four books i read on vacation
snacky reads for your next beach day
I would describe myself as a seasonal reader.
in the winter and fall, I l love to snuggle up in bed with a book and coffee for hours. during this time, I tend to gravitate toward more cerebral and introspective content. so cozy!
in the summer, I find myself overheating, annoyed and reaching for easy, breezy reads with lighthearted plotlines and happy endings. our honeymoon fell into this category and these are the books I consumed during our two weeks in france and italy. below are my thoughts, if you’re interested :)
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sunday’s edition is “cheap week” and has 5 cheap-but-yummy meals for when you buy a house and have no money left (for example).
1. the guest by emma cline
read if you like: thrillers, the east coast or ottessa moshfegh.
I’m just gonna say it—this book stressed me out. if you like self-destructive, unreliable narrators then you need this one on your shelf, stat. personally, I do not. unpopular opinion but my year of rest and relaxation was one of the hardest books for me to get through maybe ever, so take my thoughts on this book with a grain of salt if you liked that.
it’s a quick read and has a showstopping cover (tbh why I bought it lol). also in the pro column: she did a great job capturing east coast summer culture and I *loved* the way she ended it. that was my fave part! overall, I would give it a 3.5/5.
2. happy place by emily henry
read if you like: romances, summertime or sophie kinsella.
was I the last person to discover emily henry? her books are the epitome of snackable summer reading. while they skew on the predictable side, she excels at building chemistry and writing witty, sharp-as-a-tack dialogue.
this is her latest release and it’s pretttttttty good BUT my favorite one is beach read so I recommend starting there and then working your way through the rest of them.
you might feel awkward reading this on a plane but it’s a solid 5/5 for a vacay book.
3. really good, actually by monica heisey
read if you like: self-deprecating humor and bridget jones.
let’s just say this was not the ideal book to read on your honeymoon. why? it’s 300-something pages about a 28-year-old going through a divorce after only two-ish years of marriage.
don’t let that deter you though! her writing is laugh-out-loud funny and so emotionally insightful. however, it did feel like one of those books you kinda had to be going through something similar to truly appreciate (à la my year of magical thinking).
fingers crossed I won’t ever need to read it again for the above reason, but I did enjoy it for what it was—I give it a 4/5.
4. the perfectionist’s guide to losing control by katherine morgan schafler
read if you like: everything to be perfect 100% of the time or podcasts.
I listened to this on the plane and found it somewhat interesting? it’s a fresh take on what it means to be a perfectionist, delves into different iterations of the trope, and gives strategies on how to embrace aspects of perfectionism and make them work for you.
for the most part, I enjoyed listening to her perspective on the topic but I didn’t take away anything super helpful in the practical sense. spoiler: her main conclusions seem to be that 1) you shouldn’t feel ashamed of striving to align your ideal with reality, i.e. that it’s okay to be a perfectionist as long as you don’t let it ruin your life (okay) and that 2) we’re all already perfect just as we are so really if you are a perfectionist you’ve already achieved your goal from the outset just by being you (okay).
idk it was…fine 🤷♀️—2.5/5
okay that’s it! have you read anything good lately (snackable or otherwise?). send recs my way and talk to you all sunday for *cheap* week.
here’s a little preview of the refried bean skillet from last night that cost less than $10 to make:
