My journey through books has been a lifelong one.  I have loved books for as long as I can remember. As far back as elementary I started with a fascination with all things Stephen King. We lived miles out in the country and nowhere near any of my friends. Books have forever kept me company and taken me to places that I thought I may never see in person.  

Books basically helped take me away to places in my mind, whether I was sad or lonely or even angry. There was always a book that could bring me out of the funk that I might be in.  

I have found through every stage of life this has been true for me. I have graduated from Stephen King (thank you for filling my childhood and teen years). Whatever genre is your favorite all books have things in common. You become personal with the characters and their stories. They can make you laugh out loud or cry your eyes out.  

If you can spend an evening buried in a good story with a cozy blanket and yummy warm beverage then my friend you have created a place to find your peace. You can check out these recipes from

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My favorite genres 

I am currently obsessed with historical fiction. I was never much of a history buff while I was in school. At this point in life, I wish I had paid much more attention.  I have now traveled to many countries and been lucky enough to see many of the sights that these books talk about in person and they are breathtaking.  Kristin Hannah started me down this path and I have read every one of her books. I highly suggest any one of them, my first Hannah book was The Nightengale. She tells such a vivid, colorful story that I had to check if it was a true story.  

Mystery/Thriller books, there are so many incredible authors here that I feel I cannot do them justice in a simple paragraph. I will devote an entire post to the wonderful mystery/thriller writers. Here are a couple of my favorites:  

James Patterson (all things Alex Cross) 

Frieda Mcfadden (The Housemaid series for starters) 

Colleen Hoover (It stars with us, It ends with us and Verity) 

Fantasy books have made a bit of a resurgence for me after the Harry Potter phenomenon I’ll admit I hadn’t picked up a fantasy book in years. Along came A Court of Thorns and Roses series (Sarah J. Maas) and she had me hooked again.  

I am going to share some of my latest favorites just in case you’re in a funk for something to read any one of these will jump start your journey back to your love of reading. 

Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens: For years, rumors of the “Marsh Girl” have haunted Barkley Cove, a quiet town on the North Carolina coast. So in late 1969, when handsome Chase Andrews is found dead, the locals immediately suspect Kya Clark, the so-called Marsh Girl. But Kya is not what they say. Sensitive and intelligent, she has survived for years alone in the marsh that she calls home, finding friends in the gulls and lessons in the sand. Then the time comes when she yearns to be touched and loved. When two young men from town become intrigued by her wild beauty, Kya opens herself to a new life—until the unthinkable happens. 
 
Where the Crawdads Sing is at once an exquisite ode to the natural world, a heartbreaking coming-of-age story, and a surprising tale of possible murder. Owens reminds us that we are forever shaped by the children we once were, and that we are all subject to the beautiful and violent secrets that nature keeps. 

Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn: On a warm summer morning in North Carthage, Missouri, it is Nick and Amy Dunne’s fifth wedding anniversary. Presents are being wrapped and reservations are being made when Nick’s clever and beautiful wife disappears. Husband-of-the-Year Nick isn’t doing himself any favors with cringe-worthy daydreams about the slope and shape of his wife’s head, but passages from Amy’s diary reveal the alpha-girl perfectionist could have put anyone dangerously on edge. Under mounting pressure from the police and the media—as well as Amy’s fiercely doting parents—the town golden boy parades an endless series of lies, deceits, and inappropriate behavior. Nick is oddly evasive, and he’s definitely bitter—but is he really a killer? 

Girl on a Train by Paula Hawkins: EVERY DAY THE SAME 
Rachel takes the same commuter train every morning and night. Every day she rattles down the track, flashes past a stretch of cozy suburban homes, and stops at the signal that allows her to daily watch the same couple breakfasting on their deck. She’s even started to feel like she knows them. Jess and Jason, she calls them. Their life—as she sees it—is perfect. Not unlike the life she recently lost. 
 
UNTIL TODAY 
And then she sees something shocking. It’s only a minute until the train moves on, but it’s enough. Now everything’s changed. Unable to keep it to herself, Rachel goes to the police. But is she really as unreliable as they say? Soon she is deeply entangled not only in the investigation but in the lives of everyone involved. Has she done more harm than good? 

The Storyteller by Jodi Piccoult: Some stories live forever.. 
 Sage Singer is a baker. She works through the night, preparing the day’s breads and pastries, trying to escape a reality of loneliness, bad memories, and the shadow of her mother’s death. When Josef Weber, an elderly man in Sage’s grief support group, begins stopping by the bakery, they strike up an unlikely friendship. Despite their differences, they see in each other the hidden scars that others can’t. 
 
Everything changes on the day that Josef confesses a long-buried and shame­ful secret and asks Sage for an extraordinary favor. If she says yes, she faces not only moral repercussions, but potentially legal ones as well. With the integrity of the closest friend she’s ever had clouded, Sage begins to question the assumptions and expectations she’s made about her life and her family. In this searingly honest novel, Jodi Picoult gracefully explores the lengths to which we will go in order to keep the past from dictating the future. 

I feel that in today’s busy, hustle and bustle world there is nothing that can slow down the chaos like a really good book. No matter what your favorite topic. There is nothing like the feel and smell of a good old fashioned book—forgive me Kindle I love you too! 

You can find all of these titles and millions more , you can even join book clubs based on your interests here!

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