Summer Reading

Last summer I traveled around the world the cheapest way possible, through books. First I visited Provence, France by reading Peter Mayle’s A Good Year, then traveled down to Tuscany, Italy with Under the Tuscan Sun, written by Frances Mayes. The summer ended with a second ocean crossing to Botswana, and read The No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency, by Alexander McCall Smith.

Several summers ago I attempted to read E.M. Forster’s A Passage to India and Gabriel Garcia Marquez’s The General in His Labrinth. However, I did not get very far in either book. with two young children (at the time my oldest was 2) reading the books made me feel as if I was lost in a labyrinth, in the heat of the Indian sun.

This summer I’m traveling back in time and enjoying the works of Jane Austen. The idea of an Austen summer began when a friend introduced me to some books based on Jane Austen and her characters, The Jane Austen Book Club, Me and Mr. Darcy, Austenland. Then PBS’ Masterpiece Theatre presented the entire series of Jane Austen’s work this past winter. I was hooked. This summer I am reading her entire works, after each book rewarding myself with its TV adaptation. When I’ve finished all 6 of her books I’ll move onto the Jane Austen themed books. At the rate I’m going, I’m only on my 2nd Jane Austen book, I should be good for reading material through the winter.

As a family we are reading Wind in the Willows, by Kenneth Grahame. We kicked off our family reading venture by seeing a kid friendly production of Wind in the Willows performed by the local university’s children’s playhouse. When we are finished with the book the kids will be rewarded for not whining each night that we read the book completing such a long book by seeing the stop-action movie adaptation, made in 1983. At least I hope we finish the book by the time we watch the movie. I bought it for our trip to Canada but at the rate we are reading the book may not be finished before our trip.

And now that I have shared our family's favorite books what is your family reading this summer?