I was looking through the list of books I’ve downloaded on to my Kindle over the past few months and realized that I forgot to blog about one of my favorite parts of our Turks and Caicos vacation – sitting by the ocean and reading.  Simplicity and relaxation at its finest.  I try to channel the feeling every chance I get, but it’s never quite the same!

Anyway, the three books I read (I’m a speed reader) could not have been any more different.  While I’m not going to do full reviews, I thought I’d touch on why I enjoyed each of the books so much.

Note: Unless I don’t plan to read a particular book, I won’t read full reviews about it.  I like not knowing what I’m getting myself into (aside from what’s on the back cover).  It’s more fun that way!

The first book I decided to delve into while on vacation was Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn.

I’m sure most, if not all, of you have heard of this book.  Gone Girl almost didn’t make it on to my Kindle because of the mixed things I heard after it first debuted.  Personally, I really enjoyed this book.  It was the perfect combination of psychological thriller and suspense, with every chapter being a cliffhanger.  What drew me in the most was the love-hate relationship I formed with every single character, and the fact that with every page I was questioning my previous assumptions.  I couldn’t put this book down!

Next up was And the Mountains Echoed by Khaled Hosseini.

Let me start off my saying that A Thousand Splendid Suns by the same author is my favorite book.  Ever.  So I went into this one with very high expectations.  And while this didn’t beat out my #1 favorite, it was one of those books that stays with you for a long time.  It’s emotional (I cried several times) and very raw.  And while I did enjoy it, I finished the book wanting more – more character development and more closure.  Regardless, I recommend And the Mountains Echoed, as well as highly recommend The Kite Runner and A Thousand Splendid Suns.  Just make sure there’s a tissue box close by!

And finally, the last book I read on vacation was Across Eternity by Aris Whittier.

I actually learned about this book from the author herself!  She emailed me a few months ago asking if I would be interested in reading and then reviewing the book on the blog.  After reading a short synopsis (that thankfully didn’t give much away), I agreed.  It sounded intriguing to say the least, especially because reincarnation is the central theme.  Both the spiritual and romantic sides of me enjoyed this book because it addressed ideas and thoughts that have been openly discussed among my family and friends for as long as I can remember.  If nothing else, this book really makes you think long and hard about soul mates and the (possible) connections and bonds we bring into our current life as well as take into our next.  Overall, this unconventional love story was powerful and thought provoking.  Most hard core romantics would probably enjoy it!

And just because quotes are my favorite thing ever, especially love quotes, I thought I’d share one of my favorites from the book – “Loving you means no fear. It means forgiving and forgetting. It means understanding and accepting.”  How beautiful!

Now it’s your turn!  Tell me what you’ve been reading this summer.  I need recommendations for our long trip to India!