We’re in the middle of a massive multi-day rain storm (schools were even canceled on Friday because of flash flooding)…the likes of which I don’t think I’ve ever seen in my life! I’m just hoping the many very tall pine trees in our yard stay firmly rooted in the ground and don’t end up toppling into our house.
The good news is…my 2018 Summer Reading List went live last week! I’ve got books in 4 categories: Something Fun, Something Intense / Fast-Paced, Something With a Bit of Substance, and Something Different. And, this year I chose a #1 pick for each category and have a printable cheatsheet you can take to the bookstore or library! Bookmark this post because I’ll be adding new books to the list all summer!
Hosted by The Book Date.
This post contains affiliate links (plus: here’s your Amazon Smile-specific affiliate link), through which I make a small commission when you make a purchase (at no cost to you!).
Giveaway
In case you missed it on Instagram this weekend, I’m teaming up with Tupelo Style (@tupelostyle) and Richmond Real Estate Mom (@richmondrealestatemom) for a giveaway of The Female Persuasion (one of my favorite books of the year so far!) OR the cute earrings in this picture! Tupelo Style is an online consignment shop specializing in high-end clothing (adults and kids)…they’ll sell your stuff you’re ready to purge and you can pick up some great deals on their Instagram account! I recently bought a cool bracelet for just $10.
Giveaway ends at midnight EST tonight (Monday May 19). To enter, like both Sarah’s Book Shelves and Tupelo Style and tag 2 friends!
I finished reading…
We Are Gathered by Jamie Weisman (June 5, 2018)
I thought this would be a light, fun read and a good candidate for my 2018 Summer Reading Guide. It was not at all what I expected and wasn’t right for the Summer Reading Guide, but I liked it! Mini review to come.
I’m currently reading…
The Favorite Sister by Jessica Knoll (May 15, 2018)
I’m about 25% through this novel about a fictional reality TV show similar to Bravo’s Real Housewives franchise. And, I’m really liking it despite DNFing Knoll’s first novel (Luckiest Girl Alive). It’s chock full of behind-the-scenes reality TV secrets and passive-aggressive sister dynamics. We’ll see how things progress…
Upcoming reading plans…
Tin Man by Sarah Winman (May 15, 2018)
This novel about a friendship comes highly recommended by Susie at Novel Visits (she said it’s for fans of The Heart’s Invisible Furies, my favorite book of last year!) and my library hold just came in!
I was reading…
One Year Ago: Apparently, I didn’t post anything!
Two Years Ago: I was reading a powerful, underrated gem.
How was your reading week?
Oh no– I passed on Tin Man last night while searching for something to read! I’ll wait for your review and then decide. I actually went for Hello Sunshine, which I didn’t read last year. I needed something light and fluffy.
Well, I ended up thinking Tin Man was just so-so, so don’t worry!
I guess I’m going to need to read The Favorite Sister since everyone seems to like it so much. I think it might be a good one for me to listen to. I’ve been all over the lighter books for audios lately.
I know almost nothing about We Are Gathered, so look forward to your review. Don’t forget that Tin Man has a slower start, but is so worth it!
Favorite Sister is delightful trash! I loved all the reality TV scoop in there.
Love your mini-reviews here! These are right up my alley- added TinMan and The Female Persuasion to my Goodreads- I just read YoungJane Young- so good! And now I am stalled out so these may pick me up a bit!
Thank you!
Everyone is loving The Favorite Sister – I need to get to it soon.
We are over the rain around here.
As soon as I found out that The Favorite Sister was about reality tv and particularly Housewives-like, I wanted to read it!
Hoping it stops raining for you guys soon!
The Female Persuasion is my favorite book this year so far, too.
I have hesitated about The Favorite Sister because of not finishing Luckiest Girl Alive…so maybe I can dip my toe into this newest book by the author. Thanks for sharing.
Here are MY WEEKLY UPDATES
I finished Tin Man this weekend and LOVED it so much. So much emotion packed into that tiny book. I hope you love it!
I’ll be interested in what you think of The Favorite Sister when you finish. I’d just added it to my library’s reserve list earlier this morning!
These look great! I actually have Luckiest Girl Alive on my TBR. Curious as to why you didn’t like it? Thanks for sharing your titles.
Laura 🙂
All of your books are new to me this week. I see lots of love (or curiosity) for The Favorite Sister which makes me curious about it. We could use some of your rain since we’re a couple of inches below normal for the month. Come see my week here. Happy reading!
Today was the first day in a long time that it wasn’t raining. I actually went running and didn’t get wet. I liked Tin Man. I think I’m reviewing it tomorrow on my blog? I don’t remember. The review is coming up soon.
Hooray for rain-free runs! I liked Tin Man okay, but not as much as I thought I would.
The Tin Man is gorgeous. I really loved it.
I finished The Mars Room this morning. It was good, not great. I bailed on The Ensemble, because it is very character focused and I just went through that with Tin Man so it didn’t work for me.
I’m going to start Another Side of Paradise- historical fiction about F. Scott Fitzgerald and Sheila Graham. Hoping it is a Swans or Seven Husbands kind of novel!
How’d Paradise turn out? I’m guessing not that great since I haven’t heard from you about it?
Summer is the season when I get the least amount read. Summer is swimming, travel, and photography. My weekly update
But those things sound like fun too!
I hope you come out of the flooding unscathed! We had massive flooding about four years ago and were basically trapped at our house for a week. They’re still repairing roads in the mountains from it. Hope the sun shines soon and the trees stay put!
I can’t wait to read Tin Man!
OMG – I’m so sorry! That sounds way worse than ours.
And I was lukewarm on Tin Man, but others loved it.
I have Tin Man up next for a freelance assignment — I’ll start just as soon as I finish my current “for me” audiobook.