Category Archive for "Summer Reads"

June Crafts

Monday, July 7, 2025 0 Feral Cat Crafts, Good Reads, Living in Michigan, Misc. Blatherings, Summer Reads No tags Permalink

I somehow missed all of June. It was super hot and even when it was in the 80s, the humidity just sucked the life out of everything. I did manage to get some crafts done somehow, so here are the June Crafts update. First, I kept making purse charms (see above). I mostly did a beach or coastal chic theme for them, but this one above is a pink coquette theme. I put them up on my Etsy, and have sold none.

I also made a ton of phone charms. I really like to make them, like the purse charms! I put them up on my Etsy, and again have sold none. I made one and did a tutorial for my YouTube channel (for the love of all that is holy, please please subscribe and if you watch a video, can you just like it? Please?), and put it on my own phone. It did hold up to the wear and tear, but it bugged me so much I took it off after about ten days. How do the young people manage to use phones with charms on them?

Here’s some more purse charms! Only these aren’t for the store. My dear friend Amy came for a short visit to the shelter on her way to vacation, and I made her a cat-themed purse charm and a dog-themed one for her sister Mary (with whom I was on the school paper, The Crystal, back in 1993). Seeing Amy was one of the highlights of my summer for sure.

Bob suggested I try making some bracelets, and so that is the plan for July. I’m making stacking bracelets, sets of threes. I’m also making some Halloween-themed bracelets, as I saw that people start searching Halloween stuff in July on Etsy. Will they sell? I don’t know. I like stackable bracelets, especially surfer or beach themed bracelets, but generally if it’s something I like, it might not sell.

I’m not officially doing a summer reads this year, but I have been reading. Since my last reading update, I’ve completed the following:

Hospital Hill by Katherine Anderson (hard copy)
The Long Walk by Stephen King (audible)
We Are All the Same in the Dark by Julia Heaberlin (audible)
Paper Ghosts by Julia Heaberlin (audible)
The Lost Bookshop by Evie Woods (hard copy)

I’m most of the way through the audible format of Murder at Gulls Nest by Jess Kidd, and I’m getting ready to start Three Bags Full by Leonie Swann. The Long Walk was quite memorable and it’s coming out as a movie September 12. I’ve already forgotten what We Are All the Same in the Dark was about, though I know it was a murder mystery. Her Paper Ghosts was a murder mystery as well, and pretty good, about a woman who takes a suspected serial killer with dementia on her search to find out if he killed her sister, but I wonder if I will remember it in a few months. I felt the same about The Lost Bookshop, which was about 100 pages too long to get to the point it needed to make. Murder at Gulls Nest is about a nun who left her order to solve…you guessed it…a murder mystery! Again, kind of cute but probably will be forgettable after a few weeks. I need to update my reading journal and do a YouTube recording soon.

The Mutt Market is just over four weeks away. What all will I finish? I suppose some of it depends on how hot and humid my art space is. Last night it was over 80 degrees and I had two fans blowing on me. I managed to get a little work done, as it felt cooler in there than it had in the previous several days.

Summer Reads 2023

Tuesday, July 25, 2023 0 Summer Reads No tags Permalink

My last year of summer reads was 2021. After that summer, something happened and I was no longer able to really enjoy reading. I’d get a headache or I couldn’t concentrate or I’d fall asleep. Very frustrating. This year I didn’t set out to do a summer reading program, but I got a new pair of prescription glasses. Instead of my progressive lenses for regular life, this is my prescription complete with prism but only for reading. It has made all of the difference! Though I’ve been quite busy with crocheting for the upcoming craft fair, I’ve managed to complete three books so far this summer. And with the algorithm on TikTok feeding me #booktok suggestions, I’ve got a list of books coming up! Here is the summer reads 2023, so far.

Jane Harper has become my favorite author, and her latest book Exiles came out at the perfect time. Another mystery that takes place in Australia, this book is the perfect mix of interesting story and a gorgeous backdrop described in a way that makes you feel like you’re there. Honestly, 10/10 for me.

Next up, Emma Torzs’ Ink Blood Sister Scribe. I saw this one on TikTok. It is light reading for sure. This book follows two sets of characters who work on writing and curating magic books, and brings them together in a unique way. It was enjoyable, but probably forgettable over time. 7/10.

