2016 Book Haul: Cassandra Clare, Charlotte Cho, Sophie Kinsella and More

2015 was a major reading year for me, this was very welcomed because I used to love reading but reading too many textbooks in university made me less inclined to read in my spare time. Well that is now over and I hope 2016 will be as good book-wise as 2015. This is why I let myself be tempted during all the Holiday sales (and asked for some for Christmas) and got myself a nice selection of new books to start the year right.

1. The Little Book of Skincare by Charlotte Cho: a lovely book on Korean skincare full of fun anecdotes and useful information whether you are new to Korean skincare or not. I am half-way through it and I’m really enjoying it, Charlotte’s writing style is great!

2. Shopaholic to the Rescue by Sophie Kinsella: I have not read the blurb of this one because I have not finish the previous book yet, but I love the Shopaholic series. Sophie Kinsella is an amazing writer (more about her here) so when I saw this on sale for 10$ instead of 34$ I had to get it.

3. All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr: this was mostly a case of judging a book by its cover, isn’t it gorgeous!? It won the Pulitzer Prize last year and the story looked quite interesting so I really look forward to reading it.

4. Sapphire Blue and Emerald Green by Kerstin Gier: these are the last 2 books in the Ruby Red Trilogy, a young-adult fantasy fiction involving time travel. I actually watch the first movie based on the series and decided to read the books. I am enjoying it so far and I would recommend the films as well.

5. City of Lost Souls and City of Heavenly Fire by Cassandra Clare: I’m loving Clare’s Mortal Instruments series, these are the fifth and sixth (last) books in this amazing fantasy series. The whole story centers on half-angels that fight demons to protect regular humans. It is super funny, well written and quite addictive to be honest. I loved the movie they made on it a few years ago and ABC Family is releasing a new TV series based on it later this month.

All these books are available in most bookstores, Amazon and iBooks. I hope this inspires you to get back to reading this year and do let me know if you have been enjoying any new books recently. 

Favorite Summer Read: Sophie Kinsella and Shopaholic to the Stars

With the summer in full swing (hello heatwave!!), I thought it would be the perfect time to talk about my favorite summer read. Whether you are going on an exotic vacation or enjoying your own home, this is the best time to unwind with a good book and leave the rest behind. After all that’s what holidays are for, right?

My all-time favorite summer author is Sophie Kinsella. All of her books are super fun and lighthearted, perfect to decompress. She somehow manages to always make me laugh (usually out loud) and reading the adventures and unbelievable situations she puts her characters through always brighten my day. This makes her books perfect to read on the beach and let me assure you that they make long-haul flights go by much faster.

I am currently making my way through Shopaholic to the Stars, the latest installment in the Shopaholic series and it is as good as usual. I’ve actually been reading it for a while, using it as my “travel” book or when I need a little pick-me-up from day to day life.

Other favorites I would recommend from Sophie Kinsella include: I’ve Got Your Number, Remember Me, Can you Keep a Secret and the entire Shopaholic series. If you are looking for a fun new read, head over to her website for the full list of her work and extracts from the books. Everything can be found in bookstores and on Amazon in both hardcover and paperback.

What are your favorite summer reads? I would love to know!