What I've Been Reading Recently...

Truth be told, I haven't done a great deal of reading this year. In between practical placement and studying for my PGCE, I didn't have much spare time. But with the summer holidays, I knew I had time to dive into a few of the books that have been sat on my bookshelf. I've conquered three, and I thought I'd share my thoughts with you today.

First finished was Only Ever Yours by Louise O'Neill. I'd heard great things about this, and it didn't disappoint. This really reminded me of The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood, one of my all-time favourite novels. Only Ever Yours tells the story of the eves, as they prepare for the ceremony where the Men will choose which are suitable to be their wives, which to be their mistresses and which should remain at the School to train the next generation of eves. This novel opens up plenty of discussion about ideas of feminism, general society, the effects of social media, to name a few. It's a book that I can't say I enjoyed exactly, because I don't think it's the sort of book that's intended to be enjoyed. I can say that I found it really thought-provoking, and I think it addresses issues that are really crucial for today's society. I'd definitely recommend you picking it up and giving it a go.

After that, it was time to tackle a novel I'd been wanting to read since last summer. The Girls by Emma Cline was a hot topic last summer, with recommendations coming from bookshop sellers, bloggers and friends. Basically it was everywhere last year. It tells the story of a girl who gets involved with a cult, back in the 60s. The novel jumps backwards and forwards in time, alluding to a tragedy that happened, although we don't find out what actually happened until towards the end of the book. Overall, it was good. Not my favourite read recently, and I'm not sure if it necessarily lived up to the hype, but it was a good read.

Finally, I picked up Nights in Rodanthe by Nicholas Sparks. Now I'm sure we all know that I'm a big Nicholas Sparks fan, and I'm slowly working my way through his work, and Nights in Rodanthe was next on the list. This told the story of Adrienne, who tries to help her daughter cope with the loss of her husband, by telling the story of her ill-fated love affair with Paul Flanner. Obviously, this doesn't have your typical happy ending, so don't read this if you're looking for a pick-me-up. But if you're looking for a romance, and can deal with it not necessarily ending the way you'd hope, give this a read. It didn't disappoint me!

Overall, it's been a relatively good reading month for me. Admittedly, I would've liked to have read a couple more this summer holidays, but three is definitely better than the pace I had been reading at this year. Hopefully, I'll be able to sink my teeth into a few more novels before the end of the year.

You can keep up-to-date with what I'm currently reading, you can follow me on Goodreads.

What have you been reading recently? Anything I should pick up?

Love Lexie
xo