Hello hello, and welcome to Episode 57 of Life On the Brink!
Happy first week of official summer, everyone! I have been fully enjoying these days of long sunshine, cool morning walks and welcoming projects that have been on the back-burner for a while.
School is out, and whether you’re a teacher or a student (or both), now is the time to enjoy a bit of free time and sunshine. And you know what that means…..books! Yes, exactly. Today I’m sharing the books that are on my list to read this summer, along with recommendations that are perfect to read during this season. Plus, I’m proposing a fun reading challenge, so stay tuned!
What’s in my teacup? I've been brewing green tea with fresh mint and fresh ginger, serving with a big of honey and lemon. So refreshing an comforting at the same time.
I was reflecting on summer reading this week and remembered a few summers of my childhood in which I took advantage of the Barnes and Noble Summer Reading Challenge. Basically I just kept track of the books I read over the course of the summer, then got to pick a free book from a selection of paperbacks as a reward. It turns out that they still do this!
I think this is such a brilliant promotion since it encourages kids to keep reading while they're out of school, but also sets a very attainable goal and includes a very cool prize that further encourages reading. So smart.
I definitely partook of this promotion more than once, as I was a Capital B Bookworm as a child (and I’m happy to say I am once again). It’s a shame that there isn’t a grown up version of this challenge, so I thought we could make one of our own. Here’s what I propose:
LIFE ON THE BRINK- SUMMER READING CHALLENGE
1. Read a predetermined number of books by a set date. I’m going with 5 by August 8th, which is the first teacher work day at my school.
2. Keep track of your progress. It could be on an app like Goodreads, in a journal, or perhaps on a nifty list like the download I created here!
3. Reward yourself at the end! You could go get yourself a new book and be very on-theme, but you can be creative! Maybe you treat yourself by clearing out your schedule for a whole day to read or do whatever you like. It can even be a nice, end-of-summer meal where you share with a partner or friend what you thought of the books you read.
If this sounds fun, I encourage you to join me! The books can be any length or subject, and whatever you’d like them to be. The point of such a challenge is to encourage us all to read and to celebrate summer and reading (and ourselves!) in the process. If you share any of your books thoughts on social media along the way, please tag me so I can cheer you on!
And now, here are some books to get you started! (this portion of the podcast starts at 9:23 and I talk a little about each pick, so if you’d like to know more about them, check out the audio or transcript, or just click the links I’ve left on each title.)
MY SUMMER READING LIST
Let’s start with my personal summery recommendations that I’ve already read and love:
-“Mediterranean Summer” by David Shalleck
-“People We Meet on Vacation” by Emily Henry
-“Where the Crawdads Sing” by Delia Owens
-“The Great Gatsby” by F. Scott Fitzgerald
-“Lunch in Paris” and “Picnic in Provence” by Elizabeth Bard
And now, here are the books I’m personally tackling this summer:
-“Book Lovers” by Emily Henry
-“Beach Read” by Emily Henry
-“Malibu Rising” by Taylor Jenkins Reid
-“The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo” by Taylor Jenkins Reid
-“Hotel Pastis” by Peter Mayle
I look forward to reading with you this summer, and highlighting and celebrating the wins! Here’s a few more episodes I think you’ll enjoy:
-Podcast 29: Summertime Magic + ways to capture it
-Podcast 37: Recapturing a Love of Reading (as an adult)
This Week’s Little Joy: I've been loving the Hibiscus Paradise fragrance from Bath and Body Works. I bought a body lotion last year when Josh and I went to Hawaii, so ever since I bought another last week I've been transported back to that place every time I use it. It's a nice, warm, summery fragrance, and I'd highly recommend it!
What I’m Listening To: Café de Paris, a playlist made by Spotify itself! I have really been enjoying listening to this playlist while cooking or working, and there's a nice mix of instrumental and vocal tunes, all of which are in French. I enjoy the fact that I don't yet know a lot of these songs, and it's a very feel-good summery vibe.
Thank you so much for listening, friends! If you haven't already done so, a star rating or written review on Apple Podcast would mean so much if you're enjoying these summer episodes.
Until next week, friends, I wish you happy reading!