Thursday, July 4, 2019

                    Is it summer yet?

"To sit in the shade on a fine day and look upon verdure is the most perfect refreshment." Jane Austen, from Mansfield Park


Dreams of summer were, perhaps, never more vivid or more desired than during this past winter. In the Upper Midwest, we expect snow, cold temperatures, cars struggling to start, and afternoons spent staring out at the gray heavy skies and wishing to be almost anywhere else.

However, this winter was tougher (and longer) than most. I usually love winter - at least the accessories: hot chocolate, lovely scarves, crossword puzzles, pine-scented candles, and fuzzy mittens - the whole Hygga life.

No amount of simmering soup or hot tea helped speed up the winter that would not quit. On January 31, my community hit an all-time low of -30. That's not wind chill, it's the actual temperature that frigid day.

And the snow? No matter how often the sidewalks and drives were shoveled, more snow appeared as if by magic. Walking to a friend's house for tea one morning, I was joined by my trusty snow shovel which served both as a makeshift crutch guarding me from buried ice, as well as doing some  shoveling along the way. 


Summer living room 
Now the fourth snowiest winter on record has been laid to rest. The best things about summer have arrived: sweet chunks of watermelon, dazzling flowers, brilliant colors on everything from Capri pants to tote bags, and temperatures that are not measured in negative numbers.

Jane Austen would've most likely approved of a porch, wicker chair, and a good book on a summer afternoon.

                            Summer Reading List

Vacationers - Emma Straub
Beach Music - Pat Conroy
Dandelion Wine - Ray Bradbury
The Great Gatsby - F. Scott Fitzgerald
Summer Sisters - Judy Blume
In a Dark Dark Wood - Ruth Ware
Prodigal Summer - Barbara Kingsolver
A Room With a View - E.M. Forster
A Month of Summer - Lisa Wingate
The House at Riverton - Kate Morton
Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle-Stop Cafe - Fannie Flagg
Divine Secrets of the YaYa Sisterhood - Rebecca Wells
Atonement - Ian McEwan
Summer of '42 - Herman Raucher
A Midsummer's Night Dream - William Shakespeare

Looking for lighter summer beach reads? Check out Luanne Rice, Elin Hilderbrand, Dorothea Benton Frank, Mary Kay Andrews, Mary Alice Monroe and Debbie Macomber.
Racine, WI
 


No matter your age, young adult books can transport you to a long ago summer...Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants by Ann Brashares or I Know What You Did Last Summer by Lois Duncan. 

I'm reading Summer Wives by Beatriz Williams.






                                      * * * * *


If you enjoyed this post, please subscribe to Read With Enthusiasm. It's easy. Look for follow by email at the top right corner of the blog. Submit your email address. You'll receive a follow-up email to activate your subscription. Thank you!



   

No comments:

Post a Comment