Creating a Cozy Summer Reading Spot: Southern-Inspired Porch and Garden Retreats

If I think back to the summers of my childhood, the memories that stand out most are filled with adventure and journeys to far-off lands with friends whose names I couldn’t always pronounce. I’d lay flat on the cool floor, escaping the Southern heat as I read my way through stories brought to life by authors like Frances Hodgson Burnett, Roald Dahl, and Lucy Maud Montgomery.


These days, on certain golden afternoons, the light on our sleeping porch turns honey-colored, and the only sounds are the hum of cicadas and the dogs snoring nearby. That’s when I return to the same quiet habit of reaching for a book with a well-worn spine and a story that stretches out like a July day.

That’s where the idea for my dedicated reading spaces began. A soft place to sit, a lamp, a light blanket, and a little side table for a cool drink. Nothing fancy, just a small retreat tucked into the edges of our home.

If you’ve ever dreamed of a quiet corner like this, a retreat made just for you, I hope today’s article will show you just how easy and beautiful it can be. This post is part of Old-Fashioned Summer Saturdays, a weekly series where I share timeless Southern joys, from gardening and seasonal recipes to vintage-style living. If you found your way here from Instagram, Pinterest or Google, I’m so glad you’re here. I hope you’ll stay a while and explore the other articles in the series.

A cozy spot to read a book. A floral couch has a plaid pillow, a lightweight cotton blanket, and an open book. The table next to the couch is a white marble top with an iron stand. On top of the table are plants and a lamp. The room is full of windows showing trees outside.

Why You Need a Summer Reading Retreat

Creating a cozy summer reading spot is about so much more than decorating a corner of your home. We are constantly bombarded with screens, alerts, and noise. Carving out a small space for yourself (a place to rest, reflect, and read) is an act of care.

It doesn’t need to be perfect. It just needs to be yours.

By intentionally designing a retreat, you’re choosing a lifestyle that’s slower, purposeful, and deeply comforting.

Choosing the Perfect Spot, Indoors or Out

When looking for a spot to dedicate to reading this summer, consider the kind of environment that soothes you.

– Do you enjoy a warm breeze, the sound of wind chimes or cicadas, or the smell of garden flowers?
– Is a hammock or shady porch your idea of heaven?
– Or do you prefer the feel of a ceiling fan and the hum of the air conditioner indoors?

Even a corner by a window can become your reading haven with a few thoughtful touches.

This year, I created two reading spots, one indoors and one out. On our sleeping porch, I open the windows and turn the ceiling fan on low. I keep a small table nearby to set down my sweet tea and bookmarks.

Outside, I’ve placed a comfortable chair in the shade garden on our deck. There’s a little side table and a cordless rechargeable lamp for when the light begins to fade. It’s peaceful, quiet, and entirely mine.

Layering Southern Charm and Comfort

As you’re thrifting or antiquing this summer, keep your reading nook in mind. You might find the perfect wicker chair or vintage iron rocker. Or maybe you’ll spot a plant stand that becomes a charming little table with the addition of a tray.

Here are some ideas to inspire your setup:
– Seating: Wicker, wood, or vintage metal chairs layered with soft cushions and a light quilt
– Tables: Repurposed plant stands, small stools, or antique side tables
– Accessories: A linen napkin as a coaster, a glass of iced tea, a jar of flowers from the garden
– Lighting: A small table lamp, string lights, or a vintage-inspired cordless lamp

If you’re going for a vintage look, or just prefer to shop online, I’ve linked a few of my favorite finds HERE and in my LTK shop.

A collage of recommended items that can be used to create a cozy summer reading spot. Included are comfy chairs, side tables, lamps, a light blanket, and some books,

Favorite Books for a Southern Summer

There are certain stories that seem to belong to this season. When I think of summer reading, these titles immediately come to mind:

– Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Café
– The Secret Garden
– Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood
– Where the Crawdads Sing

You can find my full list of summer book recommendations HERE, or click the photo below to shop.

Your Own Slice of Stillness

I encourage you to create your own cozy summer reading spot, somewhere quiet and beautiful, made just for you. It doesn’t take much. A little time. A few thoughtful details. And the decision to rest.

