Summer Reading 2021

 

We didn't have Summer Reading back when I was a kid. The first I ever heard of it was when my friend Cessie talked about what her daughter was expected to read over the summer for the private school she attended. Then, when I worked at the Quaker school, Summer Reading was an important component of the program. The first few days of school would be spent with the students gathered in small groups, discussing the various options they'd chosen for their enjoyment over the previous weeks.

Not that it mattered that I didn't have Summer Reading. I lived to read. Summer was the best time of all, when my hours weren't cluttered with other expectations. Lynn and I would ride our bikes down to the library about once a week, bringing home in our bike baskets our fare for the week ahead.

So far this summer, my reading has been rich indeed. I always read the book section first on Sunday mornings when I open my Times. Friends Nora and Kathy and Tara have been additional sources. The past few weeks have brought me these really good books:

This Is How It Always Is, by Laurie Frankel is my book club's current read. Penn, a writer, and Rosie, a physician, welcome their fifth son into their family. Before being old enough for kindergarten, Claude finds dresses more comfortable than pants and talks about being a girl "when he grows up." A story about how a family rallies to support one of its members, a story about how hard it is to keep a secret, a story about possibilities. Four stars.

The Mercies, by Kiran Millwood Hargrave will be our August discussion. Set in 1617 in the easternmost village of Norway, this is a story of feminism, friendship, daring and betrayal, as well as a story of patriarchy and witch hunting. Read this book, read it slowly. Five stars.

The Elephant of Belfast, by S. Kirk Walsh. During World War II, a young woman zookeeper struggles to make sense of life; she's had a lot of loss in the past year, and forms a powerful attachment to a young elephant in her care. Based on real events. Four and a half stars.

What Comes After, by Joanne Tompkins. Single parent neighbors are grieving the deaths of their teen-age sons when a young pregnant girl arrives at one of their doorsteps. Told from the viewpoints of various characters, this book has elements from Quaker culture, private school culture and complicated teen-age relationships. Five stars.

And, look! We're just a bit past the Fourth of July -- there are eight weeks of Summer Reading to go!