For August, I’m thinking about the things I’ll miss most about summer, like reading in the sun, eating dinner and drinking wine on our deck, and working in my garden. My favorite summer find is my water bottle that holds fresh fruit and herbs. I’m still experimenting, but mint, strawberries, and cucumbers seem to work well infused in water.
This week I begin my LAST class for my master’s degree, a course on early learning and family engagement. I also need to start planning my thesis. I’ve been putting it off for too long, and my November deadline seemed SO far away, until I realized it was almost September. So I have work to do!
This month we also said farewell to our close friends who are moving to London. I’m sad and envious and excited to visit them, all at once. They are friends we have a great time with, and we’ll miss them. As I get older I find good friendships are harder to maintain, or maybe it’s hard to find friends I have a lot in common with. Friendships have never been my strong point. Maybe that has something to do with my being a near-compulsive reader and preferring solitude to socializing? I’m not sure.
Our vacation in California gave me a lot of reading time, between flying and sitting by the pool and the beach. We had a great time exploring Paso Robles, San Diego, and Laguna Beach, plus spending time with family. Here’s what I read in August:
- The Suffragette Scandal by Courtney Milan
- A Curious Beginning by Deanna Raybourn
- Tiny Beautiful Things by Cheryl Strayed
- The Heart Goes Last by Margaret Atwood
- Shift by Hugh Howey
- You’re Never Weird on the Internet (Almost) by Felicia Day
- The Watchmaker of Filigree Street by Natasha Pulley
It’s hard to pick a favorite read this month because these books are so different. Cheryl Strayed’s book of advice column responses blew me away. I also loved the second book in Hugh Howey’s Silo series. Margaret Atwood’s new book (coming soon) is very good but I struggled with the story at times.
My favorite post this month was about struggling to decide what to read, and when to read books because you feel you should. The rest of my Summer TBR list is Time and Again, Flight Behavior, The Wind-Up Girl, and Bring Up the Bodies. I started the last two and because I’m feeling lazy, I don’t think I’m going to get through them. I’ve decided to take a little break from the books on my TBR list that I feel I ought to read. I want to enjoy what I read and how I blog. I’m doing pretty well on challenges so I don’t feel stressed about them. For the Around the World Challenge I need only need to read books set in Australia/New Zealand and South America. Any suggestions?
If you’re looking for good fall reads in fantasy and science fiction, check out io9’s latest list of recommended new releases. They always pick an interesting mix of books, and I’ve already lined up a few review copies.
Happy almost-fall and back-to-school, readers! I hope your summer was everything you hoped it would be.
