Okay, so I’m so crushing on the library right now.

I have been for months.

I don’t know why it took me so long to get back into reading. I love that anytime I want to read a book, I can look it up on the library website and put it on hold. I receive an email when it’s ready and voila! I go pick it up. It’s one of the little joys in life.

Even though I have two more Quebecois books sitting on the shelf waiting for me to turn their little pages, I have opted for books from the library as of late. Most of these are rather new. I was on a waiting list to read these, so here we goooooo….

The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah (fiction) – must read

This book had so many good reviews that it had been on my to-read list for a while. It started out a little slow for me. But it was like it got faster and faster the further I got into the book, if that makes any sense whatsoever. It’s a very different kind of World War II story that’ll surprise you. I didn’t just have tears streaming down my cheeks at the end of this book, I bawled. I don’t know when the last time (or ever) I did that at the end of a book. A must read.

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Don’t Sweat the Small Stuff by Richard Carlson (non-fiction) – worth a read

Yes, this book has been around for a while. And I didn’t exactly read it cover to cover. Instead, I took my time and read one little tip each day. The version I read was a little dated in terms of daily living, but the premise still rings true.

Me Before You by Jojo Moyes (fiction) – worth a read

This one had a looooong waiting list, but I picked it up at the library as part of their Lucky U program. They set a few popular books aside that cannot be reserved. Whoever sees it in the library first can check it out, but can only keep it for 7 days. Lucky me! Such a touching, controversial story. Maybe I should make this a must read. I’m ready to read any of Moyes’ novels now! Another tear jerker. Maybe I’ve just been emotional this past month?

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Big Little Lies by Liane Moriarty (fiction) – worth a read

Another highly rated book that was on the wait list. I didn’t know anything about it except that the author is Australian and so is the setting. It’s an easy read with short chapters. I could read one, clean a room, read one, do something else.

Early in the book, after I made the discovery, I thought, “A murder mystery? That’s not what I thought this was!” I tend to think I’m not really into murder mysteries, but I’ve liked the last few that I’ve read unintentionally. So there’s that.

At first, most of the characters really annoyed me. But then I realized that these are just like real people – with real – not poetic – quirks and habits. After a while it came to be refreshing, in a very strange way. And in the end, I liked that there were several women’s issues addressed in the book. Well, not really addressed, but explored. I also loved that nothing was really black and white. And the murder was only part of the book. It did not define it. It was more in the background and not the point of the story.

Despite my thoughts from the very beginning, I liked it.

Have you read a different genre from your usually lately?

Cheers~
Carrie