Planning ahead for summer reading

Summer reading. For many of us, that phrase conjures up images of torturous hours spent reading dusty, dry classics in the weeks right before school started. Last of the Mohicans just about killed me! And though I loved East of Eden, it ate my lunch, causing the rest of the books on my list to be seriously neglected.

Well let's put that notion of summer reading on the shelf and redeem it for what it should be—delicious days lounging on the couch with a juicy book, a lighthearted beach read, an exciting audiobook on a family roadtrip...the fun stuff! Summer is the time to discover new authors, try a different genre, catch up on your favorite series, or read something below your reading level if the mood strikes.

As Ben has been happily reminding me lately, summer is just around the corner (eight weeks away in our case), so it's not too early to start thinking about stocking up on summer reading ideas for your family, and yourself for that matter. I've jotted a few down here...leave a comment below and add your thoughts as well!

• Read a book about a place you'll be traveling this summer. This is something you might want to start now, especially if you'll be reading it aloud together (it can take a little longer to get through those).
• Find the perfect audiobook(s) for your family trip. We'll do more on this topic as summer approaches, but it can take a while to pick one that the whole family will enjoy...and preferably not put the driver to sleep ;) It's amazing how much those books can become part of the vacation when you all share the experience.
• Go to your closest used bookstore and stock up on paperbacks. It can be fairly stressful to protect library books to the necessary degree when you're changing planes or smearing on sunscreen at the beach. There's also a huge selection of used books available on Amazon.
• Try new things. Maybe it's time to dive into a graphic novel, solve your first mystery, read the book that came before this summer's hit movie, or tackle a book that seems impossibly long during the school year.
• Join your local library's summer reading program. Yes, the prizes will probably be less than stellar, but it's always good to have measured goals to mark progress and give a sense of achievement.
• Here are a couple sites you might want to visit for inspiration: Guys Read and Readergirlz.

Comments

[Little Willow]

Fantastic blog post. I nodded in agreement as I read each bulletpoint.

The image at the top of your blog is adorable, by the way.

Thank you so much for linking to readergirlz. Have you heard about Operation Teen Book Drop? We're doing that on April 17th, a week from today!
http://www.readergirlz.com/tbd.html

[readergirlz]

Thanks so much for the readergirlz mention! Feel free to check out Operation TBD and Rock the Drop with us!

Lorie Ann Grover, ~readergirlz diva/author

[Lori Bailey]

Thanks, ladies - Glad you stopped by! Operation Book Drop is intriguing...like engaging in covert book ops for the day. Fun!

And thanks for your compliment on our owl, Little Willow. We are big fans of feathered friends ;)

[Little Willow]

There you go - TBD spies carry books and good intentions!