Packing the Perfect Vacation Read

What book will I read next?

Such is the angst of the avid reader packing for vacation. Because there is definitely a book (or two or three) going into the totebag or suitcase. For this finite time, for this limited stuff I can carry period, the choice of book is a weighty one.

 

What makes a good book to pack for vacation?

Of course, the invention of the iPad and e-readers has made the decision a less stressful one. You can carry all hundred of your books with you without an added suitcase.  But if you are like me – you’ve got to take a physical book, too.  Why? Sand, water, spilled drinks.

On a beach vacation, I’m taking my book to the beach. And I might even sit in the pool or at the edge of the water while reading. And that lazy river ride? Perfect (even if everyone else is looking at me like “what – is that a real book on a water ride?”)

Here’s my criteria for that real book that’s going in the suitcase.

• Must be paperback. It’s a weight thing.

• Got to be good. The frustration of taking a book that by chapter two I know I’m not going to like. Then what? Finish it? Leave it behind? And what do I do in the meantime?  Friend recommendations are a good choice. Sometimes a re-read of the classics is a good option, too.

• Okay to lose and/or mess up a little bit. See my comments above about sand, water, spilled drinks.   There’s many times I’ve woken from a sun-induced nap to find my book covered in sand or a victim of high-tide.  Add to that, general vacation distractedness.

• Doesn’t require too much concentration. Beach read usually means light and happy, that’s how I’ve described my own novel, Life in Spades.  But I’ll take a not so light book, too. I read Little Bee on the beach and while reading a particular scene (you know if you read it) wiggled my fingers in the sand.  I also was reading Ghana Must Go on the beach when I happened to be on the beach chapter in that book, and a wedding party showed up (in real life, it was a different gathering in the book.) 

Then what do you do with the book when you are done? Take it back home, leave it at your hotel?  I've stayed at some resorts with a library, where you can borrow and leave books. The library in Ocean City, Maryland also has a system that allows you to borrow books without needing a library card or donate books when you're ready to go home.  Some people leave their books in a public place, with the hopes that someone else will pick it up and enjoy it. A program like BookCrossing can help track your book's travels.  I haven't tried this, but considered it; sounds like it could be interesting. It reminds me of the Flat Stanley project from elementary school (am I showing my age?)

We’ve got a couple more weeks of summer vacation. A few more lazy afternoons at the pool. I'm hoping to get in at least a few more sand-filled, water-logged, rum-soaked books before it's all over.

What are you reading on vacation?

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Currently...Checking off my Almost Summer ToDo List

I've got a week left until the end of school, until the end of morning alarms, rustling kids up, fussing about breakfast and packing lunch.

Well, in a way.  School will be over, but then swim team, summer basketball, summer classes, and hopefully, a summer job, will take the place of yellow busses and school bells.  But there is a slightly calmer feel to the long summer days.  So what am I doing in my last kid-free (relatively) week?  Here's the stuff on my to-do list.

Brunch with mom-friends. It's our last kid-free get together!  Through June, July and August, we may gather at the pool or someone's yard this summer with the family or take the kids all somewhere, but it'll be our last morning of mimosa without having to listen for "m-o-m!!" and having to decipher to whom the call is being directed to.  This mom get together is essential. Sometimes you just need to be with others in your same life phase to commiserate, support, laugh at all the mistakes you've made and reassure each other that it's gonna be all right.

My own wellness and health checks. Nothing like trying to get kids to wait patiently in the waiting room while you go to your doctor/GYN/mammogram appointment. These are must-do's while the kids are in school. And they are must-dos!  Moms are good at keeping the kids on schedule, but we've got to keep our health appointments up, too.

Summer workbooks and reading lists.  The terrible summer slide, when chemistry and Shakespeare and fractions hide in the corner of backpacks shoved in the backs of closets, not to be dusted off again until September (even for those of us in schools that start in August.)  The long days of summer are long enough to fit in a little bit of mental work.  I saw an idea for a daily journal - art, writing, something creative - I might try that this year, see what the kids think of that. In addition to a math workbook on the appropriate level and a reading list.  And not to be left out - the creative journal and reading list are for me, too!

