Alex Luppens-Dale won the “Enthusiastic Reader Award” all four years of high school. She is a graduate of Sarah Lawrence College and received her MFA in Creative Writing from The New School. Her favorite genres are memoir, witches, and anything with cults. She lives in New Jersey. You can keep up with Alex's latest work at her website.
I am always jealous when the summer reading program starts at my local library because, like most of us, I fondly remember the summers when all I had to do was read. Also, the program is for children only, and I totally get it, but… do I, really? My reading life is usually a private thing, and it’s fun to share it with others in different ways. One summer, I tracked all of my books and gave the list to my gym teacher, who didn’t believe that I could read 100 books in three months. I showed him that I might not be able to hit a ball with a bat or jump rope, but I could hyperfixate with the best of them.
I’m not the kind of person who curates a seasonal reading list, so my summer reading tends, with few exceptions, to look mostly like my winter reading: books I’ve acquired recently that will inevitably be sidelined by whatever comes in on my Libby holds list. Any read can be a beach read if I’m reading it at the beach (though I will admit that I did have a hard time reading about the wives of Henry VIII at the Wildwood, NJ boardwalk).
Here are some gifts you can buy for yourself if you love to track and be rewarded for your reading. From shirts and hats that proclaim you’re living your best bookish summer life to candles to illuminate late nights reading, hot bookish summer has officially arrived!
image from IrelandMaloneDesigns on EtsyThese beach reads stickers would be great to decorate your ereader for the summer. $4
The Goods
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image from TFCustomGifts on EtsyThis personalized page anchor is ready to hold your book open on a windy day at the beach or pool. $47
image from KentGift on EtsyLet the world know that Book Girl Summer has officially begun with this adorable hat, which is available in multiple colors. $10
image from OldSchoolKlaus on EtsyOr perhaps you’d rather express your summer reading goals on a shirt—available in sizes S-3XL and just about every hue you can think of. $35
image from SaintJoeCo on EtsyHere’s a simpler take on Book Girl Summer—so nice it’s on there thrice! Also available in sizes S-3XL and a variety of colors. $28
image from PaintedPromisesCo on EtsySet your goals and rate your reads on these handy cards, which can also be used as a bookmark! $6+
image from FatedFiction on EtsyLet the world know that the only thing you need to be ready for summer is your latest read. $4
image from PinkLightAccessories on EtsyKeep your hair out of your face and your eyes on the page with this darling bookish hair clip. $18
image from SkylarandBelle on EtsyYearning for Halloween but, alas, it’s only July? This T-shirt might be for you. Sizes S-4XL. $31
image from FlickTheWick on EtsyThis scented candle will illuminate your nights and make you feel like you’ve never left the beach. $25
image from TheBookishRelics on EtsyAdd this thematically appropriate bookmark set to your TBR stack. $8 for all four.
Summer is hands-down one of the best seasons for reading (along with spring, fall, and winter). I hope you’re able to make the best of it!
English (US) · 