I've started the year out with a pretty strong book game. So, here is my first installment of Colette's Library for 2016. :) Like I promised, I will be posting every few months about the latest books I’ve read to share with all of the bookworms out there!
1. The Well by Stephanie Landsem (historical-fiction) -My mother-in-law gave me her copy of The Well after she read it, and I'm so happy she did! If you are familiar with Bible stories, you'll know the story of The Woman at the Well. Stephanie Landsem does a beautiful job at diving deeper into the life of that woman and her family. I loved it because even though I've heard the Bible story for my whole life, this book humanized the woman and her encounter with Jesus. I highly recommend this book!
2. Big Magic: Creative Living Without Fear by Elizabeth Gilbert (non-fiction) -I heard about this book from one of my favorite photographers, Jasmine Star, and I am so glad she recommended it! Every creative person can benefit from this book. Elizabeth Gilbert (also the author of "Eat, Pray, Love") talks about letting go of fear and really pursuing your interests no matter what. It was an uplifting read and I already want to read it again.
3. The Girl in the Spider's Web by David Lagercrant (fiction, series) -I was a little weary to read the fourth installment of The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo series since this book is written by a completely different author than the other three books. It took me awhile to get into it but I remember that's how I felt when I first started The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo as well. Plus, I read the other books years ago so the characters weren't fresh in my mind. However, after a few chapters I was once again enthralled in the lives of Lisbeth Salander (a genius computer hacking outsider) and Mikael Blomkvist (a high profile journalist). There is suspense. There are secrets. And I can’t wait for the next one!
4. Why Not Me? by Mindy Kaling -I kinda fell in love with Mindy Kaling after reading her first book, "Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? (And Other Concerns)." Needless to say, I was way excited to read her new book, and I wasn’t disappointed. In this entertaining collection of little stories, Mindy recalls tidbits of her life that are honest and hilarious. Plus, I love any and all references to The Office, so I might be a little biased. :D All in all, it was the perfect read while relaxing on the beach.
5. See Me by Nicholas Sparks (fiction) -When I was a teenager I jumped on the Nicholas Sparks bandwagon and never looked back. I made a little deal with myself that I would read every book written by Nicholas Sparks, and so far I've made good on my promise. Obviously I know all of his books have similar themes and storylines but that's part of what makes his books comfortable and relaxing to me. See Me was no different and was an entertaining, easy read. The story follows Colin, an amateur MMA fighter with a violent past, and Maria, a hardworking daughter of Mexican immigrants. Their love story turns thriller when their ugly pasts won't go away.
6. The Passage by Justin Cronin (fiction) -A futuristic novel about vampires ruining the world as we know it? Yes, please! This in-depth horror story recounts several people's stories as a government project goes wrong and killer vampires are set loose. It jumps around to different characters and time periods a lot but I still liked it. It is pretty intense, and was graphic at times. These books are not for the light of heart!
7. The Twelve (Book #2) by Justin Cronin (fiction, series) -More vampires and battles for survival in the second book of The Passage trilogy. :)
8. The Walking Dead by Robert Kirkman (Graphic Novel Series) -A few years ago I got hooked on The Walking Dead TV show and was soon talking about it with my co-worker and friend Valeri who is a die-hard fan. She has all of the graphic novels and lets me borrow them. Woohoo!! In case you have not idea what I'm talking about, The Walking Dead is about the zombie apocalypse. I recently caught up with Volume 24 and it is so good. The only bad thing about reading graphic novels is that there is usually a significant amount of time between me reading the volumes and sometimes I forget what certain characters look like which can get confusing. Haha
9. Modern Romance by Aziz Ansari (non-fiction) -I picked up Modern Romance, because 1) I like the TV show Parks & Rec where Aziz Ansari plays Tom Haverford and 2) I thought it would be similar to Amy Poehler and Tina Fey's books ("Yes, Please" and "Bossypants"). Other than some funny anecdotes throughout the book, it was just a lot of stats about dating in the past and dating now. With every sad dating story, I was reminded how fortunate I am to have Michael in my life, so I guess that's good. :) Overall, I don't recommend reading this one.
What are you reading? Have you read any of my 2016 books??
xoxo~
Colette