Summer Reading, part I

Hello blog land!  Not sure if I've mentioned it, but I'm an avid reader.  As in nerd level - I started fully reading at like age 4 and by 5 or 6 I had read my mom's copy of the Sammy Davis, Jr. biography!  When I was in grammar school, I read her college textbooks... I spent every summer participating in the summer reading program at my local library (and I almost always won).  I like to read.  And I do it pretty quickly too (a little over 100 pages an hour), a fact which still amazes the Teen and Tween.  I have lots and lots of books, and I frequent the library.  It is the 21st century and I have moved into the realm of electronic books.  I love that I don't have to carry individual books around to have a variety.  And since my first e-reader in 2009, I have amassed a large quantity of electronic books as well.  (side note: I love books but don't like to pay a lot for them.  If you like to read electronically and want budget books, check out BookBub here).

That being said, no matter how busy I get, I still set aside time to read and this summer is no exception.  My most recent books were Shopaholic to the Stars (Sophie Kinsella), Grey (EL James), and Summer Blow Out (Claire Cook). Two were hardbacks from the library and Grey was an e-book that I downloaded the same day it came out, lol!

So let's dish on them, shall we???

First up, Shopaholic to the Stars.

  

I love this series; I've been reading the Shopaholic books for about 10 years now (I own all of them except the last two).  Becky is hilarious!  If you are into "chick lit," check out this series.  Start from the beginning though.

This edition finds Becky and her family temporarily relocating to Hollywood for her husband Luke's work and Becky gets caught up in the glitz and glamour of it all.  As usual, she shops with abandon, justifying each and every purchase, and finds herself in several scrapes that she has to get out of.  At the end of the day, she finds out that what she thought she wanted may not be what she really wants after all.  I enjoyed the book, but I wasn't crazy about the ending.  I tweeted the author and she assured me that another Shopaholic book was coming.  So check it out!

Next up, Grey.  

I must confess, I was on the fence about this book because I wasn't a huge, huge fan of the whole 50 shades thing, but at the end of the day, I bought and read it anyway because I hate only reading part of a series (major pet peeve).  Grey is 50 shades told from Christian's point of view.  I liked it well enough; the only problem was that it was very one-sided (as it was supposed to be), and I read 50 shades so long ago that I didn't remember everything. So after I finished I went back and pulled up 50 shades and now I'm re-reading them, side by side.  It makes much more sense that way!  If you're a 50 shades fan, it's definitely worth the read.

Last (for now), Summer Blow Out.  

So I'm been a Claire Cook fan ever since I read, "Must Love Dogs," (remember that movie?).  So she's an author that I seek out.  If this book were a movie, it'd be a romantic comedy.  Romantic because there is a love connection made in the story and comedy because parts of it had me literally laughing out loud!  There's a truly unconventional family involved and interesting relationship connections (imagine your half-sister dating your ex-husband!).  I tweeted the author to let her know that it made me laugh out loud.  She was delighted and promised to keep me posted on any new material.  (side note:  I love it when authors respond back; I have been emailing them for years; now facebooking and tweeting them).  If you're looking for a fun little book to read at the beach, the salon or on the train, I recommend this one!

So what are you reading this summer?  Let me know so I can check it out.  One can never have too many books!  Just Holla @ Darvi!  Be Blessed!