What You’re Reading

It’s always hard to leave behind a long holiday weekend. I was away this holiday weekend. I was less than two hours from home, but it felt like a continent away. Big shady trees. Skies full of stars. Extended cocktail hours.

There’s something so essential about being away.

Being away means that I get to live in a different kitchen, leisurely eat big ol’ pineapples, sit out on different porches, sip from different glasses, and read different books. Being surrounded by different things is good on the heart and steady on the brian.

Because it’s summer, because it’s the season of being away, because we just need to warm-weather words… I took to Twitter and asked you for great summer-read recommendations.

Your recommendations were so excellent and enthusiastic I thought we should share this list with all of you. Keep in mind that I haven’t read all of these books, but you have and you think they’re great! Check them out (literally… from the library). Click around. See if anything strikes you. These are the days and it’s such a blessing to live them.

What You’re Reading: Summer 2013

Let’s Explore Diabetes with Owls David Sedaris (always and forever.)

Love In The Time of Cholera Gabriel Garcia Marquez

The Diviners Libba Bray

I Was Told There’d Be Cake Sloane Crosley

Sense and Sensibility Jane Austen

The Old Man and the Sea Ernest Hemingway

(there is waaaaaay more list after the click)

In the House upon the Dirt Between the Cabin and the Woods Matt Bell

Game of Thrones #nerdalert #allduerespect

In the Land of the Blue Burqas Kate McCord

Let’s Pretend This Never Happened Jenny Lawson (For the title alone, right!?)

Wild Cheryl Strayed

The Gread Gatsby F.Scott Fitzgerald

Z: A Novel of Zelda Fitzgerald Therese Anne Fowler (yes…!)

Tell The Wolves I’m Home Carol Rifka Brunt (I’m starting with this book!)

The Secret Keeper Kate Morton

Gone With The Wind Margaret Mitchell (I read this book every summer as a teenager during the darkest of my curly-bang-days.)

The Tiger’s Wife Tea Obreht

Where’d You Go Bernadette Maria Semple (I’m looking forward to this one!)

Daring Greatly Brene Brown (Shutterbean is reading this book and gives it a thumbs-up!)

The Ocean at the End of the Lane Neil Gaiman

The Engagements J. Courtney Sullivan

Rez Life David Treuer

The Perfume Collector Kathleen Tessaro

Sea and Sardinia DH Lawrence

Travels with Charley John Steinbeck But really… East of Eden will change you.

The End of You Life Book Club Will Schwalbe

Brooklyn Girls Gemma Burgess

The Round House Louise Erdrich

State of Wonder Ann Patchett

Memoirs of an Imaginary Friend Matthew Dicks

Dear Girls Above Me Charlie McDowell (I must read this.)

The Sparrow Mary Doria Russell (I adore this story. It’s big.)

Age of Miracles Karen Thompson Walker (So So good!!)

Sisterland Curtis Sittenfeld

Will Write For Food Dianne Jacob

Thank you for sharing your summer reads! I appreciate you so much. If you have any books to add to the list, or if you’ve enjoyed any of the above mentioned books, you should totally leave a comment below! Share your thoughts. We’re in this together.