The word summer conjures up lots of images. For me it involves sand, surf and long lazy days ending with pink sky sunsets (even though my new home is quite landlocked!). For my kids who just finished school, summer equals freedom. You know, the whole, no more pencils, no more books, no more teacher's dirty looks feeling. Until I hit them with the two words that can melt their Popsicles faster than a ninety degree day...cue dramatic dream dashing music...summer reading.
Okay, so I didn't wave their required reading lists in front of their faces the moment they stepped off the bus for the last time this school year, but it doesn't matter when I bring it up. Summer reading elicits the sort of groans that also come with such parental classics as eat your veggies and clean your room. A total buzzkill.
This frustrates me because as a mother, writer and avid reader myself,I want them to WANT to read. Put the word required in front of anything though, and resistance is sure to follow. When I was in school, I never had a required summer reading list. I read anyway, and still do. Summer reading for me is as second nature as putting on sunscreen before hitting the beach. Of course I read year round, but during the summer I need fun reads. Reads I can put down,take a dip in the pool and come back out ready to pick up where I left off.
Here's my current summer reading list (sans Kindle, I read old school and recently carried this particular bag o' books up for my trip to NJ, which is also good for a quick biceps/triceps workout...who knew?) I'm in the middle of a few of them and can't wait to crack the rest.
Criss Cross by Lynne Rae Perkins
From Dead to Worse by Charlaine Harris
the short second life of bree tanner by Stephenie Meyer
Prada and Prejudice by Mandy Hubbard
Fragile Eternity by Melissa Marr
Women, Food and God by Geneen Roth
So, let's share - what's on your summer reading list?
Monday, June 21, 2010
Summer Reading
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I have just short of three weeks before school starts up again, so I'm actually taking a bit of a break from reading (don't worry, I'm still reading, but not at the speed needed to complete 10 books in 4 weeks). I just ordered three books from my local independent bookseller:
ReplyDeleteCRIS CROSS by Lynn Rae Perkins
GIMME A CALL by Sarah Mlynowski
And, my secret guilty pleasure:
SIZZLIN' SIXTEEN by Janet Evanovich
Once residency comes, I'll be back to reading at my furious pace.
I can't wait to crack open The Card Turner by Louis Sachar. It combines two of my favorite things: the game of bridge and books written by Louis Sachar.
ReplyDeleteTHE CARD TURNER is in my TBR stack, too. Along with:
ReplyDeleteTHE DEAD TOSSED WAVES
ONCE WAS LOST
EIGHTH GRADE BITES
GRACELING
THE MAZE RUNNER
SURVIVING THE APPLEWHITES
A LONG WAY DOWN
But I have to agree with summer reading being different from other reading. I generally don't read more than one book at a time, but during the summer, I may start a second book to read at the beach. Give me light and fluffy when I'm covered in SPF 30.
And as for kids and required summer reading -- yikes. My sixteen-year-old son was an avid reader until he hit high school. HIs summer workload is pretty steep and I don't know if he will have any time for pleasure reading. It's a shame.
I like light reads in the summer too. So far, I read THE SUGAR QUEEN by Sarah Addison Allen, and now I'm reading LOVE WALKED IN by Marisa de los Santos. Both perfect for summer. Oh, and THE GIRL WITH THE DRAGON TATOO. I was a latecomer to that one.
ReplyDeleteI've started my summer reading with an oldie - TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD. It turned fifty this year and I wanted to reread it - this time as a writer. I have discovered some interesting things - for example it's not until page 7 or 8 that you learn the first person narrator's age and that she's female.
ReplyDeleteI have so many books in my stack, I don't know where to begin.
ReplyDeleteRight now I'm reading Michael Grant's GONE, Paula Yoo's GOOD ENOUGH, Cyn Balog's FAIRY TALE, and Natsuo Kirino's GROTESQUE. And since the summer began, I finished Scott Sigler's INFECTED and Mary Pearson's THE ADORATION OF JENNA FOX.