Happy first day of the summer solstice!! Summer is one of my favorite seasons so I'm doing a little happy dance to celebrate. (Just picture that for a moment. Ok, let's move on.)
I know a lot of people don't particularly love summer because of the heat but I really thrive in the warmer months. Like fall, I strive to be outside as much as possible to get my body moving and soak up the sunshine before -0 temps return and I go into hibernation.
Here's a list of my absolute favorite summertime activities/things/places:
1) Mouthwatering berries.
Berries are in season during the summer months (so juicy and sweet), so I stock up to get my fix. ALL of the blueberries and stat!
2) Lazy days at the pool.
I know many people hate frying out by the pool during the day, but I LOVE it. Most weekends you'll find me, book in one hand, fizzy water in the other, soaking up the vitamin D and grinning. I get soooo much more reading done. Plus, short swim breaks take me back to my childhood and my mermaid dreams.
3) Picnics, concerts, Shakespeare—you name it—in the park!
Chicago is the best during the summer (yes, it gets hot, but it's nothing compared to Atlanta's humidity so I can deal). There are always so many outdoor events occurring in each neighborhood that it'd probably take you a lifetime to experience them all. My particular favorite is the symphony at Millennium Park, where visitors have the option to buy seats or sit on the lawn (free) and watch the symphony perform at dusk. You're welcome to bring a picnic, a bottle of wine or two, and relax on the lawn with the skyline as your view. It's magical.
Yay! Summer.
I'll have a considerable amount of free time in the coming weeks so I'm looking to get some good reads in. I'm stuck in a rut at the moment with no sign of getting out. Help!
Current Reads:
The Queen of the Tearling by Erika Johansen
This started out strong for me (well, after getting over some small annoyances), but then kind of just died. I know I'll finish but don't find myself itching to get back.
Chronicle of a Last Summer: A Novel of Egypt by Yasmine El Rashidi
I keep reading that once you get past the initial chapters, told from the perspective of a 6-yr-old girl, this book gets really good, but it's been such a struggle to even get as far as I have. I'm really interested in Egyptian political culture but this just isn't doing it for me. I feel guilty because I'm really trying to get through my ARCs (and post about them) and this one is just rotting on my kindle.
Grief is the Thing with Feathers by Max Porter
This one is actually really good. As much as I want to push on, I just don't think I'm in the right emotional place for it at this point in time. I linked to Julianne's (Outlandish Lit) review because she does a fantastic job covering everything Porter does right.
So... what should I pick up next? I've got The Girls by Emma Cline, Hot Milk by Deborah Levy, Invincible Summer by Alice Adams, and SO MANY OTHERS just waiting to be consumed. What are you reading right now?? And what do you love about it?