People on TikTok love this Riley Sager book, The Only One Left. It is a murder mystery and it is set in Maine, which in my view is a great place for a summer read. It is one of those books where it goes along at a good clip, but then everything happens in the last 50 pages. Sager throws in everything and the kitchen sink at the end. I enjoyed the rest of the book more than the ending. I didn’t guess all of the plot twists, but it felt like there were so many that you couldn’t really savor any of them. 6/10.

Next up on my Summer Reads 2023 is another TikTok recommendation. This week is supposed to be hot, hot, hot, 90 degrees plus. Halloween decorations are already out at the stores. Folks are already thinking of back to school, and spooky books are taking over on recommendations. Everyone seems to love The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches by Sangu Mandanna. Although I think that’s a stupid name for a book, I’m going to give it a try. I just started watching A Discovery of Witches on tv, based on the trilogy by Deborah Harkness which I started reading in 2012. Spooky season is on the way.

What are you reading this summer?

Mid July

Thursday, July 14, 2022 0 Garden, Living in Michigan, Misc. Blatherings, Summer Reads No tags Permalink

It’s already mid July. How did that happen? The summer is going much too quickly, as always. What have I done to show for it? Not much, actually. Some art projects. Some garden maintenance. Lots of riding the spin bike in the evenings. Watching YouTube videos on how to make better YouTube videos. I’m trying to take care of my health, but I’m still waiting for my CPAP machine and new glasses to come in. I don’t know, it rather feels like I’m squandering life.

The last two summers were spent with painting, and I haven’t done any painting at all. I do miss it. My latest project was creating this small moss terrarium (below). I wanted it to be like a living book nook, but I don’t think it was successful. I did manage to make a tiny staircase which is kind of cool. I will be interested to see if the moss grows or dies. I think they are kind of fun to make, and might make nice gifts, especially for people who have cats and can’t have regular houseplants.

Not that anyone ever reads these posts, but if you do, I’d greatly appreciate it if you’d subscribe to my YouTube Channel (click here). As I mentioned above, I’ve been watching lots of YouTube videos on how to make better YouTube videos. I don’t know why I find the work so interesting. You can see more garden updates that way, too as I’ve been taking regular videos.

I do miss reading. I used to love the summer reads each summer, sitting on the couch with Maxy on my lap. Maxy is gone, reading puts me to sleep, and my bad glasses give me a headache when I do try to read. I have been listening to audio books. The latest is Joe Hill’s 20th Century Ghosts. They aren’t ghost stories in the traditional sense, though I suppose there’s one or two like that in there. It’s more the uncanny type of stories that will remain in your mind long after you’ve read them. I wasn’t sure with the first one or two, but now I highly recommend it. Many years ago I read a collection from Breece D’J Pancake, and there was one particular short story that never left me about a snow plow driver. This book is full of interesting tales like that one.

After finishing Severance on Apple+, I am now on the third season of Servant. I guess it is renewed for a fourth season, but that won’t be out for quite awhile. Severance was excellent.

Yes, mid July and I am squandering life. How is your summer going?

Misc. Summer Updates

Friday, July 23, 2021 0 Battle Creek, Good Reads, gouache, Living in Michigan, Misc. Blatherings, Painting, Summer Reads No tags Permalink

Garden Tour

Ah, time again for some misc. summer updates. It is a busy time of the year, no? And I actually left the house and did something outside of work! Mom and I went to the Leila Arboretum Society‘s summer garden tour this year. We hadn’t been before. This year’s gardens were on the north side of town, and many were in very small lots. It is amazing to see what can be done in such a small space. If you’re interested in seeing some of the photos, swing over to My Michigan Garden. It was a really fun time, and I’m glad we went. I think, give it another year, Mom’s garden could easily be on the tour. It’s that good.

misc. summer updates - tim madigan's the burning

Summer Reads

I finished Tim Madigan’s The Burning last night. You know how a non-fiction book can be a horrific tale, but it is written so well and is so enlightening you’d call it a really good book? This is that book. I think anyone who reads it would be horrified over the events in Tulsa and how the story was essentially buried for so many years. I think you’d be hard put to read it and not think reparations are due, not just for slavery but for how black people in America have been treated every day since slavery supposedly ended.

