What I’ve Been Reading: July 2023

Hello and happy Monday!

Did you catch my Share 4 Somethings post on Saturday? I love that fun link up.

*sigh* This time next week, I’ll be reporting to school. That escalated quickly!

Anyway, it’s the last day of July (how is that possible?!), so I better share the books I read this month before turning the calendar page to August.

This month, I read four books which I guess is my average. I would have thought I would have read more, but like I’ve said before, I’m also really good at watching tv in the summer too.

Again this month I’m using one of @dariabookstagram’s templates. Cute, right?

Here are the books I read this month:

{As always, book summaries are from Goodreads…}

Meet Me at the Lake:

Summary:

Fern Brookbanks has wasted far too much of her adult life thinking about Will Baxter. She spent just twenty-four hours in her early twenties with the aggravatingly attractive, idealistic artist, a chance encounter that spiraled into a daylong adventure in Toronto. The timing was wrong, but their connection was undeniable: they shared every secret, every dream, and made a pact to meet one year later. Fern showed up. Will didn’t.

At thirty-two, Fern’s life doesn’t look at all how she once imagined it would. Instead of living in the city, Fern’s back home, running her mother’s Muskoka lakeside resort–something she vowed never to do. The place is in disarray, her ex-boyfriend’s the manager, and Fern doesn’t know where to begin.

She needs a plan–a lifeline. To her surprise, it comes in the form of Will, who arrives nine years too late, with a suitcase in tow and an offer to help on his lips. Will may be the only person who understands what Fern’s going through. But how could she possibly trust this expensive-suit wearing mirage who seems nothing like the young man she met all those years ago. Will is hiding something, and Fern’s not sure she wants to know what it is.

But ten years ago, Will Baxter rescued Fern. Can she do the same for him?

Quick Thoughts:

I loved Every Summer After which I read last summer, and I felt like this had a similar vibe….love, hope, heartbreak and more. It was a good summer read!

Rating:

Endless Summer

Summary:

In SUMMER DAYS AGAIN, Elin Hilderbrand offers nine delectable stories—prequels, sequels, and “missing chapters” from her cherished books—some of which have never been published, until now.

With a foreword by Elin Hilderbrand about the writer’s reluctance to leave treasured characters behind and a prefatory, “behind-the-scenes” note included with each story, this book answers the prayers of both new and seasoned readers everywhere who, like the Kirkus reviewer, “would rather be living in an Elin Hilderbrand novel.”

Quick Thoughts:

I guess it would probably only make sense to read this book if you’ve read most of her books? She includes additions to The Matchmaker, Summer of 79, Summer of 69, 28 Summers and more. I think I had read all of the books except for the Summers of 69 and 79.

I love that Hilderbrand has an intro for each short story with notes and explanation as to why she wrote it, why it was left out, and other general thoughts and ideas.

The 28 Summers sequel was my favorite. I honestly really loved that book, and it was fun catching up with the characters and seeing how their lives turned out.

Rating:

Lessons in Chemistry

Summary:

Chemist Elizabeth Zott is not your average woman. In fact, Elizabeth Zott would be the first to point out that there is no such thing as an average woman. But it’s the early 1960s and her all-male team at Hastings Research Institute takes a very unscientific view of equality. Except for one: Calvin Evans; the lonely, brilliant, Nobel–prize nominated grudge-holder who falls in love with—of all things—her mind. True chemistry results.

But like science, life is unpredictable. Which is why a few years later Elizabeth Zott finds herself not only a single mother, but the reluctant star of America’s most beloved cooking show Supper at Six. Elizabeth’s unusual approach to cooking (“combine one tablespoon acetic acid with a pinch of sodium chloride”) proves revolutionary. But as her following grows, not everyone is happy. Because as it turns out, Elizabeth Zott isn’t just teaching women to cook. She’s daring them to change the status quo.

Quick Thoughts:

I feel like this is a popular book right now. I’ve seen quite a few people share it, and my Gma mentioned it to me a few months ago.

Elizabeth and Calvin’s relationship reminded me of Sheldon and Amy’s on The Big Bang Theory tv show….innocent, clunky, clueless but sweet.

I loved following along on Elizabeth’s journey of her cooking show and all that she has to offer for her female audience.

Of course this book has some twists and turns, heartache, a “girl power” message and more…and I loved it. It might be one of my favorite books of 2023.

Fave Quotes:

“Every day she found parenthood like taking a test for which she had not studied.” (**I do not know that I’ve ever related more to quote than this one! haha)

“Courage is the root of change – and change is what we’re chemically designed to do.”

Rating:

Summer Stage:

Summary:

Bestselling Author of  The Wedding Veil Amy Trevino, a former aspiring playwright, has stayed close to her Rhode Island hometown while her famous brother, Timothy Fleming, pursued and achieved his Hollywood dreams. Now a high school English teacher and occasional drama director, Amy takes on the production manager role for her brother’s play in an effort to mend rifting family relationships. 

Sam, Amy’s daughter, was a Disney child star who continued her pursuit for fame in a Manhattan TikTok house. Now she’s returned home unexpectedly. Her sudden arrival is shrouded in secrets, and Sam refuses to open up to her mother, deciding instead to join her uncle on Block Island for the summer.  

Timothy, a successful and well-loved actor, is directing a summer production at a storied Block Island theater–and his famous ex-wife has the lead role.

As they work together to ensure the production is a success, Amy, Sam, and Timothy are forced to grapple with their desires for recognition and fortune, stand up for what they believe art and fame actually mean, and discover what they really want out of life.

Quick Thoughts:

This book was on my summer reading list. I don’t think I’ve read any other books by Meg Mitchell Moore, but I know she wrote Vacationland which has been on my want to read list for a while.

Anyway, this was a perfect little summer read with Block Island setting. I loved the mix of characters – uncle, mom, daughter and more along with the idea of a summer play. This was a fun and easy read.

Rating:

Summer Reading Update:

• Read: All the Days of Summer, Endless Summer, Meet Me at the Lake, and Summer Stage
• Picked up from the library: Hotel Laguna
• Bought: The Five-Star Weekend…I wasn’t sure when it would ever be my turn to read this, so I went ahead and ordered it from Amazon.
• Still waiting on…The Summer of Songbirds and The Block Party (I’m second in line on the library wait list for both, so maybe I can read those in August too!)

Anyway, how’s your summer reading going?