Tag: book list

Book List: My Favorite Novel Friendships

Book List: My Favorite Novel Friendships

by maddison37055 ♥ 0 Leave a Comment

Thank you to Willow for this stellar idea! Great friends can make or break a book for me sometimes. And even then, sometimes I hate a book, but the best friend was awesome…and I just wonder why we didn’t write a book about the friend? *shrugs*

Without further ado, my favorite friends and found families:

Bruno & Kamala: Ms. Marvel

I love Ms. Marvel! I don’t think it comes up often on the blog, but I’m actually really into comics. There are a select few female superheroes that I will read on the regular, and Ms. Marvel is my absolute favorite. I adore G. Willow Wilson’s Kamala Khan, and her friendship with Bruno is amazing. I think the new Disney+ show captured them both perfectly. They are the perfect nerdy pair, and Bruno really becomes part of Kamala’s world with no hesitation. We all need a Bruno! Start the G. Willow Wilson series here.

Kristen & Sloan: The Friend Zone

It’s no surprise to anyone who reads my reviews regularly that I love The Friend Zone. This got me hooked on Abby Jimenez, but so far none have topped this one. And part of what made it so great was the amazing friendship between Sloan and Kristen: they supported each other in all the best ways, and when it came to be crisis time, they were everything the other needed. I love a power friendship like this one, and I think it continued perfectly in The Happy Ever After Playlist. Get your own paperback here.

Dannie & Bella: In Five Years

If you haven’t read the heartbreaking masterpiece that is In Five Years, you don’t quite know how key this friendship is. I went in expecting the book to be a romance, which I think was an intentional choice on the publisher’s part, but it’s really about friendship. I think Dannie and Bella and the story that unfolds explore what it means to be a true friend, with a lot of opportunity to mess up, and a lot of opportunity to redeem yourself. I loved this book, in spite of it being nothing like I thought it would be. It was gut wrenching, and soul crushing, and beautiful. Get a copy of your own here.

Finlay & Vero: Finlay Donovan is Killing It

Quite possibly my favorite pair on the list, Finlay and Vero are my favorite hysterical dream team for hired assassins. Mother and babysitter turned found family, Finlay and Vero go together perfectly, their sense of humor perfectly matched. On the page, they read like true best friends, complete with all the antics, sillies, and caretaking of two gal pals. It reminds me of my own best friend and I, and that helps connect to the book and the characters, for sure. Their friendship is truthfully one of my favorite parts of this series! Get a copy of your own here.

The Bromance Book Club: The Bromance Book Club

Ah yes, the Bromance Book Club! While most of the friends on this list are pairs, I can’t speak highly enough of the group of men that makes up the heart of this series by Lyssa Kay Adams. The book club reads romance books to better understand women, and over breakfast at their favorite diner, they learn how to be better feminists and support the women in their lives. I take it back… these guys are the true power friendship goals – nothing like turning your famous friends into vocal feminists! Get the first book here!

And thus concludes my August book list! Keep those book list ideas coming – this one was tons of fun and reminded me of some books I truly forgot how much I loved!

Have a great weekend!

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Book List: My Favorite Thrillers

Book List: My Favorite Thrillers

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After the great month of thrillers I’ve had, and my strong desire to pick up more, I think it’s finally time to dive into some of my favorite thrillers I’ve read!

Sorry, couldn’t resist.

As always, I don’t make money off these links, I just like to make it easier for you to order those that interest you. Don’t want to order from my local bookstore? Order from yours! Jeff Bezos doesn’t need your money!

Let’s jump in!

The Whisper Man by Alex North

The Whisper Man was my first Alex North, but certainly not my last. Sitting alone in the house at night reading this, I was convinced someone was standing behind me. Very few books can give me the shivers and that feeling of being watched quite like this one did…and I loved every second of it. Just like with some of the others on this list, The Whisper Man starts with a horror feel to it, so keep that in mind as you pick it up. Grab a copy of your very own here.

Home Before Dark by Riley Sager

I love Riley Sager’s works. I first picked up Home Before Dark, though, so I think it will always have a special place in my heart! Sager is a master of the thriller and has written all kinds of different tropes into terrifying works of constant action. Home Before Dark hits on the haunted house…so it goes without saying it also seems to have ties to the horror genre. I loved this one, as it really reminded me of The Haunting of Hill House (in this case, the show, not the book!). Get a copy here. (On an unrelated note, I’ve never seen this cover before but I LOVE it!).

