The end of August is always a time of transition. My older son Greg moved back to college earlier this week to assist the new students with orientation. It's hard to believe that this year HE is not the new student. Packing this year was much easier. He basically rounded up the boxes that were stored in the basement, plucked some clothes from his closet and was off. It was easier emotionally to say goodbye as well since he has proven he does not disappear! My younger son Cory will be starting his first year of high school. Although September is right around the corner, I still do not feel that summer should be coming to an end so soon. June in the Northeast was cooler and wetter than usual, and I was on the road for business travel for most of July, so perhaps that is why I am a bit thrown off. But for the record, the weather improved in August, and with no business travel, I finally was able to clock in some hammock and pool floating time!

One of my favorite things to do on a hot summer day is swim in my pool or just drift in the water and relax on a floating chair with a book. I can't believe it's the end of August. We know some of you are back in school already, and others, like my sons, will be heading back to school soon. Where did this summer go? To everyone, soak in these last few weeks of summer with some good books.

One of my favorite things to do on a hot summer day is swim in my pool or just drift in the water and relax on a floating chair with a book. I can't believe it's the end of August. We know some kids are back in school already, and others, like my sons, will be heading back soon. Where did this summer go? To everyone, soak in these last few weeks of summer with some good books.

Yesterday was the 13th anniversary of the launch of Bookreporter.com. While I got some emails telling me that this means we should have a bar mitzvah, no one mentioned that we are now in our teen years. And you know how feisty teens can be. I think that label very much suits us. I wrote a blog piece where I share a bit of what this experience has been like for the last dozen plus one year and thank the folks who make it happen every week. You can read it here.

One of my favorite things to do on a hot summer day is swim in my pool or just drift in the water and relax on a floating chair with a book. I can't believe we're nearing the end of August. We know some of you are back in school already, and others like my sons will be heading back to school soon. Where did this summer go? To everyone, soak in these last few weeks of summer with some good books.

The past two weeks have been insanely hot here in New York City, so I’ve spent a good deal of my time inside, where I can crank the A/C and read without looking like I’ve just run a marathon (which, trust me, I haven’t). I’m one of those perpetually hot-blooded people; it has to be seriously freezing for me to consider turning the heat on, and even then, I use it sparingly. I figure summer is my time to even out my carbon footprint.