Life

My Summer TBR Pile

A lifelong reader's summer stack: seven ambitious picks, a Harry Potter read-along with our oldest, and the audiobook era.

My summer reading list is mostly a pile I haven’t touched since Spring Break. Ambitious, slightly dusty, and exactly where it belongs, on the nightstand. Every June I build the stack like a girl with endless quiet afternoons ahead of her. Every August it has somehow grown faster than it shrank.

I’ve been a reader for as long as I can remember. Books were my first little luxury (thank you, Scholastic book fairs, for getting me started early), and a stack of unread ones still feels more like a promise than a chore.

A book fanned open to its pages on soft cream linen

This summer’s promises, in no particular order:

The reading that’s actually happening at our house is a different story. Our oldest and I started Harry Potter earlier this year, and we’re two books in. I honestly can’t tell you which of us is enjoying it more. I read them for the first time as a kid, and reading them again with him brings all of it back: the same twists landing on a brand-new audience, the one-more-chapter negotiations, the whole thing. Some books are just better the second (or fifth) time, read out loud.

As for my own list, I’ll be honest about how half of it will actually get read: audiobooks. Somewhere between motherhood, kids’ extracurriculars, a classroom, and the general fullness of life, sitting down with a physical book has become a rare treat instead of a daily habit. Audiobooks gave reading back to me. The laundry gets folded, the drive goes faster, and the pile on the nightstand stops judging me quite so hard. And yes, it counts.

So that’s my stack. Be forewarned: sometimes I hit up Indigo on a whim and the stack keeps stacking… What’s on your nightstand this summer? No shame if it isn’t deep, meaningful, or educational. If you follow me on Goodreads, you’ll see it all!

Warmly,
Kristen

Keep reading

Life

The Blog I Almost Didn't Start

Why starting this blog took years: the quiet (and not so quiet) doubts, the mid-thirties shift, and a chronic oversharer finally writing it down.

Back to the blog

the pine & page letter

For calmer mornings

Join the letter for outfit ideas, favorite finds, and the little things that make the week lighter. As a welcome, I will send you our free Sunday Reset, a gentle ritual for the hour when the week turns. No noise, unsubscribe anytime.