My big sister wouldn't steer me wrong, right? So signing up for three readathons in the next 4 months must be a good idea. Every summer, I make myself a Summer Reading List - usually new releases with pretty covers. Last year I chose seven books and only read four of them so, when Teri @ Henningsen Happenings challenged me to step up my reading for the summer I hesitated. But it sounds like so much fun, that I gave in.
The largest of the challenges is Summer Reading, hosted by Katie's Book Blog. Summer Reading runs for four months - May 1 to Sept. 1. You just set your own reading goal - minimum of 5 books - and read. There are prizes throughout the summer and a grand prize drawing for those who reach their goal. Just like being a kid at the library again! Picking that magic number of books is the tough part. There are 17 weeks in this challenge (+ a couple days), so I've settled on twelve as being a reasonable goal.
Read-a-thon #2 is the Bout of Books Read-a-thon, hosted by Amanda and Kelly. BoB, as the hostesses call it, runs from May 12 through May 18, with daily challenges and giveaways, and three Twitter chats during the week. Since that is the week that two of our children graduate from college, I'm not setting a goal other than to participate as much as my schedule allows.
Readathon #3 is the Library Read-a-thon hosted by Rachael Turn's Pages. During the week of June 9th-16th, read as many library books as you can. Sounds simple. And I usually have a stack sitting around collecting overdue fees. The timing on this one is perfect. All of the graduations and family reunions will be over and I'll be ready for some down time with books.
This is my starter stack. Lighthouse Bay, The Engagements, and Miss Julia Stirs Up Trouble are the three leftovers from last summer that STILL haven't been read. The Help is on loan from a former co-worker and needs to be returned soon. The last two, The Bookstore and The Invention of Wings, are recent purchases that I'm excited to read. There are a lot more options on my shelves, plus an excellent city library, so finding the other six books to reach my goal should be easy.
So there you have it - a summer of books with my sister. And if it doesn't work out, I'm telling Mom!
Books Read:
1. Bellman and Black by Diane Setterfield
2. Lighthouse Bay by Kimberley Freeman
Ahhh.... such willpower, such self-control! Or not! Every summer I say I'm not going to do it, but then the weather warms and I get bit by the "bug". The pretty covers bloom like summer flowers and I find myself making a Summer Reading wish list. Warm, sunny days always lure me to the swing with a cold drink and a book. With the purchase of our "vacation home" (a.k.a. pop-up camper), I'm envisioning even more quiet hours for reading. So here's my 2013 Summer Reading Wish List
Tapestry of Fortunes by Elizabeth Berg - because I like everything she writes.
Cecilia Ross is looking for a change. She has decided to take time off from her job as a motivational speaker and sell her home. She moves into a beautiful old house in St. Paul, Minnesota, complete with a big front porch, a wild garden and three roommates. The four women are different ages, but all are feeling restless, and want to take a road trip to find again the people and things they miss. One woman wants to connect with a daughter she gave away at birth; another wants to visit her long-absent ex-husband; a third woman, a professional chef, is seeking new inspiration from the restaurants along the way. And Cecilia is looking for Dennis Halsinger, the man she never got over, who recently sent her a postcard out of the blue.
Ladies' Night by Mary Kay Andrews - ditto. And don't you love the colors in that cover? (release date 6/13)
There’s the “Grace Stanton” who alluringly chronicles her glamorous Florida life on Gracenotes, her popular blog. And then there’s the Grace Stanton who had to slink back to mom’s with the clothes on her back after she drove her philandering hubby’s car into the pool. Things look up when she persuades the divorced women in her therapy group to move their Wednesday night sessions to the Sandbox, her mom’s ramshackle beach bar. Grace, Camryn, Suzanne and Ashleigh were all done wrong, and they’ve bonded together to heal each other’s hearts—and get even with their exes.
Lighthouse Bay by Kimberley Freeman. This is a new author for me, but the story sounds intriguing and no way could I pass up a book featuring a beach and a lighthouse on the cover.
