Tuesday, May 15, 2012

Summer Reading and the Perfect Pairing

With summer on the horizon, Amazon has unleashed their 2012 Summer Reading List.  I really like their format and the way they’ve divided the books into categories like Beach Reading, Summer Blockbusters, and Hard-Boiled Detectives.  If you’re not sure what you’d like to read, you could always browse the Editor’s Picks for something that may catch your eye (and those books are on sale right now!).
Winter reading and summer reading is so different.  On one hand, winter reading lends images of snuggling under a blanket, maybe near a fire, with a cup of hot tea or steaming chocolate topped with whipped cream, and a gentle storm brewing outside.  Alternatively, summer reading dreams up pictures of swinging on a hammock, basking in the shade of big beautiful trees, and a glowing glass of lemonade in hand.  However, how often (really) do you sit in a big chair with a good book, blanket, and cup of perfectly made hot chocolate or read while swaying in a hammock?  Most of my reading is done late at night when everyone in the house is sleeping or the quick moments between walking to my car from my office (I actually can get a lot in from the tenth floor down to the parking lot).
If I were to think up the most perfect of reading settings, it would have to be pairing a great mystery with the gentle rocking of a hammock.  I have a hammock and those rare moments that I have the opportunity to enjoy it are like sweet paradise!  So, perfect setting: great book (a given), hammock, fresh squeezed lemonade, quiet, and a gentle breeze...and if we’re dreaming up this perfect setting, I’ll take my hammock out of my backyard and put it on a deserted island with white sand and aqua-colored waves (why not?). 
I know some people who love to sit with a good wine and read the latest Bestseller.  In this month's Wine Enthusiast Magazine, they actually have a list of books paired with the perfect wine.  Others love reading in any cozy nook with, well, their Nook (or Kindle/iPad). 
What’s your perfect reading setting?  Do you prefer winter reading over summer reading?  What genre do you plan on reading this summer?  Let me know if you plan on reading, or have read, any of the novels on Amazon’s list, and don’t forget to tell me what you thought of said book(s)!
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8 comments:

  1. You read in the elevator? That's so cute! I love seeing people reading as they walk along the street; it reminds me of Belle in Beauty and the Beast ("Bonjour! Bonjour! Bonjour, bonjour, bonjour!") My daydream scenario is having a carriage all to myself on a train, a big window, a glass of wine and a book. It's not summer here (not even close), but I'm about to go to Australia for six days and I'm taking Broke Heart Blues by Joyce Carol Oates and Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro. I just saw the movie of the latter and loved it; now I wish I'd read the book first so I could have enjoyed the suspense for longer!

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    1. Yes! When I see people reading as they walk it reminds me of that scene as well! Your perfect pairing sounds grand! Have a fantastic time in Australia and let me know what you think of those books! I'm on the lookout for some good reads this summer!

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  2. OK...so my ideal: Lounge chair on a sandy beach, waves crashing in the background, pine colada in one hand, good book (NOT Kindle or Nook) in the other. Realistically? Once a year when I actually get on an airplane without my children. On my couch after the kiddos go to sleep for maybe a half hour before I need to go to bed too. Not quite as romantic that way, eh? LOL.

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    1. I totally agree with your no Nook or Kindle sentiment! I am a reader who needs the feel of a book. The idea of an e-reader is pretty cool as a whole - having all those books at your fingertips in one small package; but as I previously stated, I love the FEEL of a book, the pages, the smell, and I spend too much time staring at a computer all day, my eyes need a break!

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    2. I will have to check out their list of books. I need something new to read!

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  3. Hey Dez!
    Love your blog! Love reading about you and your babies. Beach reading yes please! And snuggling under a blanket during a storm is the best too. It might sound kind of weird but my FAVORITE place to read is on a plane. I can read for hours uninterrupted, and tune out all my neighbors. Once I was so enwrapped in a book i started to cry (no judging), and the guy next to me ended up asking me if i was okay and suggested i read funny books next time. ahaa

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  4. The airplane does seem like the ideal place to read...as long as you aren't afraid of flying (like me)! I do have to admit that on the plane ride from NY back to Phoenix, I read all of Don Maass's book, Fire in Fiction. It was nice to be uninterrupted, but I had a major headache afterward! So which book made you cry?

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  5. That's true flying is never fun.... I was reading Sarah's Key by Tatiana de Rosnay. It's a story about France under occupation during the war.

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