Hot Days, Cool Spots: Where (and What) Authors Read this Summer

Zilla Jones, The World So Wide (Cormorant Books)

In Manitoba, the winters are long and the summers are short. But there’s something magical about a prairie summer—big blue skies, clear, cool water and land that comes alive, from the tall grasslands to the boreal forests to the rocky shores and sand dunes of the many lakes. Normally, my summer reading spot is lakeside where I can hear the splash of the waves, the calls of gulls and loons, and feel the cooling breeze. But this summer, forest fires in Northern Manitoba have threatened these beautiful but fragile habitats and made it difficult to be outside for long periods of time. So I am doing more of my summer reading within the City of Winnipeg, Treaty 1 territory and home of the Métis nation, outdoors if conditions allow. Here is one lovely spot right in my Wolseley neighbourhood. This is Omand’s Creek Park, overlooking the Assiniboine River, where I’m enjoying some great reads from my publisher, Cormorant Books. Check out these books (pictured) by Emily Weedon, Sheila Murray and Saad T. Farooqi. 

Hollay Ghadery, Widow Fantasies (Gordon Hill Press)

My favourite summer reading spot is in the goat paddock with my girls, Dorothy and Blanche. The space is peaceful, the company is adorbs, and there’s an ideal sun to shade ratio.  

Reading: The Exclusion Zone by Alexis Von Konigslow (Wolsak & Wynn)

Also pictured: Born to Walk: My Journey of Trials and Resilience by Alpha Nkuranga (Goose Lane Editions), Carrying It Forward: Essays from Kistahpinanihk by John Brady McDonald (Wolsak & Wynn), In the Bear’s House by Bruce Hunter, and Deviant by Patrick Grace.

Ben Ladouceur, I Remember Lights (Book*hug Press)

Here is a photo of me in my postage stamp-sized backyard, with my current favourite notebook (Rhodia), my favourite BIC pen of over 12 years (I have used up all the black ink, and it’s not looking good for the reserves of blue), and my four-year-old poodle, Midgley. I’ve given her a rawhide chew so she’ll leave me alone, but that doesn’t necessarily mean I’ll get much writing done.

Greg Rhyno, Who by Water (Cormorant Books)

After a long winter indoors, I don’t really care where I read in the summer, as long as it’s outside. Parks, beaches, the milk crate behind Denny’s—these are all solid options—but most of the time, I prefer my own back yard, where I can enjoy the comfort of wearing Crocs and/or jorts without fear of reprisal. And as a bonus, sometimes my dog’s there, too. 

Lindsay Zier-Vogel, The Fun Times Brigade (Book*hug Press)

My very favourite place to read in the summer floating on a body of water! Any body of water!!! Though this is not always practical, so my second favourite place is in my hammock. Some friends went travelling a few summers ago, and let us borrow their hammock, and I have never looked back! 

My favourite thing to do in the summer is gulp down a book a day and the last two very gulpable books I’ve read have been Teri Vlassopoulos’ Living Expenses (Invisible Publishing) and Heather Birrell’s Born (Coach House Books).

Matt Rader, Fine (Nightwood Editiosn)

For a few years, I’ve spent a good part of my summers reading on this Balkon in Prenzlauer Berg, Berlin. The pigeons rev themselves up in the window wells of the Hof. The Bahn rattles by in the rail cut below. The bells from the Catholic Kirche ring on the hour. I’m in another world in another world.

Danila Botha, A Place for People Like Us (Guernica Editions)

Summer is by far my favourite season. I love the sultriness of summer in Toronto, the sweltering heat feels like home to me. I love seeing multi coloured poppies and overflowing peony bushes on people’s lawns, watching apple and pear trees springing to life, seeing raccoons and rabbits cavorting in broad daylight with days old pizza slices or a fuzzy handful of someone’s marigolds in their mouths as they cross the streets, cardinals and goldfinches whizzing by in the faintly lilac scented air. My favourite place to observe all of this is in my own backyard. It’s the perfect place to read, quiet but always fizzing with quiet energy. I have the most comfortable, beautifully shaded bench that can hold multiple piles of amazing books, that I can sit or stretch out or even lie down on. Right now, I’m reading fellow Guernica Editions author Lynda Williams’ incredible short story collection, The Beauty and the Hell of it, and rereading amazing short story collections by Kate Cayley (The reissue of the fantastic How You Were Born, Book*hug Press), Skin by Catherine Bush (Goose Lane Editions), A Way to Be Happy by Caroline Adderson (Biblioasis), and Here Is Still Here by Sivan Slapak (Linda Leith Publishing), among so many others.

It’s also the perfect place to write. In fact, the first draft of my upcoming Guernica Editions novel, A Place for People Like Us was plotted in this very spot.

Anna Maskerine, Beneath My Scars (Caitlin Press)

Here’s one of my absolute favourite summer reading spots—my patio!

It’s the perfect spot, relaxing with a cup of tea and a good book. With the beautiful backdrop of the meadow, deer in distance, hummingbirds whizzing in and out to feed, and the warm breeze blowing down the mountainside, it doesn’t get any better.  

Stefano Jun, Straight Outta Busan (Renegade Arts)

My favourite summer reading spot is in the Calgary Central Library, on the third floor facing north. The library building is built above the C-Train tracks, so I can watch the trains coming in and out. As someone who loves trains and architecture, the Central Library can keep me entertained all day. But, best of all, there is no shortage of books to read inside!

