If you liked that, read this!

If you liked...

...read this!

If you're like me, you're hoping to find a book (any book, really) that can bring back the feelings you're still experiencing from reading A Man Called Ove. For that, I give you The Universe Versus Alex Woods. I discovered this book on a random library shelf and dove in without knowing anything about the story itself.  I didn't expect it, but Alex Woods charmed me in a way that only Ove (and grumpy old man characters) can do.

What binds these two books together are the character relationships. If you haven't yet read Ove, then to you I say -- what in the world are you waiting for? (And may I recommend the audiobook version, it is fabulous.) In Alex Woods, we have a boy whose life has been shaped by extraordinary circumstances. When Alex was young, he was struck by a meteorite, which caused him to lose consciousness for two weeks and reemerge into the world with a severe seizure disorder. Because nothing about Alex's childhood is typical, he befriends a curmudgeonly man named Mr. Peterson. They forge a rare friendship, one of those ones in which wisdom travels in both directions. I won't tell you more about the plot because I so enjoyed seeing it unfold without knowing anything beforehand, but the relationship between Alex and Mr. Peterson greatly reminded me of the same between Ove and Parvaneh. After turning the last page in Alex Woods, I had that familiar swelling in my chest that I felt at the end of Ove, and it is for that reason that I wholeheartedly recommend this novel.

If You Liked That, Read This!

If you liked...

and...

...read this!

If you liked Kate Morton's The House at Riverton (review here) or The Forgotten Room by Karen White, Beatriz Williams, and Lauren Willig (review here), you'll likely enjoy The Girl You Left Behind by Jojo Moyes.

Let's be real, this novel belongs in a whole category of women's fiction with these same elements, so if you're a fan of this general formula, then I'd recommend this novel for you. We're talking dual perspectives from past and present, family secrets, and female protagonists. Other novels that come to mind include The Seven Sisters (review here) and A Bridge Across the Ocean (review here). I just recently picked up The Girl You Left Behind for the Modern Mrs. Darcy Book Club and found that contains the same elements as some of my favorite historical fiction picks. The Girl You Left Behind mainly follows two women: Liv, a grieving widow in present day London, and Sophie, a woman living in northern France during the first World War. What links them is a painting of Sophie, which after 85 years has made its way into Liv's home. Years later, Liv finds herself involved in a high-tension art restitution case, which compels her to dig deep into the history of both the painting and the life of its subject. I didn't find Liv's character as likable as I had hoped, but overall the book was interesting and had a twist that surprised me and left me feeling satisfied with the story. I gave it four out of five stars and would even recommend it as a spring/summer read when you're looking for something interesting and easy to follow.

If you liked that, read this!

If you liked:

Read this:

If you're a fan of Gretchen Rubin's The Happiness Project, I highly recommend Helen Russell's The Year of Living Danishly. I just finished reading the latter over the weekend and thought it was so good that I carried it with me and (not exaggerating) pulled it out at every opportunity to spout facts about the Danish way of living to anyone within a five foot radius. 

I loved The Happiness Project when I read it two years ago and found it really helpful in reflecting on and improving my own happiness scale, and I've been drawn to any and all books that promise further revelations about personal happiness. I haven't yet read Rubin's second book, Better than Before, but it is on my list for vacation reading (hopefully) before the new year. There are two things that draw me to nonfiction writing: interesting facts (see above) and self-improvement tips. The Year of Living Danishly has both, while also convincing me that I need to move to Denmark at the earliest opportunity. I got this recommendation from my favorite podcast (hosted by my favorite blogger) and am so glad I picked it up. Highly recommended for those readers who are currently staring down the barrel of a long, cold, dark winter, as Russell writes about winter blues and how the Danes combat them because (spoiler alert) they spend months in near-constant darkness and still come out #1 on the worldwide happiness scale. Now that is impressive, and just another reason why living like the Danes is big on my goals list.

If You Liked That, Read This!

