I can not believe that I am thirty years old today. My twenties have just flown by. It was a difficult decade in many ways but I am grateful for the lessons that I learned along the way. I can not wait to see what my thirties have in store for me!
I actually did this tag last year and it is interesting to see how my answers have changed. I am currently in Montreal celebrating, so I apologize if it takes me awhile to respond to the comments. I appreciate you all so much!
BIRTHDAY CAKE – a book with a plot that seems cliche but you adore it anyway
Waiting for Tom Hanks by Kerry Winfrey
What makes Waiting for Tom Hanks so great is that it is full of cliches and tropes, and it knows it! That is the whole point of this book and it makes it so fun to read. You go in to it knowing that it can not be taken too seriously. It is just light-hearted and romantic and full of pop culture references that are delightful.
PARTY GUESTS – your most anticipated book release this year
The Nickel Boys by Colson Whitehead
I was lucky enough to have received an eARC of The Nickel Boys, so I have already read it. I will definitely be purchasing a copy for my shelves. It is so heartbreaking, which is just confounded by the fact that it is based on a true story. It is beautiful written as well, and I would expect nothing less from Colson Whitehead. He is brilliant! It comes out July 16th.
BIRTHDAY PRESENTS – a book that surprised you with how much you loved it
My Sister, the Serial Killer
I do not think I would have read My Sister, the Serial Killer if it had not been longlisted for the Women’s Prize, and that would have been such a shame. Thrillers are the genre that I normally gravitate towards so I didn’t have high hopes for this one. It totally caught be off guard and was more literary than I was expected. It is not your tradition mystery/thriller and I loved it for that reason!
THE HAPPY BIRTHDAY SONG – a book that certainly deserved all the hype it got
Daisy Jones and the Six by Taylor Jenkins Reid
This book has been absolutely everywhere and everyone is talking about it, for good reason! I am normally wary about really hyped books, but I loved The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo so I knew I needed to pick up Jenkins latest work. It was such a unique reading experience and I loved every single second of it.
HAPPY MUSIC – a book with some very beautiful and truly memorable quotes
Her Body and Other Parties by Carmen Maria Machado
I have noticed this trend where short story collections often have really fantastic quotes, and this is particularly true for Her Body and Other Parties. I will let the following quotes speak for themselves:
“Many people live and die without ever confronting themselves in the darkness.”
“I took a step toward her. ‘It is my right to reside in my own mind. It is my right,’ I said.”
“I understood that knowledge was a dwarfing, obliterating, all-consuming thing, and to have it was to both be grateful and to suffer greatly.”
GETTING OLDER – a book that you read a long time ago, but you think that you would appreciate it more if you read it as a more mature reader
Frankenstein by Mary Shelley
I will have to repeat my answer from last year! I read Frankenstein in high school for a philosophy class. I really hated that course and was not a fan of the teacher and I wonder if that hinder my enjoyment of the story. I remember being completely bored by it but now I wonder if I would appreciate the nuances more now than I did fifteen years ago.
SWEET BIRTHDAY MEMORIES – a book that kept you incredibly happy during a sad or demanding period of your life
The Five People You Meet in Heaven by Mitch Albom
This is probably the book that I have read the most. It is the one that I turn to when I need something that will lift me up. I take something different away from it every time that I read it.