The Broken Girls by Simone St. James

Many thrillers give you that feeling on the back of your neck, the goosebumps, the stomach fluttering fear…but few books left me as hollow as The Broken Girls. I know that must sound like a bad thing, but I swear it wasn’t! I loved the characters, the setting, and this mystery is incredible. But the most profound part of the book, that helps it earn a spot on this list, is the atmosphere of it, the way I felt during and after reading it. St. James sets an incredible stage, and there was just something ghastly and vast about The Broken Girls. Get your own copy of it here.

The Roanoke Girls by Amy Engel

One of my go-to book recommendations for thriller readers at the library was always The Roanoke Girls. I admittedly felt like I knew how it was going to end before we really got into it, but I don’t know if that was just me, or a general audience thing. Regardless, I love the vibe, the setting, and the action of Roanoke Girls, and everyone I recommended it to would come back and say “…it was creepy, but a little weird.” Yeah, pretty much. And this also brings up the question, where the heck did Amy Engel go??? Has she written anything new?? Get The Roanoke Girls for yourself here.

Allegedly by Tiffany D. Jackson

Might as well throw a little YA in here too! Though I don’t know as if I would classify this as YA…no matter who the author is. Don’t let the classification deceive you, this one is chilling down to the bone. The twist in this story just had me so SHOOK. I don’t care if that’s cheesy, I said it and I meant it. I read this in high school, but I think a re-read might be overdue. This one is creepy and bizarre, and much more fit to an adult brain, in my opinion. Get your copy here.

And since I’m in such a thriller mood…I want to hear your recommendations!! I’ve picked up some things I never would have a year ago, and just loved them. What book gave you the creeps??

Have an awesome weekend friends!

Book List: Spring Reads

Book List: Spring Reads

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IT’S COMING.

The warm weather is almost here!!! I actually declared it spring already, on February 23rd, when I wore capris and drove to work with the windows down…but then it snowed again. Which was rude, on Mother Nature’s part.

Anyways, here’s my favorite spring books! Inspiring, growth-focused, or just refreshing – it’s time to get reading!

The Comic Book Guide to Growing Food by Joseph Tychonievich

No better place to start than in the garden! Last fall I read The Comic Book Guide to Growing Food, and as promised, I’ve already picked it back up this spring as a reference guide. This book seriously rocks. For us young people who didn’t think we could grow anything? This book is magic. Not only is it a lovely read, but as a guide to refer back to with questions and problems, it’s also wonderful! If you’re thinking of starting a garden of your very own, this book is for you! Get your very own here.

Educated by Tara Westover

Educated was another audiobook choice for me, and I’m so glad I did listen to it. Sometimes you just know in your soul how you should absorb a book, and this is one of those books. Even though Westover doesn’t narrate it, her tale of growing up sheltered in the middle of nowhere is one of triumph that sticks with you. Hearing her stories, gasping and crying right along with the narrator, is so meaningful. To me, this story is about rebirth, renewed existence – which makes it the perfect spring read, if you’ve yet to get to it. Get your own copy here.

Again, but Better by Christina Riccio

I know YouTuber Christina Riccio’s debut wasn’t met with tons of love – many say she basically just copied verbatim her actual life (isn’t that most books though?) – but I think it’s still a fun read about second chances and making the choices that’ll impact your future. I read it in a day back in college and thoroughly enjoyed it, even for its crazy whims and sometimes annoying characters. This book is about starting over, trying again, but better… just like spring is. Pick up your own copy here.

Girl, Stop Apologizing by Rachel Hollis

I listened to Girl, Stop Apologizing during my commute to college several years ago. I’m not a huge Rachel Hollis fan; I know there’s a lot of people who hang on her every word, but I think there’s got to be something ringing true to so many women if they follow her like this! And I think listening to this book definitely showed me some of that. Girl, Stop Apologizing is a kick in the pants to start working on your goals, as well as tips and tricks to start getting it done. It’s more of an inspiration than a how-to, which is what I think you need coming out of a sleepy season like winter. This book is great reminder to get up early and drink some water. Pick up a copy here.

She Sheds Style by Erika Kotite

This is a really recent read for me…as I’m sure you can guess from just seeing this review at the beginning of March! I loved She Sheds Style not only because I would KILL for my own little she shed, but the projects within are about finding your own style, refreshing and giving new life to furniture, and of course, landscaping and your yard! There’s a lot more going on in this book than just she sheds, and I think much of it is very fitting to the spirit of spring. Get a copy of your very own here.

This list is mostly a collection of books I read in winter that made me long for spring, I’m realizing! Either way, I think there’s something warming and refreshing about these books. It’s a good list for that fresh spring start. What books would you recommend as the weather heats up?

Have an awesome weekend, friends!