A Few Thoughts on Beach Reads & Ladies of Summer Event!
Last week I was lucky enough to attend the Ladies of Summer event near my hometown in Connecticut. It was quite a day to get there, since we had TORRENTIAL thunderstorms in the afternoon (that I got caught in). The rain basically caused the subway stop at Grand Central to flood, stalling train service during rush hour, and I missed the original train I wanted to catch. Ah, NYC you beautiful, magical, frustrating creature.
But all was well, since I still managed to change into something presentable (on a moving Metro North train) and make it to the Wee Burn Country Club in Darien, CT by 6:20. Thankfully, one of the authors (hi Elin!) also was trapped by the rush hour storms and I didn’t miss a thing.
Before I talk about the event, I wanted to share my thoughts on attending events solo. When I knew I’d be able to attend, I asked my mom to go with me, but she wasn’t going to be able to make it in time. I didn’t even bat an eye; I knew I still wanted to go and I would. Just 2 years ago, maybe even 18 months ago, I don’t know if I would have had the strength to do that. When I arrived and saw so many people in pairs, I had a moment of “oh no what have I done” but I grabbed a glass of wine and went on. I ended up meeting so many other women who came by themselves and had lovely conversations with all of them. Plus, I wasn’t even embarrassed to mention this space. So if any of you are reading, hi! Thank you for being so wonderful!
The Barrett Bookstore is the oldest independent bookstore still in operation in Fairfield County. This was their 5th annual Ladies of Summer event and this year the authors featured were Mary Kay Andrews, Jamie Brenner, and Elin Hilderbrand.
Truth be told, I’ve not read any Mary Kay Andrews and Jamie Brenner has been on my to be read list for the longest time. But you all know I am well versed in Hilderbrand. The event included discounted prices on the authors’ latest new releases, hors d’oeuvres, and a variety of wine and cocktails. Plus, the authors would be available to signings after the panel! It was a lovely atmosphere but the true magic was hearing these authors speak.
The conversation centered on the idea of beach reads. Mary Kay Andrews is simply hilarious. She spoke of the term “guilty pleasure” and how there is no reason to feel guilty for feeling pleasure. Beach reads get a bad reputation for being fluffy and lacking substance. But WHY should we feel guilty for reading what brings us joy? One of my main philosophies and reasons I started this space in the first place is that I want to break down the stigma that reading is elitist.
I loved what all the authors had to say on the matter, especially Elin’s words that everyone deserves a bit of summer, whether you’re reading with your feet in the same or in landlocked Ohio or sitting in a hospital.
I personally have always found the need to balance my reading. I love memoirs, I love dense historical fiction, I love important books that are tough to read but necessary. But in between those, I definitely always need to balance with “lighter” books. Books that are typically contemporary or focus on real people with every day problems. And I don’t think there should be any shame in that. Jamie Brenner spoke on our need to escapism to make it through difficult times. It doesn’t we aren’t paying attention to the world around us. It means we are taking care of our minds.
I’d love for you to share your thoughts on “beach reads” in the comments. I think it could be a really fun dialogue! The authors were incredible and I am so grateful I had the chance to meet them. A HUGE thank you to Barrett Bookstore for hosting such a magical event!
Click through the slideshow below to see more pictures from the event!
