Like most of my hobbies and passions, my waves of motivation and gumption to pursue them come in ebbs and flows.
(Honestly, it’s more like tsunami waves or desert dry spells, thanks to what I now know is ADHD.)
Reading, though one of my very favorite things, is also victim to this pattern of consumption and abstinence; however, lately I’ve been fortunate to have dedicated reading time through plane travel. That, as well as the dusty old Amazon tablet I found in a moving box that is acting as a makeshift kindle.
Here are a few of the titles I’ve loved lately and cruised through easily.
Books I’ve devoured

Every Last Secret
by A.R. Torre
This was brought to me via my new book club! I downloaded it on Kindle and read it within four hours; it sucked me in and I was hooked immediately.
Every Last Secret is pretty juicy, involving a successful businessman, his beautiful wife, and their new neighbor who only has one goal in mind: to level up.
More info: http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/52347808-every-last-secret
Buy Every Last Secret | Amazon | IndieBound | ThriftBooks

The Good Lie
by A.R. Torre
Because I liked the first book so much, I decided to seek out another title from the same author.
The Good Lie was dark, twisty, and kept me up into the middle of the night to finish. It involved gruesome murders of teenaged boys, a therapist who works with violent patients, and a lawyer seeking justice.
More info: http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/56238004-the-good-lie
Buy The Good Lie | Amazon | IndieBound | ThriftBooks

The Paris Apartment
by Lucy Foley
Set in a Paris apartment building where every resident has something to hide, this novel is a fun and quirky journey where I just wanted to know more. The story follows down-on-her-luck Jess on her quest to find out what happened to her older brother, while she stays in his luxurious apartment in the meantime.
More info: http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/58468990-the-paris-apartment
Buy The Paris Apartment | Amazon | IndieBound | ThriftBooks

American Dirt
by Jeanine Cummins
A harrowing and gripping tale, American Dirt details the journey of a Mexican woman whose entire family was brutally murdered by a major drug cartel and escapes to the United States with her son.
I found American Dirt especially moving and disturbing, especially knowing that so many families make this horrifying journey each year and only the luckiest survive. I think everyone should read this book.
More info: http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/45046527-american-dirt
Buy American Dirt | Amazon | IndieBound | ThriftBooks

Next Year in Havana
by Chanel Cleeton
Told through two connected narratives of a young journalist in the present and her grandmother in the past, Next Year in Havana is a historical family drama and romance set in and around Cuba.
Cuba acts as a main character in itself, and it seemed important to learn more about the relentless political strife, uncertainty, loss, and identity issues that its citizens faced. I appreciated the two perspectives and learning about the Cuban culture and history in small pieces.
Note: I listened to this on Audible while I walked on the treadmill. I’m not really an audio book person, so it took me forevvvver to finish.
More info: http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/45046527-american-dirt
Buy Next Year in Havana | Amazon | IndieBound | ThriftBooks

Love & Gelato
by Jenna Evans Welch
This book is a cute read with a healthy mix of serious and silly topics: grief, teenagers, change, Italy, secrets, diaries, and gelato.
Love & Gelato was a quick one, and I enjoyed it from start to finish.
More info: http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25756328-love-gelato
Buy Love & Gelato | Amazon | IndieBound | ThriftBooks

The House on Mango Street
by Sandra Cisneros
Back in college, my newspaper colleague Morgan told me about her favorite book, The House on Mango Street, and recommended that I add it to my list. On the plane back from Colorado, I finally got around to reading it.
I loved it. It’s several short narratives woven together to tell a story about a house in Chicago and the people living in and around it. The writing was beautiful and engaging and inspired what I’d like to see in my own future writing.
Thank you, Morgan.
More info: goodreads.com/book/show/139253.The_House_on_Mango_Street
Buy The House on Mango Street | Amazon | IndieBound | ThriftBooks
I like the look of Next Year In Havana, I’m a big fan of dual timeline stories. I’d also like to learn more about Cuba, so this sounds like the perfect read!
It was great! I think that structure really shines through in this book. Thank you for reading!
I haven’t read any of these, but I really want to read The Paris Apartment. I loved all her other books so I’m sure I’ll enjoy that one too.
It was my first book out of a reading slump and really helped to jumpstart things again! Very fun read for sure. Thanks for reading!
I love the sound of The House on Mango Street, and Love & Gelato has been on my TBR list for awhile!
They are both excellent! Thank you for reading. 🙂
I’ve been wanting to read The House on Mango Street and The Paris Apartment, after reading your reviews I think I’ll have to make them a priority to read next! All of the other books you listed sound so good too, thanks for sharing these recommendations! Great post! 🙂
Both are excellent! Thank you so much for reading! 🙂
ahahaha i totally get the adhd interest waves! these books sound great – i’m really into twisty/turny thrillers at the moment 🙂
Right?? Those who get it…get it. Lol. And heck yes, I love those can be some of my favorites! Thanks for checking this list out. 🙂
The only one I’ve read on here is The Paris Apartment. I will have to check the other ones out too! Thanks for sharing your list!
Thanks so much for reading!
I love your taste in books. Paris, gelato and a good lie. Great titles!!
Thank you so much!
I haven’t heard of these books and so this was interesting to read. I definitely want to start reading more as I have a few book on my to be read pile. Thank you for sharing.
Lauren.
Thanks for checking out this list!
Great list! I agree, Love and Gelato is such a cute read and the movie was quite nice too (even if they did change a lot of things). The Paris Apartment is on my reading list, and I can’t wait to check out the rest of these titles!
I’ll have to check out the movie version! Thank you for reading.