Summer Reading…
I have books stuffed in every nook of my house. You’ll find your pick of books in any room in my house and sadly I have now read through everything and have nothing new to read. I went to the library yesterday and literally walked in and out of the aisles for over an hour and couldn’t find anything that I wanted to bring home with me. So I need help from all of you! What’s on your summer reading list?
Now since you are going to take the time to share some of your favorite reads I did a little design work and gave you a get that look plan for the reading nook featured above:
1. Coral is my latest obsession. How amazing is this shade by Sherwin Williams.
2. Everyone’s favorite bookcase by IKEA
3. White accessories can always be found at Home Goods, but if you got to have them now I like these pieces by Zgallerie.
4. Silver and white work perfectly together and this round vase by Jamali Garden is chic and cheap! It’s only $11.99.
5. Bergere chairs are always at my favorite thrift stores. If you want to recover it in a new fabric then a thrift store is the way to go. If you can’t wait to find hunt for one I like this option by Ballard Designs. I just wish they did customers own materials so you could get it completely custom.
6. Flowers in my favorite shades for only $11.99.Sold.
7. Brown and white large floral graphic fabric to recover the chair.
8. Raised pattern yet neutral rug.
So, leave a comment and help me out. I love a good chick lit book and have more a handful of books with pink covers, but I also enjoy books based in history and of course who doesn’t love a good book about vampires (Team Edward).
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get inspired with our own home tour
ON THE BLOG
My living room is one of the rooms that evolved drastically from when we first moved one. Originally I painted the walls chocolate brown and did accents of white, blue and orange. That lasted maybe 2 years.
Our dining room sat empty for months. Okay maybe it was empty for just a handful of weeks and then we couldn’t take it anymore and put in a folding table and plastic outdoor chairs, but in my mind that was still empty.
On the main floor of our house we have a Florida room. Being that it’s a Florida room it is a considered a 3 season room, because there is no heat in the room. The previous owners used it as an indoor patio with outdoor furniture and it looked like this when we moved in.
have you read the Sookie Stackhouse series by Charlaine Harris? Its the series that HBO’s True Blood is based on. I like the books better than the series, and there’s plenty of vampires, werewolves, fairies, etc.
Sue Grafton’s alphabet series is also pretty good, if you like murder mysteries.
I’ve recently read ‘Lunch in Paris’ and ‘One Day’ – both are great summery/beachy reads! Or the memoirs ‘Half Broke Horses’ and ‘The Glass Castle’ are really great as well, that is if you haven’t read any of these yet!
That paint color is fabulous!
Goodreads is a great place to get info on the latest and greatest books. A couple that I have read recently and enjoyed: Let the Great World Spin by Colum McCann and Driftless by David Rhodes
Cathy
Read Outlander, by Diana Gabaldon. It’s the first in a series about 18th century Scotland and includes just about the hottest male character ever (and in a kilt!). It’s a combination of historical fiction and romance – SO good.
Have you read Loving Frank? It was one of my favorites in a long time.
That IKEA shelf is really the coolest, most inexpensive bang for your buck. I really like it here with that gorgeous chair. Beautiful post as always!
You MUST read the Hunger Games trilogy. You’ll fly through all three books in one weekend at the beach. Enjoy! PS. the movie comes out in 2012.
The Help (before the movie comes out), I just started reading Something Borrowed (so I can see the movie), Water for Elephants, Girls in Trucks, Beach Music & South of Broad(both by Pat Conroy- Beach Music is really long but ohmygosh so good and such a page turner-these aren’t new releases but so so good)
Hunger Games Trilogy is very good. As is Little Bee and Incendiary by Chris Cleeve. If you haven’t read it yet, check out Julie & Julia – a year of cooking dangerously – it’s one of the books the movie was based on and you’ll dig the blogger woes. Another great cooking themed book is the Sharper your knife, the less you cry…great book about a woman who goes to Le Cordon Bleu. Enjoy!
What a great inspiration board for the reading nook. I think you nailed it!! I have an inspiration board on my post today that a fellow blogger did after we had a conversation of the plans I had for my family room’s summer look. I was amazed at how she got me and nailed it!! Kathysue
I have Expedit envy at the moment and want one… just can’t justify the cost to ship it.
I would recommend the following: The Monk by M. Lewis (an oldie but worth the read), Alias Grace by M. Atwood, The Club Dumas by A. Pérez-Reverte, and Midnight Blue: Sonja Blue Collection by N. Collins for a good vampire read. Happy reading!
ANYthing by Ann Rivers Siddons – that Georgia gal can write!
also, have you ever read anything by Anne Lamotte? heart-rendingly good reads
and the new non-fiction about Jacqueline Kennedy when she was
an editor in her later years is fascinating – it references books she not
only edited, but some of her fav reads
all best,
from Judy in Ft Worth TX
I love Water for Elephants, The Heretic’s Daughter, I know This Much Is True, A Thousand Splendid Suns.
On a side note, I’m hoping to paint a feature wall in my office coral. GORGEOUS!!
I love Goodreads, too–I just browse through everybody’s lists when I’m at the bookstore. The best thing I’ve read lately is “Room”– I thought I would hate it b/c of the subject matter, but I ended up finding it so touching and wonderful.
