Top Ten Tuesday....

Top Ten Tuesday is a fun weekly meme hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl.

This week's theme:  Books that give off Summer Vibes.

Which made me stop and think about what says "SUMMER" to me. Here's what I came up with:

The Ocean:

Jaws 

by Peter Benchley

The Blue 

by Lucy Clarke

Beach Cottage:

Cottage at the Beach

by Lee Tobin McClain

The Summer Cottage

by Viola Shipman

Road Trip!

Helen & Troy's Epic Road Quest by A. Lee Martinez

Summer Camp:

Lumberjanes: Pungeon Master

by Noelle Stevenson and Grace Ellis

Illus. by Brooke A. Allen

Be Prepared

by Vera Brosgol

Amusement Parks!

(Even haunted ones.)

The Haunted Forest Tour

by Jeff Strand and James A. Moore

Nightmare

by Robin Parrish

Island life:

Revel by Maurissa Guibord

Fun Outdoor Adventure:

Happiness for Beginners

by Katherine Center

Stranded

by Melinda Braun

Romance:

(I picked these two because of their beautiful summery covers.)

Lakeshire Park

by Megan Walker

Promised

by Leah Garriott

Lazy days and childhood games:

Dandelion Wine by Ray Bradbury

Happy Reading!

Beach Reads...

Top Ten Tuesday is a fun weekly meme hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl. This week's theme is supposed to be a list of pool or beach reads, but I tweaked it just a bit and decided to go with five beaches that I wish I were reading on...and the books I'd read if I were there. Here they are:

The beach:

Napili Bay, Maui...my favorite beach in the whole world!

and the book:

Beach #2:

Cancun, Mexico

And the book:

Beach #3:

Haystack Rock, Cannon Beach, Oregon

And the book for this beach:

Or maybe: 

Beach #4:

St. Ives, Cornwall...where I hope to go someday!

The book:

Beach #5:

South Carolina

And the book?

Happy Beach Reading!

Life's a Beach...

June always signals the start of summer for me; the time of year when visions of white sand beaches and turquoise ocean waves begin dancing in my head. But while we have plenty of sunshine here in Utah (if you don't count all those days in May when it rained...and rained), there is not a beach or ocean any where in sight. So I guess I'll kick off my summer with a week of beach reads instead. Here are my bookish beach options:

 Life's a Beach by Claire Cook

Beach Trip by Cathy Holton

The Beach House by Sally John

Ocean Beach by Wendy Wax

Beach Colors by Shelley Noble

What's your favorite beach read?

Happy Summer Reading!!!

Wrapping up 'Reading 1914'

When I think of Leonard Woolf, I think of Boomsbury, the Hogarth Press and his wife, Virginia; I don't think of compelling fiction novels. But in 1914, Woolf's second novel, The Wise Virgins, was published. It's about Harry Davis, a young cynic, the elegant Camilla Lawrence whom he loves, and the four virginal Garland girls who live next door. Woolf based all of his characters on people he knew. Harry is clearly Leonard himself, while Camilla is based on Virginia. The portrayals are well-drawn, witty, and at times a bit scathing. (Something that didn't exactly go over well when the book first came out.) I found Woolf's writing intelligent, his story well-crafted, and his observations of society cynical, but also honest and amusing. And I really enjoyed this book. Sadly, The Wise Virgins was Leonard Woolf's last fiction novel.

It's also my last book from 1914, which makes me even more sad. I've had a lot of fun this summer reading books published 100 years ago. Every one exceeded my expectations. I read and enjoyed children's books, young adult novels, and literary novels; I also read several other books not published in 1914 that deal with World War I and the events of that year. It's been an excellent summer of reading. Here's a list of the books I read if you want to check them out:

• Tik-Tok of Oz, Tom Swift, and a Little Maid (three 1914 children's books)
• The Moving Picture Girls by Laura Lee Hope
• Grace Harlowe's First Year at Overton College  by Josephine Chase
• The Street of Seven Stars by Mary Roberts Rinehart
• Assassination of the Archduke by Greg King and Sue Woolman
• 1914 by Jean Echenoz
• A Rose for the Anzac Boys by Jackie French
• Tragic Beauty by Evelyn Nesbit

Happy Reading!

