Oh, how I love summer reading! The books I read this summer were either really big hits or pretty big misses, but towards the end of the summer I read a string of really great books that I had to share with you! Here are reviews of 4 of my favorites (plus some honorable mentions). Enjoy!…

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The photographer in me really doesn’t like the time change… the earlier setting sun means the less time during the day for photography. The book lover in me loves daylight savings time because I feel like the colder weather and darker evenings are an open invitation to cozy up with a good book.

I haven’t read much this year. In fact I’m only half way to meeting my goal of reading 35 books in 2014 and there are only 2 months left in the year! I guess I’d better get busy so I can share more book reviews with you!

I haven’t shared a Connect Through Reading book reviews post since March…not because I haven’t read anything good. Quite the opposite. I’ve read some great books, but just haven’t found the time to share them with you. Of course,  if you follow me on Goodreads, you don’t have to wait to see what I’ve been reading and loved lately. Make sure to hop on over there so we can connect that way too.

I’ve read several books between my March book reviews post, but I’m only going to share my top few faves with you today! Read below for my thoughts on the books: Whistling Past the Graveyard, Landline, Love With a Chance of Drowning, and If I Stay. …

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Friends, I’m so excited for today because as part of the Dine & Dish 7 Years of Blogging Celebration, I’m giving away one of my absolute favorite things, ever!

I’ve written about how much I love my Kindle Paperwhite compared to the other e-readers I’ve tried. You can read all about that here. Before we start the giveaway though, I have some Connect Through Reading updates for you. It’s the time of year I like to hunker down and read as much as possible, so I have a lot of book updates to share with you today!

Remember, let’s follow each other on Goodreads so we can stay up to date on sharing our favorite book recommendations!…

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First up is The Fault in Our Stars by John Green. 

I’ll admit, I’m a big “judge a book by the cover” girl, and I honestly avoided reading this book (and the one following) because of their covers. They just didn’t pull me in or grab me. I am so very thankful I was convinced by some friends to pick this book up because once I did, I couldn’t put it down.

The Fault in Our Stars is a story about two teenagers who meet in cancer support group, develop a friendship and fall in love. It’s about finding hope and meaning on their journey and sharing a common ground with someone who “gets it”. I can’t tell you much about the story without giving it away, but you will laugh, and you will cry and you will be so heartbroken when this book is over because it will be a permanent part of your heart, forever. I read this book weeks ago and am tearing up writing this because this book touched me so. Oh, and full disclosure… it’s young adult fiction, but please don’t let that stop you from reading it!…

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A return to the Dine & Dish “Connect Through Reading” posts as I share reviews of my favorite books I read this summer!

Last year I read a ton… more than I probably have in any other year. I read so many great books in 2013, I knew my streak was likely to not continue for much longer!

This year reading has been more of a struggle. I started out the year reading some not so great books – most of which I didn’t finish. I had a really hard time finding books as great as my favorites from last year. I persevered though, and after a little bit of a reading break, I’ve finally read some really great books I’m excited to share with you!

I love connecting with you all through the books we’ve read, so make sure to share what books you’ve read lately that you’ve loved (or didn’t love) in the comments section below. Also, let’s connect on Goodreads so we can continue to share our book recommendations!…

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Let me preface this post by saying I have tried and owned numerous e-readers before. We have one of the original Kindles, a second Kindle (my husbands), a Kindle Fire (my sons), a Nook and the Kindle app on the iPad. Until getting the Kindle Paperwhite, I really wasn’t a fan of e-books. I enjoyed the convenience of being able to download an e-book whenever I needed one but reading on the devices I listed just didn’t feel natural to me. I didn’t like the flow, layout, functionality of the other devices. Plus, I found with the devices that were more than just e-readers (Kindle Fire and iPad apps) I would get too distracted by the other apps and things on the devices, which would cut into the time I would spend reading.  Even with all of those devices on hand, I found myself turning back to “real” books instead of my e-reader….

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