Summer Reading

I have been thinking a lot about summer reading and what it has meant to me. Reading was a part of almost every routine when I was a child. From weekly library trips to “packing” for trips, finding and organizing what books to bring was part of the ritual. Of course, taking the familiar books along on a trip didn’t mean I would actually read them! The Oz books I had so lovingly packed would still be there, and my older sister sister’s books about Captain Horatio Hornblower was sure to be more interesting. My younger sister’s Cherry Ames books were also begging to be read, even though she never thought her older sisters gave them the respect they deserved! I remember visits to used book stores where Amazing Science Fiction magazines with lurid covers and gripping stories could be had for a quarter or less. The bags of books brought from home were never used as an excuse to keep us from gathering more! These books, purchased as a special treat, were conversely never used as a lever to keep us from touching the books that mixed with the treasures in grandma’s attic. There ancient paperbacks (Perry Mason and The Saint originally priced at just 10 or 20￠!) and stacks of old National Geographic magazines shared shelf space with glamorous antique editions and treasures that included an Ouija board. Summer vacation meant freedom to do nothing, and doing nothing often meant lying around reading. Now it takes a certain amount of effort to allow myself to lie around and read. But I am doing it. Along with a lovely collection of childrens’ books (which are half way between work and guilty pleasure) I am reading The Other Boleyn Girl by Phillippa Gregory. What fun! This also ties in nicely to my enjoyment of the opera Anna Bolena at the Met last year. I wish everyone could have the time to enjoy “summer reading” as much as I do!