We asked some of our guests what they look forward to in summer..
Amy from Minnesota replied and with some of her book recommendations
WalkingWomen asked me what I was looking forward to this summer and I was a little puzzled. In fact, the question made me a bit nervous. You see I’m from Minnesota and we look forward to summer during the worst of our winter, when the skies are bright blue, but the temperature barely nudges above -10F (-23C), or the sky roils with the steel gray clouds of an impending storm, not in June. In June we are superstitiously silent on the matter. Our plans were made long ago. We disappear to cabins, go on fishing trips, go hiking and camping, work in our gardens, but we do not mention summer! We certainly do not “look forward”! It would be tempting fate because it will be gone too soon for us. So, like the Scottish play we prefer the season not be named until we are in it.
But what do I look forward to?
Coaxing color into the garden and willing weeds away while the cats watch and the bees buzz. Looking for the instant in a hidden corner or single flower where perfection momentarily reveals itself.
I look forward to the long drive to the north shore of Lake Superior. Of seeing wolf cubs on the road, hiking the Superior Hiking trail, hoping for a bobcat on my deck and watching the ever-changing water and sky.
I also look forward to books. Lots and lots of books!
I had the good fortune of being on the Kendal trip last April with 6 other wonderful, interesting women, who were all great readers: Cheryl, Vanessa, Sarah, Merry, Jane and Jessica. On our last night we talked about our favorite books. We posted them all on our What’s App group and have continued to occasionally add ideas. Below is a list of great reads, or listens if you prefer, from our group. They may not be “summer” reads because to my way of thinking a good book is a good book summer or winter, but there is a variety here and I hope you find something you really enjoy.
For those who like :
True Crime:
In Cold Blood By Truman Capote
Fictional Crime:
Both Serious & Silly The Secret History By Donna Tartt
A Man with One of Those Faces By Caimh McDonnell
Satire:
The 100-Year-Old Man Who Climbed Out the Window and Disappeared By Jonas Jonasson
For Runners
Why We Run, A Natural History By Bernd Heinrich
WWII and Its Aftermath, Novels from Two Sides:
Life After Life By Kate Atkinson
The Silence In Between By Josie Ferguson
Real Animals:
Winter World: The Ingenuity of Animal Survival By Bernd Heinrich
Raising Hare: A Memoir By Cloe Dalton
Fictional Animals
Horse Heaven By Jane Smiley
Anthropology
The Dawn of Everything: A New History of Humanity By David Graber & David Wengrow
Do send us your thoughts about summer and any good reads you can share with other walking women.
