From Judy Blume to Nancy Drew, to J. R. Tolkien to A Wrinkle in Time, we read across many genres. But at the time, we didn’t know our chosen books had a classification. We read what we liked. There was no pressure to read books in various categories for a more ‘well-rounded’ book life and exposure to new story elements. Instead, we naturally gravitated toward different writing styles from our child-like curiosity not yet molded by the should’s we would later experience in academia.
Studying story style is encouraged! Especially as writers. Yet, when I see again the Canada Geese in the skies and I hear a chorus of frogs on ponds, I know it is time to hide away my Elements of Style and Jane Eyre (the books I’m told every writer should read). Instead, it is time to get lost in the puffy, white clouds on blue skies and the gentle rhythmic waves on lakes. It is time to read with child-like curiosity of beach town romances and of ship voyages to new lands. It is time to slip into a graphic picture scenes and laugh out loud comics. Letting go of agendas, summer is a time to be fully present in the words receiving abundantly without the limits of expectations.
May your over-flowing book bags this summer suggest a freedom that causes you to soar like an eagle and want to lay by quiet waters. May you have a friend by your side at times, hearing the fluttering of turning pages. May you always know the Light that penetrates through all darkness. May your explorations bring a fullness of joy from unexpected places. Especially, may you keep your gaze heavenward, embracing His presence in all moments of your summer days.
Happy summer reading!
You can read more of Lynn J Simpson's musings here.
I loved Judy Blume as a child! You paint such a picture of that freedom!
ReplyDeleteI loved Thornton Berges' Fables of the Green Forest. How I wish animals could talk.
ReplyDeleteI wish I had 5time to indulge myself with an audio book.
Dear Lynn, what a lovely post and a beautiful blessing you concluded with too.
ReplyDeleteYes, summer is for savoring favorite books and beloved friends.
Blessings on your summer - Wendy Mac 🕊️
Thank you, Lynn! You whisked me off to my childhood with my memories of Robinson Crusoe and Treasure Island. I never read Tolkien until I was a big boy. He pulled me into a whole new world of adventure. This is such a fun post!
ReplyDeleteLovely. I want a carefree summer of reading!
ReplyDeleteThanks for the childhood memories.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the childhood memories.
ReplyDeleteThis is a wonderful and relatable reflection on your reading experiences through the years. I too loved Judy Blume and Nancy Drew when I was growing up. I also enjoyed the Anne of Green Gables series and the Hardy Boys, as well as a plethora of other books. No one ever told me what to read or what not to read, though I know I read some unsuitable things at times. There is definitely pleasure in reading freely and not under compulsion, though reading itself is a compulsion for me!
ReplyDeleteEvery June our family loaded up on library books to take to our cottage on Georgian Bay. That's all there was back then. No TV, internet. Just books and a quest for knowledge. Have a great summer Lynn.
ReplyDeleteI was a teen when our rural village first opened its tiny public library. I must have been one of the first patrons to sign up for books. I loved going there on a summer morning to browse and find a stack of possibilities to bring home. Your post created a well spring of summer reading memories. Thanks, Lynn.
ReplyDeleteThanks for your nostalgic journey through your childhood of reading, Lynn! We all have memories of reading wornderful books in the summer!
ReplyDeleteI believe I was just absorbed into your wonderful summer reading world. A place of peace and leisure where your cup overflows. Thanks, Lynn.
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