Thanks for the design plan, it’s so summery! For books: I just finished reading Abundance: A Novel of Marie Antoinette by Sena Jeter Nashlund and looooved it. I also recently read and enjoyed both of Kate Morton’s books, The House at Riverton and The Forgotten Garden…I think I liked The House at Riverton better but they’re both pretty good! Also Tatiana de Rosnay’s books: A Secret Kept and Sarah’s Key. They’re very different from each other, but both very good. And one last recommend…if you haven’t ever read Irene Nemirovsky’s books, she is an amazing French author from WWII who is just now being translated into English. Enjoy!!
I have been loving coral, but can’t seem to find the perfect inexpensive fabric I need for my sofa pillow covers. I have read a lot of books lately and these are a few I would recommend.
– Tuesdays with Morrie
-Elegance of the Headgehog
-The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society
-The Screwtape Letters (Read long ago and loved)
-Watership Down (long ago as well and loved it)
-(Currently reading) Traveling with Pomegranates
Where things come back by Corey Whaley is amazing!
I love chick lit mixed with the supernatural, that seems to be my genre of choice. A few of my favorite series’ are:
Kelley Armstrong’s Otherworld Series
Laurell K. Hamilton’s Anita Blake Series (these get really raunchy as the series progresses, so be aware)
Julie Kenner’s Tales of a Demon-Hunting Soccer Mom
Charlaine Harris’s Sookie Stackhouse Series
Kim Harrison’s The Hollow’s Series
Plus one that is supernatural, but written from a male perspective:
Jim Butcher’s Dresden Files Series (Hilarious, for realz)
ballard does do customer fabric..it just takes longer to get it back! I think an extra few weeks from receipt of the fabric you send them.
Just FYI..if you are part of Ballardes Design Trade Program you can order COM items. I have done it many times and the only time it wasnt available was on some outdoor furniture cushions. Hope thjis helps and any chick lit for the summer is my choice…easy reads by the pool, nothing too “heavy” for summertime enjoyment.
Every summer I try to read at least 3 books and I make a significant effort to read one classic. This summer my classic choice is going to be “Moby Dick” since I haven’t read it yet and that is almost a sin in my opinion! I am currently reading Steven Tyler’s autobio and I am really enjoying it; I’ve always been a huge fan of his but I’m loving the book more than anticipated.
I agree with another comment that listed “Water for Elephants” – also a VERY good choice! Maybe we could start a summer reading swap? 🙂
Tina Fey’s memoir “Bossypants”. Just started it and it has me laughing out loud on every page!
I’m on a mission of reading all Barbara Kingsolver novels, but they’re not a “light” read. I want to read The Glass Castle – I’ve been hearing great things about it. I love “The History of Love, ” and “The Secret Life of Bees” and would highly recommend them both.
Elizabeth is correct. “The Help” was amazing. So great!
how about Diana Gabaldon’s Outlander series. Plenty of reading material there! I think she’s currently developing the 8th book. I absolutely adore this series. 🙂
Thanks for the suggestions everyone! I’m going through all of them. I already went through all of the Hunger Games! I loved it, but wasn’t in love with the final ending. Interested to see the movies. I totally didn’t envision the male leads anything like what they cast.
Love that coral colour – wow!! I just finished reading Water for Elephants on the subway this MORNING – can definitely recommend it! TIme Traveller’s wife and Kite Runner are a couple of my favourite go to books. I have a list of currently reading and recent read books on my blog if you need more!
I love that reading nook!!!!!
This year I have read alot one of my faves was
The Secret Garden by Kate Morton
and I also love reading
Elin Hilderbrand books in summer the last one I read was The Blue Bistro (soooo good)
Camilla,
How do you create these vignettes online (with the numbers and corresponding decor items)? I love your blog, and want to create a little decor “mood board/vignette” for my sister’s apartment as a birthday present to her. Is there a special program or website that helps (or just superior computer skills that I don’t have!!!). Thanks for you help.
Nomita
That coral paint is beautiful!! The Complete Persepolis is a graphic novel by Marjane Satrapi. It’s her memoir. A fast read.
Not sure how I found your blog, but I love looking at what you post! Thanks! A few on my summer reading list are 1000 Gifts, The Land Between, Organized Simplicity, Soul Satisfaction: for Women who long for More, and Choosing to See! Hope you enjoy! I got some ideas for my summer list just by reading your comments here and GO TEAM EDWARD! 🙂
These books have been mentioned in other comments but I’ll recommend them to..
-The Time Travelers Wife
-Outlander series
-Water for Elephants (just started it & its good)
Also, I’d recommend..
-Sarah’s Key
-Secret Daughter
-Her Fearful Symmetry (same author as The Time Travelers Wife)
– The Historian
Happy Reading 🙂
Read “little Bee” aka “The other hand” by Chris Cleeve. It will get under your skin. I was reading it on a train the other day and someone actually asked me of I was okay… That’s now much impact it had on me. For a little light reading, indeed, the Sookie Stackhouse series is incredible fun to read. Love, from the Netherlands.