Hey there! I'm Kylie (@ky.bean on Instagram!) and I am the assistant to the wonderful Adrianne of Little Adi + Co. I am super excited to guest blog today about a topic that's been on my mind recently...reading!
I used to be an avid reader. I'd read in between classes, on road trips, before getting out of bed in mornings, before getting into bed at night, and when I was supposed to be cleaning out my closet (sorry Mom). Books were an escape for me, a wonderful world to get lost in when my reality wasn't so great. I craved the writings of Nicolas Sparks and Sarah Dessen when my love life was non existent. I loved books about friendship and loyalty when my family moved from town to town and making friends was no easy task. But after finding love (cliche, I know, but I found it!! Or, he found me actually) and setting my roots down long enough to make amazing friendships, I found myself reading less and less.
A coincidence? I think not.
So I've made the conscious decision to change the genre of books that I read. From romance to memoirs, and books about friendship to books about others' hardships, I have found a renewed interest in reading. I'm sharing some of my new favorite books with the hope that it may challenge you to consider why you read (or don't read) and inspire you to put down your phone (myself included) and pick up a book! I promise you, it'll be just as satisfying as pizza.
P.S. I don't give ANYTHING away about beginnings, middles, or endings of books in this post.
{Excerpt from #GIRLBOSS // Ring by Wrenn Jewelry}
Genre: Creepy/Page-turning/Is my boyfriend secretly plotting my demise?/Thrilling
Books to Read: The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins
Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn
The Luckiest Girl Alive by Jessica Knoll
I did not pick these books based on the fact that they have "girl" in the title. No, no. I picked these books because they are really really really good. This is normally not a genre that I would ever read, as I am the world's biggest scared-y cat, but the stories are so complex and well-written, I couldn't put them down!
Genre: Hilarious/Inspiring/I'm now going to hike Mt. Everest and start my own clothing company/Heart-warming/Girl Power
Books to Read: #GIRLBOSS by Sophia Amoruso
Yes Please by Amy Poehler
Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me (And Other Concerns) by Mindy Kaling
It's safe to say that I have a mild obsession with these strong, level-headed, and empowering women. I own multiple clothing pieces from Nasty Gal (Sophia Amoruso), while Parks & Recreation (Amy Poehler) and The Mindy Project (Mindy Kaling) are my most-watched TV shows on Hulu. If you're looking to laugh or cry or both, read all of these books immediately.
{Excerpt from Kelly Tough // Ring by Wrenn Jewelry}
Genre: Humbling/I need a new perspective on life to get out of this funk/Grab the tissues/Eye-opening/Wonderful
Books to Read: The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini
The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot
A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini
It's hard to describe these books and do them justice, so I'll keep it short and sweet. They are three of the best books I've ever had the privilege of reading. If I could urge you to read any book right this second, it would be one of these.
Books without a collective genre:
Divergent by Veronica Roth--It's like the Hunger Games but with less killing and more romance. And the main character, Tris, is my girl crush.
Kelly Tough by Erin Kelly & Jill Kelly--My friend wrote a book, and I couldn't be more proud. Plus it's flat out amazing and it'll make you cry all the tears and you'll want to hug all your family members immediately.
Skinny Dip by Carl Hiasen--I've never read a book with a story line like this one...It envelopes you into its pages. This book is clever, fast-paced, and I found myself cheering (out loud, might I add) at the ending.
The Expats by Chris Pavone--Technically this is a thriller, but it's a much milder thriller but with an "OH MY GOSH NO WAY" twist at the end. Plus, I watched a lot of Spy Kids movies when I was young and this book brought me right back to my spy-loving childhood.
