Marie, over at The Boston Bibliophile, is wondering: Since we’re past the Fourth of July and the summer season has officially started, what are your plans for the summer? Vacations, trips? Trips that involve reading? Reading plans? If you’re going somewhere, do you do any reading to prepare? Do you read local literature as part of your trip? Have you thought about using the LT Local feature to help plan your book-buying?
Ready for my response? Cue the music (As much as I sang and danced to this song in the 80s, I couldn’t have told you what the final line of the chorus was! It may be particularly appropriate now, with the kids home from school encroaching on my reading time … kidding!):
Vacation
All I ever wanted
Vacation
Had to get away
Vacation
Meant to be spent alone
(chorus of “Vacation” by the Go-Gos)
Our family doesn’t have “big” summer vacation plans this year, more of a “stay-cation” and weekend getaways (I’ll spare you the lyrics to Barry Manilow’s Weekend in New England!)
Every trip involves reading – even a trip to the grocery store means that whichever child(ren) is with me will inevitably carry along a book or magazine. I always have the current issue of Newsweek, the daily New York Times crossword puzzle and a book in the car for waiting time at a doctor’s office, in line at the Post Office, or waiting to pick up from carpool. (This might be a good time to insert the wisdom of the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree!)
Yes, if we’re taking a destination-vacation I research the history and current events in the area. I really enjoy reading works of fiction that take place in a setting I’m familiar with, or reading a novel to get me in the mood of/for a particular area.
I haven’t used LT Local other than, well, locally. This is a great idea, Marie; I’m going to look into some of our upcoming long-weekend trips.
One kid takes books while the other just jabbers. I wish she took more books!
My kids all like books. My oldest said books were her “Happy Place”, and my youngest claims to not like “reading” but she’ll sit by the hour “listening” to me read to her. That is my fault, I know, because I do voices and sound effects. My middle daughter is MiMH, and I have to read anything above level one to her.
I think it would be interesting to read fiction about specific places I visit… I just never go anywhere interesting
I haven’t been blessed with kids (yet) but I was one of those children who would trail after my mother in the grocery store while reading a book or a magazine. I don’t see many kids do that anymore, and it makes me sad.
Michele – our younger daughter talks ALL THE TIME! She once told a friend “I never stop talking until 8 o’clock at night” (her bedtime)
Koolaid Mom – great quote “my happy place”! Good for you, for doing the voices, it’s the only way to read aloud!
kegsoccer – a good challenge for your blog readers – let us know where you’re going and we can recommend fiction for you.
Ruth – my older son’s teacher once had to reprimand him for reading while walking down the hall in school!