I'm excited to join a book club for the first time in my life. Thanks for making it fun and accessible through this month's theme. Reading your post sparked memory flashbacks of books I read as a kid in the 1980s. I'm surprised that some of these titles are still in print and can't wait for my next trip to the library.
Q of the week: My favourite summer memory is reading outside — in my backyard, in the schoolyard, on my grandparents' veranda, in parks, on rocks by lakes & rivers, on farms, in local forests, in the middle of nowhere and everywhere.
This makes me so happy, Anjali! I hope you're able to unearth a few of your favorite stories.
Your answer to the q of the week is dreamy! Even though I identify as an indoor girl, I love, love, love reading in nature, especially laying in the grass, under the shade of a giant tree.
Squeeeee. My inner 80s / 90s kid is so excited about this theme! I feel like my participation has already begun as we are always re-reading old gems (J adores the Ramona series as much as I did). I look forward to seeing what everyone shares! Great kick off! PS: I also nerded out with our library summer reading program and worked harder to get my goals than I did doing any school reading throughout the year. 😜 you know I got summer reading charts for my girls from our library last week!
Nothing makes me happier than to share some of these memories with you. You have me laughing about overachieving at the library's summer reading program. 😂 I think if I implemented the sticker reward system into my adult life, I'd get a lot more done.
I'm so glad that the Lanker girls are already in full swing with summer reading and revisiting our childhood classics!
What a wonderful idea, Michelle! I really love the theme for your book club. I'm such a nostalgic soul myself... I'll have to look for my old Nancy Drews and Mystery Club books at my parents. I always used to read them waaaay past bedtime.
I feel so happily nostalgic looking at that stack of American Girl books ☺️ hmm I’ve been meaning to re-read Absolutely Normal Chaos by Sharon Creech so maybe that will be my choice. That was one of my summer reads as a kid.
Yes, nostalgia!!! I just did the final edit on my summer reading issue and nostalgia was a very pressing theme, completely unintentional but it also makes sense. I truly can't think of summer reading without nostalgia. Also those sticker rolls-- instant childhood flashbacks!!
My favorite summer reading memory is reading Babysitters Club and Goosebumps way past my bedtime. 😀
How fun! I've been intending to dig out some of my Trixie Belden books and this sounds like the perfect opportunity. My favorite summer reading memory is lying on the bed reading with the windows open and the rain pattering outside. Those are still my favorite kind of days!
Trixie Belden sounded so familiar to me, so I went to look them up. Those covers! 😍 I don't think I've read any of them, but they seems like a fun series to explore, especially in one of the delightful settings you described.
I am so excited about this theme, echoing what others have said so far. I also read the American Girl books, Babysitters Club, and loved Little House on the Prairie. Nostalgia seems to be a big trend right now with some of the most popular shows being streamed being from the 2000s. I just read your recent email about summer memories as well and my family would also take bike rides around the neighborhood and I remember loving it.
I went to my bookshelf to see what books I had kept and found four from my childhood: Island of the Blue Dolphins by Scott O'Dell, Because of Winn-Dixie by Kate DiCamillo, A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L'Engle, and Ray Bradbury Presents Dinosaur World by Stephen Leigh. I sort of want to reread all of them over the summer, but am starting with Dinosaur World and am very excited because I have very distinct memories around loving this book when I was in high school.
Yay for all the nostalgia and so many of us sharing in fond memories around book series like some of the ones you mentioned. Island of Blue Dolphins! Ah, what a memory! I had forgotten about that one, but not about the rampant dolphin trend of the 90s. 😂 Looking forward to hearing your thoughts around re-reading Dinosaur World!
Ooh, I love this theme! I read through the American Girl books every summer. I'll have to see if I can borrow them from my online library.
I love the idea of an American Girl Summer!
I'm excited to join a book club for the first time in my life. Thanks for making it fun and accessible through this month's theme. Reading your post sparked memory flashbacks of books I read as a kid in the 1980s. I'm surprised that some of these titles are still in print and can't wait for my next trip to the library.
