It’s the season of sunshine, barbecues, sunscreen and vacation. In Canada, school is wrapping up, camping season is upon us, and everyone I know is preparing for hard won down time.
Now, despite the wish to live life in permanent vacation mode, most of us have to handle normal responsibilities under the mantle of sunshine and hotdogs. I know that I want to enjoy hot weather, read a ton, take my kids on adventures, and keep up with work duties. With this simultaneous carefree spirit and pressure, I let a few things go in order to pick up responsibilities elsewhere. This includes my reading life.
Over the years, with little kids at home, reading in the margins of time is something I've become good at. I read when I eat, listen to audiobooks when I cook/clean, prop up my e-reader when blow drying my hair....
Since my reading life isn't always the prettiest, but it gets the job done, I wanted to share some tips to streamline your reading life for the summer season:
I read more on my e-reader. I can borrow books from my library on my Kobo through the Overdrive app. I also have a Kindle Unlimited subscription on my phone/an old, janky iPad mini. This allows me to load up my e-readers with a variety of books, and because an e-reader is more portable, I’m ready to put it in my pocket or bring it with me to read outside in a pinch.
I DNF. Usually, if a book doesn’t grab me, I’ll persist unless I dislike the content. The summer is so short here and because enjoyment is important to me, I will allow for way more DNF’s than normal. I keep in mind that it isn’t forever and that I can pick the book up again at any time.
I like a fast, easy read. Queue the romance, suspense, and popular fiction genres. High entertainment is a must. That doesn’t mean I won’t read fantasy, literary fiction, or nonfiction, but there is certainly less of it in the summer.
I care less about the books I bring with me. In the summer, I’m outside with the kids. They have water fights, come at me with popsicle-stained hands, and I’m always on sunscreen duty. If I have a pristine hardcover or a lovely, paperback that I don’t want destroyed, I save it for another time. My summer books are dog-eared with food stains and watermarks. And I like them that way because it means I actually read them.
Finally, I don’t put pressure on myself to read as much as normal. Our family is lucky enough to go camping, boating, and generally pack up for lots of daily outings in the summer. Even though I usually find time to read for my own enjoyment, the wheels have to keep turning in other areas such as work, keeping the house (generally) tidy, and feeding the small humans all day (seriously, they eat so much when they're at home). We see friends more and stay up late and that doesn’t always lend itself to reading time. It’s ok. Because I’m reading purely for enjoyment, I know I’ll get to that book when I get to it, no pressure.
Do you have any summer reading tips that you'd like to share? Comment below!
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