These Blazing Days of Summer.

At least, here in Michigan, it's blazing! And what better thing to do in the heat than to read a good book by the water...or in the water.

It's a little harder to read in the water with an e-reader, but I put mine in a Ziploc bag and voila! I can read anywhere, even on the boat.

When I read in the summertime, I go through phases. I start by reading good summertime romances--ones with hot nights and scenes by the campfire or under the moon and stars. Then I get so disgruntled by the heat that I move on to wintry stories--Christmas ones in particular. I figure maybe it'll cool me off if I'm reading about blizzards, etc.

Then at that point, I move on to my comfort reads because I realize that summer's nearly over and I haven't read as many books/relaxed as much as I'd wanted to, and I'd better get working on the relaxing part.

Sometimes I go back and read my old standbys from when I was a child--the Little House on the Prairie books, The Three Investigators, even an old YA romance by Phyllis A. Whitney called Step to the Music. Maybe it's the element of summer that makes me want to revisit old childhood reads.

What about you? Do you have a rhythm or a rhyme or reason for your summer reading? Do you find you actually get any summer reading done, or is it filled with schlepping kids, outdoor activities, and vacations?