Sweet tea. This is my summer staple. I've got a jar brewing now.  I always use Luzianne tea bags, the requirement for sweet tea. Every now and then, I find a flavored tea like peach or mango that I'll brew along with the regular tea bags for some different flavor. And I've also added orange slices or strawberries to be a little fancy. But the basics stay the same - Luzianne tea, sugar, water.  Add ice and enjoy.

Here's to the beginning of summer! What's on your list to kick off these sunny days?

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Summer To-Read Pile (#1)

This weekend marks the unofficial beginning of summer.  All those hours relaxing by the pool: hat, sunglasses, nice cold sweet drink, while the kids frolic happily on the way far other end.  Those days lazing on the beach, toes in the sand.  Those cool evenings, swinging in the hammock.

(Or more likely...) The mornings, afternoons, and evenings sitting poolside waiting for your swimmer kid to finish his one event in the 3-hour meet, running your own kid camp - summer school - sports practice - Vacation Bible School - friend's house bus route, or trying to keep one eye on your kid who just ran to the far other end of the playground and hoping you don't get arrested on suspicion of being a free-range parent.

Whatever the summer plans, we still have our to-read pile. That stack that - if the sun aligns just right with our sweet tea - we'll be able to get through by the end of August.  Here's the start of mine (more to be added, of course) - and a warning if you've never read my to-read pile selections before - I'm not promising I actually know what the book is about. It's either been recommended to me by someone I trust to make a good book selection or the cover and/or title is intriguing.

Everything I Never Told You, Celeste Ng
"Lydia is dead. But they don't this yet." That's the first line - what else do you need?

The Girl on the Train, Paula Hawkins
Keep seeing it on must-read lists, so well, I guess I have to read it.

The Sleepwalker's Guide to Dancing, Mira Jacob
This just sounds like a fun title.

Queen Bee Moms & Kingpin Dads, Rosalind Wiseman
What happens to those middle and high school mean girls when they grow up?


Children's Books
I generally don't read too many children's books for myself, but I have picked up these two.  They happen to be free verse novels - stories told in a series of poems. Note too, if you are looking for diverse books - these are both African-American authors.

The Crossover, Kwame Alexander
Alexander was the guest reader for my school's PTA Family Reading Night.  My high schooler (my avid reader and basketball player) read it and loved it, though it's written for a younger age, so it's a good intro to poetry for the little people.

Brown Girl Dreaming, Jacqueline Woodson
I read so many "must read" reviews on this and then realized it was a children's book. It's a memoir of the author's childhood in the 1960s and '70s.


Still looking for more suggestions - what's on your summer to-read list? 

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*and keep up on my reading pile on Goodreads

Currently...Counting Down 'Til Summer

Only 4 more days of rustling folks awake early in the morning, trying to get lunches packed, cajoling folks to drink a glass of milk before running out the door, rushing people out of the door, and then breathing a deep sigh once they've all made it to the big yellow school bus and finishing my half-cold cup of coffee.  Then wait 6 hours to begin the afternoon routine.

Not to say things get drastically calmer in the summer. No, the routine just changes.  Rustle up a couple swimmers, remind everyone to get some math exercises and reading done, cajole folks away from their little teeny screens to enjoy the big yellow sun outside, cheer at summer league basketball games, eat ice cream and Rita's. Repeat the next day.

The "deadline" of the last day of school is finally looming over me and I figure I need to spend the next few days preparing for summer.  Maybe these are some of the things you need to get done, too.

Write Thank You notes to my children's teachers. I have to deal with four of them each day; I empathize with the teachers who spend their days with my 4 and 29 others. A note is the least I could do; especially since I haven't figured out yet if sending teachers a bottle of wine is appropriate.

