10 Books I Couldn't Put Down in 2016 + Book Bundle Giveaway

Today marks Day 4 of my 12 Days of Holiday Giveaways!

If you are a reader, like me, then this is a post you'll read, share and love, enjoy.

Ever since I can remember I have been a reader.  I come from a family of readers.  There is just something about falling into a deep story, forgetting your cares and relaxing with a good book.  My library card is well worn and my friends and I swap and re-swap books like we drink wine. 

My good friend Amanda got me hooked on the Goodreads app recently and I love that I can keep a list of everything I have read, everything I want to read, look at reviews and see what my friends are reading.  It's like the new age version of a card catalog!

Since I'm a reader people often ask me, "read any good books lately?"  Well, of course I have! I look recommending books!  For Day 4 of my 12 Days of Holiday Giveaways I thought I'd step away from my first passion {food} and share my second passion {books} with the 10 Books I Couldn't Put Down in 2016.

Then, of course, in Ally fashion give some away too.  

Because I like you.

And because you need to read.  It's knowledge people.

So here we go, in no particular order.  Please note that this post contains affiliate links for your convenience.  If intrigued buy any of these books, please order for you or a friend!

The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah was a definite 5 star for me.  I read it while on vacation sitting on the docks soaking up the sun.  It is about love and war in France in 1939. A shocking look into what families did to stay alive, care for their loved ones and during WWII.  It tells the stories of two sisters, separated by love and experience, passion and circumstance, while they each embark on their own path to survival.

Maybe in Another Life by Taylor Jenkins Reid was a plow through the book kind of read, a definite page turner as you needed/wanted to see which life actually happened for Hannah.  At the age of 29 she is at a bit of a crossroads in her life and while visiting her old stomping grounds back home she runs into her old high school boyfriend.  When he offers to give her a ride home, she thinks, "do I go with him or do I stay?"  In concurrent story lines she lives out the effects of each decision and not until the end does the author reveal if Hannah did actually go home with him or not.

Present Over Perfect by Shauna Niequist is the book needed for anyone feeling like they are going 100 mph and that they might crash at any given moment {hello, every mom I know}.  Shauna tells her story of finding herself exhausted and isolated, both in body and soul.  She invites her readers on the journey that brought her life back showing us an entirely new way to live through grace, rest, silence, simplicity, prayer and deep connections to the people we love most.

The Last Letter from Your Lover by Jojo Moyes is a stay-up-all-night heartbreaking novel of a spellbinding love story that spans decades.  In 1960 Jennifer wakes in the hospital remember nothing - not the car accident that put her there, her wealthy husband or even her name.  Searching for clues she finds a love letter simply signed "B" from a a man she seemed willing to risk anything for.  Then in 2003, a journalist stumbled across the letter and tries to tie up the missing pieces of the puzzle and see how this love story ended.

The One and Only by Emily Giffin tells the story of 33 year old Shea who lives and breaths football and family in her Texas hometown.  When tragedy strikes she wonders if this life is enough for her and when she finally gives up her safety net she discovers some unsettling truths about the people she has loved the most.  In the end, a true love story, but a definite out-of-the-box one.

It Was Me All Along by Andie Mitchell.  This can't-put-down memoir from cookbook author Mitchell, tells the story of her life, from working class Boston to the romantic streets of Rome.  Food was her babysitter, her confidant and provided a refuge from her broken family.  On her 20th birthday she stepped on the scale and weighed 268 pounds.  Her journey to get healthy and find herself again makes it a definite read.

Love Warrior: A Memoir by Glennon Doyle Melton is from the author of the wildly popular blog Momastery.  Just when Glennon was thinking she had everything figured out, after a very rough teenager and college years, her husband revealed his infidelity.  A recovering alcoholic and bulumic, she found that rock bottom was a very familiar place.  This gorgeous and inspiring account shows how we all are warriors; strong, powerful and most of all brave.

The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins is a harrowing thriller about Rachel, a plain girl who rides the same commuter train every day to work, with the same schedule, until one day, she sees something with those familiar faces.  Unable to keep it to herself she goes to the police and sounds finds herself deeply entangled in the investigation.  A definite page turner that has now been turned into a major motion picture.

Still Alice by Lisa Genova tells the story of Alice who finds herself being diagnosed with Alzheimer's at the age of 50.  Being a world famous professor at Harvard she is determined to not let this disease stop her, but she soon finds out it has it's own path.  As she struggles to cope she realizes her worth is compromised much more than her ability to remember.

The Lake House by Kate Morton tells the story of Alice, when she was an inquisitive 11 year old girl living at her families lakeside estate and then again, decades later when she is living in London as an accomplished novelist.  A young detective stumbles upon that old abandoned estate, her curiosity is sparked which embarks a series of events that brings her and Alice together untangling a shocking past.

I sincerely hope you all find a few on this list that have sparked your interest.  A few thrillers, a little bit of romance, a couple of memoirs....something for everyone, right?

Because I love all of you, don't think I was going to send you away with out a little something!  One lucky reader will win this hand-picked Holiday Book Bundle from me! With a little help from B and H Publishing Group and Milkweed Editions, plus just a little chip in from me I've put together some fun reads that will hopefully appeal to almost anyone.

The bundle features The Magnolia Story by Chip and Joanna Gaines, Giddy Up Eunice by Sophie Hudson, In Winter's Kitchen by Beth Dooley and 7: An Experimental Mutiny Against Excess by Jen Hatmaker.

You have many ways to enter below just follow the simple directions.  Enter from today until December 7th.  One random winner will be picked shortly after that.  Good luck!

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