Embracing Summer at Home
A Season of Waiting and Wandering
Summer holidays always seem to stretch across time like a daydream — long, shifting, and slightly out of reach. From early June to the final days of August, people come and go, children are off from school, and parents are mostly on holiday too — though rarely for the full three months. Schedules shift, plans overlap, and time seems to stretch and flutter, like laundry drying in the breeze. So when you get 3 or 4 weeks of break, you tend to spend the rest of the time observing other people’s holiday plans, thinking of where you’re heading or how wonderful it was (and how quickly it went by). There’s joy, excitement, adventure, yet somehow I can always sense a hint of sadness : you’re either not on holiday just yet, or it’s all behind you and the memories can’t seem to make up for the fact that you’re back at the office.
Setting Up a Life You Don’t Need to Escape From
Sounds familiar ? It might, if like me, you have a conventional 9 to 5 job, 5 days a week. But this summer, something finally clicked from a quote I see all over social media for years now, I’m sure you’ve seen it as well in one form or another :
“Instead of wondering when your next vacation is, maybe you should set up a life you don’t need to escape from.“
—Seth Godin
For some, easier said than done. But I’m on a mission to find my happy place no matter the outside circumstances, and I’ve started this journey in the most uncomfortable season of the year for me : Summer. So if I make it now, if I find comfort and joy for my soul, when my mind is screaming back at me with the fire of the blazing July sun, then I’m a winner.
My first step in building that life I don’t need to escape from, especially this time of year, was creating The Summer Reading Ritual. This free guide for reading with serenity during the hotter months of the year, has been my self-professed therapy session, as I’ve mentioned on the launch of the guide. So now, it’s time to practice what I preach. And we’re starting with a literary mood board for July, an exploration of snippets of life and books that make me excited for the month ahead.
The Ritual of Mornings in the City
There’s something about July that encourages a slower rhythm — as if the world is asking us to move like the light does, gently and deliberately. The early hours bring the clearest sense of calm: dew still clings to the leaves, the city hasn’t yet shaken off its sleep, and the light is soft enough for me to observe and capture memories. Early mornings are the gift of air – it’s when I reconnect with my breath and feel that clarity of fresh air reviving my spirit.
On these quiet mornings, I’ve been walking — not fast, not far, just enough to notice things : floral patterns on women’s blouses, new blooms in the gardens of the Palais Royal, a fresh new display in the window of the bookshop, cheerful dogs out for their morning walk. These walks are a kind of reading too — not of pages, but of texture, color, and season. They are the extra 20 minutes I plan each morning as I swap a few metro stops for a Parisian walk to the office, as a reminder that even if I’m not on my summer break just yet, I am in the city everyone wishes to visit one day. It’s easy to lose perspective, so my solution is being intentional with my daily rituals.
Just a side note : if you happen to be living in a small town or a village in the countryside, and the phrase I just wrote might seem ironic or snobbish to you (poor little Parisian complaining about life in the City of Lights), think of what Parisians wouldn’t give to swap their everyday stuffy city for the peace and charm of the countryside. So just as I’m reminding myself every day, you too can choose to look at your daily life through the eyes of someone who only dreams of living a day in your shoes.
Gardens Real and Imagined: This Month’s Reads
This month’s literary mood finds its shape in gardens — both real and imagined, as I turn my attention to nature for solace from the boiling concrete of the city (we’re in the middle of a heat wave so distraction is my only survival strategy). I’ve started reading three books, alternating depending on my mood and ability to concentrate, but I think these three are quite representative of my inspiration for July.
Penelope Lively’s Life in the Garden is a beautiful reflection on the way memory and storytelling grow from soil and solitude. Her prose has the quiet wisdom of someone who has spent a lifetime observing how things bloom, fade, and return. She conquered me from the introduction, as I found myself immediately in her words :
You don’t discover your own gardening potential until you have gardenable space of your own, if only a humble window-box.
―Penelope Lively, Life in the Garden
My own gardening journey began not in childhood flowerbeds, but on a small balcony I tended on my own — a quiet, personal start, quite unlike the lush legacy passed down by my green-thumbed mother. So I’m already feeling inspired by this rich collection of reflections on gardens, sublimated with literary and cultural references that always feel like such a gift (either because I recognize them, or because they open new doors for exploring).
