Reading for Gold Stars

My friend and I were tooling around the children’s book aisles at Barnes & Noble the other day, reminiscing over some of our childhood favorites (Ramona Quimby, Judy Bloom books, A Wrinkle in Time) and reading some of the newest favorites for today’s generation. And it got me thinking about how much I loved reading during the summertime.

Library Memories
I remember distinctly making regular trips to the library with my mom and little sister. We would set up camp in the kids’ section and start browsing. My mom would always set a limit for how many books we could check out. Needless to say, it never took me very long to reach the limit. Oh how I loved the smell of the used pages. And the crinkle that the protective plastic covering made when you opened the book.

And every year during the summer we would participate in a summer reading program--either sponsored by the library or by our school. I can’t remember the specifics, but I do vaguely remember colored stars and charts to record how many hours we’d read.

Signing Up
So, it was with these summer reading memories in mind that I decided to check out my local library to see if they were sponsoring an adult reading program. Sure enough, they were, and I signed up immediately. Apparently the only rule is that I have to read 5 hours per week. I think I get a complimentary pen at the end of the summer for my efforts. Not that I need the incentive.

And so I’ve been toting around some books, getting in my hours on the deck or before bed at night. I’m trying to mix it up, reading both fiction and non-fiction, several books at once. (To see what I’m reading, please feel free to look at my summer reading pinwheel to the left.) And if you have the inclination, check out your local library to see what summer reading programs they have, for adults or kids (if you have youngsters).

Since no staycation is complete with a good book, I’ll be leaving you now and digging into mine!

What are you reading this summer? Email me at shillberry@stephaniehillberry.com or post your comment here!

Previous Retro Summer posts:
My Community Staycation
A Girl Can Dream
...also check out Retro Summer's webpage for summer event ideas, photos, links and more!