Friday Roundup: Books On My To-Read List

This week I made a life-changing discovery. Well, that's not entirely accurate: I've known about it for a while know, but only this week did I dare try it.

I'm talking about Audible.com. It is a company owned by Amazon which sells audiobooks. Basically like a Kindle in audio form. I always thought of it as rather childish, like a mom reading a bedtime story to a toddler, and I get enough of that every night, let me tell you. But this week I bit the bullet.
(And before I keep going, no, this post is NOT sponsored by Audible nor Amazon. I just really really like it!)

I have always been a bookworm. My whole life. When I was little I always say books when my parents would ask me what I wanted for Christmas or my birthday. During my teenage years I thought I was super cool (I wasn't) and thought reading was uncool too, but then at university I found my long-lost love again. I married another bookworm, but with a toddler and full time jobs we just couldn't find the time to read as much as we would like to.

And then came Audible. I downloaded my first book (The Fault In Our Stars) and I am so ridiculously engrossed in it. The things that would take time from my day, such as driving and doing my makeup, I can now do while listening to books too! Talk about two birds with one stone!  I no longer have to put time aside for reading, as I can just plug my headphones into my phone at any given time, and voilà! I finished The Fault In Our Stars in three days, something that I had not done since my son arrived.

I am now craving many, many more books to make up for all the lost time. And, as you can see, the list is long so let's get cracking:

1. Divergent, Insurgent and Allegiant  by Veronica Roth
First of all, what a great name this author has!
Second, I know I am coming late to this party as everyone has been raving about this trilogy for quite a while. But what can I say? I guess I only read best-sellers much later than anyone else (like with "The Fault In Our Stars" and "50 Shades Of Grey").

2. Inferno: A Novel, by Dan Brown
Normally whenever Dan Brown releases anything I read it within the week because I obsess over every single novel he writes. But with Inferno I suppose life got in the way and I haven't read it yet. I am sure it will be just as un-put-down-able as everything else he's ever written, and I really can't wait to download it.

3. Mary, Called Magdalene by Margaret George
This isn't normally a book I would be attracted to. But my friend Caro has raved about it so much and insisted so many times that I need to read it, that I have got to see what all the fuzz is about. Margaret George has written about the lives of some of the most compelling women of all time (Helen of Troy, Mary Magdalene, Cleopatra, among many others). But she tells their stories in such an enthralling way that her books are impossible to put down (according to my friend. I'll be sure to pass judgement on that when I'm done with the book).

4. Steve Jobs by Walter Isaacson
And while we are on the topic of biographies, someone who I find absolutely fascinating is Steve Jobs. His vision, his business skills, his speeches... One of my most favorite quotes of all time is his: "Only the ones who are crazy enough to think they can change the world, are the ones that do." (Super cliché but true!). I have been eyeing this book for a while, and now it has officially made it onto the list of books to read next.

5. The Husband's Secret, by Liane Moriarty
Everyone is talking about this book where a husband gives his wife a letter ONLY to be opened after his death. Curiosity gets the best of her and she opens it, apparently unveiling never-imagined secrets of her significant other's life. Very mysterious! I love a book whose description leaves me desperate to find out what happens next.

6. The Storyteller, by Jodi Picoult
She used to be my absolute favorite author while I was at Uni. And then, sometime after "House Rules" I just never picked up her books again. They started becoming a little predictable for me, if I'm being honest. But I am willing to give her another chance with The Storyteller, and hopefully our long-lost love will be rekindled (ok, that just sounded really weird!).

7. The Casual Vacancy, by J. K. Rowling
The reason I haven't read this book is because I don't want to spoil J. K. Rowling for me. I am not a Harry Potter obsessed or anything, but I still really loved all the books, and I'm afraid that by not liking The Casual Vacancy, it would ruin the HP books. Which I know is completely ridiculous. So I am finally giving in: I will download it, crossing my fingers that I will love it just as much as I did the little witches and wizards of Hogwarts.

8. The Future Of The Mind, by Michio Kaku
Ok, not necessarily the type of book that you would just love to listen to on a quick drive from work. But I find this topic fascinating nonetheless: the mysteries of the brain and the inconceivable potential that lives within us but that we just don't know how to access. Kaku is a theoretical physicist (like Sheldon in The Big Bang Theory!) and he explores how far neuroscience might take humanity. To me, it sounds as nerdy as it does interesting!

I would really appreciate any other recommendations of books I definitely MUST read!
Any books you have loved lately?