Best of the Summer: Books, Recipes, and More

Sharing is caring, my friends, so here are some of my favorite things as summer draws to a close. Please feel free to comment below or send me a note with some of your “best of the summer” recommendations as well! I always love hearing from you 🙂

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My Summer Reading List

Note: Book links below are affiliate links which means if you click on them and buy something I may receive a commission at no cost to you. If that makes you feel weird, just search for the books in a new window.

Non-Fiction:

Write. Publish. Repeat. The No-Luck-Required Guide to Self-Publishing Success by Sean Platt and Johnny B. Truant

Regardless of your publishing path, this book is a great read on how to better understand our writing as a business. As Platt and Truant put it, “The more you treat your writing like a business, the more likely you’ll be to have a businesslike result rather than a starving artist’s.”

It’s always nice to not need to starve for our art!

Platt and Truant definitely believe in the art and creative side of writing but they argue that the business side is equally important. They teach solid strategies that work despite culture shifts, and show how making a living from our writing and being successful doesn’t require lightning-strike-luck.

Basically, being a writer doesn’t need to require luck but it does require work.

I found it encouraging to see the writing business broken down into strategies along with personal examples. Success doesn’t come overnight but, if we keep writing and keep working, we’ll get there!

Fiction:

Empress of All Seasons by Emiko Jean

I’ve been reading a lot of Asian-inspired fantasy recently and this was hands-down my favorite fiction read of the summer. I just wanted to savor the pages and soak in the words and imagery.

Empress of All Seasons is a YA fantasy set in ancient Japan and it is rich with woldbuilding and complex characters. It raises questions about loyalty and family, self-worth and finding personal strength, and how to stand up for what matters.

This was an enjoyable read that I didn’t want to end. If you can find it through your local library or pick up your own copy, I hope you enjoy!

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My Summer Recipes

Greek Couscous Salad – Taste of Home

This recipe fulfills the perfect storm of requirements to be healthy, easy, relatively cheap, and delicious! Plus on two occasions when I knew I’d be busy I was able to make this in advance and then just stick it in the fridge until I needed it. So yeah, I’m a fan!

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Zucchini-Oat Dark Chocolate Chip Cookies – Very Best Baking

We were the happy recipients of lots of zucchini this summer and these cookies were an easy and delicious way to use up some of it. Plus, getting veggies in cookies? It’s practically a health food. 😉

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Self Care

With fall coming in and school starting, schedules are changing for many of us. Whether or not your own habits are being impacted by the season, let’s all take a moment to evaluate our time and well being.

• How are we doing these days physically?
• What about emotionally?
• How can we be taking better care of ourselves?
• What would we like to be doing differently in the coming months so we can finish this year out well?

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Writing Prompt

Brainstorm a scene or story snippet featuring one of the side characters from your WIP or a favorite story. What does life look like in their world and from their perspective?

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Quotes

“We have to continually be jumping off cliffs and developing our wings on the way down.” -Kurt Vonnegut

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“Take chances, make mistakes, get messy!” -Ms. Frizzle (The Magic School Bus)

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Enjoy the last days of summer, share some of your favorite things below, and happy writing! 🙂