Tall & Tan & Young & Lovely…
I am technically a Leo, but Leo traits don’t fit me a lot of the time. A dear friend who has a wealth of knowledge on the subject says it is because I am on a cusp or something or other. I don’t particularly know what that means, but I do know that my personality lines up with my zodiac sign in at least one way: I am obsessed with the sun.
If Phoenix, AZ, had a beach, I would never live anywhere else. I’m looking for blazing hot, full sun, all the time. Now you might be thinking, “But Madison, I sleep so much better when it storms.” or “Don’t you just love curling up with a good book by the window on a cozy rainy day?”. And the answer is, emphatically, no. I do not. I like sprawling out in a pool chair with a good book that I have specifically designated not to be upset about when it gets all wrinkly and wet from wayward splashing.
Summer just has such a dreamy quality about it. It’s all long days, cotton sundresses, tan skin, fireworks, lightning bugs, and barrelling into whatever body of water will have you. I spend this entire season running around with no shoes and air-dried hair, feeling like the girl from Ipanema. That’s not to say that I hate Christmas and refuse to play in the snow or find no pleasure in the perfect Spotify rainy day playlist for those spring shower days. I plan a mean Halloween party and am willing to spend way too much money on a New Year’s Eve dress. I can throw myself into other seasons and find plenty of things to love and be happy about when it’s not July. There is just a particular part of me that lives in eternal sunshine.
I should also note that I am glad for people who love winter and rain and whatever else it is that you weirdos like. Seriously, I sincerely appreciate you. If you weren’t here, the other summer people and I would’ve already gotten together and built some kind of raygun that eradicates cold and wet weather forever. Which, apparently, would be problematic.
I schedule my reading. I don’t always keep to my schedule, but I definitely have at least some idea of the next three-ish books I want to be reading and when. The when is essential because I don’t do things out of season. Count me out for carols outside of December, Hobby Lobby Halloween in August, and don’t you dare put a Christmas tree up anywhere near me until after we have eaten on Thanksgiving. I also religiously purchase the Pilsbury seasonal picture sugar cookies. If they are not eaten on or before whatever holiday they were designed for, they will die in the back of my fridge. I like things to be on theme.
It’s the same with books. It feels so off-kilter to be reading a book out of context. If the book I’m reading is all about a blizzard in 1761, I can’t read it on the beach. If I’m reading about a summer boat voyage across the ocean, it’s not happening in January. Summer is for light, sappy, sunny on-theme reading. I couldn’t tell you if it’s toxic rigidity, an inability to cope with change, or even if it’s as weird as I think it is, but this is how it’s always been with me. My playlists, cookies, books, and everything else need to match up at least loosely with my environment, or I feel sideways. (If there is a therapist in the house, we may need to touch base.)
A bonus that comes with this neurotic quality is that reading can be so much richer when I don’t have to focus as hard to put myself in the setting. A few Spring Breaks ago, I visited my family in West Palm Beach, FL. The weather ended up being n a s t y : cold, windy, so not the tropical paradise I had been hyped up for. But I didn’t drive 14 hours to not stare at the ocean, so I put on the closest thing I had brought to a cool sailor sweater, jeans, and keds, packed up my beach chair, and went for it. I took The Light Between Oceans by M.L. Stedman, and, oh buddy; it is one of the most exceptional reading experiences I have had to this day.
As I read this profoundly emotional, tumultuous drama set primarily on a tiny island off the coast of Australia, wind gusts whipped sand around my chair and onto the pages. I followed this story of shipwrecks, secrets, and grief as violent Atlantic waves roiled and crashed under a gray wash of somber clouds. Reading that kind of content in that setting made the entire trip worth it. I wasn’t even that upset that the weather was damp and chilly (which, as you may have just learned, is a big deal for me.)
*Summer* officially arrives on June 20th with the summer solstice, so I’m sharing my past favorite summer reads and the stories I plan to dive into this summer and beyond. As you may have guessed, most of the books ahead are fluffy, romantic beach reads that fuel my seasonal manic high. But, for darker, more serious reads, you can check back when the weather (and my mood) turns.
