Where’s My Summer?

Today I was scrolling through Goodreads and got hit by a funny feeling of nostalgia. Seeing other people had finished books one after the other, I felt both inspired and a bit saddened.

These past few months have been weird on several fronts, with so many changes in my personal life, good and bad. I miss the simpler times when summer meant making a dent in my reading list, sitting outside (in milder temperatures!) and getting lost in a tale of yore. Reading in 2022 has been painfully slow for me, and though I’ve more or less settled down into a brand-new life, it hasn’t really caught up yet.

If I had a week to myself, this is the sort of summer I’d like to have:

  • Finish Middlemarch and all my other current reads
  • Pick up an “axe” of a book—maybe the rest of Flannery O’Connor’s short stories or another stab at The Mosquito Coast
  • Read another Japanese novel
  • Finish Andrew Yang’s Forward or Matt Sheehan’s The Transpacific Experiment
  • Watch more adaptations of books I’ve read

Even if I can’t get to all this, it is nice to write it out.

What about you, how’s your summer reading going?



11 responses to “Where’s My Summer?”

  1. I am reading The Portrait of a Lady by Henry James…started off patient, but now ready to read thru the end even tho I like it. I am wanting to get to my next read involving research and maybe related to the novel I am writing/planning ideas for 🙂 I am looking to read another Japanese novel too sometime! I hope you get to read more these months 🙂 🙂

    Liked by 1 person

    1. There’s something so satisfying about a book you like which still requires some patience. 🙂 (*cough* Moby-Dick) Very exciting to be writing a novel… I hope it goes well and look forward to hearing more!

      Liked by 1 person

  2. It is nice to write out your wishful thinking bc something may come of it after all.

    If I had a summer (like last summer — even in the midst of our punishment), I’d be sitting in my pool, on a floatie, soaking in sun while reading away.

    However, I don’t have a pool, and I’m not sleeping well, and I am just too busy w/ caring for my dad and looking for a house and so many other little things that I have a pile of books on my nightstand, and I’m hardly making a dent, too.

    But if I had that pool…I would have finished at least four. But I think I’m going to push myself to finish most by the end of summer because I am eager to begin new ones, like another Hemingway and a Twain or McCullough.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Insomnia is no fun, been dealing with some of that myself. 😦
      Which Twain do you have in mind? I just got a collection of The Prince and the Pauper, A Connecticut Yankee, and Joan of Arc. I want to re-read Joan and I should probably read P&P someday. I have his autobiography on my shelf as well… seems like it would be entertaining 🙂

      Like

      1. The Twain I have on my TBR for this year is Joan. But I also have P&P, which I read as a kid, but want to reread it someday.

        Liked by 1 person

  3. I do hope you get back on track soon. I think many people are feeling “off” lately, myself included. I used to have about four weeks off in the summer to read but now I have only one so reading is rather spotty but still happening. I haven’t made much of a dent in my 20 Books of Summer challenge, perhaps only about 2-3. I’m actually looking forward to September, I’m sad to admit. Hoping things are looking better for us soon!

    Liked by 1 person

    1. I’m looking forward to fall, too! Maybe my reading focus will kick back in with cooler weather…

      Like

  4. My summer has been life-changing on multiple fronts, between receiving a kidney transplant in mid-June and getting into an increasingly serious relationship with a woman who only enables my bookish tendencies. Sooo, I’d say pretty good. The recovery time gave me plenty of room to read, and I did make some progress on the ol’ TBR but not much — and the lady friend has not helped by giving me a bag of books to work through. Is summer different where you are now compared to where you were?

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Aw, she sounds very supportive! 🙂 So many big changes for you – glad to hear mostly positive!

      Yeah, summer here is on average a good 15-20 degrees hotter than what I’m used to. Not fond of it, but thankfully the AC is working. Can’t wait for fall..

      Like

  5. I really like this idea of yours of “book-axes” after Kafka’s quote. I wish I could fit more of this type of books into my summer, too, but most require quite an investment, both in terms of time and intellectual. As usual, I am curious about any Japanese book you’d pick up!

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Yes, an emotional investment as well! 🙂

      Liked by 1 person

Leave a reply to Marian Cancel reply

About Me

Hi, I’m Marian—I talk about classics, history, and other books on this blog, as well as on YouTube.

Currently Reading


Recent Posts

ARCHIVES

Newsletter