The Sunday Salon: My Library Card Collection, Nine 1001 Children's Books Read, and Ready for the 20 Books of Summer

 

Welcome! We are happy that you joined us here at the Sunday Salon. 

What is the Sunday Salon? 

The Sunday Salon is a place to link up and share what we have been doing during the week. It's also a great opportunity to visit other blogs and join in the conversations going on there. 

My dad's wife, Rosa, celebrated her 97th birthday, and we went to a baby shower for our soon-to-arrive great-nephew, Cooper, and the birthday party of our great-nephew, Jack, 2, last week. I went to my swimming class a couple of times, and it felt good to be back in the pool with my friends. I'm now an official member of the Flamingos, called the Flams for short, a 30-year-old writing group that meets every Friday in Galveston. 

What I Read Last Week:

South to America: 

A Journey Below the Mason-Dixon to Understand the Soul of a Nation 

by Imani Perry (Nonfiction)

What I'm Reading Now:

The Book of Birds: A Field Guide to Wonder and Loss by Robert Macfarlane (Nonfiction)

Make Life Happier by Mark Williamson (Nonfiction)

A Walk in the Woods: Rediscovering America on the Appalachian Trail by Bill Bryson (Nonfiction)

The Good Earth by Pearl S. Buck (Fiction)

The Solitary Summer by Elizabeth von Arnim (Fiction)

The Little Town on the Prairie by Laura Ingalls Wilder (Children's Fiction)

What I Posted Last Week Here at Readerbuzz:

The Sunday Salon: Home from Georgia

My Favorite Books by My Favorite Authors

Summer Reading Challenges 2026

Sift: The Elements of Good Baking by Nicola Lamb

A Walk in the Woods: Rediscovering America on the Appalachian Trail by Bill Bryson: Book Beginnings on Fridays, First Line Friday, The Friday 56, and Book Blogger Hop

I do yearly challenges, but I also like to do perpetual challenges. Last week, I worked hard on one of my perpetual challenges, the 1001 Children's Books You Must Read Before You Grow Up challenge. Last week, I read some of these books I've found on Internet Archive, a library of books that you can read for an hour at a time online. Here's what I read last week:

The Lark and the Laurel by Barbara Willard

The Little Captain and the Pirate Treasure by Paul Biegel

Hurrah for St. Trinian's by Ronald Searle

Jim Button and Luke the Engine Driver by Michael Ende 

Los suenos del sapo by Javier Villafañe (in Spanish)

El sapo que quería ser estrella by Oscar Alfaro (in Spanish)

Tatu and Patu in Helsinki by Aino Havukainen

Cuentos pintado y morales by Rafael Pombo (in Spanish)

 Mi reino por uno caballo by Ana Maria Machado (in Spanish)

Now I need to find and read the last 184 books I have left on the list. 

I began to list 3 Good Things every day during the pandemic. Now I've established a regular routine of writing down my 3 Good Things. Here are 3 Good Things from last week:

Good Thing #1:

I added two more library cards to my collection,

one from Georgia and one from North Carolina.

Good Thing #2:

We had nine inches of rain last week,

but we were dry, and the water quickly soaked into the ground.

Good Thing #3:

It was fun to get ready for the 20 Books of Summer

last week, and to see what all the other participants are reading.

I ended up adding a couple of good books to my list

from ideas others had listed.

How did your week go? 

Did you read anything you would recommend?

Weekend linkup spots are listed below. Click on the picture to visit the site.

        

I hope you will join the linkup for Sunday Salon below.

A Walk in the Woods: Rediscovering America on the Appalachian Trail by Bill Bryson: Book Beginnings on Fridays, First Line Friday, The Friday 56, and Book Blogger Hop

Today's Featured Book: 

A Walk in the Woods: Rediscovering America on the Appalachian Trail

by Bill Bryson

Genre: Nonfiction

Published: 1998

Page Count: 279 pages

Summary: 

Back in America after twenty years in Britain, Bill Bryson decided to reacquaint himself with his native country by walking the 2,100-mile Appalachian Trail, which stretches from Georgia to Maine. The AT offers an astonishing landscape of silent forests and sparkling lakes—and to a writer with the comic genius of Bill Bryson, it also provides endless opportunities to witness the majestic silliness of his fellow human beings. 
 
For a start there’s the gloriously out-of-shape Stephen Katz, a buddy from Iowa along for the walk. But A Walk in the Woods is more than just a laugh-out-loud hike. Bryson’s acute eye is a wise witness to this beautiful but fragile trail, and as he tells its fascinating history, he makes a moving plea for the conservation of America’s last great wilderness. An adventure, a comedy, and a celebration, A Walk in the Woods is a modern classic of travel literature.

 

BOOK BEGINNINGS ON FRIDAY is hosted by Rose City Reader. What book are you happy about reading this week? Please share the opening sentence (or so) on BOOK BEGINNINGS ON FRIDAY! Add the link to your blog or social media post and visit other blogs to see what others are reading.

Happy Friday and welcome to the FIRST LINE FRIDAY, hosted by Reading is My Superpower! It’s time to grab the book nearest to you and leave a comment with the first line.