Imagine how rested and refreshed you’ll feel at the end of the season, having given yourself the gift of a little peace, a little story, and a little corner to call your own.

I always look forward to hearing what others are reading, and I’d love to know what’s in your summer stack. Let me know in the comments below!

Explore More from Old-Fashioned Summer Saturdays

This article is part of my Old-Fashioned Summer Saturdays series, where I share timeless inspiration for warm-weather living. Be sure to check out these reader favorites:

– Timeless Red, White, and Blue Decor Ideas for the Porch
– Heirloom Tomato Dreams
– Classic Summer Whites: Timeless Linen Dresses and Southern Style Staples
– Refrigerator Pickles—A Southern Summer Staple
– Simple Garden Joys
– Old-Fashioned Strawberry Shortcake Cake
– Blue and White China for Summer Entertaining
You can subscribe here to receive new articles, seasonal inspiration, and vintage-style favorites delivered right to your inbox.

P.S. I’m giving away a little something to help stock your summer book basket—details are on Instagram!

Abby Smolarsky8 Comments

2024’s Best Books: A Personal Review

One of my goals for 2024 was to read two books each week. I didn’t quite accomplish that goal, but I did manage to read over 75 books this year. There were quite a few that I started and abandoned because I didn’t enjoy them for one reason or another. Those books are not included in my number of read books. (Who has time for bad books? Not me!) Today I am sharing my top 10 books that I read in 2024.

This post contains commissionable links. You can find the exact books I read by clicking on the titles or pictures.

In random order, here are my top 10 books that I read in 2024:

The Unmaking of June Farrow, by Adrienne Young

I read this book earlier in the year, and when I did I was already at the point where I desperately wanted to read something unpredictable, creative, and original. This book was it! From the synopsis, “In the small mountain town of Jasper, North Carolina, June Farrow is waiting for fate to find her. The Farrow women are known for their thriving flower farm—and the mysterious curse that has plagued their family line. The whole town remembers the madness that led to Susanna Farrow’s disappearance, leaving June to be raised by her grandmother and haunted by rumors.”

I think there are more layers and depth than this brief description provides, so you will have to read this one for yourself.

The Vaster Wilds, by Lauren Groff

This is truly a unique read. The main character’s voice is profoundly memorable, and I will think of this book for years to come. Several times while reading it, I thought that this would make a fantastic novel study for a high school literature class. It’s not a light read, but one that I thoroughly enjoyed. In brief, “A servant girl escapes from a colonial settlement in the wilderness. She carries nothing with her but her wits, a few possessions, and the spark of god that burns hot within her. What she finds in this terra incognita is beyond the limits of her imagination and will bend her belief in everything that her own civilization has taught her.”

This made it onto to my “Book to re-Read in the Future” list.

The Dutch House, by Ann Patchett

This is not a new release, but I just got around to reading it this year. There are several themes in this book that resonated with me. I know what it means to be in love with a house and to have strained and unconventional familial relationships. This book was a wonderful journey through someone else’s story. To summarize, “At the end of the Second World War, Cyril Conroy combines luck and a single canny investment to begin an enormous real estate empire, propelling his family from poverty to enormous wealth. His first order of business is to buy the Dutch House, a lavish estate in the suburbs outside of Philadelphia. Meant as a surprise for his wife, the house sets in motion the undoing of everyone he loves.”

How to Read a Book, by Monica Wood

An inspirational novel that touches on the power of redemption and forgiveness, and the impact literature can make on every life. This book shows how books can change lives, even those incarcerated with little exposure to reading. “When [three people] encounter each other one morning in a bookstore in Portland—Violet to buy the novel she was reading in the prison book club before her release, Harriet to choose the next title for the women who remain, and Frank to dispatch his duties as the store handyman—their lives begin to intersect in transformative ways.”

