Category Archives: Quick Lit

Quick Lit July

Family Maternity Photographer Durham

I grew up reading…alot. I have just always loved reading. One of my favorite spots in my house growing up was a window seat where I would sit and read for hours..or an outdoor swing by the pond where I’d sit and read and journal. I read every single Nancy Drew, Babysitter’s club and a lot of Anne of Green Gables. I’ve just grown up reading, and getting lost in a book is my absolute favorite. One of the perks of traveling alot in the summer is getting to read in the car. Here are a few books I’ve read in the past month.

Every Wild Heart

I wasn’t sure if I was going to like this book when I first started reading it, but it turned out to be a great Mother Daughter story. I also loved listening to Delilah growing up and the mom has a radio show and it seemed like her former show was more like Delilah’s show. I love that it has G.G.’s playlist at the end + suggestions for other Mother Daughter books to read.

I Almost Missed You

I read this in a day..on Father’s Day. We drove to Greensboro and back and I finished this trip on 540 on the way back. It was such a great easy beach kind of read about a couple who kept secrets from each other and you get to read the story also from their best friends’ point of view. You kind of bounce back and forth between a few years and a few different people’s stories.

The Jane Austen Project

This is an amazing book, especially for any Jane Austen lover. It’s a really gripping story about time travel and changing history, but it also talks a lot about details of Jane Austen’s life that I didn’t know about. (And now I want to read more about her life so if you have any suggestions for any other great reads about Jane Austen, let me know) This was one of those that I picked up, like, will I really like this? And I loved it!

New York

I am a huge fan of historical fiction, and I wanted to read something about the history of New York. After reading this, I am still fascinated by the story of New York, so any other books you’ve read, I love to hear them! This starts with the Dutch, goes through the revolutionary + civil wars, stock market crash, and the twin towers. It was beautifully written and kept my attention the whole way. I wish he had more books about American cities but I absolutely want to read his book about Paris .Some of the things I learned about New York that I didn’t know – Wall Street was named after the Wall the Dutch built around the city at that spot. I also learned so much about Trinity church and other places I’d love to see in New York. (Another great book I read about New York last fall was A Fall of Marigolds.

The Lost Book of the Grail

Another really great summer read, and I loved Arthur’s character instantly. This was one that I couldn’t put down. It’s a great story about two people who are looking for the Holy Grail and the adventures they have + what they discover. This is not historical fiction but someone who is a history lover would love this book.

family maternity photographer durham 545_4823P I N this to pinterest

 

Rebecca Keller is a Raleigh Newborn Photographer seen in People Magazine and on the Bump. Because we chat a lot about our personal lives on the blog, we may receive commissions from affiliate links.

 

Quick Lit June

Wake Forest Newborn Photographer

As soon as summer hit, so did my reservations at the library. I basically went through my list and put EVERYTHING on hold, because I mean, when you are 97 in line, it could take a while. I was surprised four books showed up right away, and of course there is the Lucky Day shelf, which is the best thing ever. (The shelf right when you walk in the library when has new bestsellers that can’t be reserved – they are only for people who walk in the library. It’s a treat. I love, love, the lucky day area) Owen has also reserved every copy of Captain Underpants  since they are always checked out and he is loving the reservation part of the library. He will have the series finished this week and I’m always looking for recommendations for great boy series/books, so send me what you have!

America’s First Daughter

So I love historical fiction, so of course, when I heard about this book, I had to get it. It’s such a great story written from the point of view of Thomas Jefferson’s oldest daughter Patsy. It is full of history and a lot of things I didn’t know about Thomas Jefferson’s life – great read.

The Woman on the Orient Express

I am not sure where I got the referral for this book, an I wasn’t even sure if I was going to like the story line. I get like that so much – where I read the info about the story and it’s like I don’t think I’ll like this. (AND I LOVE IT) This book was truly fascinating and loosely based on Agatha Christie’s life. It’s about three women who meet on a train traveling to the Middle East and all the problems they face – definitely enjoyed this book.

