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in Blog on April 10, 2023 by Joanna Martin

Spring Into Summer Reading (How I Get Ready To Enjoy Great Books All Summer Long)

Springtime is here and summer is quickly approaching. Before I get swallowed up by end-of-school May Madness I like to take some time to think about what books I can look forward to reading, come those long, hot summer days.

This time of year is also primetime new book releases that make for great summer beach reads. I love saving posts from my local indie bookstore’s Instagram feed, reading bookstagram recommendations, and cultivating a fun summer reading list for myself.

As a mom, summer reading no longer means trudging through some classic novel assigned by your high school English teacher; as an adult, you can fill your summer with stories that bring an escape or fill up your days with a little more fun. 

How To Find Good Books For Summer Reading

First things first, where am I getting my recommendations? I follow a few bookstagram accounts that never let me down when it comes to fun, engaging, fresh reads that tend to align with my personal taste. These accounts are typically where I go to find the newest of new releases.

My favorite Instagram accounts to follow for bookish things are:

  • Annie’s Five Star Bookclub (this is a paid subscription account that I love to follow. I have been a fan of Annie for years and she owns The Bookshelf Bookstore in Thomasville, Georgia)
  • Bookshelf Tees
  • Beach Reads and Bubbly
  • Everyday Reading
  • Tim Talks Books

My local library tends to have a frequently rotating new acquisition section but depending on the popularity of the book it can be hit or miss on its availability. I do love to look at my library for popular books I may have missed in summers past. 

My local indie book store is one of my favorite resources to check out in person when book shopping in Dallas, but I also love following other indie bookstores online. Typically these recommendations are personalized from the booksellers and I love feeling like I have been personally recommended a read by a bookish friend at the store. 

Read More This Summer By Keeping Track

As a kid I loved participating in my local library’s summer reading program. There were sticker charts, graphs to color, tickets to earn, and prizes to win! I personally do not think the fun of accomplishing a summer reading goal should have to end once you age out of the library summer reading program and love the idea of making a grown-up tracking chart for myself this summer!

During the year I use Goodreads to track my books (I have also been dipping my toe into The StoryGraph). At times I will use an Apple’s Notes app to write down recommendations in a conversation or take a photo of a book and create a TBR (to be read) album.

To incentivize myself this summer I thought it would be fun to have a printable to tape up alongside my kiddos summer reading charts. I love these cute summer fun inspired reading logs – color a popsicle or label the spine of a book. They are categorized as a kid’s reading log but I think they would be the perfect amount of whimsy for a mom looking to meet a summertime reading goal!

My Summer 2023 To Be Read (TBR) List

So, what am I hoping to read this summer? I tend to get really excited about beach reads and overload my TBR list. I have several books I wasn’t able to get to last summer that are appearing on my list again and several new releases with more being added daily! 

New Book Releases For Summer 2023 That I’m Looking Forward To: 

  • The Five Star Weekend by Elin Hilderbrand
    I love the tradition of devouring a Hilderbrand book during our annual beach trip. Her books take place in Nantucket and always remind me of summers spent on the East Coast in college. This book is about an unsatisfied food blogger and a girls weekend.
  • Someone Else’s Bucket List by Amy T. Matthews
    After the untimely death of her sister, Jodie Boyd is convinced to take over her travels and live out her last wishes. This book seems sad but sweet and filled will wanderlust – great for daydreaming about summer travel.
  • The Sunset Crowd by Karin Tanabe
    LA women in the 70’s all striving to get to the top of their careers. Secret crushes, worlds colliding, fabulous characters and backdrops. Sounds like a great escape! 

Books On My Shelf I Want To Read This Summer:

It is a personal goal of mine this year to read some of the physical books on my shelf before buying more! These are three books I bought last summer but did not get to and hope to flip through this summer. 

  • Beach Read by Emily Henry
    Two completely different writers living next door to each other for the summer? Sounds like a great setting for romance, bickering, and character building. This was heavily recommended and reviewed the last several years. 
  • Every Summer After by Carley Fortune
    This book made frequent appearances on many a summer book list last year! I bought it at the end of the summer and by the time I got to it I wasn’t in the mood for a beach read. This book has one of my favorite romance tropes of second chance love. I cannot wait to dive in!
  • Reckless Girls by Rachel Hawkins
    I know it has been said to not judge a book by it’s cover but the cover of this book screams summer! An island, beautiful young people, and scandalous secrets. I have a feeling this will be a page turner. 

Audiobooks I Want To Listen To:

  • Malibu Rising by Taylor Jenkins Reid
    One of my favorite authors meets one of my favorite narrators. This has been sitting in my audible account for ages and I think it would make the perfect pairing for summertime walks.
  • Thank You For Listening by Julia Whelan
    Julia Whelen is one of my favorite narrators to listen to and I have had her book on my TBR/TBL forever. It is a book about voice actors and narrators and romance. I love that she has used her own personal experience to write about something she loves! 

I LOVE chatting books and recommendations with other people and would love to know what books you are hoping to read this summer. Is your list full of fresh new releases? Do you have some physical books you want to work through? Happy Summer reading, friends!

Related

Filed Under: Blog Tagged With: books, spring, summer

About Joanna Martin

Joanna is a lifelong Dallas resident with a bearded husband, two spirited sisters, one sweet boy and a very needy dog inhabiting the walls of her home. She graduated from The University of Texas at Dallas with degrees in Child Learning and Development and Psychology before becoming a public school teacher. She is now a stay-at-home mom who dabbles in too many hobbies and activities to count, making life very full and very beautiful.

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Meagan is married! (And has been for a week!) If y Meagan is married! (And has been for a week!) If you haven’t been following along over on her personal Insta (@meaganfrancis), these may be the first photos you’ve seen. Aren’t they just incredible?

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And if you’d like to listen to me - and some other friends of the bride - offer marriage reflections and advice to Meagan and Eric, check out the May 25 episode of the Mother of Reinvention podcast. I had some CHOICE WORDS for Eric (😛).

Photographer: @brandi.lynns.photo
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Find the episode wherever you get your podcasts, or click this image at the link in our bio!

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Speaking of "doneness" and all the feels about moving out of the baby-having years, this result from our listener survey surprised us. 72% of listeners who responded to the question about plans to grow their families said they are totally done. This is a big jump from previous surveys where we asked the same question (in 2021 59% said they were done; in 2019 47%).

If you haven't taken our survey yet, please do! Click this image at the link in our bio, or type themomhour.com/survey into any browser. Thanks, friends!
Did you know we have travel guides on our website Did you know we have travel guides on our website for NINE different U.S. cities (and counting!)? Our contributors hail from all over the country and know the best playgrounds, coffee shops, and family-friendly activities to make your summer travels more joyful and less stressful.

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"Done having babies" and "Sad about the end of the little years" are two completely different mom-emotions, as Meagan and Sarah get into today, with the help of a thoughtful listener question. We look at how it's possible to be at peace with your family size and still experience grief at the identity shift that happens as your last babe gets big (and your bigs get huge). We reflect on what pangs us most about small kids growing bigger, how to accept the unfamiliar role of being (slightly) less needed, and what it means to embrace the season you find yourself in - whatever it is.

Find the episode wherever you get your podcasts, or click this image at the link in our bio!

#themomhour #motherhood #mompodcast #podcastsformoms #parenting #parentingpodcast #podcastlove #trypod #podcastersofinstagram #shepodcasts
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Find the episode wherever you get your podcasts, or click this image at the link in our bio!

#themomhour #motherhood #mompodcast #podcastsformoms #parenting #parentingpodcast #podcastlove #trypod #podcastersofinstagram #shepodcasts
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