Thanks so much to all who participated in the summer book club. I hope you all enjoyed our choices and the live discussions that we had.

Enjoy the rest of your summer!

On Monday at noon, we’ll be having out final live chat of the summer. The book up for discussion will be King Leary by Paul Quarrington. I hope everyone can make it out for the chat and the last day of the book club.

Also, if you get a chance, let me know what you thought of the book club blog. I would love to hear your feedback and know what other books you would have liked to see on our list.

Have a great weekend!

This week, I asked Cottage Life associate editor and blogger for Cottage Kids, Liann Bobechko, to suggest some great books for kids and parents.

Kids Travel: a Backseat Survival Kit from Klutz

Her suggestion for kids, is the Kids Travel book that is filled with things to do on the long drives to the cottage. It makes for a way more interesting and fun ride than simply turning on a DVD

The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

For teens, Liann suggests The Hunger Games series, a sci-fi series set in a future where North America no longer exists. In this new world, teens are forced to compete in a televised survival game that are played to the death. This series has garnered a lot of excitement since it was first released and even adults are reading it with enthusiasm. The final book in the series just came out and I think that the midnight release parties say something to the love of these books.

The Green Hour by Todd Christopher

The first title suggested for parents is The Green Hour, which instructs parents to give their children at least one hour of time in nature a day. Christopher gives parents ideas for outdoor activities and projects that the whole family can participate in and enjoy.

Last Child in the Woods: Saving Our Children from Nature Deficit Disorder by Richard Louv

In this book, Louv makes an argument for the return to nature. At its most basic, Last Child in the Woods explains how soothing and beneficial the environment can be.

NutureShock by Po Bronson and Ashley Merryman

Child rearing meets scientific studies in NutureShock. Different stages of development are studied while the authors speak with different authorities on ways to raise happy, healthy, and positive children.

It’s a Winning Wednesday!!! The first 5 people to comment on this post will win a copy of An Echo in the Bone by Diana Gabaldon courtesy of Random House. Since today is the last Winning Wednesday of the summer and we’re well on our way to finishing our final book, I want to know what book you will be reading next or what book you would recommend for others to read after they finish King Leary. There’s no doubt in my mind that everyone will keep reading once they start to close up the cottage and we’ll all need some good suggestions for the fall.

Like always, if you have already won a book you can comment but you can’t win again.

This is, sadly, the last full week of the Cottage Life book club. As we get closer to the final live chat, I was wondering what everyone thought of the book club. Drop me an email or comment below to let me know what you enjoyed or what you may have liked to see.

Our next live chat will be on Monday at noon so go pick up a copy of King Leary if you haven’t already. For those of you who are already reading, let me know what you think. Anyone else out there craving hockey season because of this book?

Don’t forget that today at noon the rescheduled chat to discuss The Slap will be happening here! Come back at noon to join in!

Since we have started reading King Leary I’ve been thinking a lot about hockey season and am getting excited for my favourite sport to be back on. Since it’s Winning Wednesday, I want to know what your favourite sport is. It can be any type of sport your interested in whether it’s one you play, one you watch, or one you just find interesting.

It’s a Win­ning Wednes­day!!! The first 5 peo­ple to com­ment on this post will win a copy of The Wife’s Tale by Lori Lansens cour­tesy of Ran­dom House.

Emma has been called away suddenly with a personal emergency, so we’re going to postpone the live chat until next Monday, Aug 23. See you then.

—Martin Zibauer