**Now Reading: Greenlights by Matthew McConaughy via audiobook.
Well, if you’ve been keeping up with me lately, you know that I’ve my head in a book for most of 2021, striving to read 25 books before the year’s end, and I actually achieved my goal at the beginning of August! I’ve always been a big reader; sometimes failing to make as much time for the hobby as I’d like. The thing is, life is stressful in general, and reading has SO MANY benefits that I really strived to make it a priority this year.
For one, the more we read, the more our imagination, vocabulary, and knowledge expands. Reading is also a game changer for managing stress, sleep, and screen time. I love to put down my phone and pick up a book at the end of an evening, and I truly get better sleep (I think it’s in part because I’m putting a harder limit on putting my phone down, and my brain recognizes the pattern). Like, lately, my FAVORITE thing to do is take a long shower, do my skincare routine, and slide between clean sheets with a book in my hand.
After finishing my goal of 25 books for 2021, I’m not stopping, but I WILL give you my top 5 books of the 25 I’ve read so far! I’m not going to rank my top five or give you TOO much information on the plots, because it was hard enough to pick five and I don't want to give anything away! Okay here we go:
1. The Kind Worth Killing- Peter Swanson : this book is honestly SO underrated. It’s what Gone Girl wishes she could have been. I love a thriller with an ending I can’t guess. Honestly, give me a book or show that will stress me out to the max— I think that lowers my stress level in my day-to-day life, maybe, but I can’t prove it, haha! This one has so many twists and turns that you’ll end up in a twisted pretzel. An unlikely pair meets at an airport, and their conversation turns murderous QUICKLY. What follows will just blow your mind.
2. The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo- Taylor Jenkins Reid : There is a reason this one is on everyone’s list. It’s a classic look at Old Hollywood. Evelyn Hugo is a Marilyn-meets-Audrey character who is finally telling all of her studio secrets. It’s a great peek behind the curtain at all the glitz and glamour of the silver screen. If you haven’t read it, you should add it to your TBR list, and if you’ve read this one, you’ll probably like Malibu Rising, too!
3. They Never Learn- Layna Fargo : this was such a complete Psych 101 thriller. Based in college, a professor strategically murders men who have wronged women and not faced proper consequences. There is a trigger warning for sexual assault, but it was such a page turner! I love a book that I can’t figure out, and if you do, too, this needs to be on your TBR list.
4. The Midnight Library- Matt Haig : this book was such a quick read and a really interesting take on “choosing your own path”. It’s on this list because, while it’s not my typical read, it was a book that impacted me in a really deep way, and I’ll definitely take it with me for years to come. It’s a story that stems from depression and dives into the theory that there is a REASON we are all where we are, and we really can make the best of our situations. The “What Could Have Beens” don’t matter, and that point is what drove this book to the book list.
5. Home Before Dark- Riley Sager : Now, this one started my love of Riley Sager. I love a thriller book, and this one has so much of a “Haunting on Hill House”, which I crave between seasons. It was a read that kept me up until 12:30 a.m. on a week night to finish, and I think I actually jumped while reading it.. Like, does that actually happen? I don’t know. It was the first on the list, and I always recommend this one.
There you have it! My top five. I’m not doing honorable mentions, because that would just add tooooo many to this list, BUT I’ll make sure to come back at the end of the year to share with you my favorites of 2021 :)
Happy Reading!