by authors of Always Never Yours, Emily Wibberley and Austin Siegemund-Broka
Summer’s coming up! Unathletic and easily sunburned nerds that we are, our favorite part of summer is summer reading. We’ve compiled a few essentials to improve the upcoming sweltering days spent with books.
Romeo and Juliet
Obviously, we’re a bit biased. We did just write a whole book about this unforgettable romantic tragedy. But whatever. If there’s one thing we could throw onto your summer TBR, it would be this iconic play. Don’t worry if you’ve read it before, either. We’ve found it gets better with every reread. Full disclosure: We weren’t even big fans the first time we read R&J for high school English. But with every return, Tybalt’s insults get more savage, Romeo gets more endearing despite his ridiculousness, and the conclusion gets more heartrendingly inevitable.
Perfect iced tea
One of the perks of summer is reading outside. If you’ve brought your book into the backyard, to the beach, or onto the campus green, you’re going to need the perfect ice-cold drink. We’re iced tea people, and we’re waiting for the right summer day to brew one of these recipes and head onto the balcony. Peach ginger pairs nicely with Much Ado About Nothing, right?
…and reading snacks
When you love what you’re reading, you don’t want to put the book down even to eat. Which is why you need reading snacks! We recommend the obvious, from Simon Spier’s sandwich cookie of choice to Trader Joe’s peanut-butter pretzels. If you have time and Nutella (and honestly, who doesn’t?) our favorite reading fortification would have to be this recipe for Nutella-filled blondies. Bring a platter onto the couch and we have a hunch before long you won’t be reading by yourself.
The right bookmark
Done right, bookmarks are way more than markers for your page. They’re reading inspiration, reminding you why you love books in the first place. Case in point: the beautiful YA-inspired bookmarks from FangirlPixieJar, BookishAdventures, and DrawnToThePages. What better to get you into summer reading than a favorite line from Illuminae or Six of Crows?
Bookish pillow
In order to really get the most out of summer reading, you need to be comfortable. Whether it’s lounging outside or on your bed, you might as well surround yourself with pillows and blankets with artwork of your favorite quotes and characters. Personally, we’re dreaming of the day we have a dedicated reading nook in our home. Until then, though, we’ve turned our entire apartment bookish-themed with help from Evie Seo’s wonderful work. In particular, allow us to direct your attention to the Mr. Darcy pillow.
Always Never Yours hits shelves today, so be sure to go check it out wherever you get your books from. You can also click on the book’s image below to purchase it from Amazon.
