Vacation Reads For All Ages

boat dancing (and singing)

Hello! I hope you’ve had a nice week! We’re at the beach in North Carolina with Jim’s family, and I am very much feeling like the woman in this New Yorker cartoon.

Our rental house is on the ocean, so I’ve been channeling my inner Coastal Grandmother: wearing white linen (and stripes), watching the sunrise each morning, and enjoying an evening glass of white wine (on ice); although not as stylishly as Jane Fonda with Jimmy Fallon…goals!

It’s been a fun, (HOT!), and busy week, catching up with Jim’s many aunts, uncles, and cousins - on the beach with the kids, over cocktails, and at big family dinners.

Here are some of the highlights:

An impromptu family dance party on a boat while singing along to Brandi’s cardio playlist (soundtrack to the sweat-a-second tennis clinics we attend every morning, which Brandi dominates!) and Jim’s Summer Anthem playlist…

…competing for candy bars and glory at Tuesday night Bingo with Cousin Louise…

…early morning swims…

…and plenty of relaxing and reading.

Here’s a round-up of the books our gang brought with them - there’s something for everyone here!

Teddy, 11, highly recommends The Last Kids on Earth series for post-apocalyptic zombie and monster-slaying thrills!

My niece, Josie, 12, is really enjoying her prescribed summer reading for school: The Boys in the Boat. Josie says it’s interesting to read about someone who had a hard life at a young age because it makes her feel lucky to have a family. And how cute are her fingernails?!

Josie’s sister, Millie Kate, 14, is into Little White Lies. Millie is fascinated by debutantes and may want to be one herself - and this happens to be a mystery about debutantes, set in the American south!

Sadie, 15, is listening to The Summer I Turned Pretty audiobooks. She loved the show on Amazon (although she says it doesn’t strictly follow the books). There’s a debutante theme in this one, too!

My sister-in-law, Merrie Jo, is reading This Time Tomorrow because, well, I told her to! She recommended it to her book club, and they’ll discuss it at their next meeting.

Jim’s learning a lot from Beyond Reason, which he picked up at a recent work retreat. This is a primer on the five main emotions we feel when negotiating with others.

My brother-in-law, Tom, cannot put down The Ministry for the Future (which he borrowed from his local library!), which is a climate-focused thriller set in a potentially very near future.

Jim’s mom, Susie, has just gotten started on These Impossible Things, a novel about three young Muslim women about to graduate college and begin their adult lives.

And Bud, Jim’s father, a Winston Churchill aficionado, is reading The Splendid And The Vile.

As for me, I’m doing something I do each summer: re-reading Crossing to Safety by Wallace Stegner (on my Kindle, so no pic!). Every time I come back to it, I fall for the beautifully lyrical writing that makes me feel like I’m right there with the two couples at the heart of the story: from their first jobs and homes, through tragedies and celebrations, and into old age. My description may not sound gripping, but the book is a classic for a reason, and I highly recommend it!

I’ve also started Beach Read by Emily Henry, because, well, beach…which is where I’m headed now, to catch up with more cousins, and enjoy the afternoon breeze.

Thank you so much for reading, and I hope you have a wonderful and relaxing weekend. See you next Friday!
xoxo
Amelia