Adult Fiction I've Been Reading

Whenever I'm in a reading slump, I find that changing things up can sometimes help.  So at different points this year I've picked up the following adult fiction books.  I've really enjoyed all of these books though they are very different.  It's only made me realise that I don't always need to lock myself into a cycle of only reading young adult fiction ...there is a whole world of other books and stories out there for me.

Some Girls Do by Clodagh Murphy

I'm not really sure how I first came to know about this book? Perhaps a recommendation on Amazon? But it was such a fun read. About a woman who writes incredibly saucy things on her anonymous sex blog ...but has very little actual experience with sex or relationships.  A random meeting with a man whore means she propositions him with a proposal - help her with a sex education for a period of time so she can make the moves on someone actually her type.  Which turns out to be the sexy editor at a publishing house who wants to publish her blog.  I thought it was nice to see Claire gradually gain confidence, in herself, in asking for what she wants sexually and what it means to be in a relationship and that Luca helps her get there.  I thought it was really sweet and just the right amount of sexiness.

Salvaged by Jay Crownover

Oh, Jay Crownover.  I find her books quite problematic ... and yet I find I also can't stop reading her books.  Salvaged is at least a big step away from the first (mostly horrible) book I read by her. And actually, one of the big draws for this book in particular was a) I think it's the last in the series and b) it was billed as more of a romance than the sex-heavy stories she's come out with in the past.

As I said, there is something very ...addictive about the way Jay Crownover writes.  But I can't stand the way she writes about and dramatises stories of abuse and trauma. I can't stand it.  So while I did mostly enjoy this story and I read it quickly, I could only ever give it three stars because there's no reason whatsoever to make the choices she does in writing Poppy's story.  None.

Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman

Eleanor Oliphant is one of the characters that will stay with me for a very, very long time. I was fairly shocked by how much I loved this book.  Me being fairly contrary, I was a little bit resistant to read this book at first because of the amount of hype surrounding it. Once I gave in though, I fell pretty hard for this story.  About loneliness in modern times.  It all just felt really heart-breaking.  But also hopeful.  I loved watching Eleanor's transformation and the way she breaks out of the small world she found herself in, isolated and alone, drinking away her weekends.  It felt real and believable.  I almost didn't want this book to end because I didn't want to say goodbye to her.

I really loved how abrasive she is.  Eleanor at the start of the book was howl-inducing but even as she softens, there was this straight to the point, don't give any fucks vibe to her that I really dug.

Call Me By Your Name by Andre Aciman

Has there ever been a more gorgeous book than Call Me By Your Name by Andre Aciman?!  I'm not sure there has been.  I loved every second of this book.  All the longing and nostalgia, each tiny build-up in attraction between Elio and Oliver.  I wasn't prepared for the level of intensity that I got with this story.

I loved the Italian setting of the book and this circle of intellectuals that surround the two main characters.  But it was the romance between the two of them that consumed my whole being.  I couldn't get enough of it.  Such yearning, such longing.  Such intimacy once they both give in to how they feel for each other.  Not long after reading this I watched the film and now I have an inappropriate crush on Timothee Chalamet.

Brooklyn by Colm Toibin

I'll admit it ... I did watch the film before I read the book.  I really enjoyed the film, I find there's something quite compelling about Saoirse Ronan.  And I just found the storyline to be fascinating.  I really wish there were more immigrant stories like these. Or if there are, do let me know what I should be reading.

There was something quite ...subtle about this book.  It isn't showy or flashy.  There isn't a great deal that happens either.  It's about a girl, Eilis, who ends up immigrating to the US in the 1950s as there is very little for her in Ireland.  She ends up slowly adjusting to life in Brooklyn but misses home.  It's a book about straddling different cultures and leaving home.  I felt homesick and confused along with Eilis.  I can imagine this book won't be for everyone but I highly enjoyed it.

Do you ever read outside your preferred genres?