Crazy Rich Asians - Kevin Kwan
I devoured this book last summer. I had been planning to read it for a while but hadn’t gotten around to buying it when I found it in a Little Free Library. It was a decent copy, in pretty good condition… until I got my hands on it. Between the beach and the lake, it’s gotten warped and wrinkled, faded, full of sand, and it still smells like sunscreen. It was glued to my hands for weeks, and the second I finished it, I ordered the trilogy. This book is the most colorful one I’ve ever read. Everything felt bright and loud and exuberant. Combine that vibrancy with a balmy, exotic setting, and you’ve got yourself an instant summer staple.
The Summer I Turned Pretty Trilogy - Jenny Han
I read this series for the first time in high school and have probably read it six times since. My beat-up three-in-one copy lives in constant tumult as my sister and I steal it back and forth, sometimes using violence. It’s the perfect coming of age, romantic fluff piece with heart. Fraught with beach houses, family drama, love triangles, and self-discovery, it doesn’t leave anything for wanting.
Confessions of a Shopaholic - Sophie Kinsella
I stole this book from my high school English teacher freshman year and didn’t actually read it until like three years ago. I picked it up over and over, never quite able to get into it, and then one day, I decided to try again and couldn’t stop reading. Without realizing it, I had reached the time in my life that paralleled the protagonist exactly: a hot mess but trying. Both Becky and I had hit the point where we had to face the music and get it together. One of my favorite things about this book is the optimistic way that Becky thinks. It is positive to the point of delusion, and I just love it. There is no doubt in her mind that she will arrive and do so in style, and I’m in that headspace, too. She is so perfectly human, and from managing to spend hundreds of dollars outside of her budget to save money by making lunches at home to her tenacity and inability to pass up a dreamy pair of shoes, she speaks to my soul. She was there for me while I put some ducks in a row and continues to be loyal as I learn and grow and come into myself and my dreams.
China Rich Girlfriend - Kevin Kwan
The second book in the Crazy Rich Asian trilogy; I’ve been desperately waiting for the season to turn so I can get to this book. I can’t wait to dive back in and find out what happens next for my favorite stupidly wealthy, dysfunctional family.
A Pirate Looks at Fifty - Jimmy Buffett
A rare foray into non-fiction, on the recommendation of my second dad, I am so enjoying this reflective autobiography about wanderlust, family, the meaning of life, and some of the best beach music ever written. I started reading it as I impulsively quit my job (very out of character for me) and took three months to travel, find some beaches, and reconnect with myself. I found myself writing bucket list items in the margins, underlining places I want to see, and remembering the bit of wildness that I had before I “grew up.” I can’t wait to finish it this summer.
This One Summer - Mariko Tamaki
I finished this one up a little early. It’s another somewhat rare pick for me: a graphic novel. I have read a few and enjoy them but tend to go for traditional novel formats when picking reads. This book is a young adult, coming-of-age novel that deals with some heavy topics from the perspective of a young teenager. The art told as much if not more of the story than the words did, and the plot itself was so raw and human that it made for a more serious and provocative read than I usually slate for summer. The summer lakeside setting of the book ensured that it held with my seasonal stipulations.
Beach Read - Emily Henry
An example of a moment where the cover swayed me (so bright, so beachy!). I am also a sucker for stories about writers, being that I want to join their ranks. Excited to get my hands on this and report back to you guys!
The Kissing Booth - Beth Reekles
I accidentally watched the movie first and have since watched it 87 times. It’s just so cute and fun, and I am excited to see how the book plays out versus the movie.
People We Meet on Vacation - Emily Henry
To follow up Beach Read, pending that I like that one as much as I think I will. Fingers crossed!
The Devil Wears Prada - Lauren Weisberger
Again, saw the movie a thousand times before I even realized it was a book. It’s so easy to be inspired, driven, and career motivated when I’m getting plenty of vitamin D, so I like to have a nice girl-in-the-workforce read on standby to fuel my ambitious plans for world domination.
Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood - Rebecca Wells
I didn’t even notice how many movie-adapted books I had on this list until I started expanding on them, but here, yet again, a fabulous movie has led me to the book. I have started this book a few times and have not quite been able to get into it. However, this emotional, nostalgic drama so entices me, and I’d like to try again someday and finish, so it’s on my standby summer list for the foreseeable future.
So there you have it! Now, grab your beach read, find some sun, and know that I am somewhere blindly happy… and definitely sunburned.
