All Booked | Never-Ending Summer of Reading

Hello, bookish friends — 

I’m Sarah Sinclair, the Indy’s ad director and real estate editor, switching hats to bring you this installment of All Booked while my dear colleague Emily bonds with her new baby. I trust you’ve been enjoying our kaleidoscope of coverage with various Indy pals pitching in; I’ll do my best to carry on the entertaining lineup.

I don’t know about you, but one of the things I love about summer in Santa Barbara is how it lingers. Don’t tell the students who’ve been summoned back to school this week, but in my book, summer lasts through August, September, and sometimes into October. My reading list reflects this season, with light-hearted beach reads that will keep you entertained ’til the weather turns chilly:

It Ends With Us by Colleen Hoover

I picked up It Ends With Us in the Dallas airport last month on my way home from a conference. It was the perfect change of pace after overstuffing my brain for three days in an air-conditioned hotel ballroom. I had never before read anything by Colleen Hoover, but judging by how many of her tomes were on the airport bookstore bestseller shelves, I may be the last one to her fan club. This multi-pronged love story is told through the eyes of protagonist Lily Bloom — a young woman who loves gardening and flowers but is mortified by her name. Although this novel touches on serious themes including domestic violence and homelessness, its main storyline is a love triangle that spans 20 years and ends in a cliffhanger.