Books, Books & More Books

I LOVE to read. When I was a kid, my younger sister would complain that I read too much and would try to get me in trouble for it. Can you believe it?! And sometimes it worked! More than once I had a book taken away because I wasn't doing what I should have been doing (usually chores or homework). When I was a teen I started reading in the bathtub. No one could take away my book then! I still do this, but not as often as I would like. You can't get much more relaxed than that. My second favorite place to read is cuddled in my bed at night. This also rarely happens because Mike goes to bed so much earlier than me and once he hits the sack, no lights allowed. So most nights you will find me cuddled up on my loveseat reading into the wee hours.

Recently, I started back on a book binge after a couple of years of not reading nearly enough due to a busy life. But I realized that I need that time to escape and have made it a priority in my life again. Anyway, the purpose of this post was actually to mention some favorite books I've read lately. If you're looking for a good book give one of these a try.

North and South

North and South was written by Elizabeth Gaskell in the 1850s. It is set in England during the industrial revolution. Margaret Hale and her parents move to an industrial town from a small country village where her father was a parson. You get a glimpse into class differences, industrial life and the religious crises Margaret's family face. This book was first serialized in Charles Dickens periodical Household Words. It was later printed as a book, with changes and additions from the serialized version. Elizabeth Gaskell has a beautiful way of writing and drawing you in and I found this book very believable and enjoyable.

The Mazerunner (series)

This book is set in a futuristic, dystopian society. For years boys have been waking up to a new home in a place called the Glade. Their sole purpose is to survive and to find a way out of the Glade though an ever changing maze that surrounds the Glade. This book had plenty of suspense and mystery and pulled me right in. I also recommend the sequel The Scorch Trials.

Books by Shannon Hale

Shannon Hale is a favorite new author of mine. The Goose Girl and Book of a Thousand Days are both retellings of Grimm fairytales and I loved them. The Goose Girl is the first of a loose series called the Books of Bayern. The following books in the Books of Bayern series are original fairytales by Hale based off of secondary characters from the Goose Girl. I have immensely enjoyed all of these books. I will also throw a plug in for Austenland (also by Hale) which is just a fun chick-lit book featuring Jane, an Austen addict, who takes a trip to a resort that caters to Austen fans.

I could go on and on, but if you want to check out what else I have been reading you can visit my Goodreads link on the sidebar.