Monday, June 6, 2016

ALPITC's big summer return!

Hello, hello!

Today is the first reaaallll day of my summer vacation and I am trying to start it off "right" by doing ALLTHETHINGS - which include blogging. :)

I am still so unsure of where this blog is going and I still feel as if I have outgrown it, but until I think of a new blog name, this is where I will stay. One thing I do know though is, I want a focus on babies, books and a little teaching stuff (mainly book-related. Ha!)

In the mean time, this post is ...  mostly book-related. As I have contemplated what I want to do with my short 11 weeks off there here are a just few things that pop into my head immediately.
  • Reading. All. The. Books. Baby books, kids chapter books, middle grade books, adult guilty-pleasure books. I just want to get my reading mojo back.
  • Time with Elise. Obviously she is my first priority and spending time with her during the summer is one of the main reasons I went into education. I knew I would be a mom someday and I predicted teaching would be a great "mom job." I was mostly right, but damn, the school years can be rough. 
  • Exercise. Just like my reading mojo, my exercise mojo is about gone. (How many times can I say "mojo" in one post?!) We have big plans to go on daily walks and I am making my big return to Zumba. I'm ready to wear my pre-baby clothes ASAP. 
So, I thought I would update you on what I'm reading right now.

I've been slogging my way through Kate DiCamillo's (author of Because of Winn-Dixie)  newest middle grade novel, Raymie Nightingale. I am about halfway through and I am loving the main character, Raymie. She is thoughtful and funny, but I'm still waiting for the plot to pick up. I fear my students would put this down too soon (they are only fourth grade) but older students would have the reading stamina and patience to make it to the plot's climax.





The second book I'm reading is the ultimate beach read. The Weekenders by Mary Kay Andrews. The only thing missing from my experience is the beach! I might have to sit outside in the hammock and read this one with a fruity drink nearby. ;)
The Weekenders is about Riley Griggs, housewife in the idyllic setting of Belle Isle, North Carolina. Her beach house is being foreclosed and her husband has disappeared. She tries to put everything together and even more secrets emerge among her friends and family. So far, the book is reminding me of Elin Hilderbrand's The Silver Girl, which I loved!




Well, that is all I have today! Elise and I are going to head out for a walk and after that we have some grocery shopping to do (I am so excited to get it done on a slow Monday rather than a bustling Saturday or Sunday!)

What are your plans for the summer and what are you reading right now? Does your reading tastes change to more "beach" reads in the summer like mine?

5 comments:

The Many Thoughts of a Reader said...

I like picking up a mary kay Andrews book once a summer.

Lisa from Lisa's Yarns said...

Have you read much of Kate Dicamillo? I read The Tale of Despereaux when I worked at B&N after college and I loved it! That's a bummer that the current book you are reading by her is moving slowly - that's not good for a kids book!

We don't have too much planned for the summer as we want to be around to enjoy it as much as we can. We have a wedding this weekend and another one Labor Day weekend, I'm planning to host friends in August and hopefully go on a camping trip with friends at the end of August, and then I'll spend the week after the 4th at the lake. Besides that I just want to soak up as much sun as I can. My reading doesn't tend to change much in the summer. Right now I am really focused on reading books for the reading challenge I'm doing as well as reading books I already own as my goal is to read 12 this year.

I'm glad you are back!!!!!

Shoshanah said...

First of all thank you! I saw your comment yesterday, but hadn't had a chance to respond yet. It is kind of crazy to be here again after it feels like it just happened, but they'll be about 2 years apart, which is pretty normal.

As for reading, I'm currently reading a birth stories book. Ha! Fitting right? I do like beach reads in the summer though. Well actually be headed to the beach over 4th of July and hopefully I can get some in. Although it is our first real vacation with a baby, so I'm not sure how it will play out!

StephTheBookworm said...

Getting all of the mojos back is hard! I'm STILL trying to get my exercise mojo back. The reading mojo is coming back and my baby is 16 months! Enjoy your summer. :)

Amber said...

Yay I've missed your posts!!! I think our summer is going to go by super fast as we move into our own place on July 1 (a rental for now) and will be spending the summer house hunting and getting settled into our new city. Even though we moved 6 weeks ago since we've been staying with my grandma we still don't feel very settled so I'm really REALLY looking forward to getting settled and feeling more grounded again :)

I am definitely feeling the urge to shift towards easier / lighter reads for summer. I have read a lot of dark books lately and would like to get away from that for the summer.