What am I? Nuts? Summer in Southern California is a brutal, hot mess of a season. But there is just something lovely about it, too. I am thinking about it lately because our weather has been so warm. Think, mid-80’s warm.

It has me thinking about Mint Juleps and lounging in the backyard with a good book. You should know this about me though, I love the idea of reading outside but in reality I do not like the bugs, or the sun, or the critters that come up to me or even fall out of the trees. Yes, that happened to me at work. A squirrel fell out of the tree onto my head.

But still… I like to think about summer reading. I saw this book on Edelweiss and promptly requested it, but it hasn’t been approved yet. Click on the cover to read the blurb. It sounds so good.

Have you got your eye on a particular book to read this summer? I am such a sucker for covers like this one.

My reading has been going pretty well this summer. I haven’t hit a slump yet, which is good because last year I felt it coming on and man, it hit me full force. I am hoping to avoid that this year by not allowing ANY time to pass between books. So far, it’s working.

I just finished The Three. The Home Place and A Wild Sheep Chase. All, very different reads. All, a little difficult to write about.

I started California by Edan Lepucki and although I am only 5% in, I am hooked and will probably blow through it this weekend. It’s gotten a lot of attention lately, with the whole Colbert thing but it took me awhile to get a library copy so I am just getting to it now. In the opening pages, a popular shopping venue (one that I visit often) is mentioned. Have I told you before how much I enjoy reading about places I visit? Even if in the book,  the world has gone to hell, it’s fun to read about familiar places.

What will you be reading this weekend? Trying to fit anything in before school starts? I am also trying to get Desperation read for my Summer of King. It weighs in at 600+ pages but I am going to try to get it read before my kids start school on 8/13 because if I read it after, then it’s not really my Summer of King, is it?