All 4 of us girls at 3 Winks Design love to read! Summer is the perfect time to fit in a book or two or three as you relax by the pool or stay indoors out of the heat!  It can be hard to decide just what you want to read, there are so many choices out there and it can be disappointing when a book doesn't live up to it's cover! If you need some ideas, we're sharing what we've been reading and maybe you can find something that you will enjoy.  We would also love some of your suggestions! ​

     I started a couple of books this summer that I ended up putting down after awhile.  But, a series that I have stuck with so far is The Myrtlewood Mysteries ​by Iris Beaglehole. I wanted something lighthearted and fun to read for the summer, and this one fits the bill.  It is a fantasy with magic and mystery.  The first book of the series is called Accidental Magic because a mother and her teenage daughter whose lives are pretty much a mess find out that they have surprisingly inherited their grandmother's home.  Little did they know that the grandmother was a powerful witch and that they also have inherited her magical abilities!  They end up moving to the town of Myrtlewood where magic is commonly understood and there they begin a whole new life of magic, mayhem and happiness! 
     The second book in the series is entitled Experimental Magic as mom and daughter learn more about how to use their magic and learn to get out of some sticky situations with  The Fae!  
     I have been reading these books on Kindle.  You can also buy them as sets here and here. They are a fun magical fantasy in the vein of Harry Potter, just not quite as good.  If you like that genre, they are enjoyable.

     Series are fun to read because when you find stories and characters that you really enjoy, your relationship with them doesn't have to end after just one book.  Maddy has been reading another series entitled The Culture​ by Lain M Banks.  It is a 9 book futuristic series that deals with a utopian universe that co-mingles humans, aliens and machines.  It deals with why cultures go to war and many proclaim it to be one of the best sci-fi series they have ever read.  It can be pretty pricey, so the Kindle or audible versions may be your best bet.  Maddy read book two first and they can apparently somewhat stand alone, but now she is going back to read book one. 

     Alicia is recommending two books that she has enjoyed this summer! Well, technically three!
​    First,  The Women by Kristen Hannah   This book is set in the turbulent 1960s and is a coming of age book about a young woman who learns first hand about the destruction and chaos of war and that not only men, but women can also be heroes.  This novel is described as one that deals with deep friendships and bold patriotism. 
     While Alicia says that this book is pretty good, she preferred Hannah's The Great Alone  more. It is about a family who try to make a new start  in the wilderness of Alaska. 

     Next, Alicia really enjoyed reading Letter to My Daughter by Maya Angelou.  This book contains beautiful essays that teach lessons and give insight from this woman's incredible life.  Many of those who have read this book suggest that it should be cherished by more than daughters.  Alicia speaks very highly of it! It is on my list! 

     Lindsey first has a recommendation from her childhood that she is now sharing with her daughter, Emily.  Emily is a very advanced reader and is reading chapter books at the age of 6! Lindsey has introduced her to the Baby-Sitters Club Books.  They specifically began with book #5, Dawn and the Impossible Three.  Lindsey was surprised that as they read it how much she still enjoyed it.  She says that it even made her tear up a bit! Emily is really enjoying these books as well.  Lindsey came to my house and scavenged my bookshelves for her old books from her childhood. But, you can find cool retro sets on Amazon, as well as updated graphic novels. 

     For her personal reading, Lindsey says that she enjoyed The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry by ​Gabrielle Zevin.   I've heard of this story about a bookstore owner who loses a rare book and inherits a child at the same time.  It is on my list to read.  Lindsey said that she enjoyed it but preferred Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow by the same author. 

    Have you read any of these?  What did you think of them?  What are you reading?  I always love recommendations, that is where you find the best books to read! 
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     Seasonal books are a good way to encourage reading at any age.  With Halloween on the way, we thought some suggestions for some spooky (and funny spooky) reads would be perfect today!  Here are some great choices with good reviews.  Many are available on Kindle, some are at a special price and they all look like something I would enjoy reading!  ​

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      We are doing Christmas in July here on the blog!  I love it!  I get to be first, so check this out! 
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     Making shelf sitting bookstacks has become my new passion!  It is so much fun to come up with a meaningful saying to put on them, and then to decorate them appropriately.  

       I've already shared with you a simple religious message stack, and a Harry Potter themed stack.  Now I'm excited to share this very cheery Merry and Bright Christmas Bookstack! 

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     As long as I can remember, I have loved to read.  It took no convincing for me to dive into a book and to only come up for air when I absolutely had to.  I loved mysteries and fantasies, historical fiction and adventure stories all equally well.  I also love to read and memorize poetry.  This has been a love that I shared with my mother throughout my life.  We lost her last week, just a few months past her 100th birthday.  Thinking about all that she has meant to me, my memories of shared moments with books and poetry with her are some of my very favorite.  

• She would recommend books to me by saying, "Oh Helen, this is such a great book!  You will love it!"  And so I would read it and she was always right, I did love it!
• She would be looking at a book of poetry and say, "Say, listen to this!"  And she would read me a poem or at least a stanza and comment on how much she loved it.  She often had a lesson or moral I could learn from the selection.
• She loved it when as a child I would memorize a poem for some reason.  She would always have me recite it for my family or just for her whenever she could. 
• She would take me to our town's old library.  It had wide steps up to it with wide, curved bannisters on each side.  The floors were wooden and squeaky and it smelled like musty old books.  I loved it there.  She would let me peruse the children's section all on my own.  That is where I first checked out the complete works of Winnie-The-Pooh, and Doctor Doolittle.  The only problem with going to the library was that I had to give the books back! I hated that part!
• I always received books for birthdays and Christmas and devoured them as quickly as I could.  My mom never complained about me spending so much time reading.  She seemed proud of me for loving it so much.  As I grew older, I realized that when I was assigned to read the classics that she had introduced to me, I had already read them!  My life was so much better because of my mom's wonderful encouragement and help in finding the wonder of books! 

     So, I thought that I would put together a list of poetry and books that my mom introduced to me as a child, as many as I can remember anyway.  Maybe you will find this list useful as you encourage your own children to be readers.  Also, I want my grandchildren and my great nieces and nephews to learn a little bit more about their Great-Grandma and who she really was.