It is the last week of August and summer is coming to an end. The calendar says it is officially summer for a few more weeks, but schools are starting back and Labor Day is next weekend, which means that summer seems to have already come to an end.
I managed to read about fifteen books this summer. Not a bad summer of reading at all, but not nearly as much as I would have like to have read.
I was imagining that my to read pile would get smaller, but with a couple of trips to book stores on vacation, my to read pile actually grew…please tell me I am not the only one with that problem.
My summer reading included a wide range of books. I read some great books, some okay ones, some fun fiction ones, and also a few that I think I might give up on.
One of the things that I did manage to do was to read a few more book in my nonfiction book for every state challenge. I really enjoyed the three books that I finished for this challenge.
Killers of the Flower Moon has been in my to read pile since my father-in-law and Grace both read it and loved it. I finished it in July and loved it. It will make my list of favorite books read in 2018. It was a perfect book to read for a bit of Oklahoma history.
This is a nonfiction book that reads like fiction. If you enjoy true crime or crime and murder type fiction, I highly recommend this book. It would also be great for those that read a lot of fiction, but would like to read more nonfiction. Once I started this book, I could not put it down.
I also finished Madison Park a Place of Hope. I also really enjoyed this book. It was not a page turner that I couldn’t put down type of book like Killers of the Flower Moon, but it was really good.
I read this for my Alabama book. One of the reasons I gave myself this challenge was to push me outside of my comfort zone and the normal type of books I would usually pick up. This book was an example of that.
I am not sure I would have read this if I hadn’t challenged myself to read a book for every state. It is the inspirational story of the author, Eric L. Motley. It is his story, but also the story of the small town he grew up in and the people who helped him become what he is today. It is a great example of how doing small and big things for others can change lives in both small and big ways.
The Big House by George Cole Howe was a great summer read and is my book for Massachusetts. This is another book that I wouldn’t have picked up if it was not for this challenge. This book follows the life of a family and the summer house that has been in the family for generations.
I enjoyed this book because it is a lifestyle that I know very little about and cannot really relate to. My family has never had a summer house. Growing up we rarely went on a real vacation. Spending all summer, or even a month of summer, at a family vacation home is fascinating to me. I can’t imagine living that type of life.
I also grew up on the west coast, so an east coast summer is something I have never experienced and it was interesting to read about.
A summer house on the beach in Massachusetts can sound glamorous and fun, but this book put it all into perspective. Money and summer houses don’t give you happiness or a perfect family. I really enjoyed how the author shared the ups and downs of having a summer house and the struggles to keep it in the family over the years.
Have a book about a state you think I should read? Please leave me a comment letting me know. I still have quite a few states that I need to find books for.