Monday, July 21, 2014

Summertime and the Reading is Easy

by Carol






Summer is here, and to me that means some good, good readin' (to paraphrase the Beach Boys.) When I was growing up my mother's house had a screened in porch where I could be found with my nose in a book from morning to late night. I always enjoy Dotti's pictures of her grand daughter reading - because that was me. And the porch allowed the comfort of inside with the air and smells and birds of outside - what bliss! My house has a deck - but I am not screened in, so come evening, the bugs chase me inside.


Fairy Tale cottage
La Pluie de Roses, Giverny, France


But I have a new fantasy now. On my recent trip to France, I stayed in a perfect guest house. From the intriguing sign on the flowered wall; to the first  fairy tale view as you open the iron gate. From walking down my little stone path to entering my lovely room (which was really almost a suite!) Throw in a neck-deep bathtub and a beautiful breakfast room for we guests, it was almost perfect. 


I followed one of many paths around the property. Each path was different. You might walk on soft pine needles, or view the restored barn-house next door You might visit a pond with frogs so loud that we thought it had squealing a pigpen in the back.

The frog pond




Breakfast is served.


 But one path in particular took the almost right out of that sentence above! For I discovered - a reading room in the woods! It had billowing white curtains, and a big warm comfy love seat, a pile of blankets and pillows, and a tiny wood burning stove for when there is a chill in the air. But it also opened up onto a patio for warm summer nights. And it was stocked better than a fishing hole - ! - stocked with magazines and books and news clippings. Our hosts Phillippe and Elizabette told us to use it anytime, - even sleep there if we chose to leave our gorgeous rooms. Philllippe brought us some fresh white wine when we did. Sigh.... it's really just short of a miracle that I ever came home!

How great is this????



So, I'm just telling you now - that if I ever win the lottery, I am going to fly Carol Hart and Leigh Love out to my house and have them build a garden with paths leading to my own personal reading room - and then, unless you all join me there, you may never hear from me again.......


How about a picture or a comment about your favorite book you've read this summer? We all love to read here and it's always great to add to our reading lists. Some of my summer reads are pictured above. My absolute favorite this summer is not pictured because I read it on my Kindle. It's called  All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr. What a GREAT read!

The welcoming committee!





10 comments:

heyjudephotography said...

Your title reminds me of my local library - they have a sign with the same slogan on it! Sigghhhhhh....what a beautiful space! You must have gasped with delight when you came upon this! I would love to come visit you, sip wine and read here. (and I love your first photo of the stack of books - real books. I know I will succumb some day, but for now I don't own a Kindle. Just real books made of paper for me!)

Jeanne said...

WOW! What an amazing reading room this is! I also loved reading out on the porch in my grandmothers glider, but have to say this looks way better. A great idea, and wish I had one of these in my woods!

terriporter said...

What an amazing place! Just like a fairytale! I can imagine it was hard to leave there. Luckily you have beautiful photos to remember it by. Reading in a beautiful spot like that has to be pure heaven! I have the Anna Quindlen book waiting for me to take on vacation in a week and a half and I'll be reading it on the beach. Not quite a reading room in the woods in France but I'll take it!

Sarah Huizenga said...

I will add that book to my reading list. The best book I have read so far this summer was The Dressmaker by Kate Alcott.

Kim Stevens said...

Wow, I'm right there with ya, you would have to take me kicking and screaming from that reading room in the woods....sigh!! What a wonderful experience and gorgeous photos!!

Dotti said...

This is a fantastic place! How lucky your hosts are to own such a wonderland! And so glad you enjoy photos of my granddaughter reading. I love to take them because we're all so delighted that she's such an avid reader. I was a reader as a child and her mom was but this kid reads circles around us. I'm knee deep in murder mysteries this summer, perfect for easy reading and easy living. My favorite mystery author is Louise Penny who has a new Gamache novel out in a month. Right now I'm reading Martha Grimes latest Richard Jury novel. She has such an amazing way of weaving humor into her stories.

Barb said...

I also read the Doerr book and loved it. I also liked Zentner's The Lobster Kings. The guest house and "reading room" where you stayed are unbelievably charming!

Cathy said...

Oh Doerr's book is on my list. I would read anything in that space, it is so beautiful. Right now I am reading The Three Junes by Julia Glass. it is good.

Carol said...

And I have read The THree Junes, Cathy. We are on the same wavelength

kelly said...

oh my gosh carol...it's like a scene out of a fairy tale...just magic. i think it would be hard for me to get anything done with a space like that! :) and as far as books go, i just finished a beautiful anarchy by david duchemin. it was a great e-book on living a creative life.

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