I’m definitely ahead of my game this year so far. My goal is 40 books and I’ve checked 7 off of my list so far. Winter is usually my best reading time because I love sitting on the couch curled up in comfortable pajamas and a book. I also can thank my obsessive library hold list. I got a little click happy at the beginning of the year and my holds have been coming up fast. I have five library books currently on my nightstand.

Here is my thoughts on the books I’ve checked off so far:

Truly, Madly, Guilty by Liane Moriarty – (Goodreads/Amazon) If you’ve read anything by this author and liked it, then you will probably like this too. Her style is very similar in all her books. This was a good story, a little slow at the beginning, but I enjoyed it. I’m super excited for the new HBO show based on a book written by Moriarty.

A Year of Living Danishly by Helen Russell – (Goodreads/Amazon) I love reading people’s fish out of water stories especially when they are laid out in a diary style. This reminded me of the Happiness Project because it went month by month with a different focus each month. If you’re a regular reader here, you probably saw this post about my favorite Danish term, so it’s probably clear that I’m diving straight into my Scandinavian roots this year and loving every minute. There was a ton of interesting information about Denmark that went above and beyond Hygge.

The Whole Town’s Talking by Fannie Flagg – (Goodreads/Amazon) I didn’t know what I would think of this book. It gives you the history of a little town in middle America from the day it was created to today. I didn’t think I would like that many characters and that much time passing, but I was so wrong. The story made me smile the entire time. It was beautifully written and it may not have been the most thrilling book, but I’m so glad I gave it a shot.

Hidden Figures by Margot Lee Shetterly – (Goodreads/Amazon) I wanted to read this book before seeing the movie. I wouldn’t recommend that. It had so many references to things I had never heard of in the world of NASA and physics and math. I’m still really excited to see the movie, but I didn’t love the way the book read.

The Magnolia Story by Chip & Joanna Gaines – (Goodreads/Amazon) I love Fixer Upper, so I had to get my hands on this book. It was a super quick read. The story kind of bounces around a little, but you find out more of their background and how they got to where they are. If you aren’t fans of the show, you probably wouldn’t love the book, but if you’ve watched it and like them, I would definitely recommend this.

And my two absolute favorites so far this year:

Behold the Dreamers by Imbolo Mbue – (Goodreads/Amazon) I loved this book. It’s a story about an immigrant from Western Africa. It follows his journey to try and become a citizen. There is no real crazy plot lines, it just feels like a real story and I loved following along. The ending seems more real life than I was expecting which I appreciated. I thought this author was wonderful and I hope she writes more.

The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah – (Goodreads/Amazon) This book made me cry so many tears at the end. We got it for my sister in law for Christmas and because of my library timing, we ended up reading it about the same time. It’s so fun to be able to talk about a book with someone else (I should really find a book club in NYC – any ideas?) The story was beautifully written and I loved it.

Have you read any of these? Do you agree? Again, my rating scale is all over the place on Goodreads – so I figured I would just tell you which ones I definitely recommend.

Linking up with Steph and Jana for their monthly book link up. Happy Valentine’s Day. Share the love. Also, check back on the blog later this week for a chance to share the blog love with each other. I’ve been working on a little idea for a while now and I can’t wait to share!!