The Secret Book of Flora Lee: A Novel, by Patti Callahan Henry

I loved this book for the mystery and unique story line. It touches on the strength of sibling bonds and reminds of us of events affecting children during World War II. To sum up this wonderful story, “In the war-torn London of 1939, fourteen-year-old Hazel and five-year-old Flora are evacuated to a rural village to escape the horrors of the Second World War. Living with the kind Bridie Aberdeen and her teenage son, Harry, in a charming stone cottage along the River Thames, Hazel fills their days with walks and games to distract her young sister, including one that she creates for her sister and her sister alone—a fairy tale about a magical land, a secret place they can escape to that is all their own.”

The Book of Doors, by Gareth Brown

Imaginative. Creative. Adventurous. Well-written. I loved this book. The story is perfectly woven and the ending is wonderful. Dear Author, if you read this, PLEASE make a sequel!! From the summary, “Cassie Andrews works in a New York City bookshop, shelving books, making coffee for customers, and living an unassuming, ordinary life. Until the day one of her favorite customers—a lonely yet charming old man—dies right in front of her. Cassie is devastated. She always loved his stories, and now she has nothing to remember him by. Nothing but the last book he was reading. But this is no ordinary book…It is the Book of Doors.”

Anxious People, by Fredrik Backman

I am late to the game in reading this novel, but I’m so glad that I added it to my list in 2024. A wonderful reminder that we are all people living parallel lives with unique stories, but that our lives affect others and intersect, whether we want them to or not. We can also glean a lesson in compassion from this story. A little more about the book: “Looking at real estate isn’t usually a life-or-death situation, but an apartment open house becomes just that when a failed bank robber bursts in and takes a group of strangers hostage. The captives include a recently retired couple who relentlessly hunt down fixer-uppers to avoid the painful truth that they can’t fix their own marriage. There’s a wealthy bank director who has been too busy to care about anyone else and a young couple who are about to have their first child but can’t seem to agree on anything. Add to the mix an eighty-seven-year-old woman who has lived long enough not to be afraid of someone waving a gun in her face, a flustered but still-ready-to-make-a-deal real estate agent, and a mystery man who has locked himself in the apartment’s only bathroom, and you’ve got the worst group of hostages in the world.”

The 7 1/2 Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle, by Stuart Turton

I would describe this book as a classy mystery. It’s a wonderful example of a well written, multi-layered plot. It’s refreshing to see a story written that doesn’t rely on cheap shock and gore to achieve success. I found this title because I read another of Stuart Turton’s books this year, The Last Murder at the End of the World, and I wanted to read more of his work. He writes truly unique stories, and I hope you’ll enjoy this one. A summary, “The 7½ Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle is a breathlessly addictive mystery that follows one man’s race to find a killer, with an astonishing time-turning twist that means nothing and no one are quite what they seem.”

The Paris Apartment, by Lucy Foley

This book is written from rotating points of view. In doing so, the author effectively makes the reader feel sympathetic to some of the characters with less than desirable personality traits. I enjoyed the injection of Paris culture, architecture, and ambiance while reading this multi-layered mystery. “Jess needs a fresh start. She’s broke and alone, and she’s just left her job under less than ideal circumstances. Her half-brother Ben didn’t sound thrilled when she asked if she could crash with him for a bit, but he didn’t say no, and surely everything will look better from Paris. Only when she shows up – to find a very nice apartment, could Ben really have afforded this? – he’s not there.”

The Many Lives of Mama Love, by Laura Love Hardin

This is the only non-fiction book to make my top 10 list for 2024. This book is an “easy” read, but it wasn’t easy for me to read. The author discusses topics that were uncomfortable and things that I didn’t want to think about in this book. She sheds light on the realities of opioid addiction and the prison/court systems in America. While portions of this book were out of my comfort zone, I’m glad that I read it and gained compassion and understanding for the people traveling the dark journey that the author did.

If you’ve read this far you will notice that I didn’t mention what my favorite book for the year was! Based on my descriptions, I’d love to know what your guess is. Have you read any of the books on this list? Let’s chat in the comments below,

You can shop for any of these books by clicking the titles or images above. If you’d like to find them all in one place, you can find them in my LTK shop HERE. You can also save this article to your Pinterest page to find it again later.

Abby Smolarsky6 Comments