Sunday Post #33

• I'm done with work!!!! Thursday was my last day and it feels WONDERFUL to be done. The waitressing life is not the life for me. Of course, I wanted to make some money while I still could so Monday, Wednesday, and Thursday of this week I worked 12-hour shifts and it really truly exhausted me (hence why the blog wasn't particularly poppin' this week). 
• I hope everyone had a wonderful, safe 4th of July (if you celebrate it). My dad came to visit (which meant I had to clean my entire apartment) and he made breakfast and dinner and we mostly just relaxed. It was a good day! To be honest, I don't care that much about 4th of July so it was nice to just have good food and good laziness. 
• I LEAVE FOR FLORIDA TOMORROW! I am so so so excited. I'll be staying with my sister for 3 weeks, hanging out by the pool, and living my absolute best life. 

Books read this week:

Reviews: 
- Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe by Benjamin Alire Saenz
(★★★★½)

Discussions: 
- Doing It All In The Book Community

Currently reading:

Reviews: 
- What to Say Next by Julie Buxbaum
- Caraval by Stephanie Garber
- Coming Up for Air by Miranda Kenneally

Features/Misc.:
- Discussion: The Feeling After Reading a Hyped Book
- The Eclectic Corner #4: Song Lyrics 

Here are my favorite photos from this week! Make sure to follow me (@leftyreads) to see everything I post! 

A post shared by The Left-Handed Book Lover (@leftyreads) on Jul 1, 2017 at 3:13pm PDT

A post shared by The Left-Handed Book Lover (@leftyreads) on Jul 2, 2017 at 5:10pm PDT

A post shared by The Left-Handed Book Lover (@leftyreads) on Jul 5, 2017 at 4:27pm PDT

Life's A Beach Book Tag (Original)

Hi everyone! I purchased my plane tickets to Florida tonight.I'm going the last 3 weeks of July and I am beyond excited. Sarasota, where I grew up and where I'll be going, is home to the #1 beach in the country, in case anyone was wondering, and as a means of celebration I created a book tag commemorating the beach experience.

1) THE SAND 

A BOOK THAT STUCK WITH YOU LONG AFTER YOU FINISHED READING

Okay, well this one is a bit more of a recent read, but I already know that this book has had a lasting impact on me. The story, the characters, and the themes explored all refuse to leave me. 

2) THE SUN

A BOOK THAT BURNED YOU

When I originally thought of this question, I was intending it to apply to books I thought would be great but disappointed me, but when I really began thinking about the books that burned me, I realized it's deeper than that. This is for the book that ripped my heart out. That tainted me with a happy ending and then jerked it out of my hands. Yeah, that's Heartless. 

3) THE WAVES

A BOOK THAT CALMS YOU DOWN AFTER A LONG DAY

Yeah, My Lady Jane is a fun one. It was sweet and exciting and engrossing. This could take my mind off of anything. 

4) THE BATHING SUIT

A BOOK WITH A PRETTY, SUMMER-Y COVER

I've not read this one, but I want to. Badly. This cover reeks of summer vibes and also I'm obsessed with pretty lights, so there's that. 

5) THE BIRDS

A BOOK THAT IS EVERYWHERE

When Dimple Met Rishi is another one I haven't read but desperately want to! I feel like I've seen this one all over the book community and I just really need to get my hands on it. 

6) THE FUN MEMORIES

A BOOK YOU CAN'T WAIT TO RETURN TO

I absolutely adore this series, and I can't wait to re-read it and crack open the final installment in the trilogy. I just know that reading this series again will make my heart so happy!! 

That's it! Short & sweet--but really makes me miss the beach! 

I don't really have anyone specific to tag, but I encourage you all to participate and then link down below!! 

Top Ten Contemporary Books I've Added To My TBR Recently

So, one of my favorite parts of summer is that a lot of people are in the mood to read contemporary more than usual. If you don't know--I LOVE contemporary books. It's probably my favorite genre, so I love when everyone is talking about all these lovely contemporary books and I have more excuse to talk about all these lovely contemporary books.

That said, here are some lovely contemporary books I've added to my TBR recently.

Words in Deep Blue by Cath Crowley - I LOVE CATH CROWLEY and also this one sounds so charming and bookish and everything I want from a contemporary book.

When Dimple Met Rishi by Sandhya Manon - I've heard wonderful things about this. It also focuses on a culture I'm not well-acquainted with. Plus, it just sounds fun and cute and THERE IS COFFEE ON THE COVER.

I See London, I See France by Sarah Mylnowski - This one not only involves traveling throughout Europe (my wanderlust is off the charts lately) but it also seems like it's going to delve into what it's like to have a loved one with mental illness and loving the wrong person and dealing with toxic friendships and that all just sounds tasty.

Eliza and Her Monsters by Francesca Zappia - This includes a trope I always adore: when a character is famous online but not really in real life, but then the world collide. So I'm excited. And it has mixed media!! ALSO A FEMALE WEBCOMIC WRITER WHOOOO.

Seven Days of You by Cecilia Vinesse - Again, traveling! But this time to Tokyo, which I haven't seen a lot of in YA novels. The romance also sounds really interesting. I love the whole "old flames reuniting" thing.

One of Us Is Lying by Karen N. McManus - This one just sounds interesting an exciting! It seems kinda soft-core thriller.

Alex, Approximately by Jenn Bennett - I've heard really great things about this book, and honestly it just sounds SO CUTE. It also brings up something I think is especially relevant for book bloggers: online persona vs. IRL personality.

Girl out of Water by Laura Silverman - This is another one I've heard nothing but positivity about. I feel like it's going to be relatable and different than a lot of other contemporary books I've read.

The Color Project by Sierra Abrams - LOOK AT THAT COVER IT'S GORGEOUS. As an aspiring philanthropist, I think it's really neat that this focuses on a charity organization. It's was pitched for fans of Stephanie Perkins and Morgan Matson--I AM HERE FOR THAT.

Windfall by Jennifer E. Smith - Admittedly, I'm not as excited about this one as I am the other books on this list, but it's a book I've been seeing around the book community lately, and it sounds interesting enough. And I've really never read anything like it before, so I wouldn't be mad about getting my hands on a copy.