There's Always Something Too Good To Read
I write this article from my hotel room overlooking midtown Manhattan with Grand Central Station and the Chrysler Building an arm's length away. The juxtaposition to Carrie Bradshaw fuels my creativity and spurs nostalgia deep in my soul. What a 2004 pipe dream. "You can't leave New York! You're the Chrysler Building!" —Carrie Bradshaw
Some months, I crank a book review piece out effortlessly and early. Other times, I wait for inspiration to arrive, and it did in the form of a spontaneous trip to New York City. Do you know when the stars align and everything falls into place perfectly? It is kismet, y'all. I did not know I would be in this magnificent city three days ago, but here I sit, inspired and ready to talk about books.
Who is looking for their next great vacation read? I am on book number three for this trip, but I do not feel compelled to recommend the first two. I am not quite ready to recommend the third book because it is a series, and I am only on book two. Here are the books I have been recommending to my fellow travelers in search of their next best vacation book.
Book Lovers by Emily Henry. I previously enjoyed People We Meet on Vacation (which I believe I've suggested before). It is essentially a Hallmark movie kind of book. A book editor and a book agent have a brash first business meeting and then come together in a little storybook town under wildly unlikely circumstances. I bet you can predict the rest, can't you? I will warn you that it drags in parts, but it is mindless and breezy.
The Unhoneymooners by Christina Lauren. Olive ends up on her twin sister's all-expense paid honeymoon with her sworn enemy and now brother-in-law, Ethan. They try their best to avoid each other but end up falling into a big fabricated lie and eventually into bed together. Blush! It is flirty and will keep you guessing. You will not want to put this one down.
Verity by Colleen Hoover. One of my friends has been begging me to read Colleen Hoover, and I finally took the plunge with Verity. Wowza. I am a fan! Lowen is a floundering author who has chosen to complete a series for a more accomplished, recently injured author. She ends up moving into the bedridden author's home with her family, and the story takes on many dark and twisty turns. This one kept me guessing and shocked me in the end.
Time to get back to the sights and sounds of New York City. And since the world is my oyster on this trip sans small children and husband, my best friend and I will relish the opportunity to see the movie adaptation of Where The Crawdads Sing. (Which you should absolutely read if you are one of the last six people on earth who has not read it yet.) She and I read the final chapter together hours after she delivered her baby girl in 2019. We are excited to see Crawdads come to life on the big screen.
Happy summer reading, friends! Remember, even if there are no travel plans on your calendar, a good book will take you anywhere you want to be by opening the page. I leave you with this quote by Emily Henry from Book Lovers, "You're in books. Of course, you have no life. None of us do. There's always something too good to read."