Next book up is Andy Weir’s Project Hail Mary. I told you I was no longer shopping at amazon, so I got the book from New Story Community Books in Marshall. They happened to have a signed copy in stock, but they can order whatever else you need. It is a fantastic store, and I highly recommend locals shop there! A friend recommended the book and I read a sample online, and I can’t wait to start reading it. I think it’s going to be really good. If I finish that and still have time on my summer reads, Tom Cooper’s Florida Man will be the book after that. Originally I only set three books and was concerned I wouldn’t have time to get through them, but all three books so far were very engaging and pretty fast reads. Don’t you think summer reading just hits differently? I love it.

Painting

We finished the HSSCM Pet Portrait fundraiser (here is the catalog). There is one painting that hasn’t come in, and I will need to paint it myself if it doesn’t make it by the end of the month. Currently, I’m doing a special cat portrait in gouache for a dear friend who lost her handsome panther just recently. You can see I have the colors blocked in, but that’s it. I figure it will take another three hours or so to finish it. I’d like to say it will be done this weekend, but I’m not confident in my time. After I finish this one, and the one that didn’t make it to the HSSCM event, I’ll hopefully get back to watercolor. I find the days are very long and hard, and by the time evening rolls around I’m too mentally tired to paint.

Can you believe we are nearing the end of July? The cicadas are singing on the hot afternoons, and smoke from the wildfires out west are creating hazy sunlight skies. Bob is quite busy at work, and will be attending some events coming up for his job. I’ll be attending the MSU Master Gardener conference virtually in August. My thoughts are already turning to Halloween. With no event, there will be no costume this year. But maybe I can entertain myself with some historybounding? Who knows. There are so many things I’d like to do to entertain myself, and so little time outside of work. And some of the hours (many of the hours) outside of work are still dealing with work issues.

Anyhow, hope your summer is going great.

Summer Reading Update

Monday, July 12, 2021 0 Good Reads, Painting, Summer Reads, watercolor No tags Permalink

We are maybe 1/3 through the summer, and I’m making progress on my summer reading. First up was Matt Haig’s How to Stop Time which I guess would be classified as a fantasy novel. The main character ages very, very slowly. It was a good read, but not very memorable. A week after I had read it, I forgot what happened in it. If you’re looking for a light beach read though, this could be your book.

summer reading update - convenience store woman

Sayaka Murata’s Convenience Store Woman is maybe more of a novella. I started and finished in it just a couple of hours. It was an interesting read for sure. The woman the story is centered around has some sort of un-diagnosed personality disorder. From not being understood in childhood to trying to find her place in life, she finds peace working part time in a convenience store. The descriptions of the store and her surroundings are quite good. You can really feel yourself there. Though I couldn’t identify with the character personally, the story gave me insight into another kind of life. I don’t think this is a book for everyone, but I have a few friends who might like it including my cousin Angie.

I’ve also been daily reading selections from Ryan Holiday’s The Daily Stoic looking for peace and inspiration. I’ve also been tracking down the Splash watercolor books. They are excellent for ideas and inspiration. Here’s my latest watercolors, #44 and #45.

The second one got a bit of traffic on the watercolor Facebook groups I belong to, and I did learn a lot through all of the comments. It seems the watercolor people are more active than the gouache or acrylic people. I did start a new watercolor last night and it’s not going well. Hoping it can still be salvaged. I need to sit and wait for things to dry instead of constantly reworking them while wet. Things always look different in the morning. That’s a pretty good metaphor for life as well. Worry and overwork things at night and it’s a disaster. The morning light will cast a new reality for you.

Next up on my reading list: The Burning [Tulsa Race Riot] by Tim Madigan

No More Amazon

Monday, June 28, 2021 0 Garden, Good Reads, Living in Michigan, Misc. Blatherings, Summer Reads, Weather Update No tags Permalink

I’m done with Amazon. Their refusal to pay corporate taxes, the way they treat their staff members, and the horror that is Amazon Prime delivery services has finally ended it for me. So for me, it’s no more amazon. I’ll be paying more to place orders at independent stores and will be supporting hopefully the USPS (even UPS and FedEx are better than Amazon Prime deliveries). Today I ordered a book from The Book Beat in Oak Park, Michigan. Last week I ordered two from Powell’s Books in Portland, Oregon. Unfortunately we don’t have any great independent art supply stores around here, so I usually order from Blick. My favorite peanut butter is cheaper on Amazon, but I ordered directly from the company. And don’t even get me started on Etsy:

Favorite Soap: Pie Town
Watercolor Paint: Ruby Mountain Paint Co.
Washi Tape: my friend Michele at Goat Girl

Anyhow, in July please consider shopping local or supporting independent sellers online. It can really make a difference in their lives! Let me know in the comments if you have a favorite local or online independent retailer.

