Best Library Haul Ever: What I'm Reading Right Now

My running hold list at the library is always growing-my mom or Dinah will tell me about a book or I’ll see a new idea on The Stripe or another site and immediately log on to my library account and pop it in the queue. When I get the emails that a new book is available, it’s like a little surprise present in my inbox. Last week, the book skies opened and a whole pile of fun reads became available all at once, and I practically raced to the library to get them. I’ve been reading in the carpool line, on the boat, and way too late at night because it’s been so much fun to have all these books just sitting there and calling to me. I hope that they inspire you to add some to your library list!-Eloise

The Summer Place by Jennifer Weiner

Sarah grew up spending summers on the Cape and feels guilty that she doesn’t spend more time there with her mother and her children, but life is so busy and her husband is not acting like the man she married. When her stepdaughter, Ruby, announces that she’s going to have an impromptu wedding at the Cape house this summer, the family comes back together and Sarah, Ruby, and the rest of their family discover some surprising secrets and learn things about themselves. I really enjoyed the multiple perspectives and how they wove and layered together.

Grade: A-

The Impossible Us by Sarah Lotz

I haven’t finished this book yet, but I’m about a third of the way through and really enjoying it. When Bee and Nick accidentally strike up an email correspondence, it seems like they were meant to be. But then they try to meet in person and realize that there’s an obstacle in their way that they never would have guessed (and I didn’t either!). I don’t want to give too much away, but I’m really enjoying the way this is turning the standard romcom love obstacle on its head and the way that so much of the book is written in the email format between Bee and Nick.

Part of Your World by Abby Jimenez

When Alexis Montgomery’s car breaks down in a small town, she doesn’t expect to fall for Daniel, the younger inn owner/woodworker/mayor who pulls her car out of a ditch. But somehow that’s exactly what happens. The two are living opposite lives hours apart, Alexis is in the middle of nasty split and they’re both dealing with a lot of family pressure, but somehow the town keeps conspiring to bring them back together. I really enjoyed the small town stories and characters, but Alexis’s story was a little off-putting because she’s supposed to be from a “medical dynasty” where everyone in her family are surgeons and wield all this power and influence, and as someone who’s married to a doctor, it seemed very unrealistic to me. But if you ignore the medical side of the story, the relationship between Alexis and Daniel and the way the town plays into it is really fun.

Grade: B+

The Paris Apartment by Lucy Foley

This was a big thriller from last summer that I swear I have been on the waitlist for about a year. I was so excited to get it and it didn’t disappoint. Jess has headed to Paris to stay with her brother Ben and lick her wounds after a bad run of luck. She and Ben were separated by the adoption system when their mother dies, and Ben seems to have gotten all of the luck, including this fabulous apartment in Paris that Jess isn’t sure how he can afford on his journalist’s salary. When Ben isn’t there to greet her, she starts to try to track him down and realizes that there’s a lot more to the building than its elegant facade. I did guess a few of the twists, but overall I really enjoyed it and had a hard time putting it down.

Grade: A-

Why We Can’t Sleep by Ada Calhoun

This is a from a few years ago, but I read an interview with Ada Calhoun about a new book she has coming out and wanted to revisit this one because I’ve been feeling all the stress and anxiety lately. In this carefully researched book, Calhoun studies the generation of women who are nearing midlife right now-that space from your late 30’s to your early 50’s when you’re feeling all the pressure to be at the peak of your career and raise children who are amazing and are starting to take care of your aging parents and have all the responsibilities of adulthood piling up on you. As she says, this generation was raised to believe that they can and should have it all, and there’s an intense amount of pressure that comes along with that expectation. She explores the topic in a scientific and also personal way and it’s a great read.

Grade: A

Gold Diggers by Sanjena Sathian

This is next on my list to read-it’s the story of Neil and Anita growing up in the Atlanta suburbs. Neil is struggling to meet his family’s expectations for him, and when he discovers that Anita has an ancient potion that just might help him get ahead, consequences ensue. It has a mix of magical realism and looks so good!

Something Wilder by Christina Lauren

This also on my list and I have no idea what it’s about, but it was recommended by Becca Freeman and the authors behind Christina Lauren are such a reliable source of funny modern romance that I’m sure I’m going to enjoy it.