Join us every Friday in July and August and learn about the Decoda staff’s summer reading picks. Today Heather Deal, Decoda’s Director, Adult and Workplace Learning, discusses her summer reading picks.

I had the wonderful opportunity to connect with people on both the east coast and the west coast this summer. Of course, choosing books to travel with is always an important consideration.

I usually look for books written by authors from my destination or books set in that location. For my trip to see family in South Carolina, I had a hard time finding books that weren’t summer romance novels. I’m more of a mystery reader. I decided to bring a little bit of Canada to the south. I love the way books reflect where they were read – Louise Penny’s novel, The Cruelest Month, saw many ocean breezes and damp beach chairs. I left this one behind in the lodge library for others to enjoy.

For my kayak trip in the Broken Group Islands off the west coast of Vancouver Island, I read up on the Islands, having not been there for over 20 years. I also brought along a found book about wine.

I ended up doing far less reading on these trips than I expected. Instead, both trips were filled with an abundance of friendships, new and old, and with storytelling accompanied by wine. On both coasts, everyone brought books with them. We spent a lot of time comparing books and talking about favourite authors. There may have also been some competitive daily word-game playing.

It’s been a great summer of beautiful beaches, playing in oceans, and rich conversations with fellow word lovers.