Hourglass: Time, Memory, Marriage

I’m not usually a memoir reader and at first, I was a little skeptical since the way this book is written is a little different. It’s in short, separated little glimpses of time that kind of bounce back and forth. I love reading and learning about writers, so I ended up loving this book and what she shared about her life and marriage. It was super sweet – I got it from the library, but I almost want a copy for myself. It made me want to go back through my old journals and read them. I’ll definitely want to read some more Dani Shapiro books.

A Long Way Home
I love reading books that have movies to go along with them. First of all, the book is amazing and what an incredible, true story. This is a story about a boy in India who gets lost on a train and then everything he goes through and eventually ends up being adopted. He then grows up and tracks down the village he was born in using Google Earth. I don’t want to spoit it any more, but this story is amazing. I highly recommend reading the book because there is so much to his story in the book. Then, rent Lion  on Amazon Prime and watch it because at the end you get to meet him, and there’s so many tears, and I don’t want to spoil it, but just incredible. I loooooved this book!

What great books have you read lately? Let me know in the comments! Posting this Halloween image below, because, we are about to start booking Fall/Halloween/Holiday Minis in a few weeks! Contact us for more info and sign up for the newsletter here.

Wake Forest Newborn Photographer 454 34_4471P I N this to pinterest

Rebecca Keller is a Wake Forest newborn photographer featured in People Magazine and on several blogs including the Bump. Because we do share a lot about our personal lives on the blog, we may receive commissions from affiliate programs. Contact us for more information about newborn photography in the Raleigh area.

 

Quick Lit February

It’s been a while since I’ve had a Quick Lit Post. The fall/winteris just so busy so I don’t get too much time to read. Here are a few I read lately and a quick blurb about each one.

Hillbilly Elegy: A Memoir of a Family and Culture in Crisis
This was an honest memoir and an interesting story of the author’s life. His grandparents moved from Kentucky to Ohio, raised him and started a new life there. He eventually ends up graduating from Yale. I don’t want to spoil too much of the story, but I found it very honest and something different from what I usually read.


The Many Lives & Secret Sorrows of Josephine B.

I read this one a while ago and I didn’t get to recommend it here yet. It is the first in a series of three books. I read this series in a weekend. A weekend? How?!? I know, it was crazy. That’s how fascinating it was to me. Historical fiction used to be hit or miss with me, and this series really got me into reading a lot more history. It is written from the view of Josephine, Napoleon Bonaparte’s wife and is very intriguing.


 

The Other Boleyn Girl

The whole Josephine series got me started on a historical fiction kick. This book was a little eye opening to all the things going on with England in the 16th century. After this book, I found a few websites listing historical fiction during this time period and what to read in what order. (So cool!) So I spent a lot of time reading about Tudor England which was just fascinating to me.


The Princess Diarist

I grew up watching Star Wars with my brother, so I will always be a Star Wars fan. My boys now have a Star Wars room that I am still working on. I was really interested to read the whole story about her and Harrison Ford. The book only gives you a glimpse of what happened and not really what I expected at all. Half of the book is from her journals/diary during that time.

wake forest north carolina newborn photography_3725P I N this to pinterest

Linking up with Modern Ms. Darcy, one of my favorite book sites.Rebecca Keller is a Raleigh Newborn and Maternity Photographer featured in People Magazine and on several blogs including The Bump and Let the Kids Dress Themselves. Because we chat a lot about our personal lives on the blog, we may receive commissions on affiliate links in articles.

I read so many good books this month – between our last beach trip and our trip to Atlanta, I had a lot of miles in the car to read. On our Atlanta trip, we ended up going to Alabama to see our cousins, too, so even more car time. I loved every single book I read this month – so excited to share all of them!

Cutting for Stone

Wow, this was a very deep book – it is probably not something I would have ever picked out just looking at the size of it. My neighbor gave it to me, and I’m so glad she did. So many topics covered in this book, and it’s also very medical. It’s the story of twin boys born in Ethiopia + the story follows them through their lives. Expect to be mesmerized by this book and spending a lot of time pouring through this story.

