5 Great Books to Check Out this Fall!
Happy fall, everyone. My main hobby in August & September has been reading so I have a lot of great books to share. I ordered a ton of books this spring and summer from the library and most of them didn’t come in until August so I found myself with a quite a bit of reading to catch up on. Here are 5 Great Books that were some of my favorites.
America’s First Daughter by Stephanie Dray (Fiction)
I loved reading the novel ‘Americas First Daughter over the past few weeks. Because it’s historical fiction I found that it had the perfect blend of historical facts and details along with a captivating story line. The book follows the life of Patsy Jefferson, daughter of Thomas Jefferson from her journey of girlhood and adolescence all the way through the death of her father. One of the aspects that I most loved about this book was gaining some insight into what life may have been like for a woman growing up as the daughter of a prominent politician. While, many of us learn the names or details of our founding fathers, their daughters and wives were often hidden in the shadows of our history books.
As an aside, the book is almost 600 pages so it’s certainly not a quick read but it is engaging and definitely worth reading.
The Light of Paris by Eleanor Brown (Fiction)
This was another book that I really enjoyed this month. This novel switches between two characters. The main story line surrounds the life of a woman named Madeleine who is struggling in a difficult marriage and the expectations of her family. As she reflects and tries to make sense of her circumstances she stumbles across the journals of her dead Grandmother. She finds that the Grandmother that she recalled was a far cry from the girl that she had once been in her youth. Furthermore, she discovers that her Grandmother had once spent a time living in Paris and that she actually has much more in in common with her Grandmother than she ever would have expected.
Eligible by Sittenfeld Curtis (Fiction)
As you can see, I read quite a bit of fiction this month. All of my library holds seemed to come in at the same time which meant that I had a lot of reading to do! This is actually a book that I read as our September book for a local book club that I am a part of. The story is a modern day telling of Pride and Prejudice set in Cincinnati, Ohio. I really enjoyed the characters in this book and I thought that the author did a pretty good job. This is another really long read but I should mention that the chapters are only 2-5 pages long so it was actually a pretty quick read considering how long it is. If you’re an Austen fan who is always up for a new rendition of P & P (as I am) then it’s worth checking out.
Present Over Perfect by Shauna Niequist (Non Fiction)
I have eagerly been waiting months and months for this one. I love Shauna and I hold her books to be among many of my favorites. She writes the type of books that I find myself returning to over and over again and her latest did not disappoint. In fact, while I’ve always loved Shauna’s vulnerability and authenticity in her writing, I found that this book brought that out in an even deeper and more raw way. There were so many great gems in this book and as I look over my already abused copy, I can see that half of the pages seem to be dog eared. The sub heading of the book is ‘leaving behind frantic for a simpler, more soulful way of living’ and that’s exactly what this book is. In fact, the book itself is almost like a cup of herbal tea for the soul.
If you only have time to read one book this month, Present Over Perfect is the one.
The Geography of Genius by Eric Weiner (Non Fiction )
I actually discovered this book while I was listening to Jeff Goins Podcast where he was interviewing the author. I had read Eric’s first book ‘The Geography of Bliss’ and enjoyed it but I didn’t realize that he had a new book out. If you happen to love both history and travel then this is an ideal fit for you. The author travels to a variety of cities and countries around the world to explore the connection between innovation and the surroundings that produce it. Some of his stops included modern day Silicon Valley in California, ancient Athens, Renaissance Florence, and Song Dynasty Hangzhou. I found the book to be really interesting and I certainly learned a lot about each period that he described.
Upcoming Reads:
Here are the titles that I’ve picked up from the library and will be making my way through during the rest of September and into October.
Non Fiction:
Joy on Demand by Chade-Meng Tan
Pivot by Jenny Blake
Peak: Secrets from the new science of expertise by Anders Ericsson & Robert Pool
The Happiness Dare by Jennifer Dukes Lee
Unmistakable by Srinivas Rao
Fiction:
The Singles Game by Lauren Weisberger (author of the Devil Wears Prada)
The Admissions by Meg Mitchell Moore
The Woman Who Stole My Life by Marian Keyes
What about you? What have you been reading this month? What are the 5 Great Books that you would recommend this fall?
For even more book recommendations check out the post 1o Books Worth Re-Reading
Photo Credit: Helene In Between
