Jackson participated in the summer reading program hosted by our local library. Each week they read a book and did a craft. Some weeks they had guest speakers. He got a log and kept track of the minutes he read and then turned in his log to get prizes and then you also got entered into drawings for grand prizes that were given out at the end of the program. They also had a program for the adults which was a log and then chances for the grand prizes. I kept a log since Jax did. Neither one of us won anything but we still had fun reading.
These were all of the books I read for the program
Rabbit Moon by Jennifer Haigh 8.5/10
I love Jennifer Haigh books but this didn’t quite live up to my hype. It revolves around a 20 year old girl living in Shaghai who is critically injured in an accident. Her parents, who are divorced, come over from America to try and find out what happened to her. It’s a good family drama and alternates between different points of view but I was slightly disappointed in it altogether.
Same as it Ever Was by Claire Lombardo 10/10
Ok this book was really good. It alternates between different times in the main characters life and starts out when she is a stay at home mom of a toddler. She’s lonely and having a crisis of being with a toddler all day when she starts up a friendship with an older lady and the story goes from there. Something happens during their friendship that changes everything and had consequences for the rest of her life. I thought it was a really good story.
Beyond that, the Sea by Laura Spencer Ash 10+/10
Oh my how I loved this book. I simply didn’t want it to end or maybe I should say that I wish it was longer in the middle. It’s about a girl from London who is sent to America during the war to escape the bombings in 1940. The famiy in America she lives with is so loving to her and the book is told from the perspective of her, all of the family members plus her parents still back in London.
The Condition by Jennifer Haigh 9/10
Another on of Jennifer Haigh’s books and this one was good in a family dynamic sort of way. The story is told from the perspective of all of the family members and also revolves around the youngest daughter who has a genetic condition in which she physically doesn’t grow up.
The Song of Hartgrove Hall by Natasha Solomons 10/10
A really good book set in the 1940’s and 1990’s it goes back and forth about 2 brothers in love with the same woman and the once grand home they lived in that they want to save from ruin.
(This one is not on the above pictures because I took the other pics after I returned this book to the library.)
The Library of Lost Dollhouses by Elise Hooper 9.5/10
This was an actual library book I checked out and it was actually pretty good. It’s about a librarian who discovers hidden dollhouses in her library and looks into the history of them. It goes back and forth between the librarian and the dollhouse maker and weaves in some historical fiction and mystery. It was and interesting read.
I love seeing seasonal reading wrap-ups, even when the lists are short or still evolving—it always inspires me to look back on what I picked up during the same time. Summer reading has such a different vibe compared to the rest of the year, so it’s fun to notice the patterns and moods that emerge. Looking forward to seeing if any unexpected favorites made it onto your list!