8.17.2015

The Art of Hearing Heartbeats

The Art of Hearing Heartbeats by Jan-Philipp Sendker
Published by Other Press in 2002
Genre(s): Historical, Romance, Fiction
Format: Kindle
Pages: 337
Goodreads

A poignant and inspirational love story set in Burma, The Art of Hearing Heartbeats spans the decades between the 1950s and the present. When a successful New York lawyer suddenly disappears without a trace, neither his wife nor his daughter Julia has any idea where he might be…until they find a love letter he wrote many years ago, to a Burmese woman they have never heard of. Intent on solving the mystery and coming to terms with her father’s past, Julia decides to travel to the village where the woman lived. There she uncovers a tale of unimaginable hardship, resilience, and passion that will reaffirm the reader’s belief in the power of love to move mountains.


This is a beautiful story and a very compelling read. I have no idea what made me want to read this book, as even reading the description, I don't remember being particularly intrigued. However, it is, without a doubt, one of the best books I have ever read, to date. As the description explains, the story follows a young woman to Burma as she goes on an unexpected but beautiful journey to discover her missing father's past in an attempt to find him. She ends up learning more than she bargained for about her father's childhood including an unimaginable tale of hardship and a powerful love story. This novel was an easy read, and the author does a great job of grasping the reader to truly feel the emotions on every page. I definitely recommend this story to anyone interested in a beautiful love story filled with passion, courage, and so much heart.

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8.13.2015

Three Wishes by Liane Moriarty

Three Wishes by Liane Moriarty
Published by Harper Perennial
Genre(s): Fiction, Contemporary
Format: Hardcover
Pages: 356
Goodreads

Lyn, Cat, and Gemma Kettle, beautiful thirty-three-year-old triplets, seem to attract attention everywhere they go. Whenever they're together, laughter, drama, and mayhem seem to follow. But apart, each is very much her own woman, dealing with her own share ofups and downs. Lyn has organized her life into one big checklist, juggling the many balls of work, marriage, and motherhood with expert precision, but is she as together as her datebook would have her seem? Cat has just learned a startling secret about her marriage -- can she bring another life into her very precarious world? And can free-spirited Gemma, who bolts every time a relationship hits the six-month mark, ever hope to find lasting love?

In this wise, witty, hilarious new novel, we follow the Kettle sisters through their thirty-third-year, as they struggle to survive their divorced parents' dating each other, their technologically savvy grandmother, a cheating husband, champagne hangovers, and the fabulous, frustrating life of forever being part of a threesome. A family comedy about sibling rivalry, "Three Wishes is an assured and warmhearted debut.


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8.09.2015

Dirty Rush by Taylor Bell

Dirty Rush by Taylor Bell
Published by Gallery Books on Jan. 13, 2015
Genre(s): Fiction/a>
Format: Paperback
Pages: 252
Goodreads

In this shockingly true-to-life novel written by an all-star team of Internet phenoms from the Total Frat Move generation, you’ll get the first true glimpse of “real” sorority life in all its f**ked up glory.

Dirty Rush by Taylor Bell is what happens when you take the creative minds behind Babe Walker (author of the New York Times bestselling White Girl Problemsseries) and add Rebecca Martinson to the mix. Rebecca Martinson—yes, that bitch—the former Delta Gamma sister responsible for the scathing, expletive-filled email that verbally assaulted her entire chapter for being “so f**king boring” at social functions, and threatened to “c*nt punt” every last one of them if their behavior didn’t shape up. Dirty Rush is a no-holds-barred look at what really happens when you “go Greek.”

Taylor Bell comes from a long line of Beta Zeta sorority sisters, who all expect her to pledge upon starting at the university. But Taylor has other plans: she’s determined to give her family the proverbial middle finger and destroy the rich tradition they hold so dear by eschewing sorority life altogether. However, Taylor’s resolve soon melts when she falls in with a group of hilarious, ultra-saucy girls, who introduce her to all things Greek and soften her to the idea of joining. Resigned to the fate the Greek gods have dealt her, Taylor pledges Beta Zeta and embarks on a collegiate career filled with the kind of carousing sure to make any sorority sister proud.

Soon, Taylor’s experience as a BZ starts to feel like a jacked-up, drug-infused, and X-rated fairy tale—especially when reality comes crashing down and a rather lewd sex tape is leaked. The girl in the video looks a lot like Taylor. Has Taylor gone off the deep end? Or is someone trying to frame her? Unless she can prove her innocence and re-ingratiate herself with the sisters who’ve accused her of leaking the video in a Kim Kardashian–style bid for attention, Taylor is at risk of losing everything she’s fought (partied) so hard for. 


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5.08.2015

A Dance With Dragons

So I haven't been able to post in awhile-- since baseball season began, I've been super busy balancing work, school preparations, and life in general!! In all of my downtime, I have either been binge watching Criminal Minds or reading the longest/best book I've ever read.......

Which brings me to a solo post for the April edition of This Month's Reads featuring A Dance with Dragons, (Game of Thrones Book 5).

A Dance With Dragons

A Dance With Dragons by George R.R. Martion
Published by Bantam on Oct. 29, 2013
Genre(s): Fiction, Fantasy, Epic
Format: Kindle
Pages: 1,125
Goodreads

In the aftermath of a colossal battle, the future of the Seven Kingdoms hangs in the balance—beset by newly emerging threats from every direction. In the east, Daenerys Targaryen, the last scion of House Targaryen, rules with her three dragons as queen of a city built on dust and death. But Daenerys has thousands of enemies, and many have set out to find her. As they gather, one young man embarks upon his own quest for the queen, with an entirely different goal in mind.

