A blog about my life, fitness and fun! (...and maybe a few cat pictures...)

A blog about my life, fitness and fun! (...and maybe a few cat pictures...)

Sunday, May 4, 2014

The most fascinating books I ever read.



I know this is sort of a random post, especially since I never mention how much I enjoy reading. As a kid, I read all the time. When I got in trouble, I got grounded from the library. I'd always have a book with me. In middle school, I even read while I walked home from school. I'm surprised I never tripped and fell...

When I was a kid, I loved The Baby-Sitter's Club series, all the Sweet Valley Twins/High series, Fear Street, and Christopher Pike. My best friend and I even had a contest to see who could read all of the Baby-Sitter's Club books the fastest. We got into a huge fight because I skipped #39- Poor Mallory. I did not want to read that book because it looked boring. I was about 15 books ahead of my friend anyway, so I didn't see what the big deal was. Well, my parents ended up making me read the book. Little did they know, I just skimmed it...

As an adult, I don't read near as much as I did when I was a kid. The only time I really get into reading again is during the summer when I actually have the time and focus to read. I love memoirs and I love true crime novels.

I wanted to share with you some of my favorite books I read as an adult. You will notice I am very into true crime and memoirs. You will also notice there are no running books. I don't read a lot of books about running. I read a few of Dean Karnazes' and Deena Kastor's. I thought Dean was cool but I couldn't stand Deena's! Okay, onto my books...




Being a true crime lover, any crime that is unsolved is fascinating to me. The book is written by the lead detective of the case and includes a lot of inside information I have never read anywhere else. He makes the case that the mother, Patsy Ramsey killed JonBenet. He has definitely convinced me. If this case interests you at all, I highly recommend reading this book!



I don't remember what prompted me to read this book but I'm glad I did. I have since, I read many more books about climbing Mt. Everest. The thought of actually doing it terrifies me. I honestly can't believe people are crazy enough to attempt it but they are. This book depicts one of the most deadly disasters on Mt. Everest.



I found this book sitting on my dad's dresser when I was a kid. I opened it and read the first sentence. I knew just from that first sentence that I absolutely had to read the book: " If you really want to hear about it, the first thing you'll probably want to know is where I was born, and what my lousy childhood was like, and how my parents were occupied and all before they had me, and all that David Copperfield kind of crap, but I don't feel like going into it, if you want to know the truth."



Ah, another true crime novel! And an old crime at that! Do you remember the old nursery rhyme, "Lizzie Borden took an axe and gave her father 40 whacks. When she saw what she had done, she gave her mother 41."? Well, it went down pretty much like that. Except I don't think Lizzie did it. The book analyzes every. single. possibility. as to what happened on that fateful day. (There aren't too many possibilities.) If I had to put money on it, I'd say her sister did it.



All I really knew about Natalie Wood before reading this book was that she died very mysteriously in the waters off Catalina Island. What I didn't know was that even though her death was ruled an accidental drowning, there was a lot of evidence that pointed toward foul play. Also, did you know that there were only 3 other people on the yacht Natalie was on the night she died?  Robert Wagner (her husband), Dennis Davern (the captain), and Christopher Walken (THE MOVIE STAR).

Do you like true crime novels? What are your favorite types of books to read?
What are you reading now? Give us some recommendations!

12 comments:

  1. I LOVE Into Thin Air!! You would probably like Into the Wild as well. As, I loved Catcher in the Rye to.....I'm due to read that again. Thanks for the other suggestions!! The Lizzie Borden and Natalie Wood books definitely are now on my list!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Emily, as soon as I saw you commented on this, it reminded me that YOU told me to read Into Thin Air and loaned it to me! Also, I have read Catcher so many times- that is a GREAT one to reread. Let me know what you think of Lizzie and Natalie Wood. The entire last chapter in the Natalie Wood one details her death and it's over 100 pages long- VERY detailed.

      Delete
  2. i haven't read any of these, but into thin air sounds amazing!

    i just recently got into the historical fiction books about monarch england. the tudors, the cousin's war, all of it :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Those are really popular right now, I think! I bet you would like Into Thin Air... it's just SO GOOD. I was nervous the whole time I read it.

      Delete
  3. I love that these are mostly non-fiction. I actually hated "Catcher", and I know I'm in the minority! I just found Holden so frustrating.

    Right now I'm rereading the Outlander series, which I first read when I was in Scotland. They're so addictive, and I really love historical fiction.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I think historical fiction is def making a comeback. As for Holden, I can totally see why you would find him frustrating and if you don't like him, well the whole BOOK his him haha.

      Delete
  4. I love books that come in a series. I get really attached to characters and one book never feels like it's enough! Scifi series are probably my favorite, although recently I've been thinking about re-reading the Shopaholic series which I loved in high school haha.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I read the Shopaholic books! I liked them at first been then I got sick of the main character. Did you see the movie?

      Delete
  5. I read ALL the same books as you as a kid! And found catcher in the rye in my dad's collection and had the same reaction to the first sentence!

    I wish I read more "fun" books as an adult. I tend to read running or health related books but I think I may look into some of yours :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. All I read are fun books, unless I am studying hehe

      Delete
  6. I don't read true crime books, but I do love crime novels. I love Jodi Picoult and I've also read a few of Tami Hoag's books before.

    ReplyDelete
  7. I'm behind on reading posts, but I'm stoked about this one! I need some reading for vacation in a couple of weeks, and I also love nonfiction, so some of these would be right up my alley. And I also loved Into Thin Air and Catcher in the Rye, so we must have at least some similar tastes.

    ReplyDelete