Hello almost-summer.
Hello days of warm weather and long lazy afternoons and gentle breezes and afternoons by the pool and straw hats and sunshine.
I’m so happy you’re here.
Meet my reading list full of books I’ve already started or about to start or books I’m counting the minutes until I begin with Chapter 1….
….and my new way of reading them.
Have you ever heard of Oyster?
It’s like a Netflix for books.
Yep.
All the books you can read in a month for only $9.95/month. That’s right. Read one book if you want too. Or ten. Or a hundred. Or a million.
It’s called Oyster Unlimited.
And the best part? You can try Oyster Unlimited for FREE for the next 30 days.
Simply click here to sign up.
In addition to Oyster Unlimited, Oyster also has a store allows readers, including non-subscribers, to purchase and read virtually any ebook on Oyster, including all new releases and pre-orders. Books you purchase are yours forever.
Here’s what’s on my reading list right now:
The Distant Hours by Kate Morton
The Shoemaker’s Wife by Adriana Trigani
The Orchid House by Lucinda Riley
Brooklyn by Colm Toibin
An Assembly Such As This by Pamela Aidan
The House at Riverton by Kate Morton
Still Alice by Lisa Genova
The Art Forger by B.A. Shapiro
The Duchesses Tattoo by Daisy Goodwin
Soaring by Kristen Ashley
After you sign-up, you can check out the different categories.
There’s fiction books, like mysteries and romance and historical fiction and thrillers.
And non-fiction books like DIY and gardening and cookbooks and craft books.
Want to look for a specific title or author?
Click on the search button at the top.
You can check out award winning books.
Or the New York Times Best Seller List.
Or what’s brand new to Oyster.
When you click on each book title, there’s a synopsis of the book and more details.
You can add it to your reading list.
There’s also a list of related books (my favorite) that suggest other books similar to the one you just looked at.
After you download the book, a table of contents pulls up.
Simply click on Chapter 1 or scroll down to get started.
The app syncs all your devices together so you never lose your place. I started reading a book on one device and stopped. When I went back later, I started reading it on another device and it pulled up exactly where I left off reading.
I love this way of reading so much I can’t even stand it.
Truly.
I’ve read and read and read and read and I have so many more books to read.
And just when I thought I couldn’t be any more about Oyster, something happened that made me smile even more.
Something wonderful.
This is my reading list.
See the book on the very left? It’s called Boxcar Children.
And I didn’t download it.
I didn’t even know it was there until I pulled up my reading list to take a picture.
My daughter saw me reading and decided she needed to download her own book to read.
Like mother. Like daughter.
Let the summer of reading commence. 🙂
PS What’s on your reading list this summer?
PPS Click here to start your own summer of reading with a FREE 30-day trial of Oyster Unlimited.
disclosure: I wrote this post as part of a partnership with Oyster.
All opinions on books and reading and summer reading lists are mine.
Please see my disclosure page for more information.
You are a wealth of information! And speaking of books (nice segway Wendy), I received your sister Whitney's page folded book. It is breathtaking. It was Christmas morning excitement when I was opening the box. Thanks Whitney!
You'll LOVE your Kate Morton selections. The House at Riverton is one of my favorites. Careful not to buy The Shifting Fog though... it's the same book as The House at Riverton under a different title. Happy Reading!
Thanks so much for telling us about Oyster! I think I'll be reading anything by Elin Hilderbrand. Her books are set mostly in Nantucket, which I adore. : )
Ooh, thanks for the tip. I read The Shoemaker's Wife, and it was wonderful. Happy reading to all.
I love Oyster! I joined about a month ago and have had a blast browsing/picking all the books I want to read. I also like Bookbub...you can purchase books really cheap or free. Enjoy your summer reading!
*oops* this month not about a month, (a month ago I first read about it) geesh, brain cramp :)
Ooooo!!! Thanks for sharing!!❤️
Oh I SOOO wish I had time to read as much as I would like to!!!! With 3 kids under 5 (one is a newborn) and the biggest garden in the universe (seriously, I want to cry every time I look at the thing) I want to curl up in a corner with a good book and transport my mind to another time period with a good story line!!!! Thanks for sharing this. I will check it out.... and maybe do it.... this winter... or when my babies grow up a little;-) Jillynn
Oh, Karianne, I remember reading the Box Car Children when I was around 10. That was 63 years ago and I still remember the children and the story with fondness. Books can be great friends and I'm so glad that your daughter(s) and her mother are readers! Right now I have over 300 books on my Nook, but should I run out of reading material, I will be sure to check out Oyster!!
so hope your daughter enjoys the Boxcar Children as well; read those with my children - not sure how I missed them growing up but didn't realize they were around then so must have somehow
I am so excited about this! Thank you for sharing. The Shoemaker's Wife was on my summer list for last year, and I loved it! I hope you do too.
O.M.G. The Boxcar Children! I owned every one of those up until I think they numbered higher than 50 and read them over, and over, and over! They are still a beloved piece of my childhood (and somewhere I am pretty sure they are sitting in a box, waiting to be discovered and read by my own son). Adventure, mystery, suspense, and intelligent problem solving- these books offered so much. I truly hope that if your girls read them, that they find them just as fascinating and intriguing as I did. (I can very clearly remember many of stories even now- and I'm 30! lol) Thank you for such an amazing place to read and find inspiration. =)
Thanks for the info regarding oyster. What I am really curious about is your sign, "if you happy and you know it..." and wondering if you could tell me where it is available. I love it and it is perfect as a baby gift for the nursery. If you could share, that would be awesome. Thanks. And thanks for your website. Its part of my morning coffee break routine every morning at work. You make me smile many mornings
Hello!! May I be so presumptuous as to make a suggestion? The book is "Burnt Toast Makes You Sing Good" by Kathleen Flinn. It is biographical in nature and it is sooooo gooood!! I read all of her books including "The Sharper the Knife the Less You Cry" . She is a blogger and a Cordon Bleu chef. She followed her dream but the first book mentioned is about her childhood. Oh my gosh!! I cried at the end and yet I was smiling because of all the tender emotions. She is a great writer. Disclosure -- she doesn't know me from Adam and I don't get anything out of recommending her books.
Your reading list looks fabulous!! I'll have to take a peak for myself!! I have a Nook and have it loaded to the gills at the moment, but will check our Oyster!! And I love everyone's additional suggestions on books!! Thanks folks!! Naturally, I want to know about something you didn't blog about!! The chalkboard notebook that you show with your name on the front - if you have talked about it already I missed it! Can you disclose where you got this? I must have one!!