Taylor Jenkins Reid has a way to write characters that can easily be your best friend. It is no different for “After I Do”. Lauren and Ryan reach a rough patch in their marriage. They decide to separate for one year with no contact. Can Lauren and Ryan find their way back to each other? Does a separation effect other family members? Can Grandma bestow her wisdom to Lauren? Read this equally funny and sad story to find out.

This is the second book in the Shatter Me series and oh my god, it was so good. The writing style carries over from the first book, showing Juliette’s inner conflicts. Most of the setting up is done in the first book, so this book is relatively fast paced. The romance gets more complicated as you get a different view of Aaron Warner’s life. There are some plot twists that I was not expecting at all. I had to sit there and really process one of them. I really love this book and totally recommend it!

This is a parable about setting out on your journey in life to find your true meaning in the world (or fortune). Santiago leaves his life as a shepherd in Spain to travel to Egypt. He was told by an old gypsy that he will find his fortune under the pyramids. Along the way of his journey Santiago meets people who help him on his quest and people who hinder his journey but all the time he follows the omens to reach his true destiny. I enjoyed this book and definitely think it’s worth a read. Maybe we can all follow our omens and meet the alchemist who can teach us to go for it.

Fiona Davis is my favorite author. I enjoy all her historical fiction novels especially this one because it involves the archaeological digs in Egypt which I find intriguing.

The Giver, is about a person who holds the memories of the true joys and pain of life in the world that is described as a futuristic one. And the twist is that he is the ONLY one who has this capacity to keep memories, and saves his world from the pain they might bring. The novel follows a 12-year-old boy named Jonas who experiences shocking truths, revelations, and hidden philosophies about the world around him as he has been SELECTED to be the next GIVER. The one who shall hold the memories for the entire world around him. Memories of joy, love, happiness, enjoyment, safety, danger, sorry, surprise, admiration, disgust or fear. The writing is so lucid that when you read about an emotion (Memory - in case of this book), you visualize all the small elements that go into making and feeling an emotion. The innocent and ingenuous way that the young protagonist tries to understand the new JOB profile he has been assigned is very thought provoking. A very GENIUS book!

Emilia has an indomitable spirit. This is her story. It didn't keep me riveted but it was good enough.

This well-researched novel is based on the true story of how Vincent Van Gogh's paintings were brought into acceptance as worthy art. Vincent's brother, Theo Van Gogh, supported the artist, and was himself an art dealer. One year after Vincent’s death, Theo dies. His wife, Jo Van Gogh, struggles to fulfill Theo's dream of bringing Vincent Van Gogh's art to fame. The expected response to her husband's death was for Jo to return home to live with and be supported by her father. She fights this, and fights against societal norms by trying to instill herself into the all-male world of selling art. She is rebuffed by the men, who don’t believe a woman can possibly understand business. For the sake of her son’s future inheritance, Jo does all she can to promote Vincent’s work and gain an international following for his drawings and paintings.

This was such a wonderful book, taking place in Paris during WWII and then in 1980s the US. A stolen bracelet, a jewel thief, the mystery of a murder, secrets of the past. And an amazing ending.

This is a simple and heart-warming story.

Marianne is a sixty year old German woman stuck in a loveless marriage and tries to kill herself. She is saved by three homeless men and her husband commits her to a mental institution. She escapes and ends up in a quaint town in Brittany, France where she makes herself a happy life with friends and joy. When her husband tracks her down will Marianne take him back and go back to her former life? Read a find out. I recommend this book. It was an easy read and you really root for Marianne’s happiness.