Beach & Fun in the Sun Reads
Summer is the time when I actually can do some fun reading and I look forward to that time in the sun when I can kick my feet up with a good book. I know parents talk a lot about what we can do to motivate our children to read in the summer, but I find that sometimes just by me reading that I can help set the tone for my children to want to read too. Usually if I am all curled up with a book, they start grabbing books and start paging through them too. I love it when things flow naturally like that!
I like to keep my reading nice and light during the warmer season though because I am usually squeezing it in between all of our fun summer activities. I am trying to complete some books off of my book club list (through my local mom's group) and I just finished reading a fabulous book called, "The Knitting Circle," by Ann Hood. It was an excellent read, but it had me in tears through the whole thing. This was not exactly the light-hearted and fun reading I was looking for during the summer months.
I was wondering if my fellow Frugal Hackers might have some fun additions for my beach reading pile? Do you have any great recommendations for my library list?
And while we are on the subject, do you use any online tools for tracking your reading progress? I just joined Good Reads and I really like it, but wondered if anyone else had some suggestions?
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13 Responses to “Beach & Fun in the Sun Reads”
June 17th, 2008 at 6:08 am
I’m a wee bit old fashioned when it comes to my summer reading! I print out a list format from Word with 50 blanks and fill it out as I read the summer away.
By the way, if you’ve never read Judy Blume’s novels for grownups (gosh I loved her as a kid) then you must read them now: Summer Sisters, Wifey, and Smart Women
June 17th, 2008 at 6:22 am
The funniest book I have ever read is To Say Nothing of the Dog by Connie Willis. Don’t let the science fiction label scare you away. The only thing “science fiction-y” about this book is that it involves time travel, but really it’s just a great, hilarious book. The Recorded Books recording is even better. The narrator is fabulous!
The funniest kid’s book I’ve ever read is The Teacher’s Funeral by Richard Peck, and again, the CD version is so funny!
Both of these would be great summer reads.
June 17th, 2008 at 6:58 am
I just read “Rose Cottage” by Mary Stewart and enjoyed it. Now I’m looking for more by the same author.
Also recommended for summer reading fun:
- The Thursday Next series by Jasper Fforde (try to read these in order)
- Marne David Kellogg’s Kick Keswick series
- Almost anything by Beverley Nichols
- Diane Mott Davidson’s Culinary Mysteries
- Jane Austen (esp. Emma)
- The Penderwicks books by…oooh, I forget (sorry)
- Certain things by E.M. Forster (Howard’s End, A Passage to India, A Room with a View)
- Rosamund Pilcher’s Coming Home or The Shell Seekers
I’m sure I can come up with more if I think on it. In the meantime, I don’t know about tracking reading, but I do use Literature Map (literature-map.com) to find new authors I might like.
Happy reading!
June 17th, 2008 at 9:42 am
I just finished reading She Always Wore Red by Angela Hunt, and it is awesome! I just reviewed it on my blog if you want to take a peek at what I thought of it in more detail! It is light, entertaining reading, but it will also challenge you to examine you rown walk with Christ. Just wonderful!
June 17th, 2008 at 10:50 am
I joined Good Reads recently but really prefer Shelfari, have a big reading list on there if you’d like to take a peek!
http://www.shelfari.com/Rapunzel/shelf
As far as summer reading, anything by Elizabeth Berg or Alice Hoffman is perfect!
June 17th, 2008 at 7:39 pm
I am really into nonfiction, from personal finance to gardening books right now, and those might be too heavy or tedious for beach reading. Have you read Jodi Picult’s My Sister’s Keeper? It’s very good. Lovely Bones is good as well.
June 18th, 2008 at 12:53 am
I use Library Thing. I like it the best.
June 18th, 2008 at 4:25 pm
Light reading for the summer–this might have already been mentioned–But I can read *The Little Books* over and over:)
Have a great summer everyone! Hope to see you all in blogland.
Julieann
June 18th, 2008 at 4:27 pm
oops—my fingers type faster then I want…LOL–I am sure you all knew what I ment–but I ment *The Little House Books*
Julieann
June 19th, 2008 at 10:34 am
I know you have read the Twilight series by Stephenie Meyer and she has a new book out now called The Host. It’s so good!!!
June 20th, 2008 at 6:47 am
Hmmm, this all depends on what you like to read.
For Romances (Historical) I love Amanda Quick, Jude Deveraux, Linda Lael Miller etc.
For “thriller” style romance I like Catherine Coulter’s “FBI Thriller” series.
For Mysteries I like Janet Evonovich’s “Stephanie Plum” series (there are 13 now), Diane Mott Davidson’s cooking/catering mysteries, or JD Robb (aka Nora Roberts) Futuristic murder mysteries – the “Death by” ones. I also like Lillian Braun’s “Cat Who” series.
For Epic Fantasy I’d go back a bit and read all of the David Eddings “Belgariad” series (excellent excellent), or check out Tamara Pierce (who writes both young adult and adult).
For “modern day” type mystical stuff, I like Jim Butcher’s “Dresden Files”, Mary Janice Davidson’s “Queen Betsy” Vampire novels (very funny)
Well, that should give you a few to check into at the library.
June 20th, 2008 at 5:27 pm
Anything by Meg Cabot is usually light hearted and a good quick read. Her YA novels are just as good as her adult ones in my opinion.
June 27th, 2008 at 7:17 am
If you like mysteries at all then I recommend anything by JoAnn Fluke. I’ve read all of her books twice.
Her books are about a woman named Hannah Swenson who owns a cookie bakery in a small town in Minnesota, her family and friends. She keeps finding dead bodies and then works to find out who killed them.
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