Happy Holidays everyone! This week I thought I’d share more of my book recommendations. It is once again books of different genres, lengths, and comfort levels. If you want to read more of my recommendations check out my first Renée’s Reads post here. I hope you pick up one of these books to add to your own bookshelves!
Ever wondered what life would be like if you were magicians who fell in love with each other, who were also lifelong challengers all while running a circus?
Well, The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern is definitely the book for you. Set around a circus that arrives with no warning or announcements, but is filled with stunning spectacles and only open at night. But behind all of the magic and wonder of the circus is a duel between Celia and Marco, two magicians who had trained for this since childhood. Despite everything though they found themselves falling in love. What follows is a domino effect of consequences, danger, and putting the lives of the fellow performers at risk. If you love a little romance, magic and thrill read this book!
This book is magical on lots of levels, from the book cover to the writing to the actual storyline. I love reading about magic and circuses and this book is perfect because it’s the best of both worlds!
Have you ever heard of Lady Jane Grey, well if you haven’t here is her entirely not quite true story?
My Lady Jane by Cynthia Hand, Brodi Ashton, and Jodi Meadows is a lighthearted comedic retelling of the story of Lady Jane Grey who became the Queen of England.
Lady Jane Grey finds herself married to a guy she’s never met before and then shortly after the wedding she finds herself as the ruler of England. She was queen for only nine days and then lost her head. That’s her real story, but the authors have a different version to tell. Only tweaking a few details, while also completely changing major aspects, oh and throwing in a dash of magic, it’s how they think her life should have gone. They have also written two other “Jane” books that I will also talk about in a later post! My Lady Jane is a feel good, read when you need a laugh book and I hope you pick it up!
Are you a grumpy old man at heart?
Then A Man Called Ove by Fredrik Backman is the book for your soul. Ove is a man who likes to follow the rules, enforce those rules on his neighbors, and has quite a short fuse when doing so. He’s lived in the same neighborhood with the same neighbors for quite some time until a boisterous family moves in next door, who end up not knowing how to properly back up a U-Haul. Then at Ove’s lowest point, a mysterious cat appears and starts to stick around. What ensues is a heartwarming story of friendship, forgiveness, and finding happiness.
My mom tends to say “Pick my next book!”, so I had her read this book shortly after I finished. To switch it up I thought I’d ask her to add her perspective instead of mine!
“I found this to be a very heartwarming story, a bit humorous, a bit sensitive, and truthful as we all endure challenges throughout life. I liked that the author kept the cat a strong character because the cat plays a very important character in Ove’s daily life. I’m glad that Renée picked this book for me, as it may not have been one that I would have chosen myself. It’s fun to have a library in my own house.” -My mom
Wish you could quit your job and travel for a year?
Pick yourself up a copy of Elizabeth Gilbert’s Eat Pray Love, a retelling of her journey through Italy, India, and Indonesia. Gilbert had everything she was supposed to want, a husband, a good home, and quite a career, but she wasn’t feeling fulfilled. After a lengthy divorce, she decides to take a year to reexamine aspects of her life, pleasure, devotion, enjoyment, and divine transcendence. Spending a year eating through Italy, meditating in India, and discovering love on the Indonesian island of Bali. This is a love story of many forms, food, spirituality, language, and most importantly of self.
I thoroughly enjoyed reading this and finding aspects to add to my life. I myself am not very spiritual but reading about her experiences and bonds she found opened my eyes to meditation and taking time to truly immerse myself in something. If you are looking to learn a little and dream of traveling this is the book for you.
Do you love a challengingly long book, which happens to have a musical based on it?
Look no further than Les Misérables by Victor Hugo. If you read my post last week, you know I was able to see the original production of Les Mis in London! This is my absolute favorite musical and I had been wanting to read the book for a long time, but it’s quite the feat to overcome because it’s 1,460 pages long. It took me about a month and a half to read, but I am so glad I finally did it.
If you do not know the pretext of the story or have never seen the musical it is sent in France between the years of 1815 – 1833. The book is broken up into sections following the main characters and how they all intertwine in each other’s lives. You get to follow Jean Valjean the ex-convict and how he makes a promise to Fantine to save her daughter Cosette and how then when the daughter is older falls in love with Marius, who is apart of ABC, a group that opposes the government, that then they build a barricade, die, but Valjean saves Marius by going through the sewers and then happily ever after for Cosette and Marius.
Oh and this whole time Javert an Inspector is after Valjean because he escaped prison. Wow, I just compressed 1,460 pages into two sentences! All that aside, the way that Hugo writes is thrilling and sad and “miserable” and you just want to keep reading, and it is now one of my favorite books because it is truly something special.
I loved getting to learn the backstories of everyone and seeing how the musical compared. I do admit it was very hard to get into because the first 50 pages are about the Bishop that plays a smaller role in the musical, but after that section I thoroughly enjoyed everything! If you think you’re up to the challenge, you should read this magnificent book, even if Victor Hugo spends probably 30 pages describing the Paris sewer system, but trust me, it doesn’t stink!
Do you need a good cry?
You should read All the Bright Places by Jennifer Niven and once you finish reading, watch the movie on Netflix. I watched it just this past weekend and I knew what was going to happen, but I was still crying by the end of it, just like I did during the book.
This is a story about Finch and Violet, who meet each other at the top of a bell tower, right on the ledge. What ensues after their chance meeting is a story of love, life, and the power of a school project to discover the wonders of their state. Warning, if you do not like to read about mental health or tragedy, I do not recommend this book. It is not the “normal” young adult cutesy read, while it is a love story, it is so much deeper than that. Niven does an incredible job of writing about mental health and how it affects those around you.
I know I will be reading this book for years to come. I wanted so much more for Finch and Violet, that maybe if I keep reading it the ending will somehow change. I hope if you decide to pick up this book that it will help you see some of “the bright places” and go on an adventure of your own!
Looking for a memoir?
Make sure to check out Jeannette Walls’s The Glass Castle, her memoir of redemption, and her uniquely dysfunctional family. I read this quite a few years ago, but I know I couldn’t put it down.
The Glass Castle is all about Jeannette’s childhood and the almost nomadic lifestyle her family lived. Her father showed her and her 3 siblings how big your imagination can be and how to embrace life fearlessly, while her mother was an “excitement addict” and believed in painting and writing over providing for her family. Later on, in Jeannette’s childhood, they find themselves out of money and retreating to a dismal mining town, where the dysfunction of her family came to a head. However, despite it, Jeannette found a way out and headed to New York City to start her own life on her own terms.
The whold time I was reading her story, I just couldn’t imagine a life like hers. I am very fortunate to have grown up with two loving parents, who provided and nurtured me into the woman I am today.
I hope you are all doing well and decide to read one of these book recommendations! Leave a comment if you have read any of these books or look forward to reading them! Next week I’m going to share my Holiday traditions and favorite parts of the season. Look for the pop-up to sign up to be added to my mailing list to be notified whenever I publish a new post and don’t forget to follow my Instagram @aneclecticplace for more pictures and fun polls to be apart of!
Take care and stay safe,
Renée
I love how you share your pictures! Always creative!