Venture Forth 2020 Summer Reading Program

In the Words of Carl Anderson

Do you recall Summer Reading programs that were assigned by your school for the Summer break, or were hosted by your local public library? Are these something in which you participated?

Memories of my past, related largely to books and reading, have been triggered during this time of physical distancing as I have communicated via technology with friends. Those memories are influencing my reading of late and even the music I have been listening to.

Further inspiration has come in the form of social media posts from my local library system. Mid-Continent Public Library’s Imagine Your Story summer library program for kids and teens that begins today. Kansas City Public Library has yet to announce their summer reading program theme though theirs starts June 1st and is traditionally for all ages.

My summers used to be filled with books, especially when it got too hot to enjoy being outdoors unless the reason for so doing involved water. My parents took me to the library, until I was old enough to drive there on my own. I borrowed books from my uncle. I bought books from a local bookstore at the mall and a five and dime store in that same mall that had a book section.
And I read.
And read.

I would often reread the same books I had just read, sometimes starting immediately after finishing the last page.

Reading has become my go-to activity during this time of sheltering at home and I have loved reconnecting with this part of myself. As our county is starting to phase back into to what will pass as “normal” life in the COVID-19 era, I want to continue to make daily time to read. And I want to hold on to that feeling of magic recaptured by memories of other summers.

So I created my own Summer Reading program: Venture Forth. The name is a play on the idea that we are being allowed to venture forth into certain businesses and venues once again, and that reading always allows everyone to Venture Forth on an adventure.
This isn’t a challenge or event like I’ve hosted in the past. It is simply something that I want to do and want to share with you. If you desire to recapture a bit of that childhood summer experience, please feel free to be a part of this, and feel free to use the gif.
There are no rules. No number of books to read. No prizes outside of the great pleasure of reading. As part of the fun I did make a list of prompts that I will check off if I end up doing them, but the only thing motivating factor of my reading is finishing a book, and then going and pulling the next read off the shelves that calls out to me.

My prompts include, to read a/an:

book with a Michael Whelan cover ...done
gift that was given to me ....done
2020 book purchase
used bookstore find
novel that is part of a series ...done
story that I have read before ....done
book that I read as a child or teen
social media recommended book
graphic novel
children’s book
narrated book
recommendation from my wife
nonfiction book
checkout from my local library
Asimov’s Science Fiction magazine
Uncanny magazine
Clarkesworld magazine
book outdoors (at least 75% has to be read outside)
volume from the basement bookshelves.

That is my list for now. We will see if it grows.

I finished three books yesterday, day one of the program, so the Summer Reading has begun!
If you do decide to Venture Forth, use the #VentureForth2020
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I've decided to try to do Carl's suggestion... how far I'll get is anyone's guess!
Of course he posted this AFTER I read the Pern books that fit 4 on his list!  

book with a Michael Whelan cover
gift that was given to me
novel that is part of a series
story that I have read before

The particular  book would be The White Dragon by Anne McCaffrey...


It has a Michael Whelan cover..
It was a gift given to me by (no other than Carl Anderson..and he had it autographed by Michael Whelan!)



It's part of a series..

And.. I've read it before (about 5 times)

I know I have a few other's I can post at later times

Just about The White Dragon... it is part of Anne McCaffrey's Dragon Riders of Pern. I've read the series a number of times..they bring me back to books I love dearly and every so many years I reread them for comfort..let me tell you, if you are stressed,depressed, or have anxiety, a good thing to do if you are a book reader is to reread some books that you saved because you liked them so much.  Seriously.. it helps! 

#VentureForth2020 .  Enjoy your summer reading!