Temperatures are rising, kids are displaying all types of almost out of school squirrelly behavior, and cicadas are getting ready to invade. That can mean only one thing: summer is here.
I love summer. As a librarian summer is usually the busiest time of year for me. Thanks to the invention of summer reading clubs (who was the marvelous person who thought those up?), I will spend the next couple of months making book recommendation after book recommendation in addition to hosting a variety of fiction related programs at my library.
There may only be 99 lazy, hazy, crazy days of summer (if you count from Memorial Day to Labor Day), but readers everywhere try to make the most of that time. Readers I don’t see during the rest of the year pop-up out of nowhere to check out books by the armloads. With some of my favorite patrons it’s like being reunited with your friends from summer camp. We catch up on everything that has been going on in their lives over the past year, and I tell them about all the good books they’ve missed during their absence.
For patrons who are Anal Annies like me, visiting the library after a long break is filled with a single minded purpose: read as many books as possible before the summer is over. Some readers make it a priority to devise a personal reading plan to make the most of their summer. And before you ask, yes, I’ve been known to do that for myself from time to time. While some readers may view this as taking the fun out of discovering new books and authors, other readers appreciate the guidance of a plan and the feeling of accomplishment it provides once it is completed. These readers look forward to my library’s recommended lists each summer, and they really seem to relish checking books off those lists.
Unfortunately, summer is never long enough. As soon as the days begin to get shorter patrons start to straggle in to return the last remaining books on their checkout list – leaving empty handed and not returning until the following summer.
What is it about summer that inspires us to read? Is it the longer days? The lack of original programming on television? The idea that summer is the time for leisurely pursuits (guilt free)?
Or is it that for whatever reason, summer is the only season were people are willing to make time for themselves and make time for what the enjoy doing? And if that is the case, I am very, very sad for these people. What about you? Why do you think some people limit themselves to summer reading only?
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I think it’s a leftover habit from school when we’d get our “Summer Reading” lists and book logs! Seriously, though, it seems to me that spring is busy, busy, busy. Everyone has to plant their garden/get the boat in/clean the gutters, etc… BEFORE SUMMER!! Then summer hits and it’s like, “Okay! Time to relax!”
Being an avid reader I couldn’t imagine only reading during summer–though I suppose some professions, like teaching perhaps, have more “free” time over the summer to pursue it.
Good luck with your SRP! We’re gearing up for our summer program here as well.
I don’t know but I’ve run into so many people lately who say, “I bought your book/I’d love to buy your book but I just don’t have time to read it.” That is so sad. Reading is such a pleasure and should be enjoyed year-round.
This may not be a legit answer for anyone else, but…
I’m a Minnesotan. Long reading sessions in winter leave me cold. Literally. Summer I can laze around a bit longer, kids willing.
I’m an every-single-day-or-I’ll-die reader myself, but even I have more time for it in the summer. There are no lunches to pack, fewer functions to run to, bedtime gets extended, the kids can pitch in more with the dishes and the laundry… The schedule suddenly isn’t as tight, so I can see how people who are ordinarily too busy to read (a concept entirely beyond my comprehension) would suddenly find themselves with a free hour or so to indulge.
I’d have to be institutionalized, though, if September came around and I had to say, “Well, no more books for me for the next nine months.” I’d have tons of free time then, but staff probably wouldn’t approve of my choice in reading material.
I read all year around. . . but I will say I can squeeze in a little more reading in the summer as my kids are busy playing and I can sit in the sun, “watch” them, and read to my hearts content. Plus, since they are outside so much, my house stays a miniscule amount cleaner (and shorts and t-shirts take up less room in the washer than jeans and sweatshirts!)
I read all year long but I understand that summer inspires folks. More sunshine, higher temperatures, more outdoor activities.
Last year, our local library underwent a renovation. Closed for the summer. But they did a very cool thing. Before closing, patrons had the opportunity to take out up to 50 books. Each. I guess they figured the more we took out, the fewer they had to pack up and move during the renovation. It was great! I had reading material at my fingertips all summer long. However, I did not envy the person who at summer’s close had to reshelve all those books. (We could return during the summer–they set up a desk outside–but we couldn’t take out.)
Some of my happiest reading memories are sitting on the deck in the summer, reading with iced tea near to hand. I read almost every day but there is something special about summer reading! I seem to read series in the summer. There was the summer of Sue Grafton, the summer of Parnell Hall, etc.
I work in a library too, and I’m ready for the hordes to descend. We are so stocked up it’s hard to shelve books right now, especially in Youth Services! Our reading program starts June 1st…
For me it’s a couple of things. Lack of new TV is a big one, but a close second is that my mood lifts in summer and I enjoy pursuing more of my “habits.” And best of all my job is a lot less hectic in the summer, so that lends to me being a lot less stressed.
I also read all year long and work in a public library. I can’t imagine only reading during the summer since it’s such a big part of my life. One drawback to cataloging all day is eye twitching so this evening I tried to just sit out on the porch and just chill and after about 15 minutes I started getting antsy and didn’t know where to look or what to do with my hands! I have often wondered why so many of the patrons I see during the summer never come in the rest of the year. I can no longer remember how much homweork I used to have, but maybe they have so much during the year there is no time for pleasure reading which is a shame. Then again I stayed a C student (except for A’s in Language Arts) thanks to rushing through homework to get to the books I really wanted to read. Maybe they care more about their grades than I did.