QUARANTINE READS

For me, one of the bright spots of this difficult time has been reading. Reading has always been one of my favorite hobbies, but with school, work, and life in general, recreational reading quickly got pushed to the side. However, with oodles of free time on my hands, I have had the opportunity to tear through many a book and have loved every second of it! How could I possibly have forgotten what an incredible sensation it is to lose yourself in a book? Reality fades away, hours pass, and before you know it is midnight and you are mourning the life of a fictional character. (no, just me?)

So, even though I enjoyed every book I read over the past couple of months, not all of them are created equal. There were for sure some shining stars, and I felt the need to share the ones I loved the most with you, my four fans. So, without further ado, here are my QUARANTINE READS:

Keeper of the Lost Cities Series by: Shannon Messenger

One of my Young Women had been recommending this series to me for over a year, and right before quarantine started, I finally caved to her suggestions. You know what came next? Instant regret for not listening to her earlier. Guys, this series is ADDICTING. From the moment I started the first book I was instantly sucked in, and ripped through the following seven in a matter of weeks. One quickly begins to wish they could be an elf, discover their ability, and eat all of the delicious food! I love how Messenger mixes current pop culture references with the fantastical world she has created. The books are clean, fun, and quick reads! Bonus? There are still a couple of books left in the series! Would highly recommend for any age range!

Love on the Sidelines by: Tiffany Odekirk

What can I say, I love me a good romance! Although I read this series out of order (oops!), I had no trouble following along with the story, and quickly devoured its predecessors upon my completion of this book. I found myself swiftly falling for Jase Jennings, and yet was still able to cheer for he and Allie’s romance (which is not always the case, so kudos to Odekirk! 😉). It was really cool to read a romance I could relate to (even as a single pringle), as Odekirk seamlessly wove the culture of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints into her book. One of my favorite parts of Odekirk’s books is that she includes a playlist for the story at the end of each of one. Reviewing the playlists allowed her books to come to life even more, and gave me so many new songs to add to my 2020 playlist. Clean, quick, innocent romances? What more could you need?

Life and Death by: Stephenie Meyer

Ok, so my inner thirteen-year-old may have come out two Monday’s ago, when I received the news that Stephenie Meyer was releasing Midnight Sun in August!!!!! My teenage prayers were finally answered, and you best believe that I am counting down the days until August 4th. So, as I was staring at my bookshelf, reflecting over one of my favorite series, I realized there was a Meyer book on my shelf that I had never read. (For shame, I know!) I quickly grabbed Life and Death, and gobbled it down in a few days. Life and Death is a reimaging of Edward and Bella’s love story, where the genders are all swapped. I was a little scared that I would not be able to connect as well with Edythe and Beau, but I quickly found myself cheering for the couple (although, I have to admit, in the back of my mind, I was always waiting for Edward to pop up). Although it is a retelling, the characters themselves were completely different from their counterparts, and I found myself staying up late into the night to discover the ending. Stepping back into the world of Forks was so comforting, and made me even more excited for Midnight Sun. If you are a fan of Meyer, you will love this book (although, I’d recommend it for a slightly older audience).

Pride and Prejudice by: Jane Austen

Although I have seen almost every adaptation of Pride and Prejudice several times, I had never read the book. Once again, for shame! So, with a week before the new Suzanne Collins book came out, I decided to dust Pride and Prejudice from off of the shelf and give it a try. One of the things that I loved about this book is that it challenged me. I have read quite a few cheesy romance books over the past several weeks, and although I loved them all, it was nice to read something that worked my brain a little bit more 😉. I enjoyed stepping into history, and it was really cool to see how much I could relate to Elizabeth, even though we are from completely different time periods. (see, she didn’t’ end up as a spinster, so let’s have a little faith, people!) I found myself actually laughing out loud at Mrs. Bennet’s antics, and obviously falling in love with Mr. Darcy. Shocker, but Jane Austen is really worth all of the hype, and I am excited to read some of my other favorites of hers.

The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes by: Suzanne Collins

Once again, my inner-teenage self was jumping up and down when I found out that Suzanne Collins was writing a prequel to one of my favorite series, The Hunger Games. Time seemed to drag on as I awaited the arrival of the book, and just like the four mentioned above, I tore through the story of Coriolanus Snow within a matter of days. Now, unlike many of the other books I have read over the past two months, this is not a light story. I mean, the first three were filled with murder, betrayal, and tough life choices, so what could the reader really expect? Even though this book was quite dark, and the ending broke my heart (which The Stinker always tells me makes a book more realistic), I still enjoyed stepping back into Panem. I loved all of The Hunger Games Easter Eggs that are riddled throughout, and even though I learned that I will never like President Snow, his backstory was very interesting. I love the way Collins vividly paints a story, even if it is a heart wrenching one. If you are a fan of The Hunger Games, you will quickly become lost in the story of the tenth Games. (once again, I would recommend this for an older audience)

So, those are some of my favorite Quarantine Reads! I am so grateful for the opportunity I have been given to fall back in love with reading. I will never jeopardize my relationship with books again. So, if you read any of my recommendations, please let me know what you thought! Oh, and if you have any recommendations for me, I am all ears!

Now, if you need me, I’ll be counting down the days until Midnight Sun comes out 😉