My favorite 2020 Summer reads – featuring the new Twilight book “Midnight Sun” review

My love of reading spans way back to my early childhood days. I have always enjoyed picking up a book and loosing my mind in it wandering the lands of Mordor with Frodo and Sam, defeating Voldemort with Harry Potter and discovering Wonderland with Alice. Reading a book brings you a different kind of joy than a movie ever could. But that’s not to say I don’t also enjoy the occasional Netflix binge now and then, along with my avid reading. 🙂

Even though I have always loved reading I can clearly distinguish that since this whole self-isolation/ quarantine has taken effect back in March the amount of reading I’ve done has skyrocketed, quite literally. At one point I was finishing a new book, 600-800 pages every 1-1/2 weeks, insane! This has not slowed done even though I am burning through money (buying new books 24/7) like crazy. I plan to continue my streak because it’s been fun. 🙂

So, today I thought it would be helpful to compile a list of my favorite reads this Spring/ Summer and share them with you so you can maybe add a few of them to your Fall/Winter reading list or just get an idea of what book you may like to adventure into next.

There are NO spoilers in these reviews

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First off let’s get into my most recent read, Stephanie Meyers newest book “Midnight Sun.”

If you enjoyed the Twilight series, Vampire Diaries or are a big fan of any sort of fictional/fantasy/ romance read then you are going to LOVE this book! I would say though that if you haven’t read the Twilight series to first read that then come back to this book otherwise it won’t make sense.

My thoughts: Stephanie Meyers has done it again. She has once again captured my interests in her newest work to bring a whole new side to Edward and his love interest Bella. In this book we get a first hand look at how and why he falls so deeply in love with her and get to experience his world completely. This book is hands down one of my favorites that I’ve read in awhile.

Second on the list we have my all time favorite book “The Good Earth” by Pearl S. Buck.

I am pretty sure in last years favorite Summer reads post I also included this book but I just had to include it in list list as well. I read this book every year and each time I fall more deeply in love with it.

The story begins on Wang Lungs wedding day and from there follows the rise and fall of his fortunes. Pearl S. Buck dramatizes family life of the Chinese and showcases the simple life of Wang Lung and his attraction and longing for wealth. We learn of him through these years and quickly fall in love with his moving, honest story and the journey of his selfless wife O-Lan. Still to this day, even though I have read countless books, this story still remains #1 on my list. It’s simple yet such a rewarding book that I have no doubt you too will fall head over heels into this book.

With that being said, as any avid reader will tell you there is always another book which just misses first place on our list but is easily #2. This book for me is “Great Expectations” by Charles Dickens.

Now, this is the only book on this list which I did not read this summer but I just had to include it because as I said above, I truly believe it’s a book that everyone should read at least once in their life.

This is a more challenging read but it’s definitely something a 9th grader and/or older could tackle. Once I read one of Dickens works I was quickly captivated by his stories, he is my favorite author. The way he writes, his descriptions and the stories he tells within these words is indescribable.

Great Expectations is the story of the Orphan Pip’s life. We follow him from his early years all the way to his adulthood and becoming a gentlemen. Dickens writes a mesmerizing tale of isolation, manipulation, the story of the tragic hero, and the desire of wanting to be someone else in his characters Pip, Miss Havisham, Estella and Magwitch. We as readers are quickly drawn into his world and long to keep reading to see how his life will turn out at the end.

Fourth of the list is a poetry book by Mary Mackey titled “The Jaguars That Prowl Our Dreams.”

Previously I was not into poetry. I tried and tried all different types but I struggled to either understand it or simply enjoy it. But I was determined to find atleast one book that was enjoyable. So, a few weeks ago my dad gave me this book to try and after reading the first few poems I knew I had finally found it!

If you are looking for simple easy to read poems about life, love and human adventure then this is definitely a book you should pick up. There’s nothing complex about her writing style which is why I was so drawn to it. Sure there is something interesting about a poem filled with tons of symbolism and complex diction but there is also something to be said about simple elegant writing that really opens your eyes up to life.

The Tolkien Reader by J.R.R. Tolkien

To this day “The Lord of the Rings” and “The Hobbit” movies & books remain my favorite series. So when I saw this book sitting on my dad’s shelf I quickly grabbed it and started reading.

The first few pages of the book are solely dedicated to “The Lord of the Rings” and “The Hobbit” commentary. You”ll learn about the intended meaning of the ring, how J.R.R. Tolkien came up with these incredible characters and other interesting things about the author himself. The rest of the book is made up of stories and poems written by him. These give you insight into his magical mind. Honestly I only picked up the book to read the first part but reading his other poems and stories was quite interesting and gave me a deeper look into him as an author and person.

I hope you enjoyed todays post and found a new book or two to add to your reading list. Leave a comment below telling me which one(s) was your favorite and/or which one(s) you are going to add to your list!

If you liked this post and want me to do a Fall/Winter edition be sure to hit the like button or leave a comment below! 🙂

Last years favorite Summer reads post here.

If you liked this post then you may enjoy these

• My favorite Summer reads (2019 edition)
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Thanks so much for visiting my blog today! Have a wonderful rest of your day. – Theresa