Goodbye Spring and a marvelous hello to Summer aka my favorite season. If I could spend my entire life hunkered down on a beach somewhere far far away and all I had was copious amounts of books, I won’t complain. But since that’s not an option, I go for Plan B — a family getaway to Florida.
The sunshine state has been a favorite vacation spot for us since I can remember. Every year, around the same time, we pack our suitcases and fly off to Florida. This year was no exception for us.
While most fret over how many swim suits to pack, I spent my time carefully selecting which books I would bring with me to keep me company at the pool while the hubby and the kids stayed in the water.
I read all four books while laying under the sun and all four are amazing. Now I’m back and I’m dying to share my them with you.
The BONE COLLECTOR by Jeffery Deaver — I don’t know why or how, but Jeffery Deaver’s books have evaded me thus far. On a whim, I picked up the Bone Collector and, oh my, I was hooked after page one. The suspect hard-boiled murder mystery had all the right ingredients to make it work. Interesting characters, strong literally hooks and whodunit flare to satisfy even the pickiest among us. Lincoln Rhyme was is a genius criminalist with the NYPD but after an accident he’s paralyzed. No longer able to work, Rhyme feels forgotten by the world and doesn’t think he can go on living life confined to a bed. Until… a serial killer, the Bone Collector begins to leave clues at the murder scenes. NYC is terrified and paralyzed by fear. No other detective seems to be able to crack the clues. The department turns to Rhyme for help. But would even Rhyme be able to put the clues together before another innocent is killed? The Bone Collector is the first book in the Lincoln Rhyme series. I’m stoked to read the next one.
NYPD RED 2 by James Patterson — is there a book written by Patterson that sucks? There might be, but I’m yet to find it. NYPD RED 2 was a good beach read. It provided entertainment without fuss. I sped through the pages like a race car driver and I’m sure you’ll too. Zack Jordan and his partner Kyle McDonald, a butt-kicking due working for the elite Red team part of the NYPD. They are the protected of the rich and powerful, which sometimes is not a good thing, especially since the rich and the powerful are suspected of murder. I highly recommend the NYPD series if you are a fan of Law and Order (who isn’t) and Chicago PD. You won’t regret bringing a copy with you on your next family trip.
Baby Millionares by Dave Ramsey — I found Dave Ramsey randomly on YouTube one day trying to learn about personal financing and ways I could stretch our tap water budget. He was fun to watch and I like his honest answers to folks just like me. Fast forward four years later, my husband and I have implemented the Baby Steps into our budget and I’m here to tell you — Dave Ramsey knows what he’s talking about. So, when his latest book, The Baby Millionares dropped, I instantly bought it. The book is mostly a collection of stories of other families who have completed the Baby Steps. It gives a brief overview of the Baby Steps approach. If you’ve never heard of the Baby Steps system, I would suggest you check out his other books first: The Total Money Makeover and Complete Guide to Money, both of those will help you get started if you feel like a hamster spinning a wheel but never getting anywhere with your money.
Atomic Habits by James Clear — this book was everywhere when it first came out. The book tour was so long and so well publicized that I thought its initial praises were inflated. But it has remained on the Amazon bestseller list for months. So temptation and curiosity overpowered me and I snagged a copy. While I was backing, lathered with a sunscreen of course, I dived in Atomic Habits. I loved the book and the practical advice Clear writes about. It was mostly things I had come across other similar publications. I didn’t think it was groundbreaking, but it was cohesive and worth reading if you’re struggling to put order into your hectic life. It teaches you how to feel less overwhelmed with life and your choices. It focuses on creating long-lasting habits and it gives you the how tos in case you can’t stick with goals.
I love all four of the Beach Reads while I was away. If you chose to read all for or some, drop me a line below to tell me your thoughts or give a book rec. I love getting those too. Also, if you want to receive extra book recs from me, sign up for my newsletter! I always have some goodies in there. Come check me out on the Gram and let’s be friends on Twitter!
Happy Reading!
