Nicole's 5 Favorite Books

I absolutely LOVE to read but I have a serious flaw:  I completely lose myself in the book and ignore the 'read world'.  Since I have the typical real world commitments (work/family/friends), trying to devour a book often makes me feel more stressed and pressed for time than an enjoyable hobby should.  There have been quite a few occasions when I have allowed myself to get lost in a book but there are always consequences:  namely a laundry pile taller than me and realizing at 8pm that I forget to make everyone dinner.  Snow days and long holiday weekends are what I long for: then you will find me in my favorite chair with a timer set to alert me to the next meal time.  It's the only way my family has agreed to allow me near a book.

Whenever someone recommends a 'GREAT BOOK!' to you, its important to find out more about their taste in books.  (Ain't nobody got time for a bad book!)  So, without further ado (& so Jeff will quit nagging), here is a list of my favorite books.  One disclaimer, these are in no particular order....that would be like asking me to pick a favorite child.



1.  Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand   Finishing this book was what I imagine running a marathon feels like.  Some parts were exhilarating and felt effortless while other sections drug on and on and felt like torture.  The characters in Atlas Shrugged were not always likeable but you understood their motivations and rationale.  Although this book was published in 1957, it easily speaks to economic and social events/trends that are happening now.   I found this work thought provoking, unsettling and haunting.  I would really love to read it again but I'm not quite sure I would survive.  Just like a marathon.

2.  The 5 Love Languages by Gary Chapman  This is the book I recommend to every friend that gets engaged.  I cannot imagine my marriage without it.  'Love' is a different concept/idea/feeling to everyone and until you know the love language of you and your partner, there is a good chance you (and your partner) will always feel like something is missing. 

3.  The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck  Once I finished reading this book, I was unable to shake it for weeks.  The story follows the Joad family in their soul crushing journey from Oklahoma to California.  The hardships they encounter are numerous and devastating but somehow, they always manage to keep going.  Because of this book, I am forever haunted by the word 'skitters'.

4.  The Hunger Games Trilogy by Suzanne Collins  The absolute worst part about seeing the movie was hearing how much everyone loved it.  The movie was absolutely horrid compared to the book.  The first book is not a literary masterpiece but it is a graphic, fast paced novel that makes it excruciating to put down.  The 2nd and 3rd books definitely diminish in greatness but its still important to finish to get the whole story.

5.  In Defense of Food by Michael Pollan  "Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants."  These words and this book have made a profound impact on my life, health and how I view food and 'food like substances'.  Michael Pollan's common sense and plain talk are infectious and motivating.  For a quick overview of his philosophy, check out his quick manual Food Rules or watch Food Inc.


I would love to hear about your favorite books too!  Then, I might just ask you for a recommendation.

Gone Girl Recap

Welcome to the 21st Century's Best Book Club Blog...EVER! 

Allow myself to introduce myself...I'm the Jeff portion of Jeff and Nicole Can Read and I love to devour books! I'll pretty much feast on any book so this should be a very exciting book club with many flavors of books and our opinion of them! Oh and it's my first ever book club and I'm glad Nicole and I are so tech savvy that we just happened to make the World's Greatest Book Club Blog! Props to Nicole for setting up the site, it looks great!
The first book we accidentally chose to read in our cyber book club is the Gillian Flynn novel Gone Girl. I tweeted that I had finished it (again another example of how futuristic and tech savvy I am) and Nicole responded seconds later saying she was going to read it too! Boom! Next thing you know Jeff And Nicole Can Read blog site is up and running, taking over cyberspace one book review at a time! So before we start a little disclaimer: The opinions expressed herein are that of Jeff's and do not necessarily reflect the opinion of the entire Book Club!

First thing you should know is that I am NOT drinking wine nor do I ever consume wine at any point, even though that's what Nicole said people do in book clubs. If I'm drinking anything it's beer. What kind of beer you ask? Well, whichever beer company wants to sponsor our bodacious blog site of course!
Second, if you are like my wife Abby and say you are going to read Gone Girl and haven't yet then please finish it before you read any further! This will contain spoilers that will totally ruin the book for you. Consider yourself warned!

Gone Girl tells the story of Nick and Amy Dunne and what happens when Amy goes missing on their 5th wedding anniversary. It's a complex tale of mystery, suspense and twists that will leave the reader satisfied upon completion!

Likes:The first part of the story painted one picture and then in the second half of the story it was totally different...it kept me on my toes and I kept changing my mind on if I liked the characters, heck it even changed who I was rooting for in the story! Great job manipulating the reader by Gillian Flynn!
I was really hating on Nick in the first half of the story due to Amy's diary entries. They were so endearing and painted her as a lovely wife at the same time making Nick look like the world's worst husband. I mean this dude did not come across good at all! The list includes: physical abuse, forgotten memories of important dates they went on, moving Amy out of New York without a serious discussion about it, spending her money, resenting her because she had money, never meeting up with her like her other friend's husbands did and the list goes on and on! I never totally came around to Nick's side but I just didn't hate him as much when it was revealed that Amy set him up and the diary was a fake!
I liked the anniversary scavenger hunt that Amy did for Nick each anniversary, even though he could never get the clues since Amy made them so obscure!
I thought it was cool that Amy was the inspiration for a children's book series, I pictured the books as a Ramona the Pest type, even though she was Amazing Amy and was never in trouble!
Despite being a murdering psychopath I did like Amy! Heck, I even was mad that Nick wanted to divorce her!
I thought it was a very good plot point to have Amy get robbed when she was on the lam. Showed how her plan was imperfect even though she thought she had every detail planned out.
All the characters were great! Loved the bumbling police force, the naive mistress Andie, the strong sister Go, Desi, the one who paid the price for his affections for Amy, Tanner, the celebrity lawyer and Amy's cookie cutter parents.

Dislikes: Only one very small one...I thought the ending was a little rushed due to all the loose ends that had to be tied up.

Overall: You won't be using your bookmark much with this read! This book is hard to put down and when you do you won't be able to stop thinking about the Adventures of Amazing Amy and her cheating husband, Nick!

It's Nicole's Turn Now...let's hear what she has to say about Gone Girl on the next installment of....dramatic drum roll please....now deep movie announcer voice...Jeff and Nicole Can Read!

Tell your friends it's the book blog that's sweeping the nation!