June 29th: Must Have on Vacation | Top 5 Wednesday

Posted on by Alyssa

It’s that time of the week again! Top 5 Wednesdayyyyy~

Top 5 Wednesday was started in November 2013 and is a very much active group on Goodreads, so head over to Goodreads to join the group and keep up with all the topics for the month. I thought it was such a fun idea to have weekly books related prompts that I could answer and share with all of you.

June 29th: Must Have on Vacation

For many, vacation time is here! If you’re traveling and going on vacation, what are some reads you feel are a “must have” during your vacation trip? 

For this week’s prompt, I’ll be basically including some books from my summer TBR (To-Be-Read) pile. These are the books I hope to read in July/August, or plan to take with me on vacation.

1. Beach Read

by Emily Henry

The title says it all. I’ve been wanting to plan a vacation just so I can read this book. My copy of this book is sitting patiently on my bookshelf, waiting for the day we go out to the beach.

Goodreads synopsis:

A romance writer who no longer believes in love and a literary writer stuck in a rut engage in a summer-long challenge that may just upend everything they believe about happily ever afters.

Augustus Everett is an acclaimed author of literary fiction. January Andrews writes bestselling romance. When she pens a happily ever after, he kills off his entire cast.

They’re polar opposites.

In fact, the only thing they have in common is that for the next three months, they’re living in neighboring beach houses, broke, and bogged down with writer’s block.

Until, one hazy evening, one thing leads to another and they strike a deal designed to force them out of their creative ruts: Augustus will spend the summer writing something happy, and January will pen the next Great American Novel. She’ll take him on field trips worthy of any rom-com montage, and he’ll take her to interview surviving members of a backwoods death cult (obviously). Everyone will finish a book and no one will fall in love. Really.

2. A Vindication of the Rights of Woman

by Mary Wollstonecraft

A recent purchase of mine. Because of it’s size, it’s the perfect little book to bring along anywhere– especially on vacation!

It’s seems like a quick-read that also gives you something to think about. Non-fiction books in general are also a great genre of books to bring on vacation because there are so many topics to pick from– some non-fiction books allow you to pick up the book whenever you have the chance during your holiday, and you don’t have to worry about memorising names or magic systems.

Goodreads synopsis:

Throughout history, some books have changed the world. They have transformed the way we see ourselves – and each other. They have inspired debate, dissent, war and revolution. They have enlightened, outraged, provoked and comforted. They have enriched lives – and destroyed them. Now Penguin brings you the works of the great thinkers, pioneers, radicals and visionaries whose ideas shook civilization, and helped make us who we are.

3. The House in the Cerulean Sea

by T.J. Klune 

This summer is the summer that I read this book. I’ve been putting off this book for so long, but the time has come.

Goodreads blurb:

A magical island. A dangerous task. A burning secret.

Linus Baker leads a quiet, solitary life. At forty, he lives in a tiny house with a devious cat and his old records. As a Case Worker at the Department in Charge Of Magical Youth, he spends his days overseeing the well-being of children in government-sanctioned orphanages.

When Linus is unexpectedly summoned by Extremely Upper Management he’s given a curious and highly classified assignment: travel to Marsyas Island Orphanage, where six dangerous children reside: a gnome, a sprite, a wyvern, an unidentifiable green blob, a were-Pomeranian, and the Antichrist. Linus must set aside his fears and determine whether or not they’re likely to bring about the end of days.

But the children aren’t the only secret the island keeps. Their caretaker is the charming and enigmatic Arthur Parnassus, who will do anything to keep his wards safe. As Arthur and Linus grow closer, long-held secrets are exposed, and Linus must make a choice: destroy a home or watch the world burn.

An enchanting story, masterfully told, The House in the Cerulean Sea is about the profound experience of discovering an unlikely family in an unexpected place—and realizing that family is yours. 

4. Anne of Green Gables

by L.M. Montgomery

This will be a re-read considering I have read this book years, and years ago– it was a childhood favourite. I plan to read Anne of Green Gables during the summer. I have fond memories of reading this book during one of my childhood summers.

Goodreads synopsis:

This heartwarming story has beckoned generations of readers into the special world of Green Gables, an old-fashioned farm outside a town called Avonlea. Anne Shirley, an eleven-year-old orphan, has arrived in this verdant corner of Prince Edward Island only to discover that the Cuthberts—elderly Matthew and his stern sister, Marilla—want to adopt a boy, not a feisty redheaded girl. But before they can send her back, Anne—who simply must have more scope for her imagination and a real home—wins them over completely. A much-loved classic that explores all the vulnerability, expectations, and dreams of a child growing up, Anne of Green Gables is also a wonderful portrait of a time, a place, a family… and, most of all, love. 

The Spanish Love Deception

by Elena Armas

Another book that has been on my TBR, and I’ve been saving this to read during the summer. My sister has started this book but did not seem to enjoy it (she ended up DNF’ing it/”Did Not Finish”). Hopefully, I’ll feel differently.

Goodreads synopsis:

Catalina Martín desperately needs a date to her sister’s wedding. Especially since her little white lie about her American boyfriend has spiralled out of control. Now everyone she knows—including her ex and his fiancée—will be there and eager to meet him.

She only has four weeks to find someone willing to cross the Atlantic and aid in her deception. New York to Spain is no short flight and her raucous family won’t be easy to fool.

Enter Aaron Blackford—her tall, handsome, condescending colleague—who surprisingly offers to step in. She’d rather refuse; never has there been a more aggravating, blood-boiling, and insufferable man.

But Catalina is desperate, and as the wedding draws nearer, Aaron looks like her best option. And she begins to realize he might not be as terrible in the real world as he is at the office.

What are some of your favourite reads to bring on vacation?

Let me know in the comments below!

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Published by Alyssa

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