Beach Read by Emily Henry
This book has been sitting on my shelf for a very long time. I’ve read all of Emily Henry’s latest summer romance releases, “People We Meet on Vacation” and “Book Lovers” but have been saving this specific book for when I really need it. I don’t know when that time will come where I need to pick this up but my resistance against picking it up has quickly waned after reading “Book Lovers”. My first Emily Henry romance book was “People We Meet on Vacation” and it’s centered around a friends to lovers romance. While I did like that book, it was more of a 3.75/3.5 star read for me. “Book Lovers” on the other hand felt like an immediate 5 star read the minute I started it. There’s something extra special about “Beach Read” that I can’t explain. It’s been on so many of my TBR’s and it’s the first Emily Henry book I hauled. I got this book before “People We Met on Vacation” and “Book Lovers” even came out. I hauled this book before Tik Tok discovered it. I don’t know how to explain it but as a reader and a book collector, I feel like I have some kind of sixth sense where I know from the moment I look or touch a book that it’s going to chance my life and I feel this way with “Beach Read”.
A Lady for a Duke by Alexis Hall
This is on my June TBR and I hope I get to it! Besides the fact that book is full of much needed representation, I’m so excited to read about a friends to lovers story. This is a historical fiction romance with what I believe is a modern touch? I’m not entirely sure because I want to go in knowing as little as possible. All I know is that everyone’s been giving this book 5 stars and with stats like that, it’s highly likely that I too, will be giving this a five star read.
Great Circle by Maggie Shipstead
This is a historical fiction book following two time lines. The first timeline is that of the early 1900’s and we follow a girl who’s determined to learn how to fly a plane and the circumnavigate the globe. We also follow a modern day timeline of an actress who has been casted to play the role of this female aviator. I was hooked on it from the start because this book has these very specific elements I look for in a historical fiction book: strong female character defying stupid society limitations, alternative timelines, and immersive narration of a life story with many twists and turns. When I heard in a review that this book also gives off major Evelyn Hugo vibes, I was sold. The book is huge, the pages are ridiculously thin, but I can’t wait to drink way too many cups of tea and lose myself in the story of this female aviator.
Mean Baby by Selma Blair
I feel like I’m cheating a bit with this one because I kind of started this memoir and am maybe 10 pages in when I’m writing this post. But my oh my, Selma Blair can write and she can write beautifully. I’m not an avid fan of Selma Blair or anything, I was just drawn in by the cover and the title of the memoir but I definitely am a fan of her work now. From what I can tell so far, this memoir is going to really explore the how a kid’s environment shapes the person we grow into. Be aware of trigger warnings for this book but from the little I’ve read, I have a feeling that this book is going to fill up holes in my heart I didn’t know I had and also break it at the same time. There’s already so many quotes I know I’m going to have to revisit and underline or tab.