Getting lost in a book with Talbots summer book club.

*This post was created in partnership with Talbots.  Thank you for supporting the brands I truly love.

Sweater. T-shirt. Jeans. Wedges. Necklace. Bag. c/o Talbots.

I have always loved to read.  When I was a kid, one of my favorite things to do in the summer was tuck myself away in a quiet spot in the house, or a shady spot in the yard and read the day away.  Now that I’m raising four little readers who love to do the same thing (maybe even more than me), it’s even more fun to pick out a new book or an old favorite, and spend a warm afternoon getting lost in a story.  So when I heard about Talbots summer book club program I was so excited, because it combines two of my favorite things, reading and shopping!  ;-) But seriously, I had to share it with you, because I know so many of you share my love of reading and this idea is so fun.

When I heard about Talbots’ summer book club program all I could think was how charming the idea is.  It reminded me of the bookshop Shakespeare and Company in Paris, where Hemingway and F. Scott Fitzgerald used to borrow books…  But I digress…

Okay here’s how it works:

Talbots has put together a whole Summer Book Club for us with an amazing  “Give a book. Get a book.” underground lending library.  What you can do is drop off a much-loved book at your local Talbots store and then pick up another book that someone else has loved, and highly recommends. You can go
back all summer to share and pick up new summer reads, amazing right?
They have also curated the most amazing Ultimate Summer Reading List.  So the list will include a  Talbots recommend book of the week (in partnership with Random House), plus recommendations from Influencers and of course, their fabulous customers.

(Make sure and share a photo of yourself with your favorite book, tag @talbotsofficial and add the hashtag:
#shareyoursummerstory for a chance to win a
curated Talbots book club box and a chance to be featured on the Talbots website)

While you’re in Talbots dropping off a book and picking up a new one, make sure and take a look around and grab something cute for your summer wardrobe, like this amazing linen cardigan that makes for the perfect summer layer.  Also, this life-changing white tee, is a great foundation piece for a casual summer outfit and it is so soft and flattering.  (Also for my fellow shorties out there, these jeans come in petite and the length is perfect!  I didn’t have to alter them at all.)

I know that when you’re a busy mom, finding the time and energy to pick up a book can feel a little daunting, so here are a few tips for making that happen:

Schedule time for yourself to read, and then don’t cancel on you.;-)  Remember that your kids will be fine if you don’t give them your attention every second of the day.  It’s okay to take a mom time out and give yourself the time to recharge.  Don’t feel guilty about this.

If you’re in a reading funk, try picking up an old favorite that you know and love.  I love to reread my favorite books (I read the Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society at least once a year, usually twice) and when my reading game is off, grabbing a book I love helps me get back into the motion and frame of mind for reading, and then when I’m done, I’m primed to pick up something new.

Which brings me to: get something new to read!  This is what makes me so excited about Talbots summer book club program because you can take in a book you’ve already read and trade it in for something new.  And since it’s Talbots, you know all the ladies exchanging books are going to share something fabulous! It’s like the ultimate curated library.

Don’t force yourself to finish a book you don’t love.  If I’m not loving a book and hooked by it, I don’t force myself to finish it.  This makes reading a chore, except I’m the one handing out the assignment and I already went to school!  I read now for fun and to enrich my life, so if I’m not feeling a book, I move on to something else.

 I always say, there’s no such thing as a person who doesn’t like to read.  If you don’t love reading you just haven’t found your book yet.

Make sure and leave a comment with your favorite books, because I’m going to jump on an instagram live this evening and we are going to talk books!