My second book of the month seems to be the perfect read right from the very first phrase :
On étouffe dans la cuvette parisienne en ce mois de juillet 1613
One suffocates in the Parisian basin this July of 1613
―Elvire de Brissac, Le long du Luxembourg
This is how Elvire de Brissac begins her tale of the Luxembourg Palace and Gardens in Paris – a creation of Marie de Médicis at the beginning of the XVIIth century, housing the French Senate today. This historical fiction novel is a journey through the history of one of the most interesting destinies of a Parisian palace. I’ve been curious to see how she approached the subject and think this will make for a perfect escape in time, not to mention an excuse to meet up with some pretty majestic female characters of French history, for a walk in the gardens.
My third book is one I’m carrying through with me from last month. If you’re a subscriber of The Ritual of Reading newsletter, you’ll know this got on my June gratitude list thanks to its dry wit and delicious humour : I’m speaking of E.M.Delafield’s The Diary of a Provincial Lady. I have a feeling this won’t be a book I’ll finish in July. I’m slowly getting into the habit of reading just a few pages before bed, to lighten up my mood and uncrease my forehead after a long day. And how couldn’t I, with these kind of reflections :
“Am asked what I think of Harriet Hume but am unable to say, as I have not read it. Have a depressed feeling that this is going to be another case of Orlando about which was perfectly able to talk most intelligently until I read it, and found myself unfortunately unable to understand any of it.”
― E.M. Delafield, Diary of a Provincial Lady
Hortense, My July Bloom
My floral inspiration for July comes from my hydrangea bush that looks like a giant raspberry and cream dessert. This was supposed to be a Dolce France hydrangea, that’s what I bought at least… but looking at the picture, it’s nothing like my dream in pink. Don’t misunderstand me, I’m not the least bit unhappy with what I’ve got, especially since she’s been gifting me these exquisite pink blooms for the past 4 years without fail. So without an official name for her, I decided to call her Hortense – a clin d’oeil to her supposed French heritage. She’s currently the pièce de résistance of all my floral arrangements, and I have a suspicion she’s loving it almost as much as I do !
A Taste of the Garden
A mood board at The Ritual of Reading calls for something delicious, even though I must admit my appetite is not voracious this time of year. The heat discourages any extravagant cravings, so I’m relying on my reading for inspiration, and all this garden talk leads me straight to the veg patch, for a celebration of the refreshing courgettes and their best friend : aromatic mint. My favourite recipe of the season is a courgette-feta-mint quiche that you can serve warm or cold, with a fresh side salad and a pitcher of lemonade for the perfect summer lunch. I’ve written down the recipe for you in my Reader’s Table section on the website, have a look here.
The Mood of Mid-Year
So here we are: walking gently into the middle of the year. With books that open onto gardens, meals that ask little of us, and moments that bloom quietly if we’re paying attention. I’d love to hear what your own July mood looks like. What are you reading, cooking, or reaching for when the heat sets in? You can share in the comments, or come say hello on social media.
Until next time, enjoy your reading and your rituals !
Curious to deepen your own reading ritual this season? You can download my Summer Reading Ritual guide for free by clicking here.
And if you’d like a more personal letter from me each month, you can subscribe to The Ritual of Reading newsletter here.
Written by Alexandra Poppy
Writer, reader & curator of The Ritual of Reading
I’m Alexandra, the voice behind The Ritual of Reading. Somewhere between a stack of novels and a half-finished pot of tea, I keep finding traces of the life I want to live—slower, richer, filled with stories. The Ritual of Reading is where I gather what I love: books that linger, places with a past, and rituals that make ordinary days feel a little more meaningful. I write from Paris, where elegant bookshops and old-fashioned cafés offer endless inspiration—and I share it here, hoping it brings a spark to your own days, too.
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![New on the blog: 7 Books for Garden Lovers
Whether you garden with your hands in the soil or simply with your imagination, there's something tender and timeless about growing things. In this week’s post, I’m sharing seven beautiful books that celebrate the quiet magic of gardens—from English herbaceous borders to Japanese meditative spaces, from tulip-mania to food sovereignty.
These books aren’t just about plants—they’re about memory, healing, history, and the rituals that root us.
📚 Featuring titles by Katherine Swift, Elizabeth von Arnim, Sue Stuart-Smith, Barbara Kingsolver and more.
🍃 Come discover the stories that bloom beyond the page.
✨ Read the full post now at [theritualofreading.com] or tap the link in bio
✨ Podcast episode also available wherever you listen
✨ Watch the companion videos on Keukenhof tulips, my gardening beginnings, and a Japanese garden ritual
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