5 Recent Reads
Reading is something I've struggled with this year. I've found myself using my spare time to re-watch Grey's Anatomy rather than dig into some new awesome books. But I've finally got myself back on the bandwagon and here are 5 of my most recent reads.
LOOKING FOR ALAKSA - JOHN GREEN: I've been meaning to pick up more John Green books for a while. They're geared towards a YA audience I find them easy to read and they're always pretty entertaining. Looking For Alaska was Greens foray into writing and it was a good read. I really enjoy the topics in his books and this one follows young Miles who moves across the country to go to high school. There he meets the two other main characters, the Colonel and Alaska. It really captures the woes of being a teenager and how at that age meeting one person can change everything. Like I said, I do enjoy the topics of John Green books but I do find his writing style slightly sloppy in places.
REASONS TO STAY ALIVE - MATT HAIG: The title of this book doesn't scream feel good or easy read and it's not something I would usually pick up. I'd heard a lot about it online which is usually what makes me pick up a book that I might not have looked twice at before. Whether you suffer from mental health issues or not this is a beautiful book. It makes you look at so many things in a different light. It's not preachy or something that will make you roll your eyes. It just makes you feel so damn grateful to be alive and all the things we can enjoy. It's a short book so will only take you a day or two to get through and I know it's something that I will come back to time and time again when I'm not feeling my best.
THE GOLDFINCH - DONNA TARTT: I accidentally featured this book in my last recent reads roundup, which was far too long ago. Donna Tartt is an author that I'm slowly falling more and more in love with and I'm completely smitten with The Goldfinch. Last year it was The Secret History which is a much smaller book in comparison to this. But it's one that is completely worth the investment. Whilst the subject matter of The Goldfinch is incredibly captivating, following Theo Decker through one catastrophe from another and where he winds up in adult life. It's the way that Tartt writes, her style makes you hang onto every word even when it's not your typical read. This book is considerably lengthy but it never felt slow or like it was dragging on. Even when the story wasn't that fast paced you wanted to read on and find out what happened.
ALL THE BRIGHT PLACES - JENNIFER NEVAN: When I initially picked this up I thought it was going to be an easy breezy YA read. Even though I read the blurb and somewhat knew the subject matter I didn't think it would be as hard hitting as it is. The story follows Theo who wants to commit suicide and Violet who lost her beloved sister in a car accident. Even though the story is highly romanticised and not that realisitic in a lot of ways. The subject matter is so raw and important making it a beautiful read. It's a pretty quick paced plot and I love the format it's written in. I always enjoy books that are like diary entries rather than traditional chapters.
REAL CONFIDENCE - PSYCHOLOGIES*: This isn't the typical type of book I read, but it's one that really makes your brain work and feels oddly uplifting. Confidence is something that I know I'm good at showing on the outside but on the inside I'm still horribly unconfident in so many ways. Not only did the questions in this give me a boost of confidence. It was the case studies also as it gave some incredible insights into how people gained confidence in tough circumstances. I know it's something that I'll come back to time and time again when I'm feeling blue and in need of a pick me up.
What have you been reading recently?
R x
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