Summer Reading & Book Reviews

I have challenged myself to read at least ten books over the course of the summer. I firmly believe that reading is one of the most important things you can do to keep your mind sharp. It’s also a great thing for kids to expand their vocabulary, use their imaginations, and learn new things. 

Our local library has a summer reading program for all ages, PreK to adult. My kids are signed up, and I am as well. When you sign up, you pledge to read a certain number of books before the end of the program (July 26). For the kids, their totals count how many they read, as well as how many I read to them.

Big A and I decided to start the Harry Potter series together. I’ve read it multiple times already, but she hasn’t yet. She's seen the first few movies, though. She and I will be reading a chapter or two (sometimes 3, since we have to return it after two weeks) together each night before bed. She’ll be reading the rest of her books on her own, so we wrote down 10 for her as well. She currently reads on a 5th grade level, so I don’t think it will be hard for her to reach her goal.

Now, Middle A can’t read yet, so her goal is how many books I will be reading to her. We went ahead and wrote down 30 since we read multiple books nightly before bed. She does love going to the library to choose books though! She always seems to find one with Dora the Explorer on it.

I am on my third book at the moment. I have read Something Borrowed and Something Blue. A 2-part series by Emily Giffin. I really enjoyed both of these books. They were entertaining and funny. I definitely recommend reading them. I plan on reading her other books as well. She makes her characters very relatable and down-to-earth. It makes it easer to get absorbed into the storyline. I love books that I can just get lost in. That is a sign of a great author.

Here are a couple of little snippets from Emily Giffin’s website:

Something Borrowed tells the story of Rachel, a young attorney living and working in Manhattan. Rachel has always been the consummate good girl---until her thirtieth birthday, when her best friend, Darcy, throws her a party. That night, after too many drinks, Rachel ends up in bed with Darcy's fiancé.

Although she wakes up determined to put the one-night fling behind her, Rachel is horrified to discover that she has genuine feelings for the one guy she should run from. As the September wedding date nears, Rachel knows she has to make a choice. In doing so, she discovers that the lines between right and wrong can be blurry, endings aren't always neat, and sometimes you have to risk all to win true happiness. Something Borrowed is a phenomenal debut novel that will have you laughing, crying, and calling your best friend.

Courtesy of www.emilygiffin.com

Darcy Rhone thought she had it all figured out: the more beautiful the girl, the more charmed her life. Never mind substance. Never mind playing by the rules. Never mind karma.

But Darcy's neat, perfect world turns upside down when her best friend, Rachel, the plain-Jane “good girl,” steals her fiancé, while Darcy finds herself completely alone for the first time in her life . . . with a baby on the way.

Darcy tries to recover, fleeing to her childhood friend living in London and resorting to her tried-and-true methods for getting what she wants. But as she attempts to recreate her glamorous life on a new continent, Darcy finds that her rules no longer apply. It is only then that Darcy can begin her journey toward self-awareness, forgiveness, and motherhood.

Something Blue is a novel about one woman's surprising discoveries about the true meaning of friendship, love, and happily-ever-after. It's a novel for anyone who has ever, even secretly, wondered if the last thing you want is really the one thing you need.

Courtesy of www.emilygiffin.com.

While my sister was visiting over the weekend, she brought her Kindle Fire with her. She has purchased the latest in Charlaine Harris’s Sookie Stackhouse series, Deadlocked. 

I have read all 11 of Harris's previous books in this series, so I have been dying to read this one. Unfortunately for me, we were busy all weekend and I only got 86% of the book read before she had to leave. Don’t worry, though. I have it on hold at the library. I’ll be able to finish that sucker in just an hour or two. 

Does anyone have book recommendations to get  me through the summer? 

Would you like to commit to reading yourself?

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