Summer Reading Past and Present

I spent a lot of my childhood summers with my nose in a book. Even when we were driving through jaw-dropping scenery on a family vacation, I’d read until my mom or dad told me to look out the window. I’d give a quick glance, say something like “Wow!”, then go back to my book.

I was fortunate enough to have a mom who loved to read as much as I did. (My dad didn’t read much other than the daily newspaper until he was in his 70s. Now he always has a book going. Proof that it’s never too late to fall in love with books!) Every two weeks, Mom took my sisters and me to the library, where we loaded up a brown paper grocery bag with books. By the time the books were due, we had read them all and were ready for more.

Now that I’m an adult, I don’t have the luxury of long days spent reading. But I do make sure to curl up with a book every night, even if it’s just for a few minutes. Though, I must admit, after a hard work day, I sometimes fall asleep mid-sentence.

This summer, I thought it would be fun to make a summer reading stack. In other words, a stack of books to place on my nightstand that I’d like to read this summer. My two younger boys, 20 and 15, decided to do the same. My summer reading “list” is a mix of loans from my three sons, books that have been gathering dust by my bed, and a couple of new purchases. I’ve included some YA and middle-grade novels, partly because as a children’s author, it’s important to be aware of the market, but mostly because they’re just as good – if not better – than what’s currently out there for adults.

Next to my book stack is my Kindle, which has several more books I plan to read this summer. As someone who is as much in love with the smell and feel of new books as she is with the words, I’ll never give up browsing bookstores to find just the right book to bring home.

But I’m also a realist, both as a reader and a writer. E-books are here to stay. And much as I love holding an actual book in my hands, I must admit that taking my Kindle on vacation to Iceland next month will be easier than trying to decide how many books I can pack and still stay within the 40-pound luggage limit. (Especially when you consider that one of my summer reading books, The Pale King by David Foster Wallace weighs a pound – and it’s a paperback!)

So, what’s on your summer reading list? I’d love to know. It’s never too soon to start building my summer book stack for next year!