Summer reading? What makes summer so special? I read during all the seasons!

Well, so do I but that doesn't make it any less important.

If you're a boring introvert like me, you probably don't like going out to clubs or parties and instead like to spend your free time by yourself or in the company of good friends. Also, you may or may not read. A lot. Personally, I try to keep a book with me everywhere I go. Heck, I just bought a purse that was sized specifically to fit the book I was reading. If that doesn't say antisocial bookworm, I don't know what does.

Reading is almost as important to me as writing is. During high school, I nearly stopped leisurely reading altogether because, well, I can't even remember. It was a dark time. Now, after starting college, I've picked it back up and am coasting through my personal library at a record rate. During school, I can really only read before bed because of my hectic class schedule. It's during the summertime that I can really sit down and read without having to feel guilty about looming homework (looming manuscript writing is a whole other story... but we'll just ignore that for now).

During the summer, I focus on reconnecting with friends and family from home, catching up on sleep, my part-time retail job, writing, and reading. I juggle these things interchangeably and make pretty good progress in all of them. The reason reading is so important to me during the summer is not only because of the greater amounts of time I can dedicate to it, but also because I have a lot of freaking books I need to read. I don't see it as a problem but others might. Whenever I enter a place that sells books, more often than not I come out with one... or twenty. My bookshelf is bursting with literature of all sorts whose cover and/or description fit my interest, thirty percent of which I have yet to read. That percentage grows every few weeks as I bring home more books, telling myself "It's summer, of course you'll have time to read this!" Which, more often than not, I don't. But the time off from school does help some. It helps me steadily work my way through them one-by-one, climbing toward but never quite reaching the end. Which, honestly, doesn't bother me a bit. I like knowing that I have another book to read when I finish one. It eases that melancholy state I find myself in after I read a good story.

Not only does summer provide me the time to read the gratuitous amount of books I own, it also provides me an excuse to go outside. I've never been much of a sporty person and usually don't venture outside unless I'm at a party or with other people in general. When I'm by myself, it's harder for me to get up the will to bask in the sunlight. I can't even go out to lay there and tan for more than five minutes without getting bored. It's pretty pathetic. But when I bring a book out with me and some SPF 30, I'm all set to go. I can only ever achieve this in the middle of summer because of the Midwest's habit of bipolar weather.

The last thing I want to point out about summer reading is how completely necessary it is. Each year, less and less people are reading for pleasure. I'm serious - go look at the statistics. It's quite frighting. So when you tell someone that you love to read, the chances are pretty high that they'll either look at your funny or think you're unnaturally smart because you spend your free time getting into a good book. I only have a few friends I can talk to about the books I read because I know that they'll appreciate the conversation rather than looking at me like I need to get a life. Truthfully, I'd rather spend my summer reading than watching reruns of Seinfeld on TV. I think it's a much more productive use of my time to finish a book. And, when I tell people how I spent my summer, it'll seem even more so and maybe even impress someone, which is always a nice ego boost. Instead of mumbling how many hours I put in at work, I can say "I finished seven books. What did you do?"

How about you guys? Do you spend your summer reading? If so, what books are on your summer reading list? Let me know in the comments!