When I was younger, I would power through three or four books during a week or two's holiday without fail. From a young age it was all about Roald Dahl, then I became obsessed with the Cirque du Freak saga and into my teens I got hooked on Gossip Girl - these were the first time I read naughty words in a book and I thought I was bad ass. I've always been really into reading but as I've got older it seems I've not ingested as many books as I'd have wished. Sure, I still take a book with me on holiday but the past few years have been held solely by Lauren Conrad's fictional six (seriously, they've been my holiday books every year since they first came out).
This year though, I wanted something a little more gripping. The last book I read was One Day - something that was raved about and rightly so! All the tears. So I thought the first book I should pick up should be another highly recommended - The Fault In Our Stars. Being so out the loop with literature, I like going for ones that are popular at the moment because it's kind of a safe bet until I get my rhythm back.
Anyway. The Fault In Our Stars was incredible. For those who don't know, it's about a teenage girl with terminal cancer who meets a guy at a cancer support group who changes her life. It's written in a very quirky way and the girl, Hazel, is really quite funny and sarcastic when it comes to her illness which means the moos remains high. The story is beautiful and inspiring and yes, I cried. A lot. It really made me think about life in a new way whilst I was away and just reminds you how lucky you are. John Green makes you fall in love with every character, especially Hazel and Gus, and when I'd finished it I actually missed reading about them! I polished this bad boy off in 2 days. TWO DAYS. Yeah, I was hooked.
I put off starting my second book for a day because I was worried I'd be left without something to read at the rate I was going! The Lemon Grove by Helen Walsh was my wild card book. I'd not heard a single thing about it, but read the back and got really intrigued - I also fell for the cover, doesn't it just scream summer holidays? It's about a woman in her 30s who's away with her husband and gets sucked into temptation by her stepdaughter's teenage boyfriend who comes on holiday with them. It's written so differently to anything I've read before, it's quite intense. Steamy, suggestive and sexy. I'll tell you now, stick with it. It starts off quite slow but it's the intensity that makes it. Yes, there are sexual references in this but the way it's done has you on the edge of your seat - Walsh pretty much teases the reader as much as the main character is! She uses the description of the weather and her surroundings to mirror the drama that's unravelling and it's just a really, really well written story. It's not in your face sexual y'know, it's not 50 Shades (I wasn't a fan, anyway) but it's that whole subtle, suggestive nature that had me hooked! I'm definitely going to make sure my girlfriends all get to read this, I think they'd enjoy it as much as me!
Again, done it two days. Ridiculous - and book-less for the rest of the week.
What books are you reading right now? I'd love to have your suggestions!
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