If its Summer, it Must be Time to Read . . . . . ..

Doing any summer reading?

What's that? No time?

Well, yes . . I get that. As an adult, the concept of summer reading is just that - a concept. I suppose if I were say, in the teaching profession, I could wake up each day and attack the pile of yet- to be read books clogging my bookshelf, nightstand, dresser, etc . . But for me, summer is the same as any other time of the year, just with higher electric bills (the castle doesn't cool itself you know), so sadly there is no "summer reading" for me. Who are these people I often wonder, who have all summer to sit on the beach, paperbacks in hand, sipping Pimm's Cups and reading the lighter, less taxing fare that invariably make up the summer reading lists?

I have a theory about those lists. You know the ones, packed with suggestions to read at the beach. These list are usually populated by detective stories, sappy "quirky girl meets awkward boy" stories - (destined to be a film starring Zooey Daschanel, no doubt), and mystery thrillers. I think they are the publishing industry's version of Secretaries Day. A purely invented, self serving event who's only purpose is to increase sales during an otherwise slow time.

Let's think about it, shall we? With the exception of students and teachers and characters in a John Irving novel - who really has the summer off? Students aren't likely to get their 3 month respite from the halls of academia only to immediately pick up a novel, which leaves teachers. Ok - I'll grant you that most teachers I know probably do spend much more time reading in the summer than during the school year, but do the list exist solely to assist them in leisurely reading choices? No I say!

These list are put there to lure the rest of us bibliophiles into buying yet more books that we don't have time to read. An invention of the marketing department to sell more books. Ergo - the summer reading season is a fake holiday, just like Secretaries day, Grandparents day, and all of the other Hallmark holidays.

Why else would I buy a detective novel? It isn't really my genre of choice, ahh but it came off the list at NPR, so it must be right for Summer, right? So every year I buy into the hype and rush to Barnes and Noble in late May to "stock up". I have shelves and shelves full of pastel colored book jackets to attest to my gullibility.

So this year, I resolve not to fall victim to this marketing hype! Join with me, will you? Let's refuse to blindly follow the siren call of these clever publishing Moguls!

Well . . . OK - I do have a four hour flight coming up next week . . I'll need some light reading for that flight. . . . The Four Corners of the Sky looks good for that . . . then there's the trip back home . . one book probably won't last both flights . . . Maybe The School of Essential Ingredients, . .I mean . . it is a novel about a cooking school for Pete's sake! . . . . Then I'll be in San Antonio for a day or two while Xena is at a conference . . . I guess I could read by the pool while I wait for her to get out. . . . . Oh! maybe Stone's Fall for that one. . . . . Oh, and I'm going to spend a weekend at the Bay house . . . . and after reading that excerpt from the Jane Hamilton novel, I really want to see how it turns out. . .

Sigh.


Why doesn't IKEA have a summer bookshelf sale? Now there's a marketing idea I can get behind.

Happy reading guys . . . . .