Planning my blog post this morning, I was working with a theme of “Summer: Our Chance to Read More Books!” That’s when I realized that I see EVERY new season as an opportunity to get more reading in, so this theme was a bit ridiculous.

In summer, I think of long afternoons reading on the beach under an umbrella (I’m pale) as the tide goes in or out.  In the fall I get excited to pull on a warm sweater and spend time in the library or a bookstore looking at all the shiny new covers. Winter is all about coziness: piles of blankets and pillows, a book propped up on my knees.  And to complete this little confession honestly, I’ll admit that spring here is often gray and cold and I need books to get me through until it warms up again.

So today is not about seasonal reads, but rather the books I’m really looking forward to & wanted to share. Here goes:

Rare Bird: A Memoir of Loss and Love by Anna Whiston-Donaldson

I found Anna’s blog a few years ago on one of those days when I was just following links to see who was out there to meet. I loved that it was called “An Inch of Gray” (referring to her hair) and all that suggested about her having a fun sense of humor.  A while later, I saw links to her blog everywhere, and learned that her son Jack had drowned in a flood. Her strength and honesty as she blogged through her grief was simply beautiful. Rare Bird is her memoir of that season.  As the description says, “This is a book about facing impossible circumstances and wanting to turn back the clock. It is about the flicker of hope in realizing that in times of heartbreak, God is closer than your own skin. It is about discovering that you’re braver than you think.”

I am SO excited for Anna as her book is published (and impressed by her courage!) I am really looking forward to getting my hands on a copy :)

All Fall Down by Jennifer Weiner

I’ve been a JW fan since the early days of blogging, when she wrote hilarious posts about waiting for her first child to be born. I’m always happy to hear she has a new book coming out, and this one looks stellar.  It’s about a woman who looks like she has the perfect life, and yet ends up addicted to pills in her attempt to manage everything going on beneath the surface. Reviewers have called it Weiner’s “most masterful work yet,” which is high praise, as her others are pretty spiffy.

Creativity, Inc by Ed Catmull

I started this book back in April. I think I even blogged about it. But then we had a roof leak over the “library” (read: odd little nook at the front of the house where the books live) and this got buried in one of the many piles I lugged into the hallway. (I’m never sure what to answer in that “what would you grab if the house were on fire?” question. But it turns out that when the roof is leaking, all I care about are the books. Steve and the dog can swim…)  Anyway, it was like Christmas in July when I re-discovered this title, and I’m looking forward to reading the whole thing this time without interruption.

What are you reading right now? Send suggestions!?!