Goodbye Summer!

 "August has passed, and yet summer continues by force to grow days. They sprout secretly between the chapters of the year, covertly included between its pages." — Jonathan Safran Foer

Here it is, the last day of August.  Summer flew by.  Again.  The kids around here head back to school next Tuesday.  (Do you see me, jumping for joy??)  The library has been very quiet today, so I thought I'd put some words down since I have some time.  I sure hope the kids are out enjoying the weather, since they're living on borrowed free time. 

How'd the summer reading program go?  About like usual.  I've been doing this for quite a few years (18), and kids really haven't changed that much.  Some of them hate reading and you just hope that they'll pick up reading by osmosis while they sit at the computers playing Minecraft.  Others enjoy reading and have no problem getting in their recommended six books over the course of summer vacation.   

Then there's another category of kids who read and re-read Harry Potter all summer long like they have for most of the past few summers.  We've got parts of Potter books seemingly all over the house, and the girls pick whichever one is nearest to read while eating lunches and snacks.  It doesn't really matter which book or even which part of the book since they've got the stories engraved on their brains.  So when the kids head back to school in a couple days (yay!!) and the teachers ask what they've read over the summer (do they still do that?), I hope my kids remember at least one other book that the finished.  I'm pretty sure they each read at least one, right?? 

As they've gotten older and technology has invaded our lives, books have often fallen to the wayside.  I'm still learning to navigate that.  Generally; when they can be cajoled to pick up a book, they enjoy their time reading.  It's getting them to pick up the books that is sometimes difficult. 

Now school will start, and the time for reading for pleasure will be reduced to almost none.  Here's hoping that I can navigate my kids into some books and divert them from a steady stream of media. 

I am looking forward to my day of silence on Tuesday though.  I already have my selection of books picked out for the day!  A marvelous day to sit around with coffee and book in hand, enjoying the quiet of the first day of school.  Ahhhhh!  I can hardly wait.