This heat wave does not seem to be coming to an end any time in the near (or far) future. We're stuck with it. It is annoying, and dangerous. 

My advice? Stay in and read! And hydrate, of course. For hydration, I have discovered flavored sparkling water. I drink regular water as well, but when I want something sweet I pour the sparkling water over ice instead of raiding the cookie jar. It works.

As for reading my way through the heat...Well, if you know me at all, you know I've been a voracious reader since around the age of six. All genres, all book lengths. Nothing is taboo or overlooked. I admit to not being a big fan of romances or girly fiction, but if stuck in a coffee shop during a rainstorm, I'll take 'em. 

I thought, for any other readers out there, I would share some recent reads.

Right now, I'm reading two books. One is The House On the Cerulean Sea by T. J. Klune. It is a book for almost all ages. I'm in love with it! The other is almost as good - Behold the Dreamers by Imbolo Mbue. It is the Richardson Reads book for 2022. Very timely and well-written. It deals with a heavy subject in a light but respectful way.

Some of my other recent reads are A Gentleman In Moscow, The Shadow Box, The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society, Miss Benson's Beetle, A Flicker In the Dark, The Sword of Shannara, A Discovery of Witches and A Shadow Of Night, The Forgotten Garden, The Midnight Library, The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane, and Stiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers (not recommended). 

Sitting beside me, waiting their turn, are Light a Penny Candle by one of my favorite authors (Maeve Binchy) and one I picked up at the library on a whim - The Most Famous Illegal Goose Creek Parade by Virginia Smith. 

I'm still writing. But every famous author I have seen interviewed, or heard speak, says good writers have to read a lot. So I'm really just doing my homework by reading my way through this heat wave.

What are you reading?