Summer Books ~ Tuesday 4

Welcome to Toni Taddeo's Tuesday 4 which is not limited to Tuesday by any means.  You can join in whenever you want to!

Will you be reading this coming summer? 

When the weather gets hot and humid so many stay indoors to keep cool and studies show that people read more in the summer.

How about you?  Let's discuss it.

1. Do you have a favorite kind of book that you like in the summertime? What kind is it? Mystery? Bio?

I don't select my books by season. I simply read whatever I want and whatever is available at the library. I put most of my books on hold at the library and some come up sooner than others so they get read first.  I try to expand my scope of experience by reading a variety of genres but my favourite genre is historical fiction.  I didn't really give much thought to what kind of books I loved most but it became obvious once I started logging my reading on the Goodreads website.

2. Is there a book you return to again and again and if so why?  

I don't tend to re-read books but there are a few exceptions. I loved The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini and have read it twice. I also read Anna Karenina, by Leo Tolstoy twice. I loved many other books equally but never re-read them. There are just so many books to be read although I am planning to re-read The Shellseekers by Rosamunde Pilcher, one of my favourite authors.  The book was made into a movie but I didn't like it much.

3.  What book is better than the movie and what movie is better than the book?

This is a good question.  Generally I've found that I've enjoyed a book more than any movie it's based on though there are one or two exceptions. One that comes to mind is The English Patient. I didn't like the book but loved the movie. One movie and book I enjoyed equally is The Life of Pi.

4. Do you have a list of books you are looking forward to reading this summer?

I don't have a list of books to read for the summer.  I have a modest reading goal of 40 books for 2025 and I think I've completed 23 of them to date.  I usually read about 60 books per year but in 2025 want to make more time for crafting. I have several books on hold right now and will try to spread them out over the summer months. None of them are really 'must reads'.  Just books I've heard of along the way and added to my list of books to read.

The Warm Months ~ Tuesday 4

Welcome back to Toni Taddeo's Tuesday 4.  

Warmer days

Spring has come and Summer is approaching.  Linda says the temps in Florida are already in the 90s and humidity through the roof.  But days are growing longer for everyone.  How does it affect you?

1.  Daylight is getting longer... what do you do with the extra daylight?  Is it useful, productive or not?

I like the extra daylight because sun and light lift my mood from the dreary, dark days of winter. I'm not sure it makes me more productive but it makes it easier to see things indoors when doing handcrafts or cleaning corners of the house. Sometimes in fact, the light is too good when cleaning, lol.

2.  If you live where its more moderate do you spend more time outdoors?  If you live in the tropical climate does it keep you inside?  Does the extra day light cause more heat and more use of utilities for you?

I don't spend more time outdoors when it's lighter. I just enjoy the light inside with curtains and doors wide open until a chill fills the air.  Even though I live in the rainforest we've been having drought like conditions for years over the summer months. It can get super hot and since I don't do well in heat and don't have air conditioning, I remain indoors and keep movement to a minimum. I also have the fans going and lots of water on hand. The utilities usage balances out because I use more heating in winter and more fans in the summer.

 

3. How do you cool your home?  How do you cool yourself off in the heat of the day?

With fans, cold drinks and staying in the shade. If I go out most places are air conditioned. Sometimes it's even a bit too cold in such places so I usually have a wrap or a light jacket for covering. Often though I'm just relaxing at home. I know many people flock to the beaches and parks but I personally don't find it that comfortable especially because you have to carry everything you need with you. I'd rather be at home where everything is at hand including the washrooms which I don't have to share with the public. If I go to the park, I like to go to one that has refreshments nearby and lots of public restrooms.

4. Do you enjoy a good barbeque outside in the warmer months or do you cook outside and eat inside?  What foods do you enjoy on the barbeque?    If you don't barbeque, what foods  and drinks do you enjoy in the warmer months?

I used to enjoy a good barbeque outside but haven't done that for many years.  I enjoy simple foods like green salads and potato and egg salad, cold cuts or cold chicken, the occasional smokies, corn on the cob and lots of fresh fruits like watermelon.  I enjoy a sweeter drink but can't indulge in them too much due to the high sugar content. I do not enjoy stevia sweetened products or artificially sweetened items. That means I drink a lot of cold water. I will sometimes steep some tea leaves in the cold water overnight. I like the taste without sweetener but I sometimes add freshly squeezed lemon juice.