YIKES. This was a super light month of reading for me, largely due to a ton of other obligations outside of work (and the amount of time I've spent in theaters seeing "Beauty and the Beast," and watching HBO's "Big Little Lies" at home...oops.). I really miss the act of reading - between jam-packed work days, barely surviving the flu, and all the other moving parts in my life, it's been far too long since I sat down and simply read a book. I'm truly ashamed to say this is the first month in I don't even know how long that I didn't read a single new book in its entirety. That said, I snuck a few old favorites in almost as a coping mechanism/security blanket when things got crazy...so without further ado:
Re-reads:
Big Little Lies, Liane Moriarty: I had to pick this up again after marathoning the show, because I couldn't remember who died and who was the murderer. It'd be a perfect beach or vacation read - it's not totally trashy chick lit, but it's frothy enough to be relaxing. Ms. Moriarty's characters are multi-dimensional, and the twists and turns of the plot are gripping enough to be interesting without being like... "Gone Girl"-esque levels of insane.
A Company of Swans, Eva Ibbotson
Magic Flutes, Eva Ibbotson
The Morning Gift, Eva Ibbotson
A Countess Below Stairs, Eva Ibbotson
A Song of Summer, Eva Ibbotson
A word on Eva Ibbotson: these stories are all young-adult level, which means I can blow through them in about three hours. I've read each of them close to a dozen times since I was an actual young adult (teen) reader. Ibbotson's prose is lovely, and her subject matter holds so much appeal for me - many things I love, including the opera, Brazil, London, both World Wars, and the British nobility, are her common subject matter. They're the literary equivalent of a cozy blanket and warm cup of tea for me, and I love that.
Here's to more books in my hopefully very-near future!! EEK. Send recommendations!