 

Present Over Perfect

This book was just for me. And I feel like most Mamas can relate. I highly recommend it. I highlighted so much in this book, and my type A self who is now becoming a lot less type A loved this book. A must read and a book I feel like I will need to read again and again.

 

Doing Good Is Simple

Another book I was thrilled with this month. The author lives in Raleigh, and what an awesome organization he started. I feel like this is one of those life changing books you should read. I couldn’t put it down – I think I read this in one day. Life changing.

 

To Kill a Mockingbird

I do not know how it took me this long to read this book. I somehow got through school without reading it? Who knows! It was a such a great read following Scout, Jem, Atticus and Boo Radley. The trial was mesmerizing and loved learning all about the character of Atticus Finch. Glad I finally read this book!

 

 A Fall of Marigolds

I can’t remember where I saw this book recommended but I happened to pick it up right before September 11th. I didn’t know that this story was about 09/11 and also the Triangle Shirtwaist Fire in 1911. This book is a story of two women, both with the same scarf, one who went through the fire, and one 09/11. It was a super quick read and fascinating story.

Linking up with Modern Ms. Darcy . Check out her site – so many great book ideas!

quick Lit septemberP I N this to pinterest

Rebecca Keller is a Raleigh Newborn and Maternity Photographer featured in People Magazine and on several blogs including The Bump and Let the Kids Dress Themselves. Because we chat a lot about our personal lives on the blog, we may receive commissions on affiliate links in articles.

Oh my, I loved the books I read this month. It is rare that I actually pick books and love all of them, but this was a great reading month! Highly recommend all of these.

Everyone Brave is Forgiven

I’ll be honest, I was dragging my feet on reading another WWII book. I just read so many there for a while because my Kindle kept recommending them. (Read one, and five more recommendations pop up!) Then I went through my beach reads phase with lots of Elin Hildebrand just to have some happy light reading after all that war. Ok, so all that to say, I decided to go back and try this book. I loved it because the perspective was much different than the other books I read since it was set in London. I also loved the story line in this book and read it very quickly in two days. (Could not put it down)

The Magnesium Miracle

Finally finished this book although I did speed over some of the things that weren’t applicable to me.I would say this is a must read for everyone. So many things that I didn’t think about like how our soil is depleted of magnesium. Magnesium wasn’t even on my radar until March when I started having heart palpitations. I learned so much from this book and will definitely keep up my epsom salt baths. I really had no idea how important magnesium is and how easy it is to have a deficiency, especially after having babies. Ok, I might go eat some dark chocolate now.

Dignity and Worth: Seeing the Image of God in Foster Adoption

I saw this book recommended on another site and loved this mama’s open and honest heart about foster care and adoption. I thought she was so honest and shared so much about what to expect when considering fostering and foster to adopt. She also shares a lot about her sons and some of the lessons that her and her husband learned along the way that would be good for anyone to read about fostering and adoption.

Before We Visit the Goddess: A Novel

I loved the way this book told three different women’s stories – the grandmother, daughter, and granddaughter. This book was very well written and kept my attention. There are a few surprises in the book and it was one of those books that I couldn’t stop reading.

 

The One-in-a-Million Boy

This was recommended to read if you liked A Man Called Ove (which I love, love loved) so I dove in to this story. It’s so creative, and I love a good story. I never thought I would pick something up about boy scouts and world records, but it was such a great read.

Linking up with Quick Lit on Modern Ms. Darcy. Check out her site – so many great book ideas!

holden beach turtle time 32_3128P I N this to pinterest

Rebecca Keller is a Raleigh Newborn and Family Photographer featured in People Magazine and on several blogs including The Bump and Let the Kids Dress Themselves. Because we chat a lot about our personal lives on the blog, we may receive commissions on affiliate links in articles.