If you liked:

Read this:

If you're a fan of Agatha Christie's Hercule Poirot series, pick up Charles Finch's Charles Lenox series  the next time you're in the mood for a good old-fashioned mystery! I may have mentioned this repeatedly a few times, but October is such a good month for reading mysteries. Agatha Christie will always be the queen of the genre, but for those who have read all of her books (bravo, by the way), the Charles Lenox mysteries won't disappoint. Though I expect that more people will have read The Mysterious Affair at Styles first, I actually picked up A Beautiful Blue Death last year (the cover hooked me) and loved it. You can read my review of it here, though I have to laugh at myself a bit here because in my review, I said that it wasn't quite up to the level of excitement of an Agatha Christie novel. Well, I must have been comparing it to And Then There Were None, because after reading A Mysterious Affair at Styles last month, I could go on forever about the similarities between the two. (And yes, both are great for fans of Sherlock Holmes as well!) I think some readers may shy away from these types of novels because of their subdued nature -- they're nothing like the action-packed mystery movies that we see today -- but that's precisely why I've fallen in love with them. They're more subtle, the detectives have more exacting natures (it's my favorite trait of theirs) and while there are no high-speed chase scenes, I'm often left shocked at finding out the culprit. I just finished the second in the Charles Lenox series, The September Society a few days ago and am already itching to get the next installment. For those of you who like to follow a series, this is one that I'd recommend. There are currently ten books in the Charles Lenox mysteries (one just recently published), and forty-five in the Hercule Poirot series, if you can believe it. 

If You Liked That, Read This!

Happy Memorial Day to you all, and a heartfelt thank you to all those involved in our country's military. If you're feeling inspired to read more about military heroes, you can find last year's Memorial Day post here. I'm taking the day to soak up the start of the summer season and my last day at home before moving into my new apartment. Big things are happening this week, people! First, though, I have a recommendation for you-- consider it the perfect way to kick off your summer reading list!

If you liked:

Read this:

If you are a fan of Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice, pick up The Awakening of Miss Prim the next time you're in need of a good read! Miss Prim is a woman who appreciates the simple things in life, and whose outspokenness is reminiscent of the feisty and fearless Elizabeth Bennet. Though she is considered an expert in several fields (and has a collection of PhDs to prove it), Miss Prim takes a job as a personal librarian in a an enchanting village in France. She soon comes to realize that this village is unlike any other; it's comprised of people who have sought a life outside the confines of modern society. Here, the fineries of classical education and old-fashioned neighborliness are appreciated and cultivated. The whole story seems like a nod to Austen (and maybe a little to Jane Eyre as well), especially Miss Prim's employer-- a man almost as frustrating as Mr. Darcy himself-- and I absolutely loved reading it. As someone who frequently daydreams about life in a simpler time, I fell into the world of this book and did not want to reemerge when it was over. 

Happy Reading!

-Madeleine-

If you liked that, read this!

If you liked:

Read this:

If you're a fan of J.K. Rowling's The Casual Vacancy, I'd recommend reading The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry. Both books were super popular when they came out in 2012, and they were two of my favorite library finds that year. I felt that a similar tone ran through both stories, with ordinary characters and really well-developed relationships. A description of the latter calls Harold Fry one of the most endearing characters in current fiction and I completely agree. I also just discovered that it's the first in a series, so if you've already read (and enjoyed) both books, pick up the second in the series. It doesn't hurt that both books have fabulous covers-- I wouldn't hesitate to recommend both as perfect book club reads.

If you liked that, read this!

If you liked:

Read this:

If you were a fan of The Secret Life of Bees, pick up Saving Cee Cee Honeycutt the next time you're in need of a good read. To me, these books represent the best of summer reading. Hoffman perfectly captures the southern spirit that drew so many readers into The Secret Life of Bees with the characters, setting, and tone of this book. It carries the same themes of resilience, family, and the need to belong. This was one of those reads where the characters stayed with me for a week afterwards. And if you haven't read either? I'd recommend both! Perfect for a ladies' bookclub or to pass around to all your friends this summer.

If you liked that, read this!

If you liked :

Read this:

If you've read and enjoyed Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me?, then you'll love I Was Told There'd Be Cake. It's the same vein of Kaling's hilarious short essays, only geared more towards those of us who don't enjoy life on the sets of highly successful TV shows. Crosley's series of essays spotlight a common theme in literature: just a woman trying to figure out how to navigate life- but told in the most hilarious terms. Crosley's book is the one that got me into this kind of literature, as I was never a huge fan of the short stories and essays genre before. She has the most fantastic ability to convey life in a way that makes it seem manageable..if only one can have her grace and good humor. This book would make a great gift for any woman who's in need of a some wine, a long bath, and a good laugh.