Eligible by Curtis Sittenfeld. You know this author from Prep, that white book with the green and pink belt on the cover. At least, that’s how I know her. Eligible is a modern re-telling of Pride and Prejudice, which I don’t remember particularly liking when I read it in high school (or apparently not as much as I liked Prep), but I LOVED THIS BOOK. I seriously could not put it down. It’s hilarious and relatable, and makes me think I may need to go back and give Jane Austen another shot. Favorite thing I’ve read in a long time.

We Never Asked for Wings by Vanessa Diffenbaugh. This is the same author who wrote The Language of Flowers, which I really liked. I thought this one was equally good. It’s a quick, easy read, and gives a really heartbreaking but (I think) realistic portrayal of what it’s like to illegally immigrate to the US from Mexico. Maybe Trump should read it instead of sending grammatically incorrect tweets about building walls? Just a thought.

The Girl You Lost by Kathryn Croft. This is a relatively sick and twisted thriller. If you read Pretty Girls (mentioned in this post), you would probably like this book. It’s a little Girl with the Dragon Tattoo-esq. It took me a bit to really get into it, but the last third of it I couldn’t put down.

The Nest by Cynthia D’Aprix Sweeney. I listened to this audiobook, wooed by Amy Poehler’s praise on the cover. It started out looking really promising- a dysfunctional family, four adult siblings thrown into a tailspin when they find out their huge inheritance no longer exists. It got a little boring as it went, but held my attention for the most part.

Ripper by Isabel Allende. This started out reallyyyyy slow. But then it gets so good at the end! Kind of a thriller, mystery, Silence of the Lambs vibe toward the end. But it takes a while to get there so you’ll have to be patient. My Aunt Pat who is the reading guru really likes her books, so I’ll definitely read another one.

The Hot Zone by Richard Preston. This is the true story of the discovery/outbreaks of the Ebola virus. It’s really interesting but INSANELY graphic. So if you’re somebody that covers your eyes a little bit during Grey’s Anatomy, this is not the book for you.

Furiously Happy by Jenny Lawson. I haven’t laughed this hard at a book since I read Bossypants. The day I started it, I had been telling my family about reading The Hot Zone and how intense it was. And then I finished that and started reading this, and my family was looking at me like “Hey weirdo, what’s funny about Ebola?”

The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins. Yes, I had already read this. But when I saw the movie trailer (coming in October!!) Sheila and I were discussing how we needed to read it again. She suggested that I listen to the audiobook and I’m so glad I did. It is SO well done and now I’m even more excited for the movie.

The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah. I was a Kristin hater for a little while because I read one of her books in college and found it to be so unbelievably corny that I couldn’t stomach the idea of another one. BUT after a glowing review of this book from my friend Maura who I trust would have also hated the epic tale of friendship with a 65 page death scene, I decided to give the author another shot. And this was really really great. It’s about two sisters living in France during WWII and I loved it. You’ve redeemed yourself, Ms. Hannah.

The Heavy by Dara-Lynn Weiss. If you’re a Vogue reader (I’m not) you may know about this story of a woman who put her 7-year-old on a diet. I didn’t necessarily agree with her method for said diet or with all of her views on weight loss (she doesn’t believe in exercise- be still my heart), but I couldn’t put it down. I think she’s a good writer and the only exception to that was the “quotes” by her daughter, which no 7-year-old could realistically articulate. But other than that, worth reading.

What She Knew by Gilly MacMillan. This audiobook kept me company during a recent trip to West Virginia. It was just okay. It’s about a child abduction and is told from the perspective of the mother and from the chief investigator. I would say it was predictable, but I wanted it to have a few more twists and turns. Like The Good Girl!

Hopefully this kicks off your summer reading! You can always search “kindle” in the search bar to look at the first 8 Kindle posts!