What I’m Reading This Summer

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Today I’m sharing what I’ve been reading this summer! I’ve got a mix of knitting, fiction, and nonfiction books that I’m excited to talk about with you. Hopefully my summer reading list will inspire you to create your own list and get lost in some books!

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Summer reading + mom life

This is the first summer that I’ve actually created a summer reading list and followed through with it in a loooong time.

As in, the last time I read really anything in the summer was when my oldest was 5 months old. She’s six and a half now!

I remember, because I read enough to get a sweet bright blue travel cooler from our library’s summer reading program. Which we promptly outgrew a few years and kids later.

But this summer I’ve taken quite a few knitting breaks, which means I have a lot more time for other summer hobbies, like getting lost in a good book!

It turns out, even though I do enjoy knitting socks in the warm weather, I’m very much okay with putting down my needles until the weather gets nice and cool again.

Summer reading essentials

I know a lot of readers grab easy beach reads in the summer. But since I read more in the summer than any other time (hello, busy homeschool mom!) I have a mix of just for fun books and books with a little more meat to them.

I’m also very careful about which books I physically check out.

With 4 little kids with eyeballs to see book covers and one first grader who can read everything, I don’t want just any book lying around. That’s just a personal preference. I don’t like overly racy books anyway.

What if there’s a book with a creepy cover or a few skippable paragraphs? Then I grab the audiobook from Hoopla! (I’m weird about book covers anyway, because I like having actual books that fit my aesthetic for Instagram- it’s a whole thing!).

Ok, enough about my habit of checking out cozy looking books. Let’s get to the list!

My Summer Reading List

1. The Vampire Knitting Club series by Nancy Warren- See on Amazon

For someone who was never into Twilight or anything else with vampires, I’m very much into this series! Each book has a different storyline (a tea shop murder, an ancient curse, and Lucy’s own grandmother’s mystery. It all takes place in the town of Oxford, England in a cozy little yarn shop, next to said tea shop. These books have just the right amount of mystery and coziness, so if you’re squeamish like me, I think you’ll be hooked. Aside from witches and vampires, the only one that was a little too “paranormal” for me was book #3, which I didn’t love. Otherwise, if you’re fine with Harry Potter, this shouldn’t weird you out too much.

2. Called to Create by Jordan Raynor- See on Amazon

After starting “Big Magic” by Elizabeth Gilbert last spring, which came so highly recommended, I was really disappointed at this book’s focus on “self”. I was looking for something with a biblical perspective. Feeling the draw to create again after a mental health break, this was such a great read with practical tips and plenty of truths straight from the Bible about creating for God’s purpose.

3. She Works His Way by Michelle Myers and Somer Phoebus- See on Amazon

I was really impressed with this one, which is part devotional and part book. As someone who has always struggled with people pleasing, I really heard God through this book. There were tons of helpful tips pointing back to God’s word, and it really shifted my focus from people pleasing and the desire to achieve, to creating for an audience of one.

4. The Read Aloud Family by Sarah Mackenzie- See on Amazon

We’re a reading family. We go to the library every week, sometimes twice if we’re exploring a new one. But this book really opened my eyes to the benefits of reading aloud to your kids, even at a higher level than they can read themselves, or what you think they can handle. There are so many great book recommendations in this one, and it definitely transformed our days to make reading aloud a part of our daily routine.

5. Plan Your Year by Pam Barnhill- See on Amazon

If you’re a homeschooling mom, this one is a must! A lot of homeschool books that I want to read can’t be found at the string of libraries by us. So, I was thrilled to find a library that carries Pam Barnhill. To be honest, I’m working my way through this over the entire summer, taking it through bite size chunks. Not because I can’t get into it, but because there is so much reflection and journaling and praying as we plan our way through the next school year. First off, this book is giant! It’s about the size of a magazine and there are tons of worksheets for planning your vision and goals. Barnhill also really breaks down the different homeschool philosophies. Which, 2 years into homeschooling, I’ll admit I still don’t totally know the difference between unschooling, Charlotte Mason, and unit studies.

6. The Lifegiving Table by Sally Clarkson- See on Amazon

I always struggle with dinnertime. The prepping, the cooking, all with little kids underfoot wears me out before we even get dinner on the table. But Sally’s focus on creating meaningful family time and conversations that help shape our kids’ lives has me rethinking dinner. Whether you’re cooking from scratch or not, how we talk around the table and even present the food on the plates can show our love to our families. This was a sweet read that has me changing my dinnertime mindset from surviving to thriving.

7. Give Your Child the World by Jamie C. Martin- See on Amazon

Okay, this one I started as an audiobook. But pretty quickly in, I had to check out the actual book from Hoopla, with our library. There were way too many great books being recommended, and I needed a visual! It was very slow to start, with a lot of backstory on the author, and as a busy mom I was ready to get to the meat. But it definitely got good! I have so many books on our to be read list for read aloud time that will help us “travel the world”!

8. The Bookshop on the Shore by Jenny Colgan- See on Amazon

I loved The Bookshop on the Corner by Colgan, and I’ve had a lot of her other books on my reading list for a couple of years that I’m finally getting to! I have to admit that I didn’t love the narrator on the audiobook, which can really impact how I feel about a book. Once I got used to her style, it was really fun to get into this Scottish cozy story. The storyline also took a while to get into, and there were a lot of downer backstories going on. But it picked up considerably about halfway through the book. The character development is pretty good, and it does have a lot of cross-over with main characters from Bookshop on the Shore.

Pin It For Later

I hope these titles are interesting to you, or at least inspire a trip to your library. I hope you find something a little meaty this summer, along with a cozy mystery or two!