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An Aspiring Heroine - Cincinnati Lifestyle & Travel Blog

Cincinnati-based, milliennial lifestyle and travel blog

What I Read: 2018, Pt. 2

January 7, 2019

DISCLOSURE: THIS POST MAY CONTAIN AFFILIATE LINKS. READ THE FINE PRINT.

Photo by Janko Ferlič on Unsplash

I read some great stuff this year. I’ve already shared my top five books from the first half of 2018, so I thought it would be appropriate to give some great ones from the last 6 months some love, too. Let me know in the comments if you’ve read any of these yourself!

Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel

My rating: ★★★★★

This book was hands down my favorite of the year. I’d had it on my TBR pile for the longest time, and I really didn’t know anything about it before I put a hold on it at the library. Something about the cover always mesmerized me. What can I say?

And then I actually started reading it and was just enthralled. Mandel’s writing is so compelling without being too much, and her characters resonated with me on a real level. The story is a little dystopian (because zombie apocalypse), mildly Shakespearean (because there’s a traveling theatre troupe), a bit timey-wimey (because you learn about the apocalypse from characters both at the very beginning and 20 years later). And I cannot recommend it more. (In fact, I keep recommending it to coworkers and can’t wait to hear what one of them has to say when they finish it.)

The Boy on the Bridge by M.R. Carey

My rating: ★★★★☆

This book is a prequel to The Girl With All the Gifts, which I read based on a coworker’s recommendation. So when he admitted that he thought the prequel was even better than the original, I knew I’d have to read it as well.

Technically, I listed to it on the way to a friend’s wedding in Rochester, and as someone who has trouble getting into , the story had me engaged from the very beginning. This one’s another zombie apocalypse story like its predecessor, but in The Boy on the Bridge, you get the other side of the story: how the first scientific expedition fared, what happened to the crew, where they traveled. I always enjoy getting to know the full side of any story, and the prequel fills in a lot of necessary gaps in The Girl With All the Gifts because those characters simply didn’t know what had taken place.

The Myth of the Nice Girl: Achieving a Career You Love Without Becoming a Person You Hate by Fran Hauser

My rating: ★★★★☆

Last year, I decided it was about time to start focusing on professional development. And what’s the best way to get some first-rate knowledge? Go to the library. (Or so believes Hermione Granger and also me.)

I stumbled upon this book on some list for female professionals and if I’m being honest, it was the title that drew me in. Who doesn’t want to get ahead without becoming one of those corporate sleezeballs that you can’t stand being in the same room as? Hauser was a bigwig at Time, Inc. and other places for a while, and she is now an investor and advisor, helping woman go great things in the world.

I liked her book because it included survey responses from real women in corporate America about the things they struggle with, anecdotes about real women who worked with Hauser to become the best corporate versions of themselves, and actionable tips from Hauser for real women. Did I mention it all felt very real and useful? Because it did.

The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows

My rating: ★★★★☆

Thank you, Netflix, for forcing me to read this book. It wasn’t on my radar at all before the film adaptation came out this fall, and I knew I couldn’t not see it with the A+ cast it boasted. (Lily James and Michiel Huisman and Jessica Brown Findlay and Penelope Wilton?!)

Epistolary novels are the best if for no other reason than you have easy stopping points, though with this book, they weren’t necessary. I read the entire thing and watched the film in about 24 hours. I loved the main character, Juliet, and the story told a story about World War II that I’d never encountered before: the little island of Guernsey and its occupation by the Nazis from 1940 to 1945. I’m a sucker for historical fiction, and this story checked every box for me.

A Darker Shade of Magic by V.E. Schwab

My rating: ★★★★☆

I just barely snuck this one in before the end of the year. It was another book that I really knew nothing about until I started reading it (though I had seen the Jordandené shirts and been thoroughly confused by them), and I was pleasantly surprised.

First, by Schwab’s stunning prose, and second, by the two main characters, Kell and Lila. In Kell’s world, there are four Londons within four different realms: Grey London, Red London, White London, and Black London. He’s from Red London, but being one of the last Antari allows him to travel between them. Lila is a pickpocket from Grey London who is swept up in the unknown world of magic when she steals a dangerous stone from Kell.

I’m currently being the most impatient person as I wait for the sequel, A Gathering of Shadows, from the library.

What was the best book you read in 2018?

P.S. I would also recommend a quick peek at my favorite books from 2017. There are some real gems on that list, too!

Leave a Comment Filed Under: Books Tagged With: book list

A feminist book list: books that inspired my soul

August 4, 2015

A feminist book list of stories that inspired my feminist soul, from early years to now | An Aspiring Heroine

Hello, friends!

