Top 5 Book Recommendations of the Summer

Hello everyone. Some of you may be wondering why I haven’t posted at all in a couple months. Most of you probably haven’t, but that’s okay! I’ve been neglecting on writing a post because honestly, I didn’t know what to write about. So to dive back into posting on this blog, I’ll start by writing something that I’ve really been into this year. Reading! I know, it’s crazy to even think about. Never in a million years would I thought that I would actually and truly enjoy reading for fun but, here we are. I started reading for fun basically at the beginning of this year. So far this year I have read 10 books. I know that doesn’t sound like a lot to some of you but for me, that’s simply amazing. So without further ado, I am going to tell you my top 5 recommendations and why.

Number 5

The Night Swim by Megan Goldwin

This is the book I most recently got finished reading. I put it in my top five because it kept me intrigued the WHOLE time. I couldn’t get enough of this book! I will give you forewarning though, it does involve rape. If that triggers anything for you, I do not recommend this whatsoever. So to give you a short recap of what this book is about, it involves two different rape incidents. One took place in 2019, and one took place 1994. This girl named Rachel is in a small town covering the most recent case in 2019 between 2 high school students. Rachel has her own podcast that talks about cases where the person put in jail was innocent and she and her audience were going to prove that. So in her most recent season, she was going to follow a trial live instead of after everything was said and done. She does start quite the controversy as expected. While she’s in town following the trial, this mysterious girl named Hannah, who is a fan of the podcast, needs help proving that the case in 1994 was murder. The victim who died in 1994 was Hannah’s sister, Jenny. Hannah tries to get in contact with Rachel so she can help. She has left letters and countless emails to her when Rachel finally notices her. Hannah leaves clues for Rachel to help her solve the case all over this small town. It seems like Hannah is always one step ahead of Rachel. They do eventually meet and things become a bit intense. The ending of this book is a bit predicable (to me at least) but it was definitely an exciting ending. If you like being on the edge of your seat while reading, mysteries, and true crime, this book is for you!

Number 4

Dear Edward by Ann Napolitano

This book is on the complete opposite end of the spectrum from The Night Swim. This book was an amazing coming of age story that follows twelve year old Edward as he goes through life without his family. His father, mother, and brother all died in a plane crash, along with about 127 other people. Edward was also on the plane. He was the sole survivor of the crash. So of course after the crash, he becomes the biggest news in the nation. He gets asked so many questions daily and has his picture taken without him knowing. When he’s left alone after the crash, he is forced to go live with his aunt and uncle who he rarely saw. His aunt and uncle go through the battle of trying to shield Edward from all the uncomfortable feelings, memories and everything bad involving the crash. They felt when he was ready to talk, they would help him with whatever he needed. When he first started living with them, he suddenly became intrigued by his new neighbor, Shay. They develop a strong friendship and grow up together. They go on adventures together and come up with crazy schemes. If you want a heartwarming, easy read, this book is for you.

Number 3

The Turn of the Key by Ruth Ware

I was kind of hesitant when I read the synopsis of this book, but it was definitely one I highly recommend for a creep factor! A girl really needs a job to escape her old life and sees an ad in the paper for a live-in nanny. This house is in the middle of nowhere and has a gated fence. There are security cameras everywhere as well. She meets these two sweet little girls and one of them warms up to her right away, Ellie, and the other, however, tells her she needs to get out, Maddie. Soon after accepting the job, she notices that Maddie is a little different. Weird events start happening and Maddie blames the house. There have been many nannies there before that have been scared off, but Rowan does everything in her power to change that. When Rowan checks back on the security cameras inside, she notices something bad. If you like books that keep you guessing, predicting the next possible outcome and it takes a sudden turn, plus a little bit of a scandalous relationship, this is the book you need to read right away!

Number 2

Home Before Dark by Riley Sager

This book will definitely intrigue you so much you won’t want to put it down! This is yet another creepy book. I’m sorry the genres don’t vary too much but creepy books never fail to gain my attention. As far as mysteries go, this one takes the cake. If you have ever seen “The Haunting of Hill House” (which I’m currently rewatching right now since there’s a new season coming out soon 😄) its somewhat similar to that. This family buys a house for cheap for the time period it was in. They move in and last living in the house for only about 15 days before they suddenly flee during the middle of the night. After the family fled, the dad wrote a book about the strange events that happened to them during their stay at Baneberry Hall. The dad gained instant fame and the daughter always resented him for it. She was only about 6 when they left and she didn’t remember a thing. She comes back when she’s an adult because her father passed away and leaves the house to her. She turns over houses for a living, so that was her only intention when returning to the “haunted” house. When she moves back in, she recalls events from her passed and asks local people if they remember what happened. She adds up the clues and eventually figures out why they fled in the middle of the night all those years ago. I was not at all expecting the ending in this book and it shocked the absolute crap out of me. If you want a book edition of “The Haunting of Hill House” thats not actually the real book, read this. I feel it also has the symbolism of overcoming things in your past by confronting them head on. Definitely my favorite horror book of the year so far!

Number 1

The Woman in the Window

Hands down, the best book I’ve read this year!! I had no idea it was also coming out as a movie until I finished it which made me love the book even more! If you like living vicariously through people, you have got to read this book. It had so many twists and turns that came out of nowhere! It’s about this girl who lives in New York and is paranoid to leave her apartment. She notices an interesting new family move in across the street and watches their every move. When one of them comes to visit her, she opens up and really connects with the mom. When the mom mysteriously goes missing after a couple of nights of hanging out, she starts to get worried. The son starts to confide in Anna (the one afraid of going outside) and starts to feel like she’s a second mom. She tries really hard to figure out where the mom went and when she finds out the truth, it shocks her to her very core. There are so many different little stories within this one book and it’s super interesting. It makes you second guess, do you really know who your neighbors are? If you love suspense, read this!!

