One Deck, One Book, One Perfect Summer Day (plus a Giveaway!)

On a recent beautiful Saturday, I was lucky enough to have what I consider pretty much the perfect summer day. Come join me on my deck and I'll let you share the day as I relax and read Heather Gudenkauf's Little Mercies, which is about a contemporary social worker in crisis and the children who need our help. The novel was published on June 24. (Click on the images to see them full size; use the back arrow to return to the post.)

I just love the sunlight on my deck in the morning, and I take my breakfast outside whenever the weather allows. Today, I'm eating yogurt and strawberries while I look over a stack of books I want to read.

So many great novels! They all look good, but Little Mercies by Heather Gudenkauf is really calling to me.

Now all I need now is a cute pair of reading glasses and another cup of coffee. Settle yourself in while I put my feet up, grab my book, and let the world around me fade into the background.

As the morning passes along in reading bliss, I start to get hungry. I don't, however, let my light lunch (nuts, fruit, veggies, and a tall glass of iced tea) get in the way of my reading time. Doesn't everyone read when they take a lunch break?

One thing I love about my deck is the pretty blue fountain my parents got for us. It's so soothing to listen to the water trickling down on the rocks.

As much as I'm loving Little Mercies, I have to pause for a bit to appreciate the colors of the summer flowers and the gorgeous nearly clear sky.

Am I wrong to think my deck is a little bit of heaven? I want to live out here.

By late afternoon, the deck starts to heat up, so I'm thankful for that umbrella! Regardless, I absolutely remember to reapply my sunblock. Yes, I use 50 SPF; I don't want to risk a sunburn while reading Little Mercies.

Despite how pretty the flowers are next to my post-lunch reading spot, I move over to the table and hide under that umbrella. Can you see the sun beating down?

Um, I think might put my book in my lap for just a second. The book's not heavy . . . I'm not getting sleepy, really. Ooops! I think I might have dozed.

Mr. BFR woke me up with a cold beer and some snacks. Just what I needed to cool down and resume reading while enjoying the sound of the fountain and the birds singing.

Although I've almost finished my book, I make myself take a break and head to the kitchen to get dinner going. I guess I can't escape real life completely.

As the sun goes down, though, I sneak in a little time for a glass of wine as I return to Little Mercies. What a perfect ending to a perfect summer day.

I don't have extravagant tastes. Give me my deck, an engrossing book, a few snacks, and warm weather and I'll be happy as can be. For my latest trip to heaven, I read Heather Gudenkauf's Little Mercies, which is a great pick for this summer's reading. Here's a snippet from the publisher's summary:

A powerful and emotionally charged tale about motherhood and justice, Little Mercies is a searing portrait of the tenuous grasp we have on the things we love the most, and of the ties that unexpectedly bring us together.

To learn more about Little Mercies, be sure to check out the book trailer. For more about Gudenkauf, see her website or Facebook page or follow her on Twitter or Pinterest. To keep up with the buzz, head on over to Goodreads.

Attention book club members: Don't forget to download the great book club kit, which contains an introduction from the publisher, thoughtful discussion questions, and an interview with Heather Gudenkauf.

Disclaimer: This post was sponsored by Harlequin (publisher of Little Mercies) but all thoughts, photo collages, and content are my completely my own.

The Giveaway: Because I want everyone to have a similar perfect summer day and thanks to Harlequin, I'm happy to offer one of my readers a fantastic Heather Gudenkauf book bundle, which includes her latest novel, Little Mercies, plus her books The Weight of Silence and These Things Hidden. All you have to do to enter for a chance to win is have a U.S. mailing address and fill out the following form. I'll pick a winner via random number generator on July 4. Once the winner has been confirmed, I'll erase all personal information from my computer. Good luck and happy, relaxing summer reading.