Re-set-up my home office space. My computer crashed, my schedule has been crazy hectic, etc. etc. and my work-at-home-space is not as organized as it should be. I need to take a day and put everything back where it belongs, wrap up a couple projects, and prepare my retreat for when the kids are here all day long.  If you work at home, in a professional sense or as mom-in-chief, it's helpful to have a clear, designated workspace to stay organized. It might be a corner desk in the living room, a rolling file cart in the dining room, or a separate room altogether - find somewhere that works for you.

Get the pool passes.  What's summer without the pool passes?

Buy a stack of math workbooks and clear our library fines.  Math skills are the set that seems to slip in the summer, at least in my house. Right now, the girls can graph multi-variable equations, without a little math maintenance over the summer, they'll barely remember how to turn on their calculator. So for them, I like to have workbooks at the next level (the one they are going into) so they can get a look ahead. And now that my son is going into middle school, we'll start on a little bit of pre-Algebra over the summer. Especially since with this new Common Core, I'm not exactly sure what he knows.  For my youngest, we'll keep up with the Kumon workbooks and drill those basic facts - gotta know your times tables!  If you can't find any to purchase, ask your school teachers for handouts or website references.

Enjoy the last few days of an empty house and finishing my cold coffee in relative quiet.  We all love our kids, no doubt, but gotta admit, there is a balancing calmness to have a few hours of not refereeing, feeding, and chaffeuring.


What's on your last days of school to-do list?

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Books I'm Carrying Around: The Rosie Project & Baking Cakes in Kigali

I'm working on my summer reading lists!  The busy-ness of the school year will slow down just a little bit, my school-related activities will come off the calendar and I anticipate more than a couple lazy days by the pool or laying in the grass with a good book and a glass of sweet tea. This by the way, is pretty much how I picture retirement when I get to the point.

Here's a few books I've kicked off my summer reading with - from my "read" and "reading" piles.

The Rosie Project by Graeme Simsion
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I was looking for a light, fun, chick-lit-maybe type of book for the weekend- and this was it!  Don Tillman is a genetic scientist in search of love and a wife, and develops a multi-page questionnaire to find the perfect woman. He also has to go through a few face-to-face dates to verify the data, which he's not so crazy about. He comes upon Rosie in his search, but she has a project of her own - a genetic puzzle that Tillman grabs enthusiastically.  And off they go.

Mix in that Tillman is on the Aspergers spectrum somewhere (I don't know that I would've figured that out on my own, not being that familiar with Aspergers, but there's some hints in the book) and Rosie is the social butterfly.  They're both kinda funny, with some serious moments, and make for a fun read.

And - if you're on Twitter - so is @ProfDonTillman!

Baking Cakes in Kigali by Gaile Parkin


After my recent run of books relating to slavery and a discussion with a friend about how "all" books by African writers deal with some aspect of civil unrest, colonization, or slavery from the other side of the ocean, I needed an African book that didn't deal with racial and cultural strife.  (Though, I have to say that the exception has been Ghana Must Go - not exactly a light read, but it at least was not about war.)  I admittedly picked up Baking Cakes in Kigali based on the title - I mean, "baking cakes" - it's got to be somewhat light, right?  Will it matter that the author, Gaile Parkin, is a white woman born and raised in Zambia?  Does race matter in the subject of the book, whether it can be serious or light?  Don't know yet. I'll tell you when I finish the book.


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Diversity in Kids' Books: Twins and Island Hunters

Name a children's book, any book. Or pick up the last book your kid read.  What race were the kids in the book (assuming they were not animals or aliens or fish)?  If your kids' books are like mine, most likely those characters were White.  Maybe, by some small chance, they were Asian or Black; by a smaller chance, they were Hispanic or Native American.  Now think - what was the last book your child read that had main characters of color?  Not the side-kick friend, but the main character on the cover.  While you think, continue to read.

