Seven for Summer: My Summer 2015 Reading List
June 26, 2015
Despite the hot weather we’ve been enduring for the past two
months, the official start of summer was just a week ago Sunday. And you know
what that means…it’s time for cool drinks, embracing air conditioning, and a
new summer reading list. Sifting through my shelves and list of unread books is
one of my favorite simple pleasures.
This year’s list will be long on delight, so I’m choosing
books I really want to read, rather than books I “should” read to
fulfill a reading challenge or some other self-imposed criterion. After all,
come fall, I don’t have to write a paper on what I read during summer break!
So here is a tentative list of the books I want to read this
summer:
The Law and the Lady—my summer Wilkie Collins. Looks
like a good one—described as “probably the first full-length novel with a woman
detective as its heroine.” There is also a free Kindle version available here.
Better Than Before: Mastering the Habits of Our Everyday Lives, Gretchen Rubin. I loved both of Rubin’s books on happiness (The Happiness Project, Happier at Home) and fully expect to love this
book, too. In fact, I already have a copy from my library and will probably eventually
buy my own. Rubin has helped me understand my own nature better, and she has a
knack for breaking down concepts in such a way that you can take action that
makes a difference in your life.
Jack of Spades, Joyce Carol Oates. I’m becoming fan
of Joyce Carol Oates. I’ve only read a couple of her books, and wow.
This one sounds kind of scary, but I’m intrigued. I’m in line behind quite a
few people on my library’s hold system, so it may be later in the summer before
I can start this one.
A Writer’s Diary, Virginia Woolf. I love reading
diaries, and a writer’s diary by Virginia Woolf? How can I resist?
My local used bookstore is going out of business (sniffle)
and I picked up six books for a dollar there this week (and I wonder why my TBR
shelf never gets any less full). I’ve already started The Three Weissmanns of Westport, and I also hope to get to The Bat, by Mary Roberts
Rinehart.
Cotillion, Georgette Heyer. The irresistible lure of
romance and humor.
I could list more—in fact, I’m sure I’ll be reading a few
mysteries over the summer, too. But I want to leave some room for meandering,
for picking up a book just because it sounds interesting. The last thing I want
to do is turn the simple pleasure of reading into a stressful experience.
Where’s the delight in that?
What’s on your summer reading list?
4 comments
I am reading Better Than Before right now, and it is having a great effect on my process of managing tasks and goals. I was going to mention it to you in a blog note, but of course, you have found it!! Have you read the Life Changing Magic of Tidying Up? Such a silly book in some ways, but truly, it's had a great impact on my life!
ReplyDeleteYour summers are like our winters. We have to hide from the cold and sometimes the ice. I love our winters, though, & like you, I wither in heat & humidity. But you have found a great way to adapt!
Rita--I love Gretchen Rubin's books, and I'm expecting this one on habits to be very helpful. I'm an Obliger, and I need outside accountability! I have read The Life Changing Magic of Tidying Up, and even though I don't follow her plan, I did enjoy reading it, and got some ideas from it.
ReplyDeleteYes, I often feel like I treat summer here the way people in cold climates treat winter: by staying inside as much as possible! I really need to be a "snowbird" and spend winters here and summers up north someplace.
Dear Kathy- boy does these reads all look good. With all the rain we have been receiving I think I may get some time to check out your list. So glad you shared.
ReplyDeleteDebbie--You'll have to let me know if you read any of these and what you think of them. I'm enjoying Better Than Before and The Three Weissmanns of Westport right now.
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