskens // All The Missing Girls by Megan Miranda // Truly Madly Guilty by Liane Moriarty // What She Knew by Gilly Macmillian // The Couple Next Door by Shari Lapena // The Woman in Cabin 10 by Ruth Ware

recent read: slaying the tiger

You know by now how much I love sports and especially golf. When my dad first suggested that I read 'Slaying the Tiger' by Shane Ryan, I wasn't too enthusiastic given that I wasn't aware at all about what the book was about.

If there's one thing to know about me and sports, it would be that I base if I like an athlete on their character. For instance, they could be touted as the best golfer by the media, but if I see them act negatively on the course, I'm most likely not going to be a fan. It doesn't mean that I don't recognize their talent; they just won't be my favorite.

But golf is different from other sports. It's not the most popular so you don't really hear about players in the media. They keep their lives pretty private, rarely sharing information about family or what happens off the course. {Unless you are Tiger Woods. Then your private life has been all over the news.} And that's what makes this book so appealing. Shane Ryan was able to talk to successful golfers and those close to them during 2013-2014 season, a season where we really started seeing younger players emerge as successful and talented, putting them in the forefront of a sport that was dominated by Tiger Woods for so long. You learn more about their family life, how they came to love the sport, how they fought to get on the PGA and European Tours, and what other players think of them. Ever wanted to know if Rickie Fowler is really as nice as he seems? It's in there. Have you ever wanted to know more about mysterious Victor Dubuisson? Ryan covers that. Is Bubba Watson really the least popular among other Tour pros? That and everything from Rory McIlroy's strive for greatness and what really happened with Tom Watson and the U.S. Ryder Cup team is discussed. There isn't a boring chapter in this book.

I promise that if you are a golf fan of any kind, this book is one that you need to read. And if you aren't a fan, you should read this because it makes the game and the players much more interesting. The dynamics of the sport change when you have the information Shane Ryan shares in this book. It's a good one for sure!