good books?

ok, we're hoping for a vacation soon and i've been reading a bunch, so my que is running low. anything you've read recently that you've absolutely loved? so grateful! xo

p.s. you readers are fabulous, so check back on the comments because there are bound to be some gems!

p.s.s. check out some of my favorite books here.

nick hornby.

i just finished reading nick hornby's book slam. i fell in love with his writing while in england in college (high fidelity is great) and hadn't read him since. this is an incredible book about a 15 year old boy who gets his girlfriend pregnant and the struggles of "growing up." the writing is just unbelievable. it will make you laugh out loud, reconsider the moments that force us to take on new responsibilities, and keep your attention until the. very. last page. p.s. remember how i loved an education, his movie adaptation of this book?

home game.

so, i am neither a dad, or even a parent, but i first saw home game by michael lewis in denver, it's recently been climbing the ny times bestseller list, and let's just say curiosity killed the cat. i bought the book on monday and read the entire book that day. it is so honest, literally laugh out loud (and then read aloud to your husband and laugh out loud again) funny, and a really interesting take on what it means to be a father today. also incredibly well written, it's one of the best books i've read in a while. has anyone else read it?! p.s. the author also wrote the blind side!

the middle place.

this book rightfully got a lot of attention when it came out, but as i glanced at my bookshelf and saw it, i thought i'd add to the chorus. and if this was one of those books you meant to read, but never got around to it (and then forgot) and right now you're looking for a wonderful summer read, i'd give two thumbs up to the middle place.

it is a poignant, authentic memoir about being a daughter and mom and how that shapes adulthood. it's also laugh out loud funny. i LOVE her engagement story and the paper mache incident with her daughters. happy reading! what are you reading? i need some ideas!

magazines.

i literally subscribed to real simple the day they opened their doors (i was in high school, how simple did life need to be?) and have read every single issue. i have binders of my favorite recipes and ideas. i read the editors book the first week it was out. (keep in mind i asked for plates for my 18th birthday - and still lived at home) ... all this to say, i think i need to expand my magazine reading. through lovely blogs, i've learned of lovely online magazines, but there's nothing like the real thing. do you all have any favorites? i love picking up body & soul and architectural digest when i'm traveling. others i'm missing? you guys always have the best ideas.

new yorker's top 20 under 40.

i'm so excited to spend some time exploring the new yorker's list of top 20 fiction writers under the age of 40. there's something about the next generation of great writers that is just so exciting. have you read anything by these authors? the new york times ran a good article on the list too, you can find it here.

sundays are for lovers.

over the weekend i bought this book, that i found on this blog (which i couldn't. stop. reading). i'm really into thinking about sundays and the sabbath in new ways and am so excited for it to arrive. alyson suggests it as a wedding present, it just may be my new go to gift.

standing by.

i'm only six months into being a navy wife, but there's been one book that's really helped me think about (and talk through with ryan) what this adventure is going to be like. it's called standing by: the making of an american military family in a time of war. written by a navy pilot's wife (her husband flies prowlers), it's an incredibly honest, genuine and funny memoir. her stories on her learning curve as a navy wife, going through deployments kids (such poignant moments) and the amazing people they met along the way was really affirming. for you military wives out there, got any other must reads? would be so grateful if you shared some titles!

for those of you who aren't military wives, it's an honest memoir on being a wife and mother. it also had me laughing out loud more than i have in a long time while reading (embarrassing my husband as we were on a crowded plane :)

p.s. for a more practical guide (tri-care, moves, etc) this book was great.

just let me lie down.

i've been subscribing to real simple magazine since high school (i'm a huge nerd). well, that means i've been reading kristin van ogtrop's editor's letters since she started and was so excited to read her new book.

clearly i'm not a working mom, but i still found her book (which i read in a day given all my travel :) to be relevant for a working/commuting navy wife and just the demands on women these days. it's funny, authentic and gave me lots to think about. thoughts, dear readers?

one potato.

loving this site, one potato, where you can find wonderful children's books like this one. so, for all you moms and dads, aunts and uncles, godparents, grandparents and kind neighbors who love reading to kiddos, check out one potato for some amazing undiscovered books! makes me want to build a fort and read by flashlight!