Why You Should Have a Summer Reading List

Remember back in elementary/high school at the end of the year they would pass out a list of books for you to read over your three months of freedom to get you ready for the next year? Like your English teacher was just trying to cram some more learning down your throat in a last desperate act to get you to care about classical literature. If you’re like me then you’d already read something like 75% of the books on the list. If you’re not like me then well, you didn’t.

By Donyae

So now it’s summer and you probably don’t have that handy dandy guide to follow on a lazy day. Or stress that you’re just not as intellectually savvy as you would have hoped. Or perhaps (and more likely) you don’t even care and haven’t even noticed that it’s gone. But you should care and you should notice because you should have a summer reading list! For exactly three different reasons.

1) Reading is fundamental!

Seriously, as we all come off the last rush of finals, signing up for summer classes., making summer plans, finding jobs, etc, our brains are maxed and stretched out to the fullest. Everyone is always looking forward to lazy days filled with heat to relax but really, what is that doing to your mind? It’s turning it to mush. Pick up a book. It doesn’t have to be deep but the simple act will help to work your mind out a little, get that imagination running, and depending on what kind of book you pick up, some other things running as well. Hint, hint, wink, wink.

2) Expand your horizons.

Ever wonder what the big deal is about scifi/romance/thrillers/horror? Never picked up anything like that in your life? Now’s the time to do it. Read something new and exciting. Check out your local library and grab something random off the shelf. Maybe you’ll hate it or maybe you’ll really like it and open up a whole new world for yourself. You never know unless you try.

Plus you’ll have a whole new set of conversational starters. Don’t know what to say in a dull pause? “Hey, I just finished this book…”

3) Get a jump on next year.

There are bound to be a ton of classes next year that require you to do a substantial amount of reading. There’s no harm in getting a little ahead of the game. Sure you probably won’t remember the works word for word when it comes time to write that paper but you’ll save time on actually having to read the book when you’ve got three other profs breathing down your back for work.

It’s summer! Read a little. It won’t kill you.

[photo from www.umo.com]