Are you on Goodreads? (and if you are, are we friends?!?) If you’re not familiar with it, it’s a way to keep track of all the books you’ve read and those you want to read, and to connect with friends and read their reviews and recommendations.
As a list-making obsessive reader, I kind of love it.
I actually don’t keep up with it as much as I’d like, but I’m going to start because for the past few weeks I’ve been on a reading tear and I want to keep it up! Not too long ago, I came across a post on Buzzfeed titled “16 Books to Read Before They Hit Theaters This Year,” and I’ve been working my way through it.
I’ve really enjoyed these books and wanted to share them with you!
Here’s the list from Buzzfeed, and what I thought of the books.
1. Labor Day by Joyce Maynard. I just started reading this a couple of nights ago, but I love it so far. I’ve seen the preview for the movie a couple times and it looks soooo good. And what do you know, it comes out tomorrow! I’m sure I’ll have some free time to go see it approximately never.
2. The Monuments Men by Robert M. Edsel and Bret Witter. It’s almost my turn to borrow this from the library, but I haven’t gotten it yet, but I can’t wait to read it because it’s about World War II, and Jenny and I are a little obsessed with that time in history. I don’t know anything about the book other than that, and I don’t want to! The movie comes out February 7 and has George Clooney and Matt Damon, so…
3. Vampire Academy by Richelle Mead. Not my thing.
4. Winter’s Tale by Mark Helprin. This book looks lovely but I haven’t read it yet. The movie comes out on Valentine’s Day.
5. A Long Way Down by Nick Hornby I just finished this book a few days ago. It is a strange premise – a group of four strangers who bond over the fact that they each tried to kill themselves on the same night, but I enjoyed the book and I’m sure the movie will be good, as Nick Hornby books-turned-movies typically are.
6. Divergent by Veronica Roth. Leaving this one to my husband – he read them all.
7. The Fault in Our Stars by John Green. I already wrote a post about how much I loved this book, but it was incredible. I can’t wait to see the movie, which comes out in June.
8. The Hundred-Foot Journey by Richard C. Morais. Haven’t read this one, but it’s on my list. The movie is produced by Oprah Winfrey and Steven Spielberg.
9. The Giver by Lois Lowry. I read this in high school (middle school? at some point, anyway) but I don’t remember a thing about it. I should reread it!
10. Dark Places by Gillian Flynn. Gillian Flynn’s biggest hit was Gone Girl, but I think I liked Dark Places even better. That book was some crazy stuff, and I think it will make a good movie!
11. This Is Where I Leave You by Jonathan Tropper. Again, I’m waiting on this one from the library too, and I can’t wait to read it. I also can’t wait to see the movie, because Jason Bateman. Enough said.
12. The Maze Runner by James Dashner. I can’t see myself reading/watching this one!
13. Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn. Even though I liked Dark Places better, Gone Girl was really good. I made Andy read it so I had someone to talk to about it, because it’s one of those books that requires discussion.
14. Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand. Jenny recommended this book to me a while back (and wrote about it here), and I just loved it. It is an incredible story, and I would recommend it to anyone.
15. Wild by Cheryl Strayed. I read this a while ago too. It’s a memoir of a woman who hiked the Pacific Crest Trail by herself, and it was really interesting.
16. Serena by Ron Rash. Waiting on this one too, but I am anxious to get it because it looks great.
What have you been reading lately?
I am on the wait list for Monuments Men at the library too!!! I can’t wait. And I am SO excited to see Unbroken, we need to see that one together.
The Giver! I still own a copy of this, it’s all about the dangers of conformity and for a budding little socialist high school student, it put the brakes on some of my crazier ideas!
I recently re-read The Giver… So very depressing I actually cried. I’m not a crier. It’s a different experience reading it as an adult, I interpreted the ending much differently this time around and omg it was depressing lol.
wow…thanks so much. Can’t wait to see Unbroken….most amazing story I have ever read.
Just checked out The Maze Runner from the library. I am huge into YA books, so I’ve read Divergent, The Fault in Our Stars, and The Giver.
You should definitely reread The Giver! I read it in 6th grade, and it has been my fave ever since.
Love, love, love the Goodreads app! I would totally forget all the things I want to read if I didn’t have that app to keep up with it for me! Thanks for giving another handful of titles to add to my always growing list!
My best reads lately would be The Longest Ride by Nicholas Sparks and also Orphan Train by Christina Baker Kline.
Can’t wait to see the Gone Girl movie!
Also, have you read The Book Thief by Markus Zusak? Just started it, but it may be up your alley if you’re into World War II books.