The diversity - or lack of - in children's books

We all like to see and read about people that look like us. Whether "looks like" means by gender or race, ability or disability, culture or heritage. It helps to validate us as who we are. It proves that we are important.  It allows us to say, "hey, I'm not the only one."  For our children, it says, "you, too, are beautiful and belong in this world."  And aside from all of that, it's fun to see and read about other people who are just like us.  My kids love "Little Bill" on TV; although the older ones may groan when my daughter turns it on, they still sit and watch it.  Its one of the few TV shows, animated at that, that features little kids that look like them and the grand-dad looks like their grand-dad. It's fun to see your own life reflected in stories.

So it is with books. And that's why I get excited when I see children's books that represent the diverse culture of our world. We have books about Black, Korean, Latino, and Aleutian children on our shelves, along with White children.

Now I've found a couple more.

Twindollicious by Natasha Danna

Twin-doll-icious by Natasha Danna is the story of twin girls who love dressing alike.  It has bright, cute pictures and younger elementary level writing.  I gave it to my 8-year old to read and for her review. She thought it was funny and a good story.  Her summary: it was about twin sisters who liked to dress alike until a new girl came to school and made fun of them. Then they didn't dress alike and everything went wrong.  The new girl lost the class guinea pig and the twins helped her find it and then they were all friends.  From a parent perspective, it emphasized how the twins were the same in that they looked and dressed alike, but were unique in their different strengths and personalities. The message I liked was knowing who you are and not letting other people tell you who you should be.  It wasn't a story that focused on race, but about growing up, and the girls happened to be brown.

The Island Hunters series by N.E. Walford

The Island Hunters by N.E. Walford is a series of chapter books I thought my son would enjoy.  First, I was impressed that it was written and illustrated by a mother of five boys!  Beyond that, the books are all boyhood adventure. There's pirates and maps and islands and brothers fussing with each other and plotting together to find treasures and running from the bad guys.  Walford includes cultural hints and historical references as the boys wander through the Caribbean and the island of Jamaica.  My son commented that there were some "vocabulary" words in the writing; he knew them, but I think it slowed him down a little bit.  If the writing is too old for your kid, it would be a fun read-together book, if your son will allow it.

Enjoy!

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Get your Kids to Turn the Page

Kids don’t like to read? 

Yeah, I’ve got one in my bunch, too.  But you can't just let kids not read, ever, because they don't like it, right?  Here's a few ideas to give them a little motivation to get through summer reading assignments.    Or if, they didn't get any from school, how to get through a few books during vacation on their own.

Photo taken by my little readers - their first few books for the summer.

• Get them their own library card.  Something about having their own card and checking out their own books, makes my kids excited about going to the library.  This is more exciting to the younger ones, but the older ones do take more ownership for their books when they are on their own card.
• Sign up for a public summer reading challenge. Our public library offers one every summer; this year, the kids got a free ticket to a local baseball game for signing up and win a prize for meeting their reading goal.  I also noticed Barnes & Noble will give kids a free book at the end of the summer if they have read a designated number of books and turn in a certificate.
• Set a special reading time, 20-30 minutes a day.
• Remind the kids that they can fulfill their reading requirements during times they would be doing nothing anyway - riding to camp, dropping off a sibling at camp, waiting at a swim meet, lounging around at grandma's, during adult swim at the pool.
• Have family read-alouds.  Something like "The Invention of Hugo Cabret" and "Wonderstruck" by Brian Selznick is a fun option for children of varied ages - there's pages of text as well as full-page beautiful pencil drawings. 
• Read plays and let the kids act them out.
• Make your own reading challenge, maybe a certain number of pages or books or minutes.  My kids have set 1000 minutes as a goal. And you could be sneaky and throw in some math skills (adding, dividing, charting) to keep track.
• Have your own family bookclub or parent/child bookclub with other friends.  I know a few friends who are in Mother/daughter bookclubs and it sounds like a fun idea. I think I'll try it before my girls are too old to want me hanging around with them (we're really close to that point, I think).
• Get them to write their own stories.  Encourage them to find books they like, then write something similar - in the same setting or with the same characters, an extension of the story, or a new ending.
• Set an example - let your kids see you reading and enjoying books.

Happy reading!