All the summer vibes...

My summer book cart, TV shows with summer vibes, and a movie that will make you wistful for that summer before college...

According to the calendar, summer doesn’t officially start until June 19th this year. However, someone forgot to tell Texas that. *checks weather app* High of 92 today and 99 expected later this week. And I have an active puppy who needs to be walked at least twice a day. It’s fine. I’m fine. It’s totally fine.

But the good news about the shift in weather is that I’m suddenly getting ALL the summer vibes. I know not everyone is a “seasonal” person, particularly when it comes to reading, but I definitely am.

In the fall, I want horror and campus-set novels. In the winter, I like books set in cold places. At the beginning of the year, I read all the “fresh start” non-fiction books.

I find comfort in the rhythm of seasons, even when I live in a place where the seasons are “ice storm season - tornado season - Satan’s armpit - fake autumn that is still just really hot - and then wintry mix.”

I like that seasons give you four times a year to kind of clear the decks and reset. And this year, more than in recent years, the summer vibes are hitting me hard. I’m craving books with summery settings, bright covers, and fast-turning pages. I want stories set in that in-between time when kids are out of school, people are jetting off for vacations, and when romantic “just for summer” flings flourish into more.

Summer Book Cart

So this week, I decided to “shop” my bookshelves and make a summer book cart. (This is the book cart I love. I have three!) Now, I’m not one to pre-plan my reading. If I give myself that kind of prescribed list, I rebel against it. So, this cart is merely a gathering of potentials.

Leonard thinks any photo I take is about him so he jumped into my view.

I wanted to shop my shelves because I know I bought some of these last year for summer and then never got to them. Of course, this cart may double in size because all the “summer reading guides” from the podcasts and blogs I follow haven’t come out yet, and y’all know I’m weak, lol. (RAD Reading will also be doing a summer reading episode soon!)

But for now, this is my cart. If you’re making your own summer stack, I’d also like to drop a friendly reminder that For You & No One Else will be out July 5th and would be perfect to read by the pool. :)

Shameless self-promotion!

On my cart, I have a mix of genres because my main requirement for a summer read is that the story is propulsive. I also haven’t ruled out adding a long book to the mix to get lost in, but we’ll see.

I’d love to hear what’s on your summer list! Let me know in the comments what your most anticipated reads are this summer.

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Summer TV

My summer craving has also crept into my TV watching lately. Summer is especially suited for binge-watching, and when it’s hot outside, I like to have something frothy and fun to dive into inside the air-conditioned confines of my house.

For me, this often means a show focused on teens. Maybe it’s because Dawson’s Creek imprinted on me at a young age, but there’s something about a teen show that just fits perfectly for summer. Usually, the stories are high drama, fast-moving, and rife with romantic entanglements. There’s probably going to be a love triangle somewhere, too, which…yes, please. As Sarah and Jen say on the Fated Mates podcast, put it in my veins.

I don’t care that I’m 40-something and a mother to a teen, I want to watch the angst and first loves and heartbreaks.

So, my latest watch in this arena is Outer Banks on Netflix. It’s more suspense/adventure than my typical teen watch, but the sun-soaked, beachy Carolina setting is perfect for summer. And the way they film it seems like they put a sunset Instagram-type filter over everything.

I’m only five episodes in, and I’ve decided that you have to just go with the over-the-top plot, class war, and 80s-style rich kid villains. It’s entertaining. And there’s a romantic entanglement happening too. Plus, there are a lot of dudes forgetting their shirts, which is such a hardship…

Also, go in knowing that you’re going to have to suspend your disbelief on a lot of things like how these teens can get away with so much. It’s fine. It’s summer. Just enjoy the bonkers-ness.

But if you want something with more meat to the plot, I highly recommend Cruel Summer. I watched this last year and was totally hooked. Triple timeline (you’re shown the same days for the characters in the years 1993, 1994, and 1995.) Suspenseful and twisty but still has that summery teen feel.

