My Summer Bucket List Book Reads

We are one quarter of the way through summer (already!?!??:/), so I wanted to give you all a little update on how I'm doing with my summer bucket list and which books I've chosen to read this season.



So far, it has been a little difficult to keep up with life AND making sure I'm sticking to my bucket list, to get the most out of summer. That being said, I think I've done alright so far with scratching items off of my bucket list (to read my original post, click here). For starters, I have been eating more fruit. I make it a point to always eat a few pieces, especially if its offered after a meal, I also have been finding ways to sneak in a serving or two with my diet. I do have to give most of this credit to my mother, who has been buying watermelons that are much to large for her and my father and in doing so, splits half the watermelon with me. ;)

As another task as part of my bucket list, I am getting to know different parts of Toronto and finding out what's services and restaurants that neighbourhood has to offer. Lately, I've been drawn to Eglinton's central and east neighbourhoods - Forrest Hill (Eglinton & Avenue Rd) and Chaplin Estates (Eglinton & Yonge St). We first had lunch at "Uncle Betty's", which is on Yonge on the north side of Eglinton, for Claudia's Birthday. We also had dinner at "Frieda's" (Review Post in the works), which is on Eglinton right after Eglinton West Station. Not to mention the numerous movies we have watched at the Silver City Theatre and visits we have made to the best cupcake shop in town - "The Cupcake Shoppe" (For a review of "The Cupcake Shoppe", click here). I have to say, its becoming one of my favourite areas of the city to visit!

One more task that I am on my way to scratching off my list (I don't think I'm quite at the moment where I am comfortable crossing it off yet) is the task to make new friends. I say this because, I have been making an effort to go out more and meet new people, I have also started a new job and been introduced to a lot of great people with the same interests as I do, a
nd I had the opportunity recently to reconnect with a friend that I haven't seen since high school. I am open to friendships and experiences that I will/might have with all of these new people (and reconnected friends) that I have met and will continue to meet. I know there are great friends, friendships and good times to be had with some of the people in my life now and hope they will last.

And of course, as one of my tasks, I had to choose three books from my existing library that I have yet to read and finish them before summer is over. After much deliberation, here are the three books that I have chosen with a brief description of each:



To five-year-old Jack, Room is the entire world. It's where he was born and where he and his Ma eat and play and learn. At night, Ma puts his safely to sleep in the wardrobe, in case Old Nick comes.
Room is home to Jack, but to Ma, it's the prison where Old Nick has kept her for seven years, since she was nineteen. Through ingenuity and determination, Ma has created a life for herself and her son, but she knows it's not enough for either of them. Jack's curiosity is building alongside Ma's desperation -- and Room can't contain either of them for much longer...
Told entirely in the inventive, often funny voice of Jack, Room is a celebration of the resilient bond between parent and child, and brilliantly executed novel about a journey from one world to another.
Learn more about Room at www.roomthebook.com/inside/video








No Saris. No scents. No spices. No music. No lyricism. NO illusions. This is India now. Balram Halwai is a complicated man. Servant. Philosopher. Entrepreneur. Murderer. Over the course of seven nights, by the scattered light of a preposterous chandelier, Balram tells us the terrible and transfixing story of how he came to be a success in life - having nothing but his own wits to help him along. Born in a village in the dark heart of India, Balram gets a break when he is hired as a driver for a wealthy man, two pomeranians (Puddles and Cuddles), and the rich man's (very unlucky) son. Through Balrams eyes, we see India as we have never seen it before: the cockraoches and the call centers, the prostitutes and the worshippers, the water buffalotrapped in so many cages that escape is merely impossible, the white tiger. And with charisma as undeniable as it is unexpected, he teaches us that religion doesn't create morality and money doesn't solve every problem - but decency can still be found in a corrupt world and you can get what you want out of life if you eavesdrop on the right conversations.













The circus arrives without warning. No announcements precede it. It is simply there, when yesterday it was not. Within the black-and-white striped canvas tents is an utterly unique experience full of breathtaking amazements. It is called Le Cirque des Rêves,  and it is only open at night. But behind the scenes, a fierce competition is underway - a duel between two young magicians, Celia and Marco, who have been trained since childhood expressly for this purpose by their mercurial instructors.
Unbeknownst to them, this is a game in which only one can be left standing, and the circus is but the stage for a remarkable battle of imagination and will. Despite themselves, however, Celia and Marco tumble headfirst into love - a deep, magical love that makes the lights flicker and the room grow warm whenever they so much as brush hands.
True love or not, the game must play oput, and the fates of everyone involved, from the cast of the extraordinary circus performers to the patrons, hang in the balance, suspended as precariously as the daring acrobats overhead.
Written in rich, seductive prose, this spell-casting novel is a feast for the senses and the heart.






Here are the books that I will have my nose in all summer! I can't believe that I have yet to read these gems, but I'm glad that I had them for this reason! What are your summer reads or books that you have been reading lately? Anything you would like to recommend? Let me know in the comments box below, I would love to know what books you couldn't put down this summer!

For more lifestyle posts and to keep up with how I am doing with my Summer Bucket List, please be sure to subscribe to my blog (top -right corner) and you can also follow my blog on Bloglovin' (MakeupMasochist). Be sure to check back soon for the "Frieda's" review and more updates on how I am doing crossing tasks off my bucket list! For more daily photos and posts, be sure to follow me on Instagram (@fernonje) or email me makeupmasochist@gmail.com

I gotta get to reading!!

xoxo
Ashley