Summer Reading ~ Week One

Summertime and reading are synonymous in my mind. Of course when the weather gets hot, you flop down on a lounge chair and read. It’s not so different from the fall, winter, or spring, except that in the summer some libraries having reading programs. Prizes for reading books I already wanted to read anyways? Sign me up. And my kids. Sign them up too 😉

What I’m Reading

So, for the first week, I read Humble Roots by Hannah Anderson, Voracious by Cara Nicoletti, Lord of Shadows by Cassandra Clare, and The Now Habit by Neil Fiore. I only have a few pages left on The Now Habit, and am about halfway through Voracious, but I finished the other two.

Reading Humble Roots and The Now Habit at the same time was definitely thought provoking for me. They both really made me think about the notions that are behind my overwhelmed moments, the things that are hindering my productivity, and mindset change. If you can only read one, read Humble Roots. It was profound.
Voracious is fun, just because it is stories about books and the food within. I haven’t tried any of the recipes yet, but I’ve really enjoyed Nicoletti’s narrative.

Lord of Shadows… so many mixed feelings. Clare is such a talented story teller. I loved The Mortal Instruments Series, and Infernal Devices, and the first book in this new series–Lady Midnight. And this book was no exception. It’s magnetic. I’m mainly disappointed in how trendy she’s gone with some of the social stuff, and really age inappropriate. It’s YA fiction (I know, I know, it’s my weakness), but it’s definitely not something I would feel comfortable recommending for younger teens.

Kids Favorites

If I put all the books the kids read in here, this post would be way too long, so I’m going to go with their favorites of the week. I keep track of what we’ve read so far this year in an excel spreadsheet

A Birthday For Frances By Russell Hoban and Lillian Hoban

This book is a classic and totally delightful. All of the Frances books are. Klaus in particular asked for this one over… and over… and over… but I didn’t even mind because it is SO entertaining! Frances is such an odd little character, but totally relateable to kids, and her parents are totally relateable to parents (at least me!)

Bugs, Bees, and Other Buzzy Creatures by DK Books

This book was the perfect amount of fact and entertainment to keep both my 5 year old and 3 year old happy, even though they have vastly different attention spans. And I felt like it was a great middle ground between the more intense encyclopedias Sophia can sometimes enjoy and the basic picture books that make Klaus most happy. Several of the sections included a craft. Sophia and Klaus were SO excited about that. We actually did one of those crafts today!

Feel the Beat: Dance Poems that Zing from Salsa to Swing by Marilyn Singer and Kristi Valiant (Illustrator)

We definitely felt the beat while reading this! The poems were bouncy and unique. And we went down a super fun rabbit trail and watched kids ballroom dancing on youtube. Klaus says he’s going to dance with me like that when he’s big… I couldn’t be more delighted! Gotta start this indoctrination young and keep it going! Yes, dance with Mama, sweet boy!

So, there’s our first post for summer reading. It is already a fantastic summer, and we are soaking up all the reading fun!
Are you participating in a summer reading program? And the all-important question–What are you reading now? Let us know in the comments!