Summer Reading

I always looked forward to summer when I was a kid. Duh, time off of school for fun stuff. One of the things that I most looked forward to was the summer reading program at my local library.

The usual setup was a map to track reading minutes to make it to the finish line, which entered you into a drawing for a “grand prize.” And if there were stickers to mark your progress, all the better. I frequently hit the loan limit on my library card on that first checkout.

I would spend the next days and weeks fully engrossed in reading through my stack. I mastered the art of walking while reading and would take my book with me into the grocery store and read through the aisles and checkout line as my mom shopped. Of course, if there was an option to get ice cream, that would warrant a quick break. 🍦😍

Let’s be honest. I’m not much different at this point however many years later. I have a tbr (to be read) list that is quite long. 😬 And I get excited when my favorite authors release new books. I preorder for my home collection, suggest purchases to my local library, and will lose a weekend to a book that I just can’t put down. The main difference these days is that I do a lot more reading in the winter and much less in the summer. I tend to spend the warm weather days outside. So a good book with a little lighter subject, some comedy, or a plot that really pulls you in are what I look for in the summer.

The book that is the summer read champion of 2021 for me is “Finlay Donovan is Killing It.” A handful of people joined me in reading it and the reviews were overwhelmingly positive. No spoilers, the basic plot of the book is that a mystery writer going through a divorce and quickly running out of money is past her deadline on her next novel and hasn’t even really started. She meets with her literary agent to discuss an extension. Someone at the next table overhears, mistakes her for a hitwoman, and hires Finlay to kill her (very bad guy) husband. Shenanigans ensue. And I couldn’t put it down. 📖👀

I really enjoyed the characters, the pacing of the plot, and though I felt a few spots were a little on the ridiculous side for my usual taste, it was a perfect summer read. I enjoyed a few chapters over a beer at West Sixth and Whole Foods and even finished the book on an airplane, which felt like a very classic summer read kind of thing to do, lol. Finlay Donovan gets 4 stars from me as a great summer read and is #yogibookclub approved.

Do you have different reading habits based on the season? Favorite summer read of 2021? Let me know!