Another round of Kindle reads! This list took longer than I expected to put together, because I went through a string of not-so-great books. Back in the olden days of hard-copy books, I used to have a 50 page rule. If I wasn’t into it by 50 pages, I put it down. There are too many great books out there to keep reading something you don’t like. With the Kindle, I don’t have a hard and fast “percentage complete” that I go by, but I’m still willing to return something if I don’t like it.

I have to be the ultimate nerd and give you a quote from The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry which I thought summed this up quite well:

“Why is any one book different from any other book? They are different, A.J. decides, because they are. We have to look inside many. We agree to be disappointed sometimes so that we can be exhilarated every now and again.”

This book, by Gabrielle Zevin, was a really cute and unexpected story about a widower who owns a bookstore and ends up adopting a toddler who was abandoned in the store by her mother. It sounds corny but it actually really wasn’t. There’s a few different story lines woven into it, and I really liked it. Quick read.

I’ve been reading a lot while traveling, but I’m also supposed to be studying because I have a big product exam for my job. Said exam is in 45 minutes, and I’m blogging. This feels just like grad school!

Crazy Rich Asians by Kevin Kwan. Ummm, this book is about exactly what you think it is.  It’s about these ridiculously rich families in Singapore, and while it does have a lot of drama and scandal it’s actually very well researched. Couldn’t put it down. Definitely one of my favorite books on this list.

The Rosie Project by Graeme Simsion. I absolutely loved this. It was recommended by the GS’ sister, and I’ve had it on hold forever. I had no idea what it was about when I reserved it, but I trust her judgment because we seem to have the same taste in books. It’s written from the perspective of a geneticist in Australia who essentially has undiagnosed Asperger’s and is looking for a wife. It was excellent.

Reconstructing Amelia by Kimberly McCreight. I actually read this a while ago and forgot to put it in my last Kindle post. But that doesn’t mean it wasn’t good! Somewhat disturbing subject matter, but it’s really interesting because, as the title implies, the big thing happens in the beginning of the book and then it’s all about putting the pieces together. I really liked it- kind of a borderline Young Adult novel.

The Last Anniversary by Liane Moriarty. I’ve gushed over Big Little Lies and The Husband’s Secret before. This wasn’t as good as those two, but still worth reading. I just love her writing style so much, it keeps me hooked. Apparently the person who narrates a lot of her audiobooks is excellent (thank you for the tip, Sheila!) so that’s on my list.

Three Wishes by Liane Moriarty. Can’t get enough of this lady, clearly. I loved this. It’s about triplets. That’s all I can tell you because there are so many plots. I think I loved it even more because I have two sisters and even though we aren’t triplets, I appreciated the sister humor.

The Orphan Train by Christina Baker Kline. This was a book that I was on the waiting list for FOREVER through my library. I liked it. I expected it to be a completely different style, maybe more like All the Light We Cannot See. Maybe just because I was on the waiting list for a long time for that, too. If you read this already and really enjoyed it, I recommend The Language of Flowers by Vanessa Diffenbaugh. They have very similar vibes.

China Dolls by Lisa See. I think I’ve read all of Lisa See’s books, initally because my high school English teacher recommended Snow Flower and the Secret Fan. All of her books are historical fiction, based on Chinese women in a variety of different eras. Anywhere from 17th century to World War II era. I wouldn’t say her books are couldn’t-put-it-down or particularly fast-paced, but they’re really well written and interesting.

All the Summer Girls by Meg Donohue. I wish this book had a different title, because it makes it seem like a beach read for a 13 year old. Which it isn’t. It has a very similar vibe to Elin Hilderbrand and Emily Giffin books, so if you like those authors I would recommend it. She has another book called How to Eat a Cupcake which also sounds like it was written for middle schoolers, but I’ll probably give it a chance.

The Andy Cohen Diaries by Andy Cohen. I listened to this audiobook, narrated by Andy Cohen, during my drive from Chicago to Iowa. I don’t even know what to say about this other than I felt less intelligent after listening to it. But I did enjoy all the references to Kelly Ripa because I love her.

Also a few books that I read a while ago but stick out in my mind as things that I always recommend to people…

Looking for Alaska by John Green. He’s most well-known for The Fault in Our Stars, which I listened to on audiobook resulting in somewhat dangerous driving given that I was sobbing through the last hour. However, Looking for Alaska was (I believe) his first book and by far my favorite. I read it when I was in high school and I still tell people all the time to read it so that says something.

Girls in White Dresses by Jennifer Close. This just made me laugh. It’s very dry, not-obvious humor and about a bunch of girls who have recently graduated from college. Think HBO’s Girls, but without the aggressive nudity.

Walk Two Moons by Sharon Creech. This was my absolute favorite book from the ages of about 11-15. I probably read it almost as many times as Harry Potter. I read it again recently and still loved it. She’s written a bunch of other YA books that I also remember loving.

Commencement by J. Courtney Sullivan. I read this a few years ago and absolutely loved it. It’s about four girls who go to an all-female liberal arts college. Now that I’m typing this I might re-read it… I also loved her book The Engagements.

Catalyst by Laurie Halse Anderson. She’s obviously most well known for Speak, which I also love, but I think I’ve read Catalyst at least 5 times. It’s about a high school overachiever. I wonder why I identified with it so much at the age of 17…

And of course, the Harry Potter series, which I re-read during April and May. Seriously it gets better every time somehow.

If I were ever going to get a tattoo, I would probably want that quote somewhere on my body. (Don’t worry, Mom, not getting a tattoo.) Speaking of which, my current read is The Omnivore’s Dilemma. I know. You can’t believe I haven’t read it already after this soapbox post. I’m only 3% in and I already know I’m going to love it.