I know what you’re thinking: We never see you on a Tuesday! Well I’m sure you remember that awesome giveaway that I won (and am obviously still not over) on Kelly’s blog. Besides this lovely blog design, I also got the opportunity to hang out on Brita’s sidebar for the month of July. And along with that, I wrote a guest post for her!

Brita and Kelly are two of the hosts of The F-Word, a feminist link up that I wrote about sexism in weddings and my own insecurities about feminism for. So when I was trying to decide what I would write about for my guest post, I decided to combine her style with mine, and the result was a feminist book list!

Head over to Belle Brita for a list of the books that shaped my feminist brain, from my childhood all the way to present day!

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Leave a Comment Filed Under: Books Tagged With: book list, feminism

10 classic books to take to the beach

May 29, 2015

A classic book might not immediately make you think beach read, but I know that these books will fit in your beach bag and be enjoyable while you get your tan on | An Aspiring Heroine

One common misconception about classic books is that they are no fun to read and will take you forever to get through. In short, they’re not books to take to the beach with you. But I reject this idea.

Sure, there are some classics that I can’t imagine cracking open on a lounge chair. I’m not suggesting you try to fit War and Peace into your beach bag. But for those of you looking for something different to pack into your carry-on, I’ve compiled a short list of books that are guaranteed to grab and keep your attention way better than 50 Shades of Grey ever could. Without further ado, a few classic books to take to the beach!

The Moonstone by Wilkie Collins
Considered the very first detective novel, this book centers around the fate of a large, Indian diamond, which is stolen from a woman during her eighteenth birthday party. There’s a lot of great suspense and build up, plus you’ve got to love that it was written by a female author in the mid-nineteenth century!

Northanger Abbey by Jane Austen
By this point, you all know how much I love Jane Austen’s novels. This one is just as well-written as her others, but its younger heroine, more snarky narration, and blatant mocking of Gothic literature will keep you on your toes!

The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood
For all of you dystopian fiction lovers, this novel is a must-read! Atwood creates an environment that makes the reader question religion, government, societal norms and the effects that they have on women.

Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury
This book was one of my favorites ever assigned during my school days, and I actually remember first reading it on vacation with my family at Myrtle Beach. It’s another dystopian society novel (dystopian fiction is so hot right now!), and it will be especially intriguing for all book lovers!

The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald
Fitzgerald has such a way with words, and the on-again, off-again feelings between Gatsby and Daisy produce more than enough drama to fill your typical beach read.

The House of the Seven Gables by Nathaniel Hawthorne
Ghost story? Love story? Historical fiction piece? I would say this novel covers all of these bases and more. The physical house is still standing in Massachusetts, and it is steeped in the history of the Salem Witch Trials. If that doesn’t intrigue you, I don’t know what will!

Cranford by Elizabeth Gaskell
I read this book in college in a course filled with Dickens, and I remember Gaskell’s witty and playful descriptions of the English country life to be a fresh breath of air. Filled with gossip, unrequited romance, and some truly ridiculous characters, these bite-sized vignettes will keep you entertained throughout your trip.

The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde
As if Oscar Wilde’s own life wasn’t scandalous enough, his novel about beautiful, libertine Dorian Gray’s seeming eternal youth was enough to throw Victorian England into a frenzy. Does vice leave a physical mark? This classic will keep you turning pages to find out!

The Hound of the Baskervilles by Arthur Conan Doyle
If you’ve read any of the Sherlock Holmes books, you’ll understand why the relationship between Holmes and Dr. Watson is what keeps me coming back again and again. However, with this one in particular, the mystery surrounding the case of the Baskerville family and its devil-monster is enough to get someone hooked!

The Awakening by Kate Chopin
And of course, you must’ve known I would make a plug for this month’s Book Club pick. Not only is this novella a quick read, but its portrayal of marriage, sex, and infidelity earned it a spot on the banned books list back in the day.

So there you have it! Ten classics that you can take on vacation and enjoy reading whether you’re on a plane, in the mountains, or getting your tan on by the beach.

Do you have a different classic in mind than the ones I’ve listed? What is your go-to book to keep in your beach bag?

Leave a Comment Filed Under: Books Tagged With: book list

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Hi, I’m Tyler — writer and heroine-in-the-making!
I want to help you find the inspiration to become
the strong, vibrant, unique heroine of your own story.
(While also keeping you in-the-know about my budget-friendly travels, writing tips, and everything Cincinnati!)

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A classic book might not immediately make you think beach read, but I know that these books will fit in your beach bag and be enjoyable while you get your tan on | An Aspiring Heroine

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