8.24.2023 Reading in the Summertime

Hello, friends!

I’m briefly taking over for Matthew this week.

Of the many joys of summer as a kid, spreading out on my front lawn in the shade with a pile of books had to be one of the keenest. It was an activity my future self would look back on with envy, as high school and college brought assigned reading to be done over the summer months. While I grudgingly came to love a lot of the books I was asked to read, the idea of imposing a schedule on the late-summer weeks felt like a bit of an affront. Weren’t these supposed to be days of giddy freedom, devoid of anything as tyrannical as a schedule?

From a time of unbridled leisurely reading to obligatory books, summer has happily come back around to a season for indulging in the unfairly mislabeled “guilty pleasures.” Summer days at the beach, on the back deck, or using the rain as an excuse to not leave the house are perfect opportunities to pick up a book we might feel is a little goofy or self-indulgent. I greatly enjoy revisiting nostalgic favorites, be they pulpy comics or titles from my personal Best of Stephen King list. Diversifying your reading choices, even in a direction which seems frivolous, is a great way to refresh and reset your literary brain and rebel just a bit against the demands of a schedule.

We’ve been having a lot of fun in recommending what we’ve been reading on our social media every week- feel free to give us a follow and check out some picks! Skidompha is home to eclectic reads and readers; if you’re in the mood for something different, quirky, or just plain fun (we’ll avoid the use of “guilty” as a descriptor!), we’d love to steer you toward some fresh titles.

We hope you’re enjoying August, and as always, we look forward to seeing you at the library!