Do you recall Summer Reading programs that were assigned by your school for the Summer break, or were hosted by your local public library? Are these something in which you participated?
Memories of my past, related largely to books and reading, have been triggered during this time of physical distancing as I have communicated via technology with friends. Those memories are influencing my reading of late and even the music I have been listening to.
Further inspiration has come in the form of social media posts from my local library system. Mid-Continent Public Library’s Imagine Your Story summer library program for kids and teens that begins today. Kansas City Public Library has yet to announce their summer reading program theme though theirs starts June 1st and is traditionally for all ages.
My summers used to be filled with books, especially when it got too hot to enjoy being outdoors unless the reason for so doing involved water. My parents took me to the library, until I was old enough to drive there on my own. I borrowed books from my uncle. I bought books from a local bookstore at the mall and a five and dime store in that same mall that had a book section.
And I read.
And read.
I would often reread the same books I had just read, sometimes starting immediately after finishing the last page.
Reading has become my go-to activity during this time of sheltering at home and I have loved reconnecting with this part of myself. As our county is starting to phase back into to what will pass as “normal” life in the COVID-19 era, I want to continue to make daily time to read. And I want to hold on to that feeling of magic recaptured by memories of other summers.
So I created my own Summer Reading program: Venture Forth. The name is a play on the idea that we are being allowed to venture forth into certain businesses and venues once again, and that reading always allows everyone to Venture Forth on an adventure.
This isn’t a challenge or event like I’ve hosted in the past. It is simply something that I want to do and want to share with you. If you desire to recapture a bit of that childhood summer experience, please feel free to be a part of this, and feel free to use the gif.
The GIF is a little fuzzy. My apologies. I believe part of that is the color I chose for the background and also the online program I used to create it.
There are no rules. No number of books to read. No prizes outside of the great pleasure of reading. As part of the fun I did make a list of prompts that I will check off if I end up doing them, but the only thing motivating factor of my reading is finishing a book, and then going and pulling the next read off the shelves that calls out to me.
My prompts include, to read a/an:
book with a Michael Whelan cover [The Dragonbone Chair ~Tad Williams]
gift that was given to me [Things My Son Needs to Know About the World ~Fredrik Backman]
2020 book purchase
used bookstore find
novel that is part of a series
story that I have read before
book that I read as a child or teen
social media recommended book
graphic novel
children’s book
narrated book
recommendation from my wife
nonfiction book
title that is part of a series
checkout from my local library
Asimov’s Science Fiction magazine
Uncanny magazine
Clarkesworld magazine
book outdoors (at least 75% has to be read outside) [Upstream ~Mary Oliver]
volume from the basement bookshelves. [Return of Tarzan ~Edgar Rice Burroughs]
spy novel
detective/P.I. novel
book of poetry [Dog Songs ~Mary Oliver]
That is my list for now. We will see if it grows.
I finished three books yesterday, day one of the program, so the Summer Reading has begun!
If you do decide to Venture Forth, use the #VentureForth2020
Update: Added this as a .jpg as the .gif seems to be fuzzy on social media outlets.
I love it especially as it started on my birthday. 🙂
I finished on book yesterday that fits in your prompt of Outdoors. As I read at least 75 % of it Outdoors and that was Felicity by Mary Oliver. A wonderful book of Poems about Love which was a book loaned to me by YOU. Thanks Carl !!!
Now off to do some more reading.
I thought about that when I did the update on the dates.
Congratulations on your first Summer Reading completion. Great way to start it out. And Mary Oliver begs to be read outside, in my opinion. I read almost the entirety of Upstream, her essay collection outside.
I’ll update this post at some point, but I’m well on my way, having finished three books yesterday: Upstream by Mary Oliver (outside), The Dragonbone Chair by Tad Williams (Michael Whelan cover), The Return of Tarzan by Edgar Rice Burroughs (basement bookshelf read). I enjoyed all three very much.
Ack! you did this on purpose!!! During this month I reread the White Dragon which covers 3 of your list! Michael Whelan cover.. it was a gift with his signature from YOU! And it’s a book I have read before! I don’t have magazines and I don’t have a basement! But I will get a few of these!!!
Hey, I’m cool with you counting it, LOL! I’m counting three books that I finished yesterday, even though the bulk of the reading on them happened prior to the 25th.
And feel free to create your own list too, and share it if you want. My list was just about what sprung to my mind when I was trying to add a bit of fun to the whole thing. I imagine I’ll think of more myself and add to it.
I don’t know what I’ll do or how to do it.. but I can never refuse you.
You and Mary are beginning to remind me of a young Deforest and Carolyn Kelley.. always together, holding hands, finishing each others sentences…The reminded me that there really could be love that lasts a life time.. for reasons I am not sure of..you remind me of them. sigh.. Thanks for the cry ..
That’s my tagline, “spreading tears wherever I go…”
Sorry about the cry, but I will take the compliment. One of many cool things about the crowd you were able to hang with in your life is learning about DeForest and Caroyln and their love for one another. It is nice when there is a celebrity you admire, and I admire and am deeply emotionally tied to the original Star Trek cast due to loving that series so much, and you find out that they are able to manage a good partnership with their spouse. I am frequently reminded by just how blessed I am to have Mary. She is a true gift from God, as nothing I have ever done would deserve her. We do have a great deal of fun together, are very well matched, and each of us have our strong points that complement one another. How 31 years of marriage, plus 1.5 years of dating, has gone by so quickly I have no idea, but boy do we have some fantastic memories. I couldn’t be more honored than to have created a memory/feeling for you that reminded you of them as I know they meant the very world to you.
