It’s hot. It’s humid. I’m sweating profusely and dying of thirst, but boy do love the constant sunshine and warmth. 😀
That’s why I’ve decided to do the Summer Vibes Book Tag, which I found over on Kristin Kraves Books. The tag was created by Deanna, the Comfy Reader.
Island Songs by Alex Wheatle
A historical fiction novel about two sisters growing up in rural Jamaica who later emigrate to the U.K. with their husbands. I read this a couple years ago and have forgotten much, but I do remember really liking it. It’s one of my favorite books, and one I need to reread to refresh my memory of it.
Born to Run by Bruce Springsteen
This is Springsteen’s autobiography, which I listened to on audio. It’s so good! I actually consider it favorite, which surprised me when I was done listening to it because I had no idea who Springsteen was prior to reading it and had never listened to his music. I decided to listen to the book only because it was so damn popular and I needed something to listen to while working. But Springsteen was so inspiring. I’m glad I took a chance on his book.
The Wilful Princess and the Piebald Prince by Robin Hobb
This is a prequel to Hobb’s Realm of the Elderlings series, which begins with the Farseer trilogy. The first book in the Farseer trilogy is the Assassin’s Apprentice, a fantasy novel about the bastard son of prince who is trained to become an assassin. In the kingdom the story is set in, the Wit, which enables people to communicate with animals, is a taboo form of magic. The Wilful Princess and the Piebald Prince is about how the Wit became taboo. It’s only a novella, but it’s brimming with political intrigue and is filled with lots of juicy secrets. It was a good read.
The Deep by Rivers Solomon
A fantasy novella about the descendants of slaves who were thrown overboard slave ships. The story focuses on Yetu, who is the historian for her people, and how she struggles with being the only person to remember her people’s traumatic past. I didn’t like the story as much as everyone else did (it’s very popular), but I think it’s an important read that everyone should try.
Hello Lighthouse by Sophie Blackall (illus.)
Children’s picture books are my guilty pleasure. I love reading them and I LOVE the illustrations. It’s the illustrations that drew me to them in the first place. But sometimes I do feel guilty because people will most likely assume I’m getting a book for a kid when I’m there browsing kids’ picture books for myself.
Hello Lighthouse is about the daily life of a lighthouse keeper. I learned a good bit from this book because I knew nothing about lighthouses prior to reading it. It’s the illustration on the cover that attracted me to it. I love colors. It’s a great read that I highly recommend.
Forever in Blue by Ann Brashares
It’s the fourth novel in the Sisterhood of the Travelling Pants series, a YA contemporary series about four girl friends who share a pair of pants that fit them all well despite their different sizes. It’s a sweet, fun read that’s perfect for summer… since all the books are set in summer. I also like how strong the friendship between the girls is.
Lumberjanes, Vol. 1: Beware the Kitten Holy by Noelle Stevenson
A middle-grade graphic novel about the friendship between five girls at a summer camp and the crazy adventures they go on. It’s a fun read, but I didn’t enjoy it much because I thought it was too silly. But that’s just me. Many other people love this one.
The Wolf of Wall Street by Jordan Belfort
I watched the movie and was entertained by it, so I decided to read the book but couldn’t make it past the first page. I didn’t like it and regret that I even attempted it.
The Tea Dragon Society by Katie O’Neill (illus.)
It’s been a while since I’ve mentioned this book, so I’m taking the opportunity here. The Tea Dragon Society is a sweet, fun, light middle-grade fantasy graphic novel about a group of individuals who care for tea dragons, small dragons that grow leaves out of their horns that can be made into a tea. I love the story and would like to reread it, and the illustrations are so great too!
Perrin & Faile
I HATE reading about their relationship. It’s one of the worst I’ve ever read about and they both annoy me SO much because of their constant bickering and bullying each other. Ugh!! Also, I don’t get why Perrin makes such a huge deal about such a cool ability as bonding with wolves. I get that it takes a while to get used to, but it’s been four books of him complaining. Ugh!!
Anyway, that’s it.
If you’d like to do the tag too, consider yourself tagged.
Things ramped up in June. The movements and protests increased. Corona infections continued to rise (in the U.S.) despite earlier claims that things might get better by now. The wind brought the U.S. a sand cloud from the Sahara, and there was news that there’s a swine flu that could reach pandemic levels (sigh).
Sarah Addison Allen is now one of my favorite authors. I love her writing too much for her not to be. This is the second of her novels I’ve read and again I devoured the story as if hungering for it for days. It’s a sweet story. I enjoyed reading it, and I loved the characters and the town it’s set in for how quirky they are.
When I checked out the e-book of this novel from my library, it had been a long time since I’d read a middle-grade novel, and I missed them. It was also around the time of the 
