August 2024

Bummer camp...a summer camp for adults

I got to go to summer camp…for adults! To celebrate the release of author Ann Garvin’s new book, Bummer Camp, I signed up for a unique launch event for the book which hits shelves on September 1st. Participants scored, among other things, an early electronic copy of the book to read before we got to camp, and a paperback upon arrival.

This past weekend, I grabbed another summer camper from the other side of town, and we carpooled up to Stevens Point, WI to check in at the Wisconsin Lions Camp and grab our bunks.

This was, without a doubt, the nicest camp I’ve ever been to. Don’t get me wrong, it was still a summer camp, but it was by far the most accessible camp I’ve ever attended, inclusive and welcoming. And this one was just for book lovers!

Garvin read from Bummer Camo and signed copies along with four other awesome authors: Christina Clancy, Alison Hammer, Jessica Strawser, and Maggie Ginsberg. All of them spent the weekend mingling with 60 ladies who love to read.

In between having a chance to hear about their books and listen to readings around the campfire, there was time for other fun activities like swimming, boating, wagon rides, low ropes, and archery. I did at least four of those five things and earned a patch by the end of camp.

It was so much fun that people left wondering why there isn’t a real summer camp for adults and vowing to try and do it again next summer.

Without further ado, here’s what I’ve been up to:

Reading: Bummer Camp of course! The story centers around a run-down theater camp on the brink of going under unless two sisters can work out a lifetime’s worth of resentment and frustration in time to put on a gala to save the family business. A collection of misfits and underdogs round out the cast of this humorous tale of rediscovering the importance of family, both the kind you’re related to and the kind you make. Grab it when it hits shelves on September 1st.

And Still Ttue by Maggie Ginsberg, who was awesome to get to know a little better this past weekend. This family drama takes place against the backdrop of a small town where everyone knows everyone else’s secrets. But how well can anyone know their neighbors if they can’t be honest about how well they know themselves? You can get this one right away.

I also enjoyed these titles:

• Business or Pleasure by Rachel Lynn Solomon. I’ve been a long-time fan of RLS and this did not disappoint. If you like your romance spicey, I think you’ll enjoy this one.

• The Hot Henry Effect by Lucy Chalice. This one’s for readers who like their romance with a side of science. A very enjoyable read, but not without its character development bumps.

• Pirenesi by Susanna Clarke. This one was a book club pick. I found it a little hard to get into, but I did end up enjoying it.

• I listened to Good Inside by Dr. Becky Kennedy because if there's one thing to remember about yourself and your child, especially when there’s conflict, it’s that they, and you, are still good inside.

Writing: cracked 27k words on my WIP, the third book in the Second series. Waiting on edits and feedback from both publishers before I continue with the manuscripts that are already finished.

Crocheting: I finished another row and a half on my granny square afghan and plowed through 4 skeins of yarn for the youngest’s blanket.

Entertainment: Working my way through Fire Country on Netflix. Now you know what I do when I crochet. I’ve also been listening to The Tortured Poets Department (the Black Dog Version) a bunch. Florence + The Machine and Taylor Swift was the collab I didn’t know I needed.