1901, unhappily married Isabella Winterbourne is the lone survivor of a shipwreck off the Australian coast. But in her possession is a priceless gift that could give her the means to start anew in the seaside town of Lighthouse Bay. The year 2011 hasn’t been good to Libby Slater. After a failed love affair in Paris, she’s returned to her family home in Lighthouse Bay knowing that her sister Juliet may still, after 20 years, not forgive the egregious act that fostered their estrangement. The century that spans these love stories is filled with breathtaking drama.
Looking for Me by Beth Hoffman. Another new author. The setting hooked me on this one and - surprise - the pretty cover art. (release date 5/13)
Teddi Overman found her life’s passion for furniture in a broken-down chair left on the side of the road in rural Kentucky. Breathing new life into these discarded objects gives Teddi purpose, but has never alleviated the haunting uncertainty she’s felt in the years since her brother Josh’s mysterious disappearance. When signs emerge that Josh might still be alive, Teddi is drawn home to find him. It’s a journey that could help her come to terms with her shattered family—and to find herself at last.
Miss Julia Stirs Up Trouble by Ann B. Ross. Newest installment in a long-time favorite series. And did you notice the pretty cover?
Upon feeling a nip in the air, Miss Julia decides to cozy up in front of her new fireplace—until she discovers autumn leaves aren’t the only things falling down in Abbotsville. James, Hazel Marie’s housekeeper, has had a bad tumble down the stairs, leaving the already harried young mother, who can’t boil water, having to feed and care for everyone! Naturally Miss Julia jumps in to help. And what better way than to have the town’s most accomplished cooks share recipes? But the last thing they need are too many cooks in the kitchen. When Hazel Marie’s no-good Uncle Vern Puckett shows up, madcap antics are added to the mix
The Engagements by J. Courtney Sullivan. Her book, Maine, was one of my top reads last summer. (release date 6/13)
A diamond lasts forever, wrote a young advertising wordsmith in 1947, and today the glittering gem is inseparably associated with marriage. J. Courtney Sullivan's The Engagements is a resplendent novel illuminating every facet of marriage—the shine, the strength, and the flaws. Evelyn married for companionship, and her union has lasted four decades. Delphine lives for passion—its ecstatic beginning and its bitter end. Kate and Dan have been together ten blissful years, but Kate is loath to tie the knot. James is painfully aware that his in-laws feel his wife could have chosen better. And linking these four stories is that of the aforementioned ad writer, Mary Frances Gerety, who aimed to put a diamond ring on every bride’s finger.
The Heist by Janet Evanovich and Lee Goldberg. I enjoy Janet Evanovich's writing and I'm hopeful that Mr. Goldberg's contribution to this book will be to keep her from reverting to writing the same characters and story once again. (release date 6/13)
FBI Special Agent Kate O’Hare has a rep for tenacity second to none. She always gets her man. Except one—Nicolas Fox, a suave, charming schemer who scams the world’s movers and shakers just for the thrill. Nick’s not running from Kate because he’s scared she’ll catch him—he just enjoys being pursued by a smart, sexy woman. But when O’Hare finally nabs Fox, he pulls his biggest con yet: He persuades the FBI to hire him...and partner him with Kate! Now, Kate and Nick are after a crooked banker holed up on his private island. And if high-speed chases, pirates and hired guns don’t kill these two, they just may kill each other!
I know I can get a couple of these at my library - either in their collection or through interlibrary loan. I am on a self-imposed book buying ban, but I may have to declare an exception in the case of birthday money and new releases.
These summer reading posts are more for my benefit - to keep track of what I had planned - than yours, although I hope you'll see something here that you may want to add to your own list. If, for some reason, you're interested in previous Summer Reading posts, you can find them here:
http://tdreads.blogspot.com/2010/06/summer-reading.html
http://tdreads.blogspot.com/2011/08/summer-reading.html
http://tdreads.blogspot.com/2012/05/summer-reading.html
