Hi readers!  I am honored to share with you today on Jamie’s blog and since she and I met through a book club, it’s only fitting that I share with you some of my favorite reads that you might want to add to your beach bag this summer!  I have a goal to read 52 books in 2014 (I’m currently on #19 as of May 15th).  I am always scouring book lists for reading inspiration from this one on the best summer reads to this Buzzfeed list about books that will change your life.  I’ll leave you with three reviews of books I have personally read and three that are on my to-read list!  If you get through 6 books in a summer, I’d say that’s pretty proficient reading!

3 Books I’ve Recently Read

The Language of Flowers by Vanessa Diffenbaugh: This book tugged at so many of my heart strings!  It is the story of Victoria Jones, an unlikely heroine who spent her child hood growing up in the foster care system who uses flowers to communicate with those around her.  As she ages out of the system, she becomes an apprentice to a florist and ends up encountering painful memories from her past.  This novel was unlike any I have ever read and I was a bit skeptical at first (do I really care what flowers mean?) but I ended up reading it at 2:00 AM one night!

The Rosie Project by Graeme Simsion: So sweet, so endearing, so quirky…I loved this book!  It is one of the most unique love stories I have ever read.  Set in Australia, it is the tale of a very socially inept genetics professor and his search for the perfect mate.  He develops a 16-page survey to weed out all potential wife candidates and enlists the help of a research assistant on his search.  The relationship that develops between the two is unlike any you’ve heard or see, I promise.  I can picture someone sitting by the pool, beverage in hand, smiling behind their wide-brimmed sun hat just falling in love with Don and Rosie.

The Fault in Our Stars by John Green: No doubt you’ve already heard of this book, right?  With the movie adaptation coming out soon, you’ve got to get your hands on it ASAP.  I won’t divulge much about this book except to say that I am definitely NOT into the teen genre of books yet I found myself reading this at stoplights!  This is such a sweet read that takes you on quite the rollercoaster of emotions.  Keep a box of tissues handy!

3 Books on My To-Read List

The Diving Bell and the Butterfly by Jean-Dominique Bauby: The story of a man who suffers a massive stroke and is trapped in a body that is insufficient for his wit, intelligence and gregarious personality.

The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time by Mark Haddon: Told from the point of view of an autistic teenager, the main character sets out to solve the mysterious death of a neighborhood dog after being accused of the dog’s death himself.

Brain on Fire: My Month of Madness by Susannah Cahalan: I’ve been intrigued by this book since I saw Susannah on a morning show last fall.  It tells the story of a month in her life when she lost complete control of her brain functioning and was diagnosed with a terrible brain disease.  Books about the brain are so very interesting to me!

I’ll leave you with those six recommendations but if you want to get crazy and read eight books this summer, my absolute favorite books of all time are Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand and Cutting for Stone by Abraham Verghese.  Both are epically long but they will forever hold a significant place in this bibliophile’s heart.

What is on your reading list this summer?  What are your ultimate-favorite-cannot-erase-from-your-mind books?  Share in the comments!

 Lindsey is a wife, mom, Jesus lover and Austinite who loves reading (obviously), cooking, teaching elementary school and occasionally flexes her crafy-bone.  She is also a CASA in Travis County and loves advocating for the needs of marginalized children.