What Should You Read on Vacation?

The book-related question I get asked most often by my friends has to be "what should I read on my vacation?"

Obviously, everyone has different criteria for what kind of books they like to read on vacation, but if I don't know anything about the reader's preferences, if it's a woman, I usually start with suggesting the authors Liane Moriarty and Jojo Moyes, because I think they strike the right vacation balance of an engaging book which is light in writing style but with plenty of emotional depth.  For guys (and women too), Jonathan Tropper and Nick Hornby can fill a similar slot.  For mystery readers, I generally recommend Tana French, and for historical fiction, Kate Morton.  For people not afraid of a little genre fiction, "The Martian" by Andy Weir and "The Passage" by Justin Cronin are two can't-put-down books great for vacation.  And of course, depending on what I've read that year and specific requests/preferences of the person asking, lots and lots of other books may pop into my mind.

5 Books That Have Stayed With You

If you had to name 5 books that you have read that have really stayed with you over the years, what would they be?  Not necessarily your top 5 favorite books of all time (I could never pick!), but just the first 5 books that come to mind that have really stuck in your mind for one reason or another.  Here's what came to mind for me today:

1.  The Westing Game by Ellen Raskin

Probably the reason this middle grade book has stayed with me over the years is because it is likely the book I have read the most times in my life!  I used to read it all the time as a kid, and have read it a few times as an adult.  Just a really great kids' book with an interesting mystery, quirky characters, and lots of surprises.  I volunteer in the school library at my son's elementary school, and I love recommending this book to the older kids.

2.  A Widow For One Year by John Irving

I don't think I can remember the last sentence of any other book, including the book I finished reading yesterday - but more than 18 years after reading "A Widow For One Year," I still vividly recall the last sentence of this book and just the thought of it brings tears to my eyes. John Irving's books vary wildly in quality, and some of his more recent books seem almost like a parody of a John Irving book.  This one isn't his most famous, but is my favorite of his.  Somewhat less weirdness than his other books and just really indelible characters.

3.  The Passage by Justin Cronin

This book (and the subsequent 2 books in the trilogy) are among my favorites of all time.  I read it six and a half years ago and when my daughter read it earlier this year I could discuss it with her for the most part as if I had just read it - I can still name pretty much every character in the book and most of the plot points.  Long and totally crazy hard to describe plot that veers from government conspiracy to vampires to post-apocalyptic craziness, but written in a very literary style.  Just an amazing, can't put-it-down read.

4. Wonder by R.J. Palacio

Another middle grade book, but this one I read for the first time as an adult.  And it is one of the best books I have ever read, better than most adult fiction.  If you somehow never have heard of the book (or the movie adaptation currently in theaters), it's about a boy born with severe facial disfiguration who has been homeschooled and goes to school for the first time in fifth grade, and is just a beautiful story about compassion, friendship, and seeing beyond the surface.

5.  Dark Places by Gillian Flynn and Pretty Girls by Karin Slaughter

Ok, I'm cheating with this one by naming two books,
but they both fall into the same category - books which are good and well-written but which I wish I could forget because they're so disturbing!  "Dark Places" is about a woman whose family was murdered when she was a girl, and goes back and forth in time between her adult attempts to investigate what really happened, and flashbacks to the time just before - culminating in a description of the massacre of the family that was just so gory and upsetting.  I lent this one to my friend Sarah and when she tried to give it back to me, I refused because I didn't want to have the book in my house!  "Pretty Girls" was picked by my friend Laurie for our book club and while it was a good book, the rest of this in the book club still some times give her grief for picking such a creepy book.  It's a novel about torture porn and murder and still freaks me out every time I think about it.

So those are my 5 (well 6) that sprang to mind today, I'm sure I could easily come up with more!  What books stand out in your mind as those that have stayed with you?

The 5 Ws

Hey, I'm starting a blog about books! And I'm going to introduce myself using the famous 5 W questions - who, what, when, where, and why.

WHO am I?

I am a voracious reader - I generally read a minimum of a book a week, sometimes more!  I literally am always in the middle of reading a book, even if on some days I don't find time to read.  I am also an avid fan of tv and movies, and love reading about books, tv, movies, and pop culture generally.

Even though I have enough books in my possession to read for probably at least the next 5 years, I keep accumulating more books I want to read - from the overflowing bookshelf in my bedroom to my overloaded kindle, and from my Amazon wishlist to my library wishlist.

I am also a mom to two great kids, and two cats too, and I'm married to the greatest guy I know.  I'm also a recovering lawyer (with a creative writer inside who has been dormant for a while).

WHAT do I like to read?

This blog is going to focus on books, and as mentioned above, I read a lot of them.   I also like to read a variety of genres - contemporary fiction, historical fiction, young adult dystopian novels, realistic young adult novels, science fiction and fantasy, mysteries and thrillers, short stories, chick lit, ...  I don't tend to read much non-fiction or classics, though I may remedy that.

WHEN will I post?

I am planning to try and post at least once a week.  So check back often for updates!

WHERE can you find me?

Right here, of course.


And for more about the books I have read, check out my Goodreads profile here:  https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/61068-Jennifer

WHY am I starting a blog?

People are always telling me "You really should start a blog about books."  I do love to read, and also love to share my opinions and recommend books to people. 


Plus, I would love to work on my writing and explore my creativity.  I loved to write when I was a teenager, but many years of school assignments and then legal writing tamped down that creative spark.  So I am looking forward to exploring another kind of writing - and maybe eventually to get back to writing fiction as well.


Looking forward to exploring the world of reading with all of you!