I am not sorry for the cry.. But I am glad I met you and how you talk about Mary at times. I am glad you remind my of their love. You are only the second couple that made me feel that there is love that lasts. (being divorced I no long believed it) Anyway I don’t want to get you off of your topic of BOOKS… You are da Bookman!!! lol I’ll end it by saying I am glad you are you!! (gosh I miss blogs instead of FB!!) ps.. tha notify me by email and new posts doesn’t seem to be working)
I’ll check into that. This whole blog theme needs to be revamped. It is outdated and is giving me messages that my PHP is not secure, though my web host swears that it is on their end. Time to upgrade, which is something I do not enjoy. Although I don’t know why as I’ve always had someone else do the hard work for me!
This is a great list of prompts Carl. I hope you manage to find books for all of these and look forward to watching your progress.
Lynn 😀
Thanks Lynn, I look forward to seeing what happens.
Yes… in your address block it says Not Secure.
I love this idea! I’ve been pretty much the opposite since quarantine began. Without access to the library, I’ve been shut down on reading and have read almost nothing since February! One day it’ll pick up again, I know.
I do want to say – I think you’re the only other person I know who has the experience of starting a book over again the moment you finish. I call this a “multi-read” on my blog, because some books just need to be read more than once, right away. I love it when a multi-read is triggered by a book, honestly. Sometimes I just want to spend more time in that world!
‘Multi-read’ is a good term, I like it! I think the last two books I did this with were Among Others by Jo Walton which I immediately told my wife how much I loved the book as I turned the last page and then started reading it to her aloud, and I did the same thing with Enchanted Night by Steven Millhauser. I used to do it all the time as a kid because I had limited books on hand, and if I was drawn into the story I wanted to experience it again.
Today I don’t have the issue of no books. I rarely use the library, though I do end up checking out physical copies or ebooks or audiobooks probably about 5 times a year, but I have SO MANY unread books in my house and probably average buying one new-to-me book per month (and have purchased more than that during stay-at-home orders) that I am not without something to read. Where I get off track is I have times of the year where I get really immersed into gaming and when that happens my reading really dips.
I have been giving this some thought and I have decided to join in. It works perfectly for the way I have been reading lately. I started two books on May 25th that I will count (one is spy fiction, one is nonfiction). Just have to decide on my prompts and I will put up a post.
I discovered that I have a book by Isaac Asimov with a cover by Michael Whelan. Foundation, Book One. And I have been planning to read it soonish. So I can use that prompt.
I wish I could remember books I read in the summer as a child and teenager. I read a lot, but have no memory of specific titles.
I don’t remember a ton of titles that I specifically read in the summer. I do some. More I just remember books I read as a kid or teen as several of them are books I’ve continued to reread as an adult.
I look forward to seeing how you like the first Foundation book. Hopefully well enough you will want to read the other two that make up the original trilogy.
I am glad you are venturing forth and am excited to see your prompts.
I actually don’t remember Summer Reading programs from when I was young, not sure if they made it to my local library back then, but I certainly know all about them now, as we are about to launch our Summer program where I work, and figuring out the online only aspect is pretty tough when we make such a big deal out of author visits and talks in the library. But we will cope, that’s what technology is there for 🙂
Great list of prompts, and a great idea to #Venture Forth
I’m certainly glad you are still doing the program for the Summer, but can feel your pain about having to do everything online. As much as all this technology has been of some benefit during this time, it has also emphasized just how much we need to have tech as an enhancement for our lives, not our primary way of communicating and staying connected. If you have a link for your program, I would love to see it.
love this. the idea, the graphic, your list of prompts. and I really dig the low-key nature of it. thanks for creating & sharing this kind of bookish fun for us to participated in.
You are welcome. There was a brief thought about not sharing it, since it was something I was just thinking about for Mary and I to do, but then that whole sense of community came in and how much I missed the blogging days and I thought it would be fun to share, even if just Mary and I did is as I know all my blogging friends are still out there enjoying their reading and will all summer long. I’m happy others think it looks fun.
love this. the idea, the graphic, your list of prompts. and I really dig the low-key nature of it. thanks for creating & sharing this kind of bookish fun for us to participated in.
Carl! I’m glad to see you blogging!
I don’t remember my library doing summer reading programs and I’ve been wildly jealous of “kids these days”…until I realized two years ago that Tempe Public Libraries had an adult participation level! Their version is pretty simple: log 20 minutes of reading a day for points with some challenges, which are mostly for the kids. Turn points for books *or* donate you book to a literacy charity. It’s a win all around.
I’m reading a lot of “weird” this summer, but I think I’ll #ventureForth2020 too. 😉
The Kansas City Public Library does an all ages ones and they give away a mug or glass with the logo printed on it if you read X number of books. I like the donate book to a charity option, that is really nice. Nothing wrong with “weird”, it sounds like a fun reading summer! Glad you are going to venture forth with us!
What a fun idea! I remember summer library reading programs from when I was young, but even more I remember just reading all summer. Long afternoons in the hammock with enticing thick books–all the Andrew Lang fairy story books, the Anne of Green Gables series, and many others I’m sure. Enjoy!
It isn’t easy to focus on reading given all that is going on, which is quite okay, what is going on shouldn’t be easy to ignore. But I do believe part of self-care and part of staying healthy so we can make an impact in life involves taking care of ourselves too, and for readers that means making time for books. So I do plan on reliving some nostalgia and enjoying a book-filled Summer.