Can you believe Memorial Day is next weekend?! The unofficial start of summer is days away, and plans are being made left and right. Of course, books factor into all my trips down the shore, long car rides, and pool days because I never leave home without one.
Right now, I’m slowly cultivating my summer reading list. Like a fine wine, I want this list to be both robust and well-balanced. I want titles that match my exquisite taste in fiction, quench my thirst for knowledge, and fill my glass to the brim with lots of great flavors.
Most of the books I have selected are already on my shelves, but there are a few that I will acquire to round out my collection. I have been researching different titles based on recommendations from the sommeliers of the literary world – like the New York Times bestseller list, the Modern Mrs. Darcy book club, and #bookstagram. Next month, I will briefly lift my self-imposed, book-buying ban, select what I hope are “excellent choices,” and then put a cork in it for the rest of the summer.
I hope you will join me in celebrating this upcoming summer of books and wine. A wise man once said, “Great wines are like great books. Once you take your first ‘sip,’ they are hard to put down.
When I was a child, my parents labeled different things in the house to teach me to read. In our living room, the lamp on the end table would most likely have had a sign taped to it that said “lamp.” In my bedroom, signs for the bed, desk, window, and door were in my line of sight. Even the clock that looked like a flower in our 70’s kitchen had a sign next to it with the word “clock.”
Upon seeing this wallpaper, I yelled out “clock, clock, clock,” pointing to each flower because they reminded me of the flower clock in the kitchen. It made perfect sense to me at the time. I guess my parents didn’t think to put signs out in the garden for flowers, trees, and bushes.
I used to be excited about going to the movies. I went all the time as a kid. I loved the big screen and the candy. And it was great to go every year on December 25 because my family celebrated a Jewish Christmas. The movie theater was the only thing open, and my friends were all there. We could hold a minyan if we wanted to because the entire congregation – including the rabbi – filled up the seats.