So these are my book recommendations so far. I also recently joined Book of the Month because I started reading so much. If you like to get a new book every month, you should definitely consider joining. Almost all the books I read came from Book of the Month. I’m also currently reading “The Unraveling of Cassidy Holmes” by Elissa Sloan and its pretty good so far. It’s currently my August BOTM book. If you’ve read any interesting books so far this year, please let me know because I’m always looking for new stuff to read! And if you’ve read any of these books, what was your favorite part? I’d love to start open discussions of these books! So until next post, enjoy these books I highly recommend!

Life Before, During, and After COVID-19

Before COVID-19

Life before COVID-19 was going great. I was doing really well at work and was maybe close to a full time job. I was working out constantly at OrangeTheory (which may be what I miss most) and it was making me feel super good about my health. I was going out a lot with my friends and having so much fun. I was able to go the grocery store without thinking twice about how many germs were in there. I was able to go to parks casually on my own leisure. I could go to concerts without thinking of a deadly virus some people may be carrying. I wasn’t being forced to stay inside by my government. Life was good. I miss that.

During COVID-19

As everyone probably is, I can say during this time I’m extremely bored. I love being able to spend tons of time with my pets and my family but I need some stimulation in my life. Playing video games, reading books, watching movies and TV shows can only keep me entertained for so long. Not to mention, I finally have time alone with my thoughts and that is not necessarily the best thing. I can definitely say that when I think too much, I start worrying too much and I wish I didn’t. I need to be able to see my friends and work because I truly am starting to go stir crazy. I do like the fact that things are starting to open up, but it’s happening too slow if I’m honest. I feel this has all been blown out of proportion. If you’re high risk, stay at home and do what they’ve been recommending. It’s not fair to the rest of us who want to keep living our lives that we have to stay home. I’m not high risk, henceforth let me do things I want to do. I still wash my hands constantly so I don’t spread it obviously. I’m over quarantine.

Life After COVID-19

Since we’re still in quarantine, it made me think about how I want my life to be different after all of this. I need to start not taking so many things for granted because they’re now taken away from me. I need to start taking more advantage of my OrangeTheory classes. Maybe try and get to know the regulars that come in. I need to stop abusing the very little amount of money I do have. I need to not take my friends for granted (not that I ever did) because friendship is one of the most important things in my life. I need to open myself up to more variety. Maybe try and get involved with my community a little more. I should help out some foster animals. I need to eat more healthy food and not get fast food all the time. I need to support my local businesses because I know they have been suffering during this time. I need to spend more time outside because fresh air is good for you and your health. I definitely want to go boating and get out of my small town for a couple hours. If quarantine has taught me one thing, I need to take more advantage of things that I didn’t before. So ask yourself this question, how do you want your life to be different after COVID-19?

A Little Bit About Me

Hello everyone, let me introduce myself. My name is Morgan Schmitt. I’m 23 and currently trying to find my place in this world. I started this blog so I can write down my thoughts and ideas and see if anyone has the same or different perspective on what I’m going through and/or thinking. We’re currently in the COVID-19 crisis of 2020, and life is wild right now. Having all this happen has really gave me some time alone (thank you social distancing) with my thoughts which is why I wanted to write them down on something that will never get erased. To start off, let me give you a little inside scoop to me. First thing you need to know, I’m a HUGE music nerd. I played in band from sixth grade all the way through undergrad. I was in the marching band in high school and in college. Music is truly my passion, and what keeps me motivated to do the things I do. I currently work at my local amphitheater in St. Louis, MO as the Assistant Box Office Manager. As you could probably guess, I’m currently not working and yes it has been great to have some time off but I’m ready for life to get back to normal. I miss going to the gym, I miss going to work, I miss going out with my friends, and everything, as I’m sure you do too. Second thing you need to know, I am truly obsessed with my dog.

Her name is Jasmine and she is my everything. She is 4 years old and is a Labrador Retriever, Staffordshire Terrier, American Eskimo mix. It short terms, she’s a mutt. I named her after my favorite Disney movie, Aladdin. She was at college with me at Murray State University in Kentucky, and we had the best time ever. We made so many friends thanks to the dog park there. We have to meet up with all of them super soon! Feel free to follow her Instagram (I told you I’m obsessed with her): @princessjasminethemutt if you want more cute photos like this 🙂

Lastly, just for my sake and so you can kind of get an aspect on what I’ll be posting on here, I did just got through an enormous (to me it was anyway) weight loss. I weighed the most when I was in college and when I came home, I got so sick of how I looked. I started trying to workout daily, and it worked for a while but it wasn’t enough. I had to change my diet almost completely because I was eating super unhealthy food. This was definitely, and still is, the hardest part of trying to be healthy. I’ll make another post about this sometime and give you more details. But for now, I’m happier with how I look and how I feel by far!

So if you read all of this, thank you. Bare with me through these next couple of posts because I am still getting the hang of this. But don’t worry, I’m a fast learner and I’m sure I’ll pick up on this blogging thing quick! So if you have any questions, comments, thoughts, or anything feel free to send me a message or comment on this! Until next time, I hope everyone is staying safe and sane during this quarantine. I’d love to hear what you’re doing to past the time, maybe it’ll give some ideas. Thanks folks. Talk to you all later!