Cocktail and Conversation with the Broke and Bookish Ladies

It's been a while since we've done a Q&A post, so we decided to give it a shot.  This week's question is:

What do you miss most about being a kid during summer break?

Kimberly says:  I miss summer days with my Grandpa. I spent a lot of time with him as a kid. I remember very distinctly the smell and feel of mornings at his house. (Freshly brewed coffee. ) We'd go on adventures and do crafts. It was paradise for a kid!

Jana says:  I miss how valuable and precious summer used to be to me as a kid. School was out, and I had a few months of freedom. The sky wasn't even my limit, and I loved living every summer day like it was a gift I was given. :)

Jamie says:  I miss endless pool days with my sister, eating ice pops all day long, bare feet, the ice cream truck coming around after dinner....I just really miss not having any structure. My sister and I had so much fun during summer break -- from playing games we made up when we were little to sunning ourselves and reading by the pool when we got a bit older.

Lori says:  I miss how the summer just seemed endless.  Each day seemed like an opportunity for something huge and exciting to happen.  I also miss the summer reading program at the library.  (Why don't they have those for adults?!)  I miss going to the pool all day and not having to worry about the tab I was running up at the snack shack.  Basically, I miss the freedom to just do.

Bridget says:  I miss not hating the heat! I used to live for summer, like a lot of kids, but now I hate it. This could be due to the fact that I live far more south than I did when I was growing up (grew up in New York, currently live in North Carolina) and the heat here is just unbearable. I truly miss looking forward to summer rather than dreading it! Give me crisp fall weather any day and gtfo with your heat and humidity!

Daisy says:  I miss having the whole summer off and just getting to spend it having fun and being lazy! No responsibilities and not having to figure out what to have for dinner or actually make said dinner. All those endless days in the sun, swimming and reading piles of books were amazing!

Lauren says:  I miss hanging out with my grandparents and following them around all day. I miss running through the sunflowers that were taller than me, chasing butterflies, picking up baby birds that have fallen out of their nest and putting them back. Out of all of the memories I can sweep up, I miss sitting on the swing with my grandma. We'd talk about anything and everything, or we'd just swing and enjoy the country life. Oh... and I miss running around barefoot. :)

Julia says:  Reading all your answers. I agree with with them all. I'm so nostalgic for summer!

There you have it...What do you miss about being a kid during the summer?

What I've Been Doing While I Haven't Been Reading

Confession--I haven't been reading much lately at all.  Since May, I've finished two books that I can remember, but I highly doubt I've read more.  The two books I did read were ones I really enjoyed--Go Set a Watchman and All the Light We Cannot See.  I usually spend my free time reading, but I just haven't done that.  I haven't even been reading magazines.  This has left me wondering what the sam holy hill I HAVE been doing this summer...

image from dogonews.com

Flirting.

Making lots of eye contact with him.  This was a lot of fun...

Dancing.

Playing shuffleboard.  I've actually gotten quite good.

Sitting by the pool.  A lot.  A whole lot.

Making several new friends.

Making periodic attempts to start running and/or doing yoga regularly.

Getting addicted to mai tais and Fireball whiskey.

Learning how to spell whiskey.  General rule of thumb--If the country has an "e," whiskey has an e; if it doesn't, it's whisky.  Ireland--whiskey; Canada--whisky.

Studying for the LSAT.

Taking the LSAT.

Letting him pull me around the pool on a floatie.  Seriously--best way to travel!.

A fun weekend at the lake.

Getting him to fall in love with me while I fell in love with him.  Not as difficult as I thought it would be.

A couple of baseball games.

A great Midsummer's Night party.  Champagne, lovely romantic toasts, shuffleboard, dancing with the one you love.

Waiting impatiently on my LSAT score, but also being kinda glad I didn't know yet.

An amazing trip to Indianapolis.

Working on my law school application.

Avoiding working on my law school application.  This was pretty easy...

Thinking maybe I'll just put off law school for a semester or a year.

Working.

Wishing I wasn't working.

Wishing I could just quit my job.  Seriously.

Scrambling to get my law school application in on time.

Horseback riding.

Playing the dutiful daughter and granddaughter.  Sometimes easier said than done.



And somewhere in there I did read those two books.  I've started several.  I have made some progress on Moby Dick, which I've decided I'm going to finish by the time I start law school and fun reading time as I know it becomes even more scarce than it already has been.



What have you been doing this summer when you haven't been reading?

Tahleen remembers Summer Reading at the library

As a public youth librarian, I have the great honor and responsibility of organizing and executing the Summer Reading Program, along with my director and the children's librarian. This week I'll be going to the public school to tell my young patrons all about it, and I can't help but remember the summer reading programs of my youth.

It was one of my favorite things about summer. I was a voracious reader, and summer was that magical time where I could literally lie in bed for 6 hours and read an entire book. And back then, I didn't have a TBR or the Internet to tell me which books were good or bad, or which authors were popular. I browsed freely and often, finding books on the library shelves based solely on the back descriptions, and maybe a recommendation from a friend every once in a while.

And the excitement of the prizes! I loved filling out my little sheet with each book I read, earning myself raffle entries for gift certificates and other prizes from local businesses. Sometimes I would even get the call that I had won something, and I would beg my mom to bring me to the library so I could pick it up.

Funnily enough, the summer reading program for the kids in the town where I work is similar to what I remember from my childhood. I am hoping these kids will remember this summer reading program as fondly as I remember my own.

Did you all take part in your library's summer reading program? What do you remember best about it? Or did you just love to boundless possibilities summer brought?