Five Books That Are Perfect For Tent Reading

I learned at a scout meeting last night that camp grounds everywhere are filling up at unprecedented rates. I love that so many people are sleeping under the stars! And with sleeping under the stars comes reading under the stars. Tent reading is one of my favorite types of reading. If you’re new to sleeping on the ground here are five books that are perfect for reading while camping:

In A Dark, Dark Wood by Ruth Ware- A sinister tale of a bachelorette party gone wrong. A closed door spooky thriller perfect for reading in isolation.

Bird Box by Josh Malerman is a really good book if you’re willing to go with it. If you think too much about it you’ll think it’s dumb. Put yourself in a tent in the woods, and you’ll have one of the best, creepiest reading experiences you’ve ever had.

The Fifth Season by N.K. Jemisin is the start of a masterful trilogy. It’s the type of book you’ll want to read all at once in solitude, and when you finally figure out what’s going on, hang on!

Devotions by Mary Oliver is a gorgeous book of poetry that celebrates the little things that happen outside. Read it by the fire or in the hammock.

The River by Peter Heller is a charged and atmospheric wilderness survival story perfect for reading outside. Just don’t start too late at night because you’ll burn out the batteries in your head lamp reading all night.

Happy camping!

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Show Us Your Books January 2020

Winter sports have started which means a lot of my reading takes place at the ice rink now.

It never fails. As soon as I hit publish on my list of favorites from 2019 I read 3 amazing books. Don’t get me wrong, too many amazing books is a good problem to have, but I feel bad for my books. I hope they know they are all my favorites in their own way.

Should have been on my best of 2019 list

The Testaments by Margaret Atwood - This read like a warning to us all, with a glimpse of a silver lining. It’s not too late, but you need to pay attention. I was worried this sequel would be awful, but I liked it quite a bit.
The River by Peter Heller - A lot of the reviews on this book went back and forth on if it should be called a thriller. The tension of people vs. nature plus the constant threat of a hidden adversary thrilled me.
Stoner by John Williams - This book shows up a lot on lists of classics you probably haven’t read. I finally read it for a book club and thought it was wonderful. It sounds boring if I describe it - the story of an undistinguished man’s life, but Williams wrote with such a thoughtful melancholy and I loved it.

Audiobooks that got me through December

Cookies don’t bake themselves, and I needed the help of some good audiobooks.

Mystic River by Dennis Lehane - A good story that kept me guessing until the end. However I probably wouldn’t recommend this on audio because the narrator mispronounced all of the Massachusetts names and it drove me nuts.
Motherless Brooklyn by Jonathan Lethem - Another one that kept me guessing. However this one worked especially well on audio. If you tried to read this and couldn’t get into it because of the main characters ticks you might want to try it again.
Bad Blood by John Carreyrou - Completely bananas. I couldn’t believe this was a true story. If you think you know workplace drama, give this one a try. Woah.

Just as good the second time around

Part of project re-read

A Piece of the World by Christina Baker Kline - Once again this book ripped out my heart and crumpled it up like an old piece of paper. It’s very similar to Stoner now that I think about it.
A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith - I’ve been seeing this book everywhere lately, and I’m so glad it’s getting the love it deserves.

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