Summer reading

“Can a day get any better?” I wonder out loud as I sit in the shade of a maple tree with my sister and cousin, and watch kids licking last drops of self-made raspberry ice cream off their spoons.

"Oh, I just remembered, my sis P. sent a big box of books with me. May-be you would like to come and take a look," cousin K. announces, knowing exactly how my sister and I would react. 

"Where books? What books? Of course, we want to see," my sis straightens up, a wide smile stretches over her face and she claps her hands in delight. I act equally excited, and our cousin burst into laughter.

"Didn't you just buy about six books from P. last Friday?" K. asks me.

"I did. I was glad P. was working that day. Together with my gift cards and her discount I got a really good deal.  But two of them were children books, I already finished two, and one can always add books to the summer to-be-read pile," I answered, even though I knew no justification was needed. I could have added that my eldest had given me two more of her books to read.

The laziness in our bones has vanished and with a newly found energy we head out of the garden. The kids sniff something happening and follow us with curiosity.

Our parade with imaginary drums and banners marches through the one village road. The birches, spruces, elms and cherry trees stand on the side of the road and cheer to us. Our neighbor’s old dog runs along the fence and barks hurrahs.

In less than five minutes we have reached out destination and are gathered around a brown cardboard treasure box. When the box is open the kids realize that there is nothing for them and they run off. My sister and I sniff and stroke and browse the books that look new and fresh. It’s great to be the first visitors of an unexpected library opening.  

books I bought and borrowed

My summer reading:

Before school ended, I finished Looking for Alaska by John Green. I had read his other books earlier in spring.

Then my eldest gave me Veronica Roth's Divergent and Insurgent.

At this point I switched to reading in Estonian.

One of my classmates had translated three books by Carlos Ruiz Zafon: The Shadow of the Wind, The Angel's Game and The Prisoner of Heaven - a bit dark and mysterious happenings in Barcelona.

The yellow book on the top is by an Estonian author Andrus Kivirähk: In the End of the World - a good laugh with only positive characters.

John Mole's It's All Greek to Me was his personal story of buying and restoring a house in a Greek village. 

 Michael Ondaatje's Anil's Ghost wasn't a light summer reading but so worth reading. 

 Sarah Winman's When God was a Rabbit is a mixture of events and relationships all narrated from the point of view of the main character Elly. The attitude and language of the book kept me engaged.

Currently I am reading Karen Blixen's Out of Africa.