For as long as I can remember, I have always associated the long, hot summer days with reading. Maybe it is because when I was a child, my mother would use our summer breaks as the ideal opportunity for weekly pilgrimages to the public library. My brother and I would take great joy in combing through the bookshelves in the children’s area to find the perfect selections. His little arms were typically loaded down with hardback books about snakes or fossils. My stack, quite to the contrary, would be full of fantasy and different worlds. Destined to be a lover of novels, I started escaping the real world through the power of the almighty pen quite early.
Or perhaps my many memories of stretching out in the Southern sunshine with a paperback have kindled the association. I have earned quite a number of sunburns in that fashion over the years. One sweltering year during grade school, I burned through the Anne of Green Gables series in a matter of a few weeks. And that’s not to mention the fact that, to this day, my beach bag is never complete without at least a couple of books stashed inside.
Who is to say where the connection originates. In any case, it seems that the scorching dog days beg to be filled with something calm and relaxing to pass the time. Nothing can better fit that bill than a captivating new read. So take your pick and settle in with one of these charming new novels. You may just find yourself thinking of books when the summer heat rolls in next time, too.