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Oh calgon take me away!  It’s rainy and chilly here as of this writing and I want to be on the BEACH ALREADY!  If this is you, or you just wouldn’t mind going to the beach in a book, please join us in reading Emily Henry’s Beach Read and discussing it on Friday June 18th at 7:30pm Central Time.  You are officially invited to bring your beach-themed snacks and beverages, and tiny drink umbrellas are highly encouraged.  I hope you’ll SIGN UP HERE and join us, umbrella or not!

 It’s June, the emotional start of the Summer Season, both In Real Life and in the Reading Life. Yes, Memorial Day truly marks the beginning of the season, but this year the day after the holiday was June First, so it just feels much more like summer is here for real. In Nashville the weather has finally settled into the typical heat and humidity (yay. sarcasm.) mixed with summer storms. Summer storms are the perfect time to curl up with a great read if you can’t be at the beach for your summer reading. This summer, for both June and July, while school’s out, Nikki and I are trying something new here at Heart.Wants.Books. We have some plans for the blog, but we’re going to try to read what we’re feeling a little bit more, and if that means we need to throw out what we had planned to post about and fit in a different title, well, as Mando says: This is the Way. Reading our feels instead of planning them, glorious freedom! Our list this month is going to be more about a prioritized TBR than a settled plan, so let’s let freedom ring and see where our Reading Life takes us this summer.

~Ashley

Generally I think the season we’re transitioning into is my favorite, but this is at least ten-fold when it’s SUMMER READING SEASON!!  And seriously, few things bring me more joy than a box from Nerdy Ink (they aren’t a sponsor, but we’re happy to change that) and seeing my Saturday Librarians in matching summer reading shirts all in one day!  I’m discovering I’m a bit of a mood reader and can struggle when I pick up a book at the wrong time, but summer is not the time for that.  I’ll DNF (sometimes with thoughts of later, other times not), I’ll read multiple books at the same time, and just generally live my best reading life as I escape the arctic tundra otherwise known as my house to sit outside to warm in the sun with a book!  (And in case you’re wondering, I’m 100% wearing sweatpants and fuzzy slippers at this moment.  Hubs is in shorts and a short sleeve shirt.)  

I’m really excited about the line up we have for us and for you this summer.  In the spirit of inviting you to read along with us, we’re sharing the titles in advance, but in the spirit of allowing us to mood read as much as possible, we’re only doing so one month at a time.  I’m also really excited about our fall plans too (banned books and witches oh my!), and just generally, excited about so many bookish things because Summer Reading brings me so much joy.  And you know what else it brings me?  SONIC COUPONS!  No dear readers, I did not steal these from my children, they are MINE BECAUSE ADULTS CAN PARTICIPATE IN SUMMER READING TOO!  I already have three badges and our library’s summer reading program only kicked off on June 1!  I have the “Ship’s Wheel” and the aforementioned Sonic Coupons for signing up, “A Wiggly Puppy” for reading one hour, and “A Cuddly Kitten” for reading five hours.  My little people have different badges (that honestly seem like way more fun – Tails and Tales, Reading Raccoon, and Koala that comes with a special Summer Reading pencil and bookmark), but we’re all excited to see who gets to the next level first, and they are working on edging ahead now, so… should I tell them I was up way past my bedtime reading Thursday’s book, or just log it?  I think I’m just going to log it!    

All that to say, I’m more excited than usual about books, and if you (and your people, if you have them) are not signed up for your local Summer Reading program, I highly encourage it!  It is a fun way to encourage more reading, be competitive on something silly, and get to know your local librarians!  AND, you can use the books you’re reading along with us, or for Virtual Book Club as part of your Summer Reading Competition!  

Speaking of, this month, we’ll be reading and bringing you:

A Romance Novel:

Intercepted by Alexa Martin

A memoir, serving as the filling of our romance title sandwich, of which we feel confident the author would approve:

Believe Me: A Memoir of Love, Death, and Jazz Chickens by Eddie Izzard

June’s Virtual Book Club Pick:

Beach Read by Emily Henry*

*Do note dear readers, we do not plan to share a VBC recap post, so if you want the deets on this title, you’ll have to join us for Virtual Book Club!

Another memoir, of a very different subject:

Our Lady of Perpetual Hunger by Lisa Donovan

And to round out the month, a historical fiction title:

The Paris Hours by Alex George

We have worked very hard this month to sample different genres, while selecting from my robust holds list, and picking titles we are both genuinely excited to read that fall into our definition of “beach read” which is engaging and easy to read.  I will admit, while hanging my head in shame, that the Eddie Izzard title was not on my holds list, but when Ashley had me look it up, I borrowed it SO FAST that it did not matter.  If you enjoy stand up and British humor interspersed with French, all riding the fence of what is and is not appropriate, please look up this lovely delight of a human being (but perhaps don’t watch his work with your little people around, at least not without a preview first).  I’ve been quoting Izzard more than usual, and it is not likely to stop anytime soon.  

We hope you enjoy this month’s titles, and we’d love to learn in the comments what you’re excited about reading this month, either with us or independently!  Let us know!  Ciao!

~Nikki

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