Summer Reading
On what we're reading—and what I'm writing next!
First things first: some fun news! The other day a friend asked me when I was going to write a book, from scratch, my very own, and her timing made me laugh. I had just that week submitted a proposal and was waiting patiently/impatiently to hear back and when I did hear back the answer was yes.
So, I signed a contract with Square Halo Books to write a book of my own. Huzzah! I’ll share more about the what and whens as we go along, but for now I just couldn’t wait to share the news!
Thanks for reading all this time and cheering me on. When I was twenty, I used to think that writing was something you could do for yourself, just for the love of the game, but now I’m not so sure: there’s something to writing for real readers, who transform your monologue into a dialogue, that feels essential to the whole endeavor.
Thank you for being such wonderful readers.
Speaking of being readers: I miss sharing books on a regular basis, so I thought I’d do the next best thing and share a lot of books all at once. Presenting . . .
A Really Big List of Books We’ve Loved So Far This Summer
We were tenuously losing our read-aloud habits this school year, and I couldn’t decide if it was time to let go and grieve that loss or if it was time to double-down and fight for the routine. As it turns out, all we needed was summer break to bring it back: our evenings have mellowed this side of the school year, and I’ve gotten a little creative about how to still squeeze in some reading time even when not everyone is home,1 and now we’ve found ourselves finally making some progress on The Warden and the Wolf King. Which I’m glad for, because that book is wonderful.
Here are several other books we’ve enjoyed so far this summer.
We’re Reading
The Singing Tree, by Kate Seredy — A sequel to The Good Master (and by far my favorite of the two). This has been our lunchtime read-aloud this summer, and it’s one that makes us laugh one minute and sniffle the next.
The Song of the Stone Tiger, by Glenn McCarty — Glenn McCarty’s Tumbleweed Thompson books have been among our favorite summer read-alouds, but this book is proving to be every bit as lovable as well. I never reach for the bookmark without one of my daughters protesting, “You can’t stop there!”
I’ve Got a Bad Case of Poetry, edited by Rachel S. Donahue — A gorgeous anthology featuring poems by the authors of many of our family favorites: Jonathan Rogers, Glenn McCarty, James Witmer, Carolyn Clare Givens, Carolyn Leiloglou, Ken Priebe, and also (hooray!) a handful of my own poems. And Emily Person’s illustrations! Egads, they’re beautiful!
Hattie Big Sky, by Kirby Larson — When Hattie inherits her uncle’s land claim in Montana, she moves from Iowa alone to prove up on his claim. This WWI-era story is hilarious, moving, and delightful all at once.
The Harry Potter series, by J.K. Rowling — Our third daughter reached her Harry Potter coming-of-age, as the summer before seventh grade has become the “you can now read all seven Harry Potter books!” milestone,2 so it’s been a very Harry Potter summer here.
Do Great Things for God biographies — Picture book biographies seem to be enjoying a renaissance at our house—we’ve accumulated quite a few of these over the years, but lately they seem to be continuously piled on the window seat, with one or more daughters reading through them. (Mike Venezia’s Getting to Know The World’s Great Artists series are in heavy rotation, too.)
The Trouble With Heroes, by Kate Messner — WOW.
The Green Ember series, by S.D. Smith — Our fifteen-year-old has been reading these aloud to our ten-year-old, and this makes me a deeply, deeply happy.
The Hunt for the Kraken, by Kathryn Butler — This choose-your-own-adventure book was a great hit with our youngest, and I can’t wait to introduce her to the newest book in the series when it releases later this summer!
Honor Flight, by Jeff Gottesfeld — My goodness. I shared a while back about my experience accompanying my step-dad on an Honor Flight, but this book encapsulates those trips so beautifully, showing both what honor flights are and why they are so important. We’ve also enjoyed Gottesfeld’s Twenty-One Steps, which invites readers into the story of the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.
I’m Reading
The Writer’s Portable Mentor, by Priscilla Long — I picked this up on a staff recommendation at our local bookstore, and I’m loving it so much! Thorough, practical, and challenging—one of the best craft books I’ve read in ages.
Cascadia Revealed, by Daniel Mathews — A guide book, but with essays on different aspects of the Cascadia region, from mushrooms to rock formations to banana slugs. Carrying this one in my purse and learning a ton this summer.
Everything Happens for a Reason and Other Lies I’ve Loved, by Kate Bowler — Kate Bowler’s memoir of being diagnosed with stage IV cancer at thirty-five years old is . . . oh, how to describe it? Funny/devastating, sobering/galvanizing, a challenging look at the truth we all live with but that most of us have the luxury of ignoring—that “we’re all terminal.”
The Maisie Dobbs series — Recently my mother-in-law gave me a stack of these historical mysteries exploring the after-effects of World War I, and they’ve made for solid summer reading so far.
The Rare Jewel of Christian Contentment, by Jeremiah Burroughs — A classic and a reread, but one of those books worth savoring a few paragraphs at a time. Burroughs’s perspective on contentment has much to say to us today.
You’re Only Human, by Kelly M. Kapic — A new read for me and one that gave me much to ponder. What a gift to be reminded (and a surprise that we need to be reminded?) that we are limited creatures—and that isn’t a flaw but a gift. So good.
The Trouble With Poetry, by Billy Collins — Billy Collins. “The Lanyard.” Read on.
What about you? What have you been reading this summer?
The secret? A lot of different read-alouds! One for when everyone is home (The Warden and the Wolf King), another for when it’s just me and the girls (The Singing Tree), another for just daughters 3 and 4 (Song of the Stone Tiger), and yet another for when it’s just me and daughter 4 (The Phantom Tollbooth). (When daughters 2-4 are home, we read The Singing Tree but mark what we read so daughter 1 can catch up when she gets home.) I realize this sounds crazy, but it’s working and we get to read together most days this way—so I don’t ask questions.
Before that, they can read books 1-3.
Congratulations on an accepted book proposal! What exciting news- can’t wait to hear more ☺️
I just finished Cloud Cuckoo Land and am torn between too many choices for my next book. It’s “choose your own summer read” month in my book club and there are just too many options! One I’m considering is Tilt, by Emma Pattee. I found it on one of Nancy Pearl’s booklists, and the fact that it’s set in Portland appeals to me.
I almost always have a middle grade book playing on audio, and right now I’m finally experiencing Escape From Mr. Lemoncello’s Library for myself after watching students enjoy it year after year.
My devotional read for the summer is Reclaiming Quiet by Sarah Clarkson. I love the lilt of her words almost as much as her message - challenging, encouraging, and comforting all at once. And along with it I’m taking the opportunity to read through some of Wendell Berry’s Sabbath poems in This Day- through his words I’m ushered into the hush of creation even when I lack the time to get out there myself 💖
And then last but not least, I’m reading Stargirl aloud to my girls. I have yet to find a successful rhythm for read alouds in these highschool years, but I’m determined to keep trying! It’s always “worth it” when we manage to make it happen!
I’ve had some rich reads already this summer: Letters from the Mountain, by Ben Palpant and currently What Grows in Weary Lands, by Tish Harrison Warren. I’m also finishing a reread of The Far Pavilions, by M. M. Kaye. I’m also finally reading At the Back of the North Wind with a book club.
I’m keeping my lighter reads for audiobooks, including a reread of Going Postal, by Terry Pratchett, and Archform Beauty, by L. E. Modesitt. I also enjoyed A Retired Assassin’s Guide to Country Gardening that I listened to for another book club.
And I beta read a friend’s sci fi novel, and am about to start reading one of my daughter’s book manuscripts to give her feedback.
Goodness! Guess I have more reading happening than I realized!