Reading 1914...

Q. What do Tik-Tok of Oz, A Little Maid of Massahusetts Colony, and Tom Swift and His Photo Telephone have in common?
A. They're all children's books that were published one hundred years ago.

This summer, I thought it'd be interesting (and fun!) to read some books that were published in 1914. Out of the ten books on my list, I decided to start with these three. And I'm glad I did. They're delightful stories. In three quick reads I traveled first to a magic fairyland with a talking mechanical man, a girl named Betsy and her mule, Hank, Quox the Dragon, and Queen Ann of Oogaboo and her army of 17 men who are out to conquer the Nome King himself; then to Province Town and Boston during the Revolutionary War with a daring little maid named Anne Nelson; and lastly to the early twentieth century and the non-stop adventures of a young inventor named Tom Swift.

Seeing what children were reading one hundred years ago was actually pretty entertaining. I'd read Tik-Tok of Oz before, but the other two books were new to me. (Although I have read several other Little Maid books by Alice Turner Curtis.) I thought all three books shared a similar sense of curiosity and adventure. The dialogue, especially in the Tom Swift book, was full of the flavor of 1914, while the main characters in all three stories were bright and engaging. There's also an innocent quality in these books, an old-fashioned optimism and hopefulness that I found kind of refreshing. Not to imply that they're boring; they're not. They're just a bit kinder and gentler that most of today's fiction. In the vernacular of Tom Swift and his chum, Ned, these books are 'the limit'. Needless to say, I enjoyed reading each one. I guess in that respect 1914 and 2014 aren't so different after all.

Happy Reading!

Once upon a summer...

Memorial Day always signals the start of summer for me, even though it's technically still spring, and school isn't out yet, and summer vacation hasn't officially begun. Today just feels like summer. Which has me thinking about what I want to do (and read!) this summer...so many delicious possibilities....

With no money in the bank for an exotic vacation or far-flung adventure this summer, I'll be staying closer to home. But that's okay. Utah has a lot of beautiful hiking trails and I can't wait to put some miles on my new hiking shoes. (Lake Blanche here I come!) I think it'd be fun to do some zip-lining this summer, and I also hope to spot a few more new birds when I'm out bird watching, maybe even an owl, or a turkey vulture, or a woodpecker, or two.

And my summer reading plans? I'm not sure yet. I have a list of book titles gleaned from my favorite bookish blogs over the last year that I really want to read--a list that seems to grow longer each day. Then there's that stack of books sitting on my shelf, some that I've had for years and years, just waiting to be read. And I kind of want to check out Game of Thrones and Tana French's latest book, as well as a couple of non-fiction books about 1914 and the start of World War I. So many books...I'm not sure which to choose first. But it's a nice problem to have.

What about you?  Got any fun summer plans?

I hope so!

Happy Summering!

Summer Reading

Summer is my favorite time of year.  School is out.  The winter snow is gone.  And I am free to spend my time however I want.  Which means hiking some of my favorite mountain trails, traveling when I have the money, doing a little birdwatching, a little writing, and, of course, reading, reading, reading.

I have a stack of books by my bed just waiting to be read.  Some are the latest books from favorite authors, like Kay Hooper, Victoria Thompson, and Lee Child, that I haven't gotten around to reading yet; and some are favorite books like The Riddle-Master of Hed and Ysabel, that I've been wanting to revisit and reread.  Plus, I should probably tackle some of those 29 TBR books sitting on my shelves like The Moonstone, or Minaret, or The Odd Women.

During the summer I tend to gravitate towards fast-paced page-turners or fun, lighthearted romances -- perfect books to take to the beach.  (If only I were going to the beach this summer!)  With the summer sun shining, I'm usually not in the mood for anything too serious or scholarly.  But there are no rules when it comes to reading...or to summer.

So, go outside.  Enjoy the sun!  Spend time with friends and family.  Star gaze.  Play games.  Hike.  Laugh.  Have fun.  And let the summer reading begin!

What will you be reading this summer?