I'm frustrated that I feel like I haven't read anything lately that I couldn't put down.  Sure, I've read some enjoyable books, but none I would gush over to my friends.  I suppose, the fact that I am at least reading is a positive in itself, right?  Anyway, here are some of the lazy weekend books I've found entertaining recently.

Lazy Weekend

We Were Liars by E. Lockhart



We Were Liars is unmistakably a young adult book, but it is worth it for the twist.  The book centers on a young girl from a wealthy family that summers together on a private island.  One summer, she suffers a mental breakdown and is found almost drowned on the beach.  She spends the next few summers away from the island, away from her cousins/friends - the "liars."  And it is during this time, she feels like her best friends grow apart from her, so she is determined to confront them the next summer.  Instead, she must deal the returning memories, buried by amnesia, of that night she turned up on the beach.  

The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins


This book has popped up on many must read lists.  While it was good, I wouldn't say it was THAT good.  It was kind of in the vein of Gone Girl, a psychological thriller, because the main character has deep behavioral issues that challenge her credibility when it comes to witnessing a murder.  Also, like Gone Girl, it has a bit of a weak ending.  But I challenge anyone to say they figured out the mystery and knew the killer all along!  Since I am one of the minority that hated Gone Girl, I would say that The Girl on the Train is better.  So, with that line of reasoning, if you liked Gone Girl, pick yourself up a copy!

I Shall Be Near to You by Erin Lindsay McCabe


Set in the Civil War, this story is about a love so strong it drives a wife to follow her husband to war, disguised as a man, to ensure she can be with and fight along side her husband to make sure he is safe. This book is inspired by real accounts from the letters home of women fighting as men in the war and is a great depiction of the conditions of war and challenges faced by women in the 1860s.