my summer plans are to read books about angsty teens
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My summer plans really are to read books about angsty teens. Not exactly by choice. You see, I’m finishing up my master’s in library science degree and since I won’t be as busy homeschooling my kid this summer—my kid who has been a teenager for less than a month at the time I write this but has been angsty his entire life—I decided to fill my schedule to bursting with a full load of summer classes.
As one who writes about a life of enchanted simplicity which is often considered on par with slow living lifestyle, I feel a bit of a hypocrite. But to be fair, I find magic in the ordinary whether my schedule is full or blissfully spacious.
Though summer will be full for me, it will also be incredibly magical.
And since I have to read 12 Young Adult books this summer (yes, that’s right—12!), I thought, why not see if any of you want to read some with me. We could form a summer book club.
My already established book club (Girls in White Dresses Book Club) came to my rescue and decided to read one of the books I’m reading for my course. That way, I can stay connected with loved ones over the summer in spite of my full schedule. We decided on Emmett, a contemporary retelling of Jane Austen’s Emma with shades of Clueless and a gay protagonist. It sounds like a lot of fun!
I’ll share the three books I’ve chosen for the book club in my first I Capture the Story newsletter, but please do let me know which of the ones below sound interesting to you.
Who’s in? Want to be part of a summer book club?
Introducing I Capture the Story Book Club
A seasonal book club with a “theme” or “genre” for each season. Named after my Instagram handle and PangoBooks shop (which I will reopen the moment I get organized—more on this soon).
Summer 2025 theme is Young Adult Books.
These are a few of the books I’ll be reading for my course.
Subscribe to I Capture the Story below (at the very end of this post) to be notified of book club picks and when the discussion will happen via Substack Chat.
Brownstone a graphic novel by Samuel Teer & Mar Julia
Black Girl You Are Atlas poetry and winner of the Coretta Scott King Award
The Poet X a novel in verse
Wild is the Witch (fantasy)
A Starlet’s Secret to a Sensational Afterlife (historical mystery romance set in 1930s Hollywood)
Ace of Spades (thriller/dark academia fiction)
The Agathas (mystery/thriller with lots of Agatha Christie references)
I know that is only eight, but I haven’t chosen all 12 of my books yet. I have linked to Goodreads for each of these so you can read reviews. Which of these are you most interested in reading?
I can’t wait to read with you!
Lots of love,
Caitlin
What a fun idea! Count me in.