Not long after I moved with my family to a small town in New Hampshire I happened upon a path that vanished into a wood on the edge of town.

A sign announced that this was no ordinary footpath but the celebrated Appalachian Trail. Running more than 2,100 miles along America’s eastern seaboard, through the serene and beckoning Appalachian Mountains, the AT is the granddaddy of long hikes. From Georgia to Maine, it wanders across fourteen states, through plump, comely hills whose very names—Blue Ridge, Smokies, Cumberlands, Green Mountains, White Mountains—seem an invitation to amble.

Bryson, Bill. A Walk in the Woods: Rediscovering America on the Appalachian Trail, p. 1. Kindle Edition. 

THE FRIDAY 56 is hosted by Anne of Head Full of Books. To play, open a book and turn to page 56 (or 56% on your e-reader). Find a sentence or two and post them, along with the book title and author. Then link up on Head Full of Books and visit others in the linky. 

Then, with as much pride as if I had baked them myself, I brought out a little surprise—two packets of Hostess cupcakes. 

Katz’s face lit up like the birthday boy in a Norman Rockwell painting. 

“Oh, wow!” 

“They didn’t have any Little Debbies,” I apologized. 

“Hey,” he said. “Hey.” He was lost for greater eloquence. Katz loved cakes.

Bryson, Bill. A Walk in the Woods: Rediscovering America on the Appalachian Trail, p. 56. Kindle Edition. 

First review (1999): Bill Bryson. A middle-aged guy and a friend hike the 2,200 mile Appalachian Trail...or, at least, 890 miles of it. Funny.

Second review (2011): Reread: Oh, how I love Bill Bryson. He's everything I look for in an author. A good writer. Brave, but not too much. Human. And funny. Most of all, funny.

So last week I reread A Walk in the Woods. I reread it slowly. It was one of those books you don't want to end. All along the way you are laughing. You just have to laugh at Bryson. He tries to do the hard thing, but it's...well, hard. And his companion, Katz, is equally human. Quintessential Americans.

So much fun.

Third review (2026): I brought this book along on our trip to Georgia last week. My goal was to walk part of the Appalachian Trail. The start of the trail is in Georgia, but the start is nine miles from a highway. That wasn't doable for me. Instead, I found a place where the trail (1) crossed a main road, and (2) there was a parking lot for my car. 

I found it. Unfortunately, the trail was both rocky and steep. I did not want to fall. So I walked the Appalachian Trail. The entire width of it. Yes, about eighteen inches. And then I revised my hiking plan for the day and walked on a track running parallel to the Appalachian Trail, through the Chattahoochee National Forest, a path neither rocky nor steep. It was lovely. 

I'm still reading the book. It's still just as humorous as it was the first two times I read it. And now I have a much better idea of what Bryson and his sidekick experienced.

The purpose of THE BOOK BLOGGER HOP is to give bloggers a chance to follow other blogs, learn about new books, and befriend other bloggers. THE BOOK BLOGGER HOP is hosted by Ramblings of a Coffee Addicted Writer.    

Does the headline “Must-Read Books” grab your attention? (submitted by Billy @ Coffee-Addicted Writer)

It depends on who wrote the headline. If it is a blogging friend, yes. If it is a publicity team, no. 

 

Sift: The Elements of Good Baking by Nicola Lamb

  

I have a lot of cookbooks in my TBR, and there is nothing my husband loves more than for me to cook. To inspire me, I took photos with 24 cookbooks I have and I've prescheduled one post a month for the next two years. I'll plan to link up with In My Kitchen, hosted by Sherry's Pickings, and Weekend Cooking, hosted by Marg at The Intrepid Reader (and Baker). To further inspire me, I've created a Cooking/Baking Challenge for me for 2026 in which I read and bake from and post about one cookbook a month.

I'm not a math-y person. I forced myself to take every math class I could find when I was young. I always had high hopes that one day I would find a math class that was just for me. It never happened. 

Sift is a baking book for math-y people. I've been told over and over that it is important to measure precisely when baking, but I just can't make myself do that. After all, my grandma baked biscuits and pies and cakes all ninety-eight years of her life without owning measuring spoons or cups. 

So, I read Sift and numbers and percentages and ratios floated through my brain. Nothing stuck. I didn't try making anything in the book. Why? Because I didn't want to. 

You, though, you who weigh your flour and carefully follow all directions? You who read math books for fun? This is a book for you. I will not rate this book because it is more a measure of my incompetence than of this baker/author's skills.

Be a part of the friendly In My Kitchen (IMK) community by adding your post at Sherry's Pickings each month - everybody welcome!  We'd love to have you visit.  Tell us about your kitchen (and kitchen garden) happenings over the past month.  Dishes you've cooked, preserves you've made, herbs and veg. in your garden, kitchen gadgets, and goings-on.  And one curveball is welcome - whatever you fancy; no need to be kitchen-related. The link is open from the first of the month to midnight on the thirteenth of the month, every month.

