Big Reads: May(ish) Recap

Hi guys! I'm back! I can't believe it's been so long since my last post. I feel like I've forgotten how to do everything. It makes sense though... I started a new job in March (which I love), but things have definitely been different. For starters, I fell down the Outlander rabbit hole and didn't think I would ever emerge. I've been reading a ton, but haven't had (made) much time for blogging and instagramming.

Let's dive back in with the best books I've read lately. All in May, except for Outlander. Hence the May(ish) update.

Exit West by Moshin Hamid. Can a roller coaster be slow moving? Or is that just hills? Either way, that's how this book felt to me. It was very interesting - I love Nadia and Saeed and the journey they took. I loved how strong and fierce Nadia was. Saeed was ok. I didn't love him as much as Nadia.  Even though this had some fantastical elements (just one really - doorways that become portals to different parts of the world,) it's pretty much a refugee story. One that is pretty timely and eye opening.

The Bookshop on the Corner by Jenny Colgan. The title is misleading. It's actually a book van. Apparently this is the U.S. title, but the U.K. title is the name of the book van, The Little Shop of Happily Ever After. Granted, the U.S. title is a better title, but the U.K. one makes more sense with the story.

The Dry by Jane Harper. There has been so much buzz surrounding this book! I thought it was pretty good. The whodunnit twist caught me entirely by surprise. I really likes Falk, though I had a hard time picturing him as he's described. (White blonde hair, blue eyes, super pale skin - I feel like he wouldn't survive in the Australian outback. Wouldn't he just be one giant sunburn?) The atmosphere in this book though - made me hot and thirsty just reading it. This is the first in a series and I can't wait to see where it goes.

One True Loves by Taylor Jenkins Reid. I didn't want to like this book. I definitely had no intention of ever reading it, even though readers I love highly recommended it. But then it was a kindle daily deal, and I just can't resist those. I frickin loved it. I think I read it in one sitting, it was so engaging. It's the story of Emma Blair who marries her high school sweetheart and they live happily ever after. At least until just before their first anniversary, when his helicopter goes down over the Pacific ocean and he's presumed dead. A few years later, Emma has moved on and is engaged again when she gets a phone call from her husband saying that he's alive and he's coming home. Cue gasp. I loved this story so much. I though the bookshop was fantastic. I loved the evolution of her relationship with her sister was wonderful. I loved her parents and both of these wonderful men in her life. I loved Emma and her growth and change as a person from a young newlywed to a woman who has experienced the hard things life has given her and come through not just in tact, but stronger than before. Plus there was some top notch flirting in this book. Just a wonderful read. Also, the only reason I picked The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo as one of the Book of the Month picks for June. I must read more Taylor Jenkins Reid.

Outlander by Diana Gabaldon. What is there to say about Outlander that hasn't already been said. If, like me, you've been holding out on reading these books for whatever reason, just read them already. They're endlessly entertaining. They're funny and dramatic and romantic and suspenseful and Jamie Fraser is the best fictional man that has ever been written. The show is ok - the books are way way better. I especially loved the ending of the latest book.