Fleeing from Westeros with a price on his head, Tyrion Lannister, too, is making his way to Daenerys. But his newest allies in this quest are not the rag-tag band they seem, and at their heart lies one who could undo Daenerys’s claim to Westeros forever.

Meanwhile, to the north lies the mammoth Wall of ice and stone—a structure only as strong as those guarding it. There, Jon Snow, 998th Lord Commander of the Night’s Watch, will face his greatest challenge. For he has powerful foes not only within the Watch but also beyond, in the land of the creatures of ice.

From all corners, bitter conflicts reignite, intimate betrayals are perpetrated, and a grand cast of outlaws and priests, soldiers and skinchangers, nobles and slaves, will face seemingly insurmountable obstacles. Some will fail, others will grow in the strength of darkness. But in a time of rising restlessness, the tides of destiny and politics will lead inevitably to the greatest dance of all.



George R.R. Martin does it again in the fifth installment of his cult classic hit, A Song of Ice and Fire, more popularly known as the original work for the HBO series A Game of Thrones. This book, even though it was released fifth in the series, picks up after the end of the third novel, A Storm of Swords. The plot in Dance occurs parallel to the fourth novel, A Feast for Crows, profiling the lives and happenings of separate characters than those followed in Book 4. It's difficult to recommend this book if you haven't read those in the series that proceed it, but let it be known that the twists and surprises that occur prior to the beginning of this book are nothing compared to what happens inside... ALSO.... I feel obliged to warn that only 3 episodes into the current season of the HBO show, I am completely and utterly deterred and can no longer consider the two of the same entity. Read these books. They are 500 x better. (Rumor has it, Martin will release the 6th book this Fall/Winter!!! Eeeek!!)

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3.23.2015

My Books in Lists: Wishes

{Books on my Wishlist}

I will forever have a never-ending, insanely long wish list because I love books so much that I cannot stop reading ABOUT them, let alone reading the actual books. So, I'm constantly stumbling upon new titles (and old) that strike my interest, so I add them to the growing list. I keep track of my wish list(s) using Paperbackswap.com {where I literally wish for the books and whenever a fellow user posts the title I'm wishing, I get a notification so that I can go order it from them!} and Goodreads.com {where I keep track of books I've read, want to read, like and don't like, etc. It's like Foursquare for books}. You can read more about these websites on my post about them over here.

Over the weekend, the sweetest thing happened to me. I got a message from a user on paperbackswap.com with the subject "RAOK :)" and a message stating that she wanted to send me a gift of granting one of my book wishes. I felt skeptical at first, both because nothing like this has ever happened to me on this site and because I had no idea what "RAOK" meant. So I just wrote back and  asked what this was all about. Well, "RAOK" stands for "random act of kindness" and she is part of a forum on the site that finds users and grants their book wishes whenever they have the extra cash, just to share a smile! I was so surprised and humbled! I couldn't believe it. A part of me felt awkward, but then I realized that the feeling was based on the unfortunate societal norm of that charity/pity feeling of someone doing something for you for no reason. I decided to send her my address and vowed to pay it forward! 

Two days later, I was tickled to receive not one, but TWO of my book wishes in the mail. 



I immediately messaged the woman to thank her, and asked if I could tag her on Instagram. 

Her response: 

"awww Taylor... no I don't use social media really...
Thank you though.... I don't need mentioned.. Im happy knowing you are happy...

Have a wonderful rest of your weekend and a great Saturday night!

:-)"

I cried because I was so touched by this truly random act of genuine kindness, proving the beauty and love that is present in humanity.

I have always been such a fan of paperbackswap, but now I can say with great confidence that the members undoubtably make the website what it is. If you are a reader, please take the time to check it out.  And in the meantime... here are all the books that are currently on my mind but not yet on my shelf. Click each title to learn more and/or purchase on Amazon. 

#Girlboss by Sophia Amoruso
The Age of Miracles by Karen Thompson Walker
All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr
A Brief History of Time by Stephen Hawking
The Cuckoo's Calling by Robert Galbraith
The Silkworm by Robert Galbraith
Invisible Man by Ralph Ellison
The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins
One Plus One by Jojo Moyes
Me Before You by Jojo Moyes
The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt
Landline by Rainbow Rowell
The Language of Flowers by Vanessa Diffenbaugh
The Last Anniversary by Liane Moriarty 
Lucky Us by Amy Bloom
Miss Me When I'm Gone by Emily Arsenault
The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern
Not That Kind of Girl by Lena Dunham
P.S. I Still Love You by Jenny Han
Palo Alto: Stories by James Franco
Serena by Ron Rash
The Silent Wife by A.S.A. Harrison
The Snow Child by Eowyn Ivey
The Storyteller by Jodi Picoult
Texts From Jane Eyre by Mallory Ortberg
This is Where I Leave You by Jonathan Tropper
Unbroken: A World War II Story... by Laura Hillenbrand
Wonder by R.J. Ralacio
Wool by Hugh Howey
Yes, Please by Amy Poehler
Play It As It Lays by Joan Didion
Cats Cradle by Kurt Vonnegut


What am I missing????

3.20.2015

My Books in Lists: Musts

{My Lifetime Must-Reads}

Here are the books that I have read (or intend to read) in my lifetime. I've read most of them, but there are a couple that I haven't gotten to just yet. Most are literary classics, but others are novels that have stood out to me over the years as amazing for one reason or another. So... these are the books that I think everyone should read in their lifetime. What would you have me add to this list? 


Harry Potter Series by J.K. Rowling
To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
Pride & Prejudice by Jane Austen
The Help by Kathryn Stockett
The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde
The Giver by Lois Lowry
A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens
Great Expectations by Charles Dickens
Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger
Anthem by Ayn Rand
Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte



Xo.
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