Summer reading

Every year as a child, I took part in the library's summer reading program. Mom would take me and my sisters to the neighborhood library to sign up, and since reading was one of our favorite things to do, we often earned the top prize: reading 100 books before school started up in the fall.

When I was a child with no responsibilities, it was easy. Today, not so much. Even though I no longer work, my days are still filled with other activities:  keeping up with the garden, fly fishing, housekeeping, and our cabin. And there are wineries to visit, and road trips to plan, and time to devote to family and friends.

My reading time most of the year is dedicated to non-fiction. Photography, quilting, watercolor painting, and cooking have been common themes this year, and I've managed to squeeze in a few novels along the way. So it's nice to look at my current stack of books and see mostly fiction for a change. I snagged most of these from the Choice Reads shelves in my local library. Some are new authors to me; others are new books from comfortable, familiar authors.

I've finished three so far:

Neither Wolf Nor Dog is on loan from my brother-in-law, Bob. It's the perfect read after I've climbed into bed each night, something to ease the transition from a busy day.

Rage Against the Dying is the first novel by a new writer, and it went to the ocean with me last week. It's very good, and I loved her characters. I'm looking forward to the next in the series.

The Road to Burgundy is autobiographical, about a San Francisco man who falls in love with the wines of Burgundy, decides to leave an unfulfilling career and learns how to make wine instead. I know what you're thinking... "yeah, another one of those tales." But this one may surprise you. It's not the best writing I've every read, but it's entertaining. And if you've ever tried to decipher the labels on French wines, the book will help you do just that. I read it in a few hours last week, sitting on the edge of the ocean.