Q of the week: My favourite summer memory is reading outside — in my backyard, in the schoolyard, on my grandparents' veranda, in parks, on rocks by lakes & rivers, on farms, in local forests, in the middle of nowhere and everywhere.
This makes me so happy, Anjali! I hope you're able to unearth a few of your favorite stories.
Your answer to the q of the week is dreamy! Even though I identify as an indoor girl, I love, love, love reading in nature, especially laying in the grass, under the shade of a giant tree.
Squeeeee. My inner 80s / 90s kid is so excited about this theme! I feel like my participation has already begun as we are always re-reading old gems (J adores the Ramona series as much as I did). I look forward to seeing what everyone shares! Great kick off! PS: I also nerded out with our library summer reading program and worked harder to get my goals than I did doing any school reading throughout the year. 😜 you know I got summer reading charts for my girls from our library last week!
Nothing makes me happier than to share some of these memories with you. You have me laughing about overachieving at the library's summer reading program. 😂 I think if I implemented the sticker reward system into my adult life, I'd get a lot more done.
I'm so glad that the Lanker girls are already in full swing with summer reading and revisiting our childhood classics!
What a wonderful idea, Michelle! I really love the theme for your book club. I'm such a nostalgic soul myself... I'll have to look for my old Nancy Drews and Mystery Club books at my parents. I always used to read them waaaay past bedtime.
Nancy Drew sounds like such a fun series to revisit! Glad we share in our love of nostalgia. 😊
I feel so happily nostalgic looking at that stack of American Girl books ☺️ hmm I’ve been meaning to re-read Absolutely Normal Chaos by Sharon Creech so maybe that will be my choice. That was one of my summer reads as a kid.
Ohhh! I've not heard of that book, but I just looked it up and it sounds like a delight. I hope it makes your summer extra cozy!
Yes, nostalgia!!! I just did the final edit on my summer reading issue and nostalgia was a very pressing theme, completely unintentional but it also makes sense. I truly can't think of summer reading without nostalgia. Also those sticker rolls-- instant childhood flashbacks!!
My favorite summer reading memory is reading Babysitters Club and Goosebumps way past my bedtime. 😀
Thank you for the shoutout, made my day!!
Your summer reading issue is epic! I'm linking it here so readers can enjoy it: https://brittanyviklund.substack.com/p/the-summer-reading-issue-2024
I have so many wonderful memories of reading Babysitters Club books. They may be the ultimate nostalgia!
How fun! I've been intending to dig out some of my Trixie Belden books and this sounds like the perfect opportunity. My favorite summer reading memory is lying on the bed reading with the windows open and the rain pattering outside. Those are still my favorite kind of days!
Trixie Belden sounded so familiar to me, so I went to look them up. Those covers! 😍 I don't think I've read any of them, but they seems like a fun series to explore, especially in one of the delightful settings you described.
Thank you for sharing!
Thank you! I’m loving your summer reading guide. ☀️
I am so excited about this theme, echoing what others have said so far. I also read the American Girl books, Babysitters Club, and loved Little House on the Prairie. Nostalgia seems to be a big trend right now with some of the most popular shows being streamed being from the 2000s. I just read your recent email about summer memories as well and my family would also take bike rides around the neighborhood and I remember loving it.
I went to my bookshelf to see what books I had kept and found four from my childhood: Island of the Blue Dolphins by Scott O'Dell, Because of Winn-Dixie by Kate DiCamillo, A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L'Engle, and Ray Bradbury Presents Dinosaur World by Stephen Leigh. I sort of want to reread all of them over the summer, but am starting with Dinosaur World and am very excited because I have very distinct memories around loving this book when I was in high school.
Yay for all the nostalgia and so many of us sharing in fond memories around book series like some of the ones you mentioned. Island of Blue Dolphins! Ah, what a memory! I had forgotten about that one, but not about the rampant dolphin trend of the 90s. 😂 Looking forward to hearing your thoughts around re-reading Dinosaur World!