What's on your summer reading list?

Summer is a great time to relax with a good book, whether it be under a cabana on the beach or in a chair on your patio.

Our local libraries in both Carrington and New Rockford are hosting Summer Reading Programs, and their kick-off celebrations are coming up this week as we officially start summer break.

A staff member in the Carrington office was chatting with one of her book club buddies last week. They had finished their latest title before everyone else and were so surprised by the ending.

Even country superstar Tim McGraw posted on Facebook last week that he was finally reading Isabel Wilkerson's first book, "The Warmth of Other Suns." He wrote, "Such a rich historical piece and inspiring message!!"

Nowadays I read more news than anything else. I have picked up a few book titles here and there over the past few years, some about business and others written by authors I know. Reading is something I've enjoyed throughout my life though.

I remember making regular trips to the Bowdon Public Library as a child, then retreating to the hay loft or the backyard to dive right in as soon as we got back to the farm.

I read my way through The Baby-sitters Club, Sweet Valley Twins and Sweet Valley High series, and in my teen years got caught up in V.C. Andrews' work, enthralled by titles such as "Ruby," "Flowers in the Attic" and "All That Glitters."

"Flowers in the Attic" is one of those books-turned-movies that I couldn't bring myself to watch. The words were haunting enough; I can't imagine what it would be like to watch some of those scenes play out in live action. I shudder just thinking about it.

My older brother read every Mack Bolan book by Don Pendleton he could get his hands on.

Books were one of the first things I purchased when I found out I was pregnant with my oldest.

I used to read to her when she was still in the womb. Then, nightly story time became the norm when our kids were little. It was one of my favorite parts of the day.

I found boxes of used Baby-Sitters Club and Sweet Valley Twins books when the girls were in elementary school, and I was so excited to bring them home. Since I loved them so much as a kid, I imagined that they would also enjoy them. It turns out that my girls didn't have the same taste in books that I did, and so I passed them along to others who did.

I took the kids to the summer reading kick-off events in New Rockford for several years. My best memory also happens to be a photograph captured of a kick-off event from nine years ago. It was one of the first events my son attended, and they were doing science experiments. He was right next to librarian Susie Sharp, and they both were surprised to see a balloon pop and sputter from a baking soda and vinegar reaction. I'm sharing the photo below because it perfectly captures the fun!

The kids are all teenagers now, and they haven't attended a summer reading kick-off in a while. But I'll be there at New Rockford's event this year to cover it for the Transcript. Happening on a Thursday afternoon, it will be a fun break after the press-time grind that morning.

I also intend to do a little reading for fun this summer.

Reader's Digest put out its official summer reading list last Monday, "21 New Summer Books for 2023 That You Won't Be Able to Put Down," by Leandra Beabout. If you're curious, you can find it online at https://www.rd.com/article/best-summer-reads/

I picked two from the list that I could definitely get into this summer.

1. "Famous in a Small Town" by Viola Shipman, which Reader's Digest says is great for "fans of nostalgic small-town charm and quirky characters." The story centers around the 80-something owner of the Very Cherry General Store in Good Hart, Michigan. Reluctant to put a man in charge, she knows she needs to step aside soon. Then 40-year-old Becky Thatcher shows up to help at the store, hoping to find some meaning in her life. That is when Mary wonders if the stars might align after all. Sounds like the perfect summer read for a small-town girl.

2. "The Mythmakers," by Keziah Weir is about a floundering female journalist, Sal Cannon, who discovers a short story that she thinks is about her. Intrigued, Sal uses her investigative journalism skills to uncover the backstory from the author's widow. "As they trace the tangled threads of history, the lines between muse and creator blur even more," Beabout writes.

What's on your summer reading list?