Recently I made it a habit to read (almost) every night before bed and it has become one of my favorite parts of the day. Having a more consistent bedtime routine and spending some time unplugged each night before bed has really helped with my sleeping woes – a little wind down time can really go a long way! While I love reading while traveling and usually tear through books while I’m on the go, I’ve struggled to make reading a priority while at home and this new habit has given me the perfect excuse to read a little bit every day.

I always love talking about books with you guys and wanted to share my latest batch of recent reads in case you’re looking for a new book to dig into:

• ‘We Were the Lucky Ones’ by Georgia Hunter: A novel inspired by the true story of a Jewish family  separated during World War II in Poland. The book tells the stories of each family member throughout the struggles, uncertainty and tragedy during the war, and the hope and love that kept each pressing on. The writing is really great with strong character development that really connects you to the family and makes you not want to put the book down.
• ‘The Art Cure’ by Bridgette Mayer: I’ll admit this was not my favorite book within the bunch but it’s a quick easy read that tells the true story of Bridgette Mayer’s rise from poverty and an abusive home environment to success within the art gallery world. While her story is inspiring, the writing wasn’t very good and the storyline was pretty repetitive.
• ‘An Insomniac City’ by Bill Hayes: One of the most beautifully written books I’ve ever read – ‘An Insomniac City’ chronicles the life of Bill Hayes with an intimate glimpse into his relationship with New York City, and neurologist Oliver Saks. The love for the small everyday happenings and interactions with others in New York are described with the most beautiful detail, interwoven with his love story with Oliver.
• ‘An American Marriage’ by Tayari Jones: I completely devoured this book in a few days, staying up late every night because I just could not get enough of Celestial and Roy’s love story and the all too real struggles of an African American man in the south who was failed by our justice system and imprisoned for a crime he did not commit.
• ‘Text Me When You Get Home’ by Kayleen Schaefer: While I haven’t quite finished this one yet, I wanted to throw it into the mix because I was inspired from the first chapter with a new level of appreciation for the amazing female friendships in my life. Kayleen Schaefer’s book examines how valuable and special female friendships are, weaving personal storytelling into sociological research that will inspire you to be a better friend and appreciate the incredible women in your own life.
• ‘When You Find Out the World is Against You’ by Kelly Oxford: Another quick memoir read, Twitter celebrity Kelly Oxford recounts her childhood in Canada, adjustments to life in Los Angeles and journey in parenthood in a collection of essays that mixes in humor with serious issues, like the #MeToo movement and the loss of a close family friend.

Have you read any of these? What’s next on your reading list?

PS. Here are 12 other books I’ve read this year!