The premise is that one popular teen disappears and another who was a nerd suddenly takes her place as the “it” girl. Try to avoid spoilers if you can so that you can enjoy all the twists, but check the trigger warnings if you’re sensitive to certain topics. I was thrilled to find out they’re going to do a season 2 with a fresh story!

And, of course, if you just want to go old school for a teen show, some great binge-able options: Dawson’s Creek, One Tree Hill, Gilmore Girls (though this one gives me more fall vibes), and Buffy the Vampire Slayer.

What’s on your summer watching agenda?

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The Romantic Movie Marathon

Title: Along for the Ride

Release date: May 6, 2022

Where to Watch:  Netflix

Starring: Emma Pasarow, Belmont Cameli, Andie MacDowell, Dermot Mulroney, Kate Bosworth

Official description (from Netflix): “The summer before college, studious Auden meets mysterious Eli, and — on nightly quests — he helps her experience the carefree teen life she was missing.” 

My description: First, this is based on a book of the same title by Sarah Dessen that I read a few years ago and really enjoyed. (And read long enough ago that it didn’t leave me comparing the movie to the book.)

It’s the summer after graduation and Auden, a heroine who has spent her life over-achieving and trying to live up to the expectations of her mother, decides to stay with her dad and his new wife and baby at their beach house to try something different. She’s never really let loose or had fun. But when she arrives, her dad is too involved in his writing and her stepmom is too overwhelmed by parenting a newborn, so Auden is left to work in one of the beach shops and find her own way. She meets a few local girls who become friends and she meets Eli, a boy who seemingly had big dreams but has given up on them.

Expect a YA love story with beachy scenes, late-night adventures, a girl letting her hair down, and a sweet romance.

My Review 

1 . Is it actually a romance? yes, a YA romance

2 . Romantic tropes:  coming-of-age, summer after college, overachiever letting loose, first love

3 . Sweet or steamy? sweet

4 . Swoonworthy love interest? yes, and his hair gave me Eddie Vedder vibes

5 . Would I want to be friends with the main character? yes. I think I was this main character when I was that age, lol, but (sadly) no beachy romance happened for me!

6 . Does it show its age? new

7 . Would I rewatch? yes (and it made me want to go read the rest of Sarah Dessen’s books)

8 . Favorite moments: I loved the scenes with her and her new girlfriends because I love seeing women support women. There’s a great fireworks at the beach scene. And I also liked that when problems got more serious, she went to her mom for help (because she’s still a teenager and I think that’s realistic.)

9 . Thoughts: This was such a breezy, beachy summer movie. I loved the cinematography, for one, and I loved the friend group. I also appreciated that the stereotype of the young, ditzy second wife was upended. Yes, the new wife likes girly, frothy things, but her character also has substance.

If you’re looking for a steamy romance, this isn’t it, but this was so sweet and fun. I also love a story with a “quest” (I sometimes write those!) and in this one, the quest is for Eli to show Auden some of the childhood pleasures she missed out on because she was so studious, so things like riding a bike, playing board games, etc. This provides so many fun scenes. Also, the soundtrack was fantastic.

Overall, this was the perfect summer watch!

10 . Rating: 4.5 stars

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On the podcast

Today, we’re keeping it casual and having our first guests over to share their best book recommendations! Join us as we welcome indie editor Jessica Snyder and mystery writer Stacy Woodson. Expect some great romance, mystery, and suspense recommendations! Also, Roni has a number of books that she didn’t know quite how to rate because…reasons.

See the show notes

Listen in your favorite podcast app:

• Apple podcasts

• Audible

• Spotify

• Or add to your favorite podcast app with their “Add by URL” feature and paste this link there: https://feeds.acast.com/public/shows/rad-reading

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That’s all I’ve got for you this week! I hope you have a fantastic weekend!

Roni

*Book links are affiliate links (Amazon, Libro.fm, and/or Bookshop.org), which means I earn a small commission if you buy through my links. Also, I receive advanced listening copies of some audiobooks through Libro.fm’s Influencer program. However, all reviews and opinions are my own.