It's this time of the year. The time when it's so cold outside that all you want to do is to cuddle up in bed and stay there at least until March. One of my favourite things to do in winter is to make myself a nice cup of tea or hot chocolate and read a book in bed, especially on lazy Sundays. So here are five books I've really enjoyed reading, hope that might give you some inspiration.
1. The Honey Queen by Cathy Kelly
A book about fate and learning to live and love again. Frankie's marriage is under terrible strain when her husband looses his job - and so is their dream house project. In the same town Peggie is opening her own knitting job and starts to build her own life but suddenly her past seems to stand in the way of her future and the prospect of a family on her own. Meanwhile, an Australian woman named Lillie receives the news of having roots in Ireland and enters both Frankie and Peggie's lives and changes these in ways they could have never imagined... a truly inspiring and uplifting story showing us that there is hope, no matter how dark things look.
2. The Longest Ride by Nicholas Sparks
A relatively new Nicholas Sparks book which is probably my favourite one written by him. It tells two stories, one of ninety-one-year-old man named Ira who got into a car crash and has trouble staying conscious - his long-dead beloved wife is urging him to stay awake and recounts their love story, a story about destiny, true love and the terrible time of WWII. Meanwhile a college student called Sophia experiences a major change in her life when she meets Luke, who comes from a completely different background. Things start to get serious when suddenly Sophia discovers a secret that could destroy everything they have. An amazing book with a perfect ending. It underlines the importance of love and family and helps you focus on what really matters in life.
3. Missing you by Louise Douglas
A book tackling guilt and finding ways to live with it. It deals with Fen who is living a safe and isolated life working in a book shop and is completely devoted to her son Connor. Even though she is living a quiet life the past and the guilt that comes with it seem to haunt her forever. A man called Sam seems to live a very easy life, having the perfect career and a great family - until things suddenly change. Sam and Fen are drawn together by destiny and slowly start to develop deeper feelings when the pasts threatens to destroy everything they built together. I really like the imperfections of the different characters and the author's approach of dealing with guilt - that book shows that it's human to make mistakes and that we can't let our past define us.
4. The Crossfire Series by Sylvia Day
I love that series a lot. There is a certain similarity to Shades of Grey and even though I really liked that series as well I find that the Crossfire Series appears more real. But read it and make up your own mind. The Crossfire Series deals with a woman called Eva who is haunted by her past - she meets a hot and successful man called Gideon who takes her breath away and opens wounds of the past that Eva has tried so hard to forget. Gideon has demons of his own he has to struggle with and these demons seem to draw a bond between them but they also threaten to tear them apart... I love who real the characters are in this series - they both have flaws, are fighters and survivors and are struggling to have a relationship that is not shaped by their past.
5. First Love by James Patterson
A book that will leave you in tears but is uplifting at the same time. Axi Moore decides to leave her difficult past behind to finally do something for herself and go on a road trip with her best friend Robinson. She has everything planned out and is really excited at the prospect of spending time with Robinson who she has been secretly in love with for a very long time. But in life things don't always turn out how we have planned and Axi discovers that there are things that are impossible to run away from... in 'First Love' the author underlines the importance of friendship and love and illustrates how fate can bring us together and tear us apart again.
I hope these tipps might have helped you. I can definitely recommend these books, they will make the rainy and wintery days a lot better! Which books do you recommend? Leave a comment below! x
