The Longest Ride by Nicholas Sparks

I admit I am not a fan of Sparks. I love a good romance but for some reason I find Sparks very boring. His stories are good but his writing spoils it for me. But yet I picked up this book because it fitted well into one of the challenge categories. The book tells 2 love stories – one from the past (that makes you weep) and another present day. The stories merge in an art auction and ends as predicted.

Where’d You Go, Bernadette by Maria Semple

I am not sure how to describe this book. I initially thought it was more a young adult book and then later it was sort of a chick-lit. Maybe it is a mix of both. I loved parts of the book. It is hilarious and the characters are so perfectly imperfect. I wish the author had struck to the simple plotline she had going without trying to add complexities. Why do I recommend this book is a question I asked myself and I really don’t have an answer. It is not a good book but it has its comic moments initially which are wonderful.

The Thorn Birds by Collen McCullogh

My earliest memory of this book is finding a copy of it lying around home when I was probably around 8 or 9. It looked like a daunting at that age. Years afterwards I realized the author was Australian and the book was a great fit for my Australian Women Writers Challenge 2013. A family saga spanning over three generations. Like all family sagas, it is heartbreaking, emotional and beautiful. Set in Australia, the book describes the land and its early settlers beautifully.

The Curious Incident of the Dog at the Night-Time by Mark Haddon

This book made me laugh and tear up at the same time. The narrator is a 15 year old boy with Asperger’s Syndrome. He has a photographic memory. He is great in Math and Physics. His dream is to be an astronaut. He finds that someone had killed his neighbor’s dog and decides to play detective. His decision leads to discoveries (of the not so happy kind) and heartbreak. It has lot of science and math sewn seamlessly into the writing. One of those books I sat up all night to finish up.

Eat Move Sleep: How small choices lead to big changes by Tom Rath

This is a genre I generally don’t gravitate towards.Self-help books are a waste of space in my opinion (yes I believe in it). This book is a fitness/health self-help book and had rave reviews. My library stocked it up and it landed in my reading pile. It had its good parts but generally preachy and impractical. Rath preaches about sleep and good eating. While on paper the concepts look good, he probably does not have to wake up with an hyperactive 4 year old who hates to sleep every two hours. There was some good ideas and that makes it a recommendation. If you enjoy this genre, you should read the book.

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5 books is a monthly series featuring some of the books I read and loved recently. For more book updates and to check my current reading list, head to my Goodreads account.