Last year, my parents got me an e-reader for Christmas. I’ve been sceptical of e-readers ever since they came out: nothing can beat a physical book in my opinion, turning pages, smelling the paper… But I had to agree having an e-reader would be very convenient for holidays. I’m that person that stuffs their suitcase full of books and always takes too few or too many. Having an e-reader solves the weight and space problem, as it’s like having thousands of books in one. I also have to say not having one heavy side and one flimsy side to a book, makes reading while lying down a lot easier. Long story short; I’ve been reading a lot more since I got my e-reader. I always have books at hand now, as I take it with me everywhere. I know many of you guys love reading as well, so today I thought I’d share with you what I’ve read over the summer.
Kiss and Spell – Shanna Swedson
This series got recommended to me by a friend a long time ago, and it’s taken me quite a while to finish all the books, but now I did. I LOVED IT! Every single bit of it. It’s a total guilty pleasure as I’d describe this as a fantasy chicklit of mediocre quality, but my gosh is it satisfying to read! If you’re ever in need of some light reading, something ridiculous where you’ll come to love the characters so much, and with a completely cathartic end, that you’ll feel slightly embarrassed about reading and loving, I can highly recommend the Enchanted inc. series by Shanna Swedson. I wrote a book review back when I finished the first volume, and now I’ve gotten through the whole series. So. Much. Love.
Pride and Prejudice – Jane Austen
My e-reader came with a bunch of books pre-loaded, all classics of which the copyright has expired. I was so happy to discover this, and actually most of the books I’ve read on there until now are pre-loaded ones. I was scrolling through and realised Pride and Prejudice is the only Jane Austen book I haven’t read (WHAT, right?), so that had to be fixed right away. Read it, loved it. Like every Jane Austen book ever.
Jane Eyre – Charlotte Brontë
On with the classics! Every book I find on there that I’m embarrassed about not having read yet, I’m going to slowly go through. Jane Eyre was next in line. I didn’t enjoy this one as much as I thought I would, I found it very hard to identify with Jane and understand the choices she makes. But it was still enjoyable enough.
The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde – Robert Louis Stevenson
Moving on to the next classic! This is one of which the title rang very familiar, but I didn’t actually know what it was about or anything of the story line yet. Which was good in retrospect, as it turned out to be a mystery with a plot twist that I’m glad I didn’t know beforehand. I really enjoyed reading this, but got through it very quickly as it’s short. Recommend for an afternoon off.
Frankenstein, or the Modern Prometheus – Mary Shelley
Aaaand next! I found this book a little long-wound, but I did enjoy it while it lasted. While it lasted, yes, because it turns out I only have half of this book. I was reading and it just suddenly stopped, haha! My dad has the same e-reader as I do and his pre-loaded version of this book was missing the second half as well, so I think it’s a fault in the download. But yeah, I haven’t read the second half of this book yet. I’ll have to get my hands on that somehow, ’cause they really left me hanging there.
The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up – Marie Kondo
This has been on my to-read list for a while, and I’m happy I finally got to read it. I feel like the KonMari fad is over already, but I still wanted to know what all the fuss was about and I’m glad I read this book. Marie Kondo shares some great philosophies and methods for rigorous tidying. I didn’t find everything applicable to my personal life (or desirable) at the moment, although I see her point and it’s a good one to consider. I do think this is a good book to read for anybody who’s looking for a change or about to move.
En Dan Nog Iets – Paulien Cornelisse
Paulien Cornelisse is a Ducth comedian and author, who makes amazing observations about language. I find her absolutely hilarious, and this book is actually one I’m re-reading. It’s made up of short columns so it’s easy to read on the train, and always manages to make me giggle. Definitely recommend for my Dutchies.
Dangerous Women – George R. R. Martin & Gardner Dozois
This one I’ve actually just started recently. I wrote a review about the anthology Rogues a while ago, and this is its counterpart. It’s made up of short stories by various great authors, with dangerous women as a topic. So far I’m really enjoying it, the stories are really good.
It’s been a long time since I’ve read this much in one season! The e-reader is doing me good, although I still find it a very un-romantic thing. What’s the best thing you’ve read lately?
I read Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde this summer too. I did know the twist beforehand, as i have watched a screen version.
I definitely recommend reading the rest of Frankenstein.
Dubliners by James Joyce is a book I recently read and enjoyed. It’s a collection of short stories which have nothing in common except the fact they all take place in Dublin. I didn’t enjoy all the stories equally, but some of them are very touching.
Name of the wind by Patrick Rothfuss. If you haven’t read it yet you totaly should, it’s one of the best fantasy books I have read so far. It’s ridiculously (!) well written, I can’t remember when was the last time I finished a book so quickly :)
Yes I totally agree! I also loved the 2nd book and the spin-off “The slow regard of silent things”. Loepsie, if you haven’t, you should give Rothfuss a try ;)
You should check out The Meaning of Night by Michael Cox! One of my favorite books from this summer
I’ve read Harry Potter and the Cursed Child in a day on my holiday, and I was really surprised how much I liked. Because as a hard core Harry Potter fan I was really skeptical because there were some negative comments about it on the net. But maybe that’s why I enjoyed it so much, I had very low expectations. Before that I’ve read A World of Ice and Fire, which I really enjoyed, as it gives so much insight into all the background of the present story in A Song Of Ice and Fire. It was a nice add on to the finished season of Game of Thrones. And before that I really enjoyed reading Me Before You by Jojo Mojes :)
Ik heb mezelf ook pas een e-reader aangeschaft (Kobo Glo HD) en ben er heel tevreden mee. Ik was eerst ook een beetje sceptisch, maar het is echt heel handig om mee te lezen. Ik heb er ook Pride en Prejudice en Jane Eyre op staan, maar die moet ik nog lezen (oeps!). Momenteel ben ik De Reiziger van Diana Gabaldon aan het lezen (de serie daarvan is trouwens geweldig).