It’s been raining a crap ton (over four inches in the past week). Everything is wet, inside and outside the house. Ants have moved into my office. But at least we haven’t had to water? Consumer’s Energy gouged electric rates daily from 2:00 – 7:00pm. That’s not an exaggeration. It was literally a 50 percent increase. When it rains forever, it’s pretty humid. And the only way to beat it back is using air conditioning. Which is now much more expensive. At least it’s not as hot as it is in the west right now.

No More Amazon. The rest of my summer reads will be purchased through independent retailers!

I did start the summer reads with Matt Haig’s How to Stop Time. It’s pretty good so far. Lots going on this week, and at this point I’m not sure how everything is going to shake out. In the meanwhile, try to breathe deep and appreciate the little things.

Misc. Updates

Wednesday, June 16, 2021 0 Good Reads, gouache, Living in Michigan, Misc. Blatherings, Painting, Summer Reads No tags Permalink

Time for another misc. updates post. How quickly June passes! Since the last post, I did finish my final baby blanket, but forgot to take a picture. Hopefully no more baby blankets for some time. I have a personal crochet project I’m kicking around in my mind, but in the meanwhile I’ll probably just crochet a few cat blankets for the shelter. Last week was super hot and humid, but this week is cooler.

Last weekend Aunt Suzie, Gail, and Sydney came to visit. We went up to Lansing to water the graves, and the lavender was in bloom on the Thorne/Cleary plot. Drove past Hudda’s house, stopped for lunch. It was a lovely few days, and it’s a reminder of how lucky I am to have family I not only love, but I really like and enjoy spending time with!

In my last post, I mentioned the pet portrait FUNdraiser for the Humane Society. In the end, we had 26 people request a portrait, for $520 in total revenue which is really disappointing to me. Some of the completed works have already come in, and they are fantastic. I’ve been slowly working on the one I assigned myself, otherwise known as painting #42 in my collection.

I’ll have to take some photos and a video of the gardens. I’ve had to water a lot as it’s been so hot and we haven’t gotten much rain at all. In fact, Calhoun County is now in a “moderate drought”. The flower beds look good, though we have yet to have a single monarch butterfly or caterpillar. I would guess our group didn’t survive the winter in Mexico. The honey bees and bumble bees are enjoying the flower garden, and we’ve had some moths as well.

Michigan is pretty well open from the pandemic closures, and what isn’t open by state regulation will be released completely July 1st. The shelter is still open by appointment only, mostly for the stress benefit to the animals and staff members. Not sure when that will change. The Field of Flight balloon championship will go on as usual this year, with 20,000 guests expected and only 42% of Calhoun County folks vaccinated.

I’ve started pulling together my list of Summer Reads. With so much going on (gardening, painting, work, worrying) I’m not sure how much time I have to read. I’ve got three books set for sure, then some potentials if I get time. Here’s the list

Will Absolutely Read:
Convenience Store Woman by Sayaka Murata
How to Stop Time: A Novel by Matt Haig
The Burning [Tulsa Race Riot] by Tim Madigan

Might Read:
Again Again by E Lockhart
Florida Man: A Novel by Tom Cooper
Flyaway by Kathleen Jennings

What are you reading this summer?

Summer Reads 2019 Update

Wednesday, July 17, 2019 0 Good Reads, Summer Reads No tags Permalink

Time for a summer reads update, though there’s not much to report as I haven’t been reading much. I have been crocheting a lot and watching a ton of shows (Project Runway Season 16, Pose, Fleabag…).

And I have even more shows waiting (Stranger Things, Derry Girls). I don’t know if it’s everything else in life or if it’s just the books I’ve been choosing, but I’ve had a hard time really falling into a book lately. I’ve also had a real series of headaches again, and that makes it difficult to read in the evenings. I need to schedule an appointment with the eye doctor.

