Ah, Books. How much I love them. I am such a bookworm that the ladies in my local Coles store know me, and routinely set books aside for me that they think I will enjoy.

So I was all too eager to head to Chapters with one of my favourite friends. I swear, I went in with the sole intention to LOOK.

Funny how looking inevitably ends with a pile of books in my arms and having to decide what books my mother will be eager to pay for, and what books she will scorn me for purchasing.

I do have one strange quirk: I hate hardcover books. Not because of the price, my mother taught me at a young age that there is no value on reading. I just don't enjoy the weight. I like something small that I can toss into my purse and have with me to pick up when I have a spare minute or two.

Because I am an avid reader, I thought I would share a list of nine books that I feel everyone should read. And I mean everyone. I even have suggested books meant for teenage girls to my boyfriend who likes to read fantasy books. And not just because I don't want a ginormous shelf of books with dragons and fairies on it in my house – but I don't.

Here goes (I've linked to the pages on Chapters, a Canadian site... so for my non-Canadian readers, I apologize):

1984. George Orwell's classic dystopian story.

Angus, Thongs, and Full Frontal Snogging. Louise Rennison introduces us to Georgia Nicholson, a character who introduced to me British humour. There are 10 books in total (so far) and they are found in the teen fiction section of the store, but I love them none the less.

Night. A first-hand experience of an Auschwitz. I bawled my eyes out reading this book, but I also couldn't put it down. I read it all in a 4 hour span.

Confessions of a Shopaholic. Sometimes I see myself mirrored in Becky Bloomwood, which is terrifying. There are 4 books in this series.

The Five People You Meet In Heaven. I actually sat and thought for a few minutes before I decided which of Mitch Albom's books I would recommend. I've read and loved every single one so far. This is my favourite one though.

The Memory Keeper's Daughter. This is one of the books that I have grabbed from my mom's bookshelf in an effort to find a book when I had run out of new reads and money to fund buying more. I wasn't disappointed. Read it in one overnight shift at the old convenience store job I had.

Plain Truth. While this wasn't the first book by Jodi Picoult that I had read, it was definitely the first one that I flew through. I was in awe. She always manages to weave a story that pulls me in and leaves me guessing until the last pages.

Devil's Waltz. I love forensic psychology and the Alex Delaware series of books is probably to blame for this. This isn't the first in the series, but it is the first one which I read.

The Man Who Loved Clowns. This book is intended for children, but it is still a book that I could pick up today and read from cover to cover. I feel that although it is a book for children, it tells a story that we should all read.

Really, I shared more than 9 due to all the series I recommended, but I'm sure you will deal with that.

I'm off to read my new books: Handmaid's Tale, Wuthering Heights, Anna Karenina, and Brave New World.

HAPPY READING!

So this morning while laying in bed contemplating what I should wear on such a gorgeously hot and beautiful day, I came to the hurried conclusion that I have no summer clothes. This is a boldfaced lie, but I really just wanted some new capris, because I mainly only wear jeans or leggings - even in blistering hot heat. And because I stayed over at Boyfriend's last night, I had no leggings or dresses with me, since I am too dumb and/or lazy to check the weather before I get clothes together to bring there. Hence, off shopping I went.

I did find capris (I've already lost interest in them), but I found myself more drawn to all of the shoe stores that the mall had to offer me. This I am going to blame on Ginger and her awesome blog, which I have become addicted to... also, I think I might love her more than Allie because Ginger posts every day and doesn't leave me waiting weeks for a new post. I mean, I love Allie, but I am severely impatient, and more than a week for a new post is ridiculous.

And if you know me, I don't even have to tell you that I went ahead and bought some shoes. The surprising part is that these are shoes that I will be able to wear more often than the heels I am constantly buying. They are so cute and comfy, and they were only $20! Everyone should be going out and buying a pair from Spring. They came in lots of different colors, but they only had white left in my size, so I am currently rocking the white pair. You can bet your boots that I've already ordered the black and pink pair from the website.

It was then necessary for me to buy a couple outfits to go with these little puppies, because I don't think they look quite right with long jeans. But they look absolutely adorable with my new capris and the sundress I got myself today! So now, because I have all these awesome clothes, it will rain all week. Sorry.

HAPPY SUMMER!!!