Some of my favorite memories of summer revolve around the public library. Every summer my mom would enroll my sister and I in the summer reading program where we would be allowed to check out up to 10 books to read, and once a week we would go to the library, walk through the gates and head for the children's library in the back. The walls were painted with scenes from notable fairy tales and stories, the seats were bean bags, and there were tiny turtles hidden in the murals that you could search for all day and not find every one of them. Sometimes there were stories, sometimes there were new books on display with beautiful covers, and sometimes the children's librarian would come and personally help you to pick the perfect book. My mom would keep track of each book that we read and then report it when we returned them to the library. At the end of the season there would be a picnic for all of the summer readers, with prizes for top readers. I am proud to say that I won as top reader for all the students in the 1st grade -- I already knew then what most people take a lifetime to comprehend -- it's hot outside, stay indoors!
Unfortunately there is no competition for adults, no incentive to read your heart out during the sweltering months of summer. There has been a steady decline in the number of books I have read since those summers of furious reading -- there have been undoubted spurts of overachiever level reading during those years but no return to the consistency that was my formative summers. I could give excuses (I'm busy! The TV needs me!), or simply say that it no longer interests me to have read the newest releases and be up on my literature, but that's all lies. It is simply because I am too poor and too lazy to keep up with all of it. Books are expensive, and the cheap books for my Kindle are sometimes self-published pieces of garbage, which has made me weary of the sale books. And the library is so far away...and I have to pay to park...and the librarians aren't as nice as the ones in my hometown...and it's really big and intimidating...and I'm embarrassed to check out the books that I really want to read (ie ones with half naked men on the cover)...and the list goes on. 
However, this summer has been a resurgence, and not just because I have finally decided that I can squeeze a bit of reading in between watching full seasons of Dr. Who and Burn Notice, but because my library has catapulted into the 21st century. I no longer have to travel the 5 miles in traffic to the central library branch (or pay to park, or talk to the customer unfriendly librarians) and I can download e-books and audio books with fully naked men if I want -- sans judgement (I'm still a little embarrassed, but only because I know what the covers look like). The library will even email me when my titles are available for download, so that I don't have to miss precious minutes of the TARDIS checking to see when I can download the first of the Game of Thrones books (right now it looks like I will be reading that particular volume when flying cars become a reality). It really has been an shot in the arm of a former compulsive reader -- and really this goes back to the true reality of the matter -- it's hot outside, stay indoors! (and read)
I used to read ALL the books printed! That's a lot! Now, my eyes are betraying me, I have little interest in "new" books, and reading has become as obsolete as powdered wigs. Still, I would rather read than watch summer TV{except for Big Brother}. Alas, I choose to read books that I have read before rather than new ones. Boring? Not if you have ever read The Road or Lonesome Dove. Great reads, even for the third time!
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