Bookmark

To accurately describe how much I enjoyed To All the Boys I've Loved Before, I will tell you right now, that I read it in less than a week and have already bought and read the second installment--P.S. I Still Love you! Yes, it is an "easy" read. Yes, it may not be earth shattering in terms of educational value, BUT who cares when it was written with such honesty and warmth? It was easy to relate to (especially for me, with two sisters myself!), and it was so easy to love each character. It was truly refreshing to read something so elegantly simple--a love story that captures the wonderful awkwardness of your first love. I would absolutely recommend this to my girlfriends. Would you?

For my next Bookmark, I will be reading a book my Mom and Aunt Karen have been urging me to read for years now. The Guernsey Literary Potato Peel Society, by Annie Barrows, may not be new to the shelves, but I am told it holds the test of time. Amazon describes the book as "written with warmth and humor as a series of letters, this novel is a celebration of the written word in all its guises, and of finding connection in the most surprising ways." I can't wait to dive in!

Bookmark

I went into Judy Bloom's book, In the Unlikley Event with mixed emotions. I loved her books as a young girl, but had heard mixed reviews of her previous adult novel. I also wasn't convinced I would enjoy a book about plane crashes. A few pages in and I thought I was proving my negative preconceptions true, when I found it hard to follow the many different characters and back stories. However, after another night of reading, I was quickly hooked. The bleak backdrop of three horrific plane crashes in a small New Jersey town was brightened with really loveable characters and insight into life during the early fifties. It was fascinating to know these "unlikely" series of events were actually true, and that Bloom herself was a resident of Elizabeth at the time. I would recommend this book to my girlfriends, would you?    

Our next Bookmark is To All the Boys I've Loved Before by author Jenny Han. I first heard about this book though the laurenconrad.com Book Club, and it came out with high reviews. When Lara Jean's private love letters are made public, she re-lives her five past loves in this quirky teen fiction. It sounds like the perfect, light-hearted book to read by the pool this Summer (P.S. I am choosing to ignore the fact that I have not been a "teen" for an undisclosed amount of time now, and will be enjoying this book guilt free!).  

Bookmark

Sharp Objects, by Gillian Flynn: You guys!!! This book is capital letter CREEPY. Albeit I am not one to properly gauge the level of scary or creepy, as I tend to lean towards easily scared, but this was genuinely freaky. Reading this before bed was a challenge. However, I could not put the darn thing down. I thought I was clever in solving the mystery behind the mother early on, but I was happy for the curve ball in the end. A thriller based around a family of woman was a new and interesting perspective (Gillian Flynn certainly knows how to write a horrifying woman!). The depth of the main character, Camille, was key to making this book more than a typical small-town mystery novel. Her perspective and honest insecurities were captivating. I would definitely recommend this book to my girlfriends (and am glad my friend Michelle suggested it to me!). Would you agree? 

Our next Bookmark is in line with The Social Chapter--"In the Unlikely Event," by beloved author, Judy Blume. Based on the true story of three plane crashes in three months in Elizabeth, New Jersey, I have read reviews that call this novel--her first aimed at adults in over 15 years--to be both gripping and moving. I can't wait to jump right into this one. 

Bookmark

This month's Bookmark is... Sharp Objects by Gillian Flynn. You might recognize the name as the author of the now best selling, blockbuster hit, Gone Girl. This mystery revolves around a journalist who is forced to face her personal demons, as she heads back to her small home town, to investigate the murder of two young girls.  

So, if you are as eager as I am to see if this book lives up to the captivating story I couldn't put down in her aforementioned novel, join me in my Bookmark series!