Weekend Cooking was created by Beth Fish Reads and is now hosted by Marg at The Intrepid Reader (and Baker). It is open to anyone who has any kind of food-related post to share: Book (novel, nonfiction) reviews, cookbook reviews, movie reviews, recipes, random thoughts, gadgets, quotations, photographs. If your post is even vaguely foodie, feel free to grab the button and link up anytime over the weekend. You do not have to post on the weekend. Please link to your specific post, not your blog's home page. For more information, see the welcome post.  

For more photos, link up at Wordless Wednesday, Comedy Plus, Messymimi's Meanderings, Keith's Ramblings, Image-in-ing, Soul and Mind and So On, Wild Bird Wednesday, and My Corner of the World.

Summer Reading Challenges 2026

Summer is a great time for those of us who like to try a challenge or two.

Big books. A lot of people like to take on a big book for summer. 

And fortunately for all of us who enjoy big books, Sue Jackson of Book by Book hosts a Big Book Summer Reading Challenge. 

Here's a little about the challenge.

The idea behind this reading challenge is simple: Use the ease of summer to tackle a Big Book (400+ pages) or two or ... however many you want! You set your own goals. And if it is the start of winter where you live, then it's your Big Book Winter Challenge. Everyone is welcome to participate. 

The Details:
Hey, it's summer, so we'll keep this low-key and easy!

• Anything 400 pages or more qualifies as a big book.
• The challenge runs from the Friday of Memorial Day weekend (May 22 this year) through Labor Day (September 7 this year).
  
• Choose one or two or however many big books you want as your goal. Wait, did you get that?  You only need to read 1 book with 400+ pages this summer to participate! (though you are welcome to read more, if you want).
• No sign-ups are necessary! All readers are welcome to participate.

What kind of books "count"? All kinds! Middle-grade, YA, graphic novels, classics, all genres, all types--as long as they are at least 400 pages. Yes, e-books and audio books count, too--just check online for the number of pages in the print edition. 

My potential reads:

• Dangerous Liaisons by Pierre Choderlos de Lacios - 400 pages 

• The Death of the Heart by Elizabeth Bowen - 418 pages  

• Beyond Words: What Animals Think and Feel - 482 pages  

• The Earth by Émile Zola - 512 pages

• Sister Carrie by Theodore Dreiser - 557 pages   

• Tess of the D'Urbervilles by Thomas Hardy - 592 pages 

• Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett - 992 pages 

 Two are book club reads---Pillars and Beyond Words---so those are the two I'm most likely to read.

 

 

But maybe you are not a person who enjoys reading big books. Maybe you like to read in quantity over the summer. In that case...

When Cathy of 746 books announced in 2025 that she would not host 20 Books of Summer this year after ten successful years, Emma of Words and Peace and Annabel of AnnaBookBel both volunteered to take it on. This year, Annabel will run the challenge alone.

• The 20 Books of Summer2026 (#20BOS26) challenge runs from Sunday June 1st to Sunday August 31st
• The first rule of 20 Books is that there are no real rules, other than signing up for 10, 15, or 20 books and trying to read from your TBR.
• Pick your list in advance, or nominate a bookcase to read from, or pick at whim from your TBR.
• If you do pick a list, you can change it at any time – swap books in/out.
• Don’t get panicked at not reaching your target.
• Just enjoy a summer of great reading and make a bit of space on your shelves!

Annabel will have monthly summary posts where you can add progress reports and recommendations. The final one at the at the beginning of September will stay open for a while to catch all the last reviews.

If you’re planning to join in please do add your blog / planning post link to the Mr Linky here.

Here are my (planned, but subject to change) 20 Books of Summer:

*Bake Happy by Judith Fertig.   

*Lost Horizon by James Hilton.    

*The Solitary Summer by Elizabeth von Arnim   

*Beyond Words: What Animals Think and Feel by Carl Safina.   

*Don't Call It Art by Austin Kleon.

*Serena by Ron Rash.

*Book of Birds: A Field Guide to Wonder and Loss by Robert Mcfarlane.     

*The Things We Never Say by Elizabeth Strout.  

*Make Life Happier by Mark Williamson.    

*Moss'd in Space by Rebecca Thorne.    

*The Good Earth by Pearl S. Buck

*The Resurrection by Leo Tolstoy

*The Earth by Émile Zola     

*Uncharted by Gordon Ramsay

*Travels with a Donkey in the Cévennes by Robert Louis Stevenson

*The War of the Buttons by Louis Pergaud     

*A Walk in the Woods by Bill Bryson

*My Friends by Frederik Bachman.    

*East Post Like by Emily Arden Wells 

*Write Yourself Out of a Corner by Alice LaPlante.    

*Paris Metro Tales by Ruth Paget     

*The Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett.    

*The Razor's Edge by W. Somerset Maugham

*The Lark and the Laurel by Barbara Willard.    

*Is a River Alive? by Robert Macfarlane

*The Shippers by Katherine Center.    

*The Memoir Project by Marion Roach Smith

*The Glass Bead Game by Hermann Hesse

  

Do you have any special plans for your summer reading?

Do you like to plan things out or are you more of a person who likes to read at whim?

Previous years' posts about summer reading:

Summer Reads: Seventeen Summer-Filled Books You Might Consider for Your Summer Reading This Year

Summer Reading Challenges