Monique Polak, Christmas Weekend (Linda Leith Publishing)

My favourite summer reading spot is Bohémien des Mers. That’s the name of my husband’s sailboat on Lake Champlain. We go to the boat most summer weekends and when I’m not winching or adjusting the sails, you can find me reading outside in the cockpit. There’s something about the gentle rocking of the waves that adds to my reading pleasure. And because my Internet connection is spotty, I have few distractions. Most weekends I am able to gobble up at least one book, and sometimes two. This weekend, I finished Eric Siblin’s novel The Fatal Scroll (ECW), which taught me a lot about papyrus manuscripts and ancient philosophy, and built to a splendid conclusion. Now I’m deep into Edeet Ravel’s historical YA novel Miss Matty (Linda Leith Publishing), rooting for her feisty, likeable young characters. 

John Brady McDonald, What Shade of Brown? (Radiant Press)

Summer finds me often traveling across Saskatchewan for cultural events, as well as with my work as a Union Activist. As a result, my reading is usually done in the car. I still have a CD player in my vehicle, so I will load up on books on CD at my local library before setting out. I’ve recently finished “Love Goes to Buildings on Fire: Five Years in New York that Changed Music Forever” by Will Hermes, and I’ll be soon reading “Carsick: John Waters Hitchhikes Across America” by John Waters.

Nathan Dueck, (1979-) (Turnstone Press)

I’m a little concerned my answer to the summer reading spot prompt won’t work, but here goes. There I am, seated on a deck chair, exposing myself to some exceptional poetry. That, and some UV. There’s a breeze, but it’s over 30 degrees out. Not much humidity to speak of. That’s a rocky mountain over my shoulder—Mt. Baker, I think. Surrounding myself in nature’s splendor lets the words shine, hence the sunglasses. Now, I think that’s the right answer, but it’s not the real one. The real one won’t make me look very good. See, I usually read in the spare minutes between collapsing into bed and crashing. My eyes are bagged and there’s a small blob of toothpaste in the corner of my mouth. It’s been a long day. Thing is, how do you photograph that? Does anyone what to see it? I hope you’ll think I’m worth your while so you might think my book is worthwhile. So, just imagine midday rocky mountain air. Don’t worry, the bugs aren’t out.

Marilyn Bowering, The Unfinished World (Linda Leith Publishing)

For two months in the spring, from a couch near a window, I watched the cherry trees bud, leaf, and blossom and then the wind blow petals into pale pink heaps on the grass. I read to make the time pass. Now, it is summer and at last I can carry my books outdoors. Time extends for as long as I want it, through shifts of sun and shade. The backyard cherry trees blow and dance, holding tightly onto their long green leaves while humming birds dip into what remains of the fruit. From the window, in those months of recovery, I watched the mountains across the strait slip off their white caps of snow. The garden chair, laundry, a pink flamingo left by a child, and pots for various planting projects, are strewn in the yard like debris left after a thaw. The books wait for me while I fetch a cup of tea. Each speaks to me of deep literature, generosity. and survival. I am travelling. No idea when I will be back.

Melodie Campbell, The Silent Film Star Murders (Cormorant Books)

I’ve always lived close to water. So when this lakefront condo came up for sale in Burlington, I couldn’t believe my good luck. Our balcony sits about 50 feet from the water’s edge. Waves and waterbirds provide the only significant noise, year-round. I snuggle down under blankets to read outside in the winter. And in summer, it’s bliss. Better still, my writing desk has its own window facing Lake Ontario. So that when I’m writing my 1920s ocean liner mystery series, I’m looking right out at the sparkling water below.

Margaret Macpherson, Tilting Towards Joy (Signature Editions)

I string up an old hammock under our backyard crab apple tree every spring. It’s dappled and quiet and far from the calling of household chores. The reading spot is such that people come to the back door and don’t notice me.  It’s my happy place; cool, private and green! Nothing beats getting lost in a good story. Even the occasional caterpillar encounter is worth the solitude and peace of that backyard tranquility! 

Kim Fahner, The Pollination Field (Turnstone Press)

I have a really beat up back deck that’s being replaced with a new one this summer, but for now—as it is every summer—I have my particular anti-gravity chair that I fancy because I can stretch out a bit. I love the view from there because I have a big backyard and it’s got a lot of maple trees in it. When I need to stop reading and think about something I’ve read, then I can lean back and look at the leaves fluttering in the wind. The birds are everywhere, and the neighbours have a nest of new baby woodpeckers. Initially, I thought they were baby squirrels, but apparently not. I love to sit out there in the later afternoon and just read with a cup of herbal tea. It’s the easiest place to slip into another world for a bit, where I don’t have to think about my own life for a while. Reading is the pillar of my self-care practice, and I love giving books as gifts, too. This year, I’ve recently read The Forty Rules of Love by Elif Shafak and now I’m reading Code Noir by Canisia Lubrin. Both are brilliant books!

Debbie McGee, Cautiously Pessimistic (Breakwater Books)

My deck in Heart’s Content, NL. Warmth, sun, breeze, the occasional car passing, fishing boats leaving or returning from the nearby government wharf. When I am sitting there, book in hand, I am at peace. This summer has been unrelentingly hot and dry, and sadly my house is under a regional state of emergency due to an out-of-control wildfire. So being at peace is rare right now—thank goodness for reading!