What is this summer reading list thing? No teacher would have even considered that when I was a kid. Not that I needed such a thing, being a compulsive reader.
One summer between 3rd and 4th grade, my teacher offered us a bribe. She had about a dozen little hand-looms, and when you were caught up with your work, if there was a free loom you could go work on weaving a little rug about 6 inches wide and of indefinite length, though she would make us stop at about 12 inches. The bribe: She had just three larger looms, about a foot wide. The 3 students who read and wrote a two-sentence summary of the most books that summer would be given access to the “big” looms. I read more than 200 books that summer… and came in fourth behind three girls who (I’m astounded to discover this still annoys me) cheated by reading little golden books and stuff that I’d been done with since 1st grade.
When I was in school, there were no reading lists. But, like Concretionist I was a compulsive reader. I have no idea how many books my girlfriend and I read one summer. We’d each check out the limit (10 books) and read them and switch and read those. Back we’d go to the library and repeat the process. Never did count how many books we each read.
Caulfield is anticipating the possibilities of a new year and new adventures. Happens to teacher, too, but theirs also includes a familiar lyric, as in, ‘here we go again.’
Here where I am in the Adirondack North Country of Upstate New York it’s Travers Weekend, highlighted by Saratoga Race Course’s biggest race. Tacitus is the morning line favorite for the Midsummer Derby.
Reading, reading reading! Keep those pages turning! Keep the lights a-burning! Rawhide! (OK, rawhide’s the music in my head. Old TV show. This history moment brought to you FREE by me.
I too was (and am) a compulsive reader. We had a library in our sixth grade classroom consisting of books contributed by all of the students. I read through that entire library during the school year.
I’m not sure if I was ever given a summer reading list, but it’s enough of a comics and entertainment standard with so much potential that I’ve obviously hopped on board. If my memory is good and we didn’t get assigned summer reading, I’m glad. Not that I never did summer reading. I did a lot of summer reading. I did a lot of reading all year, and I recall doing some of my best reading — some of my most enjoyable, informative and challenging reading — during the summer. But not because it was required. Probably because it was not required.
Some psychology grad student might want to help me out with the why, but I sure know the interesting what: Reading on a schedule never really improved my reading. Writing on a schedule? Best thing ever.
I read at 800+ wpm. When I was in grade school I had to convince the librarians in the ‘adult’ section that I wasn’t just playing games with them when I would read 2-3 books really quickly and return them sooner than they expected (and that was after my parents had to sign off on my being allowed to check out books from that section in the first place).
starfighter441 over 4 years ago
What is this summer reading list thing? No teacher would have even considered that when I was a kid. Not that I needed such a thing, being a compulsive reader.
Concretionist over 4 years ago
One summer between 3rd and 4th grade, my teacher offered us a bribe. She had about a dozen little hand-looms, and when you were caught up with your work, if there was a free loom you could go work on weaving a little rug about 6 inches wide and of indefinite length, though she would make us stop at about 12 inches. The bribe: She had just three larger looms, about a foot wide. The 3 students who read and wrote a two-sentence summary of the most books that summer would be given access to the “big” looms. I read more than 200 books that summer… and came in fourth behind three girls who (I’m astounded to discover this still annoys me) cheated by reading little golden books and stuff that I’d been done with since 1st grade.
rekam Premium Member over 4 years ago
When I was in school, there were no reading lists. But, like Concretionist I was a compulsive reader. I have no idea how many books my girlfriend and I read one summer. We’d each check out the limit (10 books) and read them and switch and read those. Back we’d go to the library and repeat the process. Never did count how many books we each read.
asrialfeeple over 4 years ago
Reading is fun, if you have the right books.
sandpiper over 4 years ago
Caulfield is anticipating the possibilities of a new year and new adventures. Happens to teacher, too, but theirs also includes a familiar lyric, as in, ‘here we go again.’
docforbin over 4 years ago
Here where I am in the Adirondack North Country of Upstate New York it’s Travers Weekend, highlighted by Saratoga Race Course’s biggest race. Tacitus is the morning line favorite for the Midsummer Derby.
Al Nala over 4 years ago
Reading, reading reading! Keep those pages turning! Keep the lights a-burning! Rawhide! (OK, rawhide’s the music in my head. Old TV show. This history moment brought to you FREE by me.
PoodleGroomer over 4 years ago
Are any of the books less than 90 years old?
Jan C over 4 years ago
I too was (and am) a compulsive reader. We had a library in our sixth grade classroom consisting of books contributed by all of the students. I read through that entire library during the school year.
ejajca over 4 years ago
I’m guessing that Caufield has already read everything on the list !
Night-Gaunt49[Bozo is Boffo] over 4 years ago
Blog PostsFrazz15 hrs ·
I’m not sure if I was ever given a summer reading list, but it’s enough of a comics and entertainment standard with so much potential that I’ve obviously hopped on board. If my memory is good and we didn’t get assigned summer reading, I’m glad. Not that I never did summer reading. I did a lot of summer reading. I did a lot of reading all year, and I recall doing some of my best reading — some of my most enjoyable, informative and challenging reading — during the summer. But not because it was required. Probably because it was not required.
Some psychology grad student might want to help me out with the why, but I sure know the interesting what: Reading on a schedule never really improved my reading. Writing on a schedule? Best thing ever.
Night-Gaunt49[Bozo is Boffo] over 4 years ago
I read on my own and usually didn’t like the choices given.
Nick Danger over 4 years ago
I read at 800+ wpm. When I was in grade school I had to convince the librarians in the ‘adult’ section that I wasn’t just playing games with them when I would read 2-3 books really quickly and return them sooner than they expected (and that was after my parents had to sign off on my being allowed to check out books from that section in the first place).