It was the official first week of summer! And while I work all summer long, I can definitely feel the later mornings and slower pace. And that feels good. This week, I’ve got an eclectic mix of books (about butts!), writing challenges and even some new screensavers to share.

What I’m Reading:

This week, I read an advanced copy of Willodeen by Katherine Applegate and it has my heart. What a beautiful story of love, loss, friendship, fighting for what’s right and finding your way. The story follows Willodeen as she struggles to make sense of her loss and social awkwardness through the magical gifts of friendship and trust in the natural world. I’m wishing I could head to Perchance to live among the Screechers and Hummingbears as Willodeen works to restore balance to nature (who always knows more than we do) and honor the memory of her family in the process.

The Clothing of Books by Jhumpa Lahari was a lovely little book. Small in size, it was big in information. Lahiri takes us through the magical complication of book covers: the good, the bad and the confusing. I’ve been fascinated by book covers and book jackets for a while and this little book was filled with bookish fun. Why book covers? Why not? How are they chosen? How are they rejected? How have they changed? And why do they matter so much to the reading AND writing experience? This book was great fun.

Are you in Summer reading mode yet? I made a few fun screensavers for myself to remind me to close the computer and pick up a book (or my notebook!) instead. If you need this reminder, too, download four of my current screensavers and wallpaper here!

What I’m Writing:

I’ve joined Kate Messner’s Teachers Write summer challenge. Each Monday, Kate shares an inspiring post and invites us to put pen to paper. This week was all about breathing and reflection, two things absolutely perfect for the start of the summer.

One more thing: Gretchen Rubin shared this quote this week and I bet some of you need to hear it, too: There is no agony like bearing an untold story inside of you (Zora Neale Hurston).

What I’m Learning:

Ok, stick with me here. I listened to an episode of the Curiosity Daily podcast this week and learned something fascinating: mammals can breathe through their butts. Really. And listening made me think of a fun picture book: I Need a New Butt by Dawn McMillan. And that reminded me of The Butt Book by Artie Bennett AND Butts Are Everywhere Hardcover by Jonathan Stutzman. Honestly, it was such fun pairing texts to the podcast and it made me think I need to do more of this and then share those lists with all of you. What do you think?

Here’s another set inspired by the power of YES:

Oh, I can envision more of these in my reading journal already!

What I’m Loving:

Learn how to make a miniature foldable notebook with just a single piece of paper. I need to make many, many more of these.

I admire people who can design beautiful presentation slides, especially after Zooming for hours a day during the pandemic. This site has some beautiful templates.

Do you know about Get Human? It’s this amazing little site that gives you a customer service number for almost any company you think of AND ACTUALLY TALK TO A HUMAN! What a time-saver.

There you have it! I hope this inspires you to make space for more reading and writing in your own life. What are the highlights from your literate life this week?