It's no secret I'm looking forward to our honeymoon for a multitude of reasons. Aside from spending lots of relaxed one-on-one time with Kristie, swimming with dolphins, exploring downtown Willemstad, and trying lots of new foods, I'm excited to have time to read!
Unconfirmed family lore (is there a better kind?) has it that the first time I was read aloud to by an adult was the day I was born. I had learned to read by myself by the time I was four, and some of my favorite childhood memories involve my dad reading a chapter from these to my brother and I every night before bed.
I loved school when I was a kid. I was a total nerd. The only time I ever got in trouble in elementary school was when I got caught with a book open under my desk during a lesson (it's very likely it was a Nancy Drew book, the main character of which served as both my first girl-crush and lifelong heroine).
Even though I loved learning in school, I would get even more excited about summer -- mainly because of summer reading lists our teachers handed out as the last bell rang. Our local library offered little prizes every time an elementary school student checked off another book on their suggested reading list. I remember having to wait in line to pick up my prizes in the beginning of the summer, but as midsummer loomed and most kids chose to forgo their reading lists in favor of summer camp or sports, I'd be the only one at the counter to pick up my prize (and get a smiley-face stamp on my hand. I demanded one every time.). By August, I'd finished the list and started the foray into recommendations from my librarian friends.
Needless to say, I loved books.
During college, there was obviously not a lot of time for leisure reading. Unfortunately that habit continued after I graduated, and only recently have I really experienced that craving to lose myself in a book (any book!). This summer is fueling my return to the stacks; my thrill at stretching out under the sun or curling up by the air conditioner with a good (or even somewhat decent) book feels so familiar and safe.
And so I'm very much looking forward to days spent on the beach in Curacao with a book (or Kindle) in my hand and my wife by my side.
What's on your reading list this summer? I'd love to add more recommendations to this list:
1Q84 by Haruki Murakami
Lean In: Women, Work & the Will to Lead by Sheryl Sandberg (my book group is reading this one!)
The Shining Girls by Lauren Beukes
Never Let Me Go by Kazuro Ishiguro
City of Thieves by David Benioff
A Clash of Kings (the second Game of Thrones book) by George R. R. Martin
