Summer Reading—Relaxing or Rigorous

DAY 201 - 26/20/7 -

Growing up, I was never a fan of summer reading. I didn't mind reading during autumn or winter, but summer was for climbing trees and playing with sticks. If all I read on vacation were the plaques at museums, then that would be enough for me. I wanted adventure, so I dreaded the moment when Mom would sit me down and put a book in my hand. That's how I'd always know when summer was over—blue skies blocked by a required schoolbook. After I graduated, I could choose what I wanted to read, but not necessarily when I wanted.

These days, I don't read for grades.

I read to get more books.

My local library holds a summer reading BINGO. If I read a certain type of book, I can check off its corresponding square. Some are easy, such as "reread your favorite." Last year, these squares led me to some amazing novels. I didn't know how much I'd appreciate Act I of Little Women. However, I was underwhelmed by this romance I did for "genre you don't usually read." When summer ended, I had a black-out (checked off every square). Why'd I do this? Because my prize was bookstore bucks! Tens of dollars to spend on 50 cent paperbacks. That's way better than a sticker on my report card.

This year, though, our BINGO is stricter. One square says, "read a book that you started but never finished." I suppose I'll be finishing Little Women Act II. But what am I gonna do about "read a book with a design on the edges?" I don't own any, and it's hard to tell which books at my library do. The card catalog doesn't have this information. I know there are reprints with sprayed edges, but does it count if I read the normal paperback? Does it have to be the jewel encrusted copy?

On top of this, not every book I choose turns out to be enjoyable. If I was reading in autumn, I could stop after 50 pages, but I can't do that for summer. I'm on the clock here, so I'd better finish every book I start, or I'll miss my quota.

On the upside, this year's challenge has led me to some extraordinary works. My Dearest Friend is a collection of letters written by John and Abigail Adams. It contains firsthand accounts of the Revolutionary War, the Continental Congress and the first American presidency. I never would have read them, if not for the "read a book over 400 pages" square.

So, that's the gist of taking on a summer challenge,

but if I'm gonna do one, I might as well do another.

My local bookstore hands out reading logs. The only requirement is that I list ten books I finished. That sounded easy, until I realized there might be books I read but detested. I don't want the title One of Us Lying anywhere near The Adventures of Tom Sawyer.

So, what to do? Am I going to tell the owner, "Excuse me, I want you to know I wasn't a fan of My Brother Sam is Dead." Nope, what I'm gonna do is only list books that I admire. And that's how the simple challenge of "read any ten books" turned into the frustration of "read fifteen and choose the best." At least I'll have eighteen from which to choose, if I complete my BINGO card.

Last year, it wasn't easy.
Notice: It took me until October
to fill in the tenth spot.

When you're young, summer means reading one book that you resent. When you're older, you can read ten that might all be awful. That's the stress of it. It's not bound by age or grade, but by regulation. Still, those rules are what get readers out of their comfort-zones. It's their motivation to explore frontiers and overcome obstacles—and isn't that what climbing trees and playing with sticks is all about? Isn't that part of the adventure of summer?

If it isn't, then thank goodness for audiobooks.