Happy First Day of Summer!

Kimber the Magnificent here. Jumping into summer and summer reading. Cuz summer is the lazy, daisy season. (Kimber: Not sure what that means. Methinks Mom just made that up. I prefer to think of summer as The Season of Endless Barbecues...)

Wait. Where were we?

Oh yeah. Summer and summer reading. We talked about conquering your summer reading list the other day. One of us thought we oughtta clarify that the last thing Mom and I want on our summer plate is a reading list that feels like homework. So if your “summer reading” includes Russian literature that’s as dense as a pea soup fog or has books with plots so thick you could pave roads with ’em, you’re doing it wrong.

Not to fret, Cookie. We’re here to help.

When Mom and I think of “summer reading,” we think hammocks. Iced tea. Fun. Light. Like Jan Karon’s Mitford series. Karen Kingbury’s Baxter family saga. Heidi Ennis’s The Columbia River Saga.

So, Toots. You ready for some Totally Pawsome Tips for No-Guilt Summer Reading? Good. Cuz here ya go:

1. If It’s Too Heavy, Drop It. Life is short, Darlin’. So is summer. So let’s not spend it plowing through books that taste like stale kale. Like, if we’re not hooked by chapter three or four? We chuck it. That book is now a coaster for our iced tea.

So lose the could-double-as-a-door-stop, straight-outta-snoozeville books. Just read books that holler adventure, insight, or Just. Plain. Fun. (With a side of bacon. What?)

Check out: The King’s Shadow by M.L. Farb. These Strange Ashes by Elisabeth Elliot. Among the Innocent by Mary Alford. A Father’s Dream by Heidi Ennis.

2. Embrace the Pile of Possibilities. Don’t just pick one book. Stack them up. Create a tower of novels as tall as your favorite beach chair. We’re talking about thrillers with more twists than Lombard Street. Clean romance novels where the main character falls for the moody bookstore owner (Like, hello, cliché, we love you). Fantasy books that make you forget you have a day job. Or any job. Travel tales of self-discovery that have you grabbing your passport.

Examples: Farm Pond by Gordon Frisbie.  Wish You Well by David Baldacci. Beyond the Stars by Doreen Berger. Under the Tuscan Sun by Frances Mayes. 

3. Local Legends: Read a book set in a city you’ve never been to, or a gripping thriller that makes you gasp in the middle of a crowded beach.

Try: Half Notes from Berlin by B.V. Glants. Hunt for a Hometown Killer by Mary Dodge Allen. Bag of Lies by R.D. Wyrick. 

4. The “Sassy Reader” Challenge. Read an entire book while pretending to be a spy at a crowded pool. They’ll never know…

5. Swap books with your friends immediately after finishing, just to argue about the ending.

6. Keep it Light: Opt for books that don’t require 100% concentration, ensuring your brain gets a vacation too. (This should be pretty easy for one of us since her brain is on vacation most of the time anyway.)

7. Kick “Shoulds” to the Curb. Reading is supposed to be enjoyable, not a chore. (See #1, above.) We’re not trying to impresss anyone. So if someone asks what you’re reading, say you’re “engaging in leisure-based literary immersion,” which translates into reading whatever you want.

8. Got 10 Minutes? Great. Now pick up a book instead of your phone. You’ll be much happier and lots smarter. Trust me on this one, Buttercup.

Options: The Ghost Camper’s Tall Tales by Elizabeth Pantley. Kindness Heroes by Jackie Kurtz. The Forbidden River by Lili Cyr-Robillard.

9. Turn off the TV. Read instead. Don’t make me explain this.

10. Listen to an audiobook while walking your incredibly brilliant and beautiful dog. Laugh out loud at the funny parts while your dog looks far more intelligent than you. As usual (Hi. Mom).

Final Thoughts: If you read one book or a gazillion this summer, you win. Cuz summer reading isn’t about lofty goals or numbers. It’s about enjoying those lazy, daisy days with a good book. And a good dog. “Just don’t ask for mine,” spake Mom. “Cuz this sweet girl is already taken.” Just like summer. Kimber: And barbecues. Don’t forget barbecues!

Happy reading, you lovely bookworms!