I am quite behind on updating you with all the books I have been reading, so I will be doing a few posts over the next couple of months with all the wonderful books I have managed to read over the past 18 months! I have read a nice mix of genres and found some real gems (and a few not so great reads amongst them too), so today I will be sharing the first 7 books. Reading for me is such a wonderful way to relax and stop working. I’m self employed, and it is often hard to step away from working or just scrolling through social media all the time. Reading gives my mind a chance to shut off and just enjoy the moment. I am pretty pleased with the amount I have been able to read over the past few months, and it has helped to keep my stress levels down too.

Five Feet Apart by Rachael Lippincott

This YA book isn’t usually my go-to genre, but I had heard so many good things about it & I am a sucker for a good teen romance, this did not disappoint. It is set in a hospital and the story follows two teens who have Cystic Fibrosis and despite the Nurses doing all they can to keep them apart they still fall madly in love. Its a sweet story that tugs at your heart strings (cheesy in parts) but I enjoyed the reminder of how intense and all consuming young love can be & feel.

This Will Only Hurt a Little by Busy Philipps

LOVED this autobiography from Busy Philipps, she is honest, funny and not afraid to fall on her backside (she always gets back up though). I read this so fast, and although I don’t read too many celebrity memoirs (I thought Lily Allen’s was AWFUL), Busy has lived quite a crazy life, had a lot of downs but managed to find the strength to be quite the straight talking, no BS kind of lady I like. I thoroughly enjoyed reading all about her crazy and often heartbreaking life, and I don’t think many people in the public eye are quite so open about their mistakes and lessons they have learned along the way. Busy is pretty ace.

Three Daughters by Consuelo Saah Baehr

This was a very odd read, it felt like it was disjointed, and the story was missing depth and a clear plot. Parts of the story were interesting, and had me gripped, but I was left underwhelmed overall. The story follows three generations of Palestinian Christian women, you are witness to their traditions, their turbulent love stories, betrayal and a yearning for a more modern way of life. In parts this book is beautifully descriptive of life in historical Jerusalem, the sights, sounds and smells. You feel like you are there, but the book looses something special when the story takes you to America and essentially becomes a generic love story.

Mr Doubler Begins Again by Seni Glaister

What a very unusual but sweet story of friendship, affection and respect. Mr Doubler is a potato farmer who has lived alone for years, although he keeps himself very busy (on his farm) and doesn’t have much time for socialising, he doesn’t realise how isolated and lonely he has come. His only contact with the real world is Mrs Millwood, his housekeeper who comes every day, and they have lunch together whilst chit chatting. His world is turned upside down when she is taken ill, and he misses her company more than he ever thought. They speak daily on the phone, and Mrs Millwood ensures Mr Doubler finds purpose away from the farm. She not only opens his heart, but she helps him find friendship, people that need him and a new lease of life. It is a slow starter and in the beginning you do wonder where the story is heading but hang in there because is is quite wonderful, and you will find a place in your heart for Mr Doubler and the lovely Mrs Millwood.

Diary Of a Drag Queen by Crystal Rasmussen

This is a year in the life of Crystal Rasmussen a larger than life Drag Queen who takes you on a no holds barred, utterly unfiltered, shocking, at times heartbreaking but quite often laugh out loud glimpse into the world of the LGBTQ community. The KFC story almost killed me! This book has a lot of sex, and sexual references, so if you’re a little prudish, this is not (absolutely not) for you. I thoroughly enjoyed it and could not put it down, It is well worth a read, and is an eye opener for sure!

The Librarian of Auschwitz by Antonio Iturbe

There has been a flurry of these real life accounts of life inside the Concentration camps during the Holocaust. This story follows a young girl who risks her life to keep the 8 books the camp has safe from the Nazi’s. Keeping them safe is not an undertaking usually taken on by a 14-year-old, this responsibility comes with the constant threat of execution. But Dita Kraus sees the importance of books, and their ability to capture the imagination of the children (and adults) of Block 31 (The Children’s Block). The accounts from inside the concentration camps of WW2 are always utterly harrowing and never stop being unimaginable, but the tales of the people imprisoned there who manage to find strength, spirit and courage to not only survive but do so much good.

The Flatshare by Beth O’Leary

LOVED this book, it is an unusual but totally believable account of two people who share not only a flat, but a bed. It is set in London, where we all know rent is extortionate. Leon occupies the one-bed flat while Tiffy’s at work in the day, and she has the run of the place the rest of the time. It is an interesting & crazy concept and I loved the way Leon & Tiff get to know each other, without meeting, using letters, notes and seeing each other’s belongings. It’s a fun modern-day love story. If you are looking for an easy but great read, then this book is a real page turner. A fab beach read option this Summer!

As always, if you have any book recommendations or have read any of the books below, let me know how you enjoyed them.

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