I started the summer reading with a light read. Emma Rous’ The Au Pair has an interesting twist. I wouldn’t say it’s the kind of book that is going to stay with you, but if you’re looking for a nice, easy beach read that will keep you entertained, it’s a good one.

When I was younger, I’d battle through a book to the very end, no matter what. As I’ve gotten older, I realize there are so many books I will never read them all, and why waste your time reading something you’re not enjoying?

Jillian Cantor’s In Another Time is a well-written, interesting book. However, I found it sad and distressing to read. I am sure everything will work out for the characters in the end of the book, but I just couldn’t finish it. I found myself sad thinking about it, and I didn’t want to pick it up to read it. I only got about half way through before I gave it up entirely.

Jamie Ford’s Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet was not on my original list, but it was recommended by a friend. It was a good read, though a little sad and stressful like the Cantor book, still I was able to get through it. I suspect my next read will be off the list as well, and something light.

~~The Au Pair by Emma Rous~~
~~In Another Time: A Novel by Jillian Cantor~~
Caramelo by Sandra Cisneros
Silver Sparrow by Tayari Jones
The Gunners: A Novel by Rebecca Kauffman
The Shortest Way Home: A Novel by Miriam Parker
The Memory Painter: A Novel of Love and Reincarnation by Gwendolyn Womack
Between Them: Remembering My Parents by Richard Ford
~~Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet by Jamie Ford~~

Like reading? Check out previous summer reads:

Summer Reads 2019

Wednesday, April 17, 2019 0 Good Reads, Summer Reads No tags Permalink

Although we had snow on Monday, we are now heading towards the end of April and it’s never too early to start the list for our Summer Reads 2019. If you’ve read something outstanding in the past few months, drop me a line and let me know!

The Au Pair by Emma Rous
In Another Time: A Novel by Jillian Cantor
Caramelo by Sandra Cisneros
Silver Sparrow by Tayari Jones
The Gunners: A Novel by Rebecca Kauffman
The Shortest Way Home: A Novel by Miriam Parker
The Memory Painter: A Novel of Love and Reincarnation by Gwendolyn Womack
Between Them: Remembering My Parents by Richard Ford

Like reading? Check out previous summer reads:

Summer Reads 2018 Update

Wednesday, August 22, 2018 0 Good Reads, Summer Reads No tags Permalink

Not only have I been slothful in posting, I haven’t been reading much this summer either. In fact, I sort of wonder what I have been doing. I had a nice little summer bucket list, and have checked off very few things (yoga on the beach at Lake Michigan, baseball game and attending an outdoor concert). Here it is, nearing the end of August and the trees are already starting to turn, and I’ve only been out paddle boarding eight times. Yikes.

I did read the Megan Miranda book, The Perfect Stranger. It was not bad.

Then I read The Ninth Hour and I think it was pretty good, but then I had to go look up the synopsis to write this as I couldn’t remember what it was about.

Then it was The Night Circus, which was interesting but I was more than ready for it to be over by the time I finished it.

I also read Slade House, but didn’t manage to get the cat and couch photo. The last two chapters, I realized it was sort of a sequel or at least had some characters in it from a previous David Mitchell book that I had loved. This one was just ok.

And that’s where I am. Rather, I’m about halfway through Tim Gunn’s Fashion Bible and it’s just delightful. Best thing I’ve read since last year’s American Fire. As it’s nearly Labor Day, it doesn’t look like I’m going to be finishing my summer reads as planned this year, but I suppose it’s not terrible as I did get more than half way through. I did pick up another couple books, including a real beach read and a more challenging novel. Maybe autumn will be a more fitting time to read this year.

How is your reading going?

~~The Perfect Stranger: A Novel by Megan Miranda~~

The Memory Painter: A Novel of Love and Reincarnation by Gwendolyn Womack

~~Slade House: A Novel by David Mitchell~~

~~The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern~~

Between Them: Remembering My Parents by Richard Ford

~~The Ninth Hour: A Novel by Alice McDermott~~

Warlight: A novel by Michael Ondaatje

Like reading? Check out previous summer reads:

Summer Reads 2017

Summer Reads 2016

Summer Reads 2015