Summer is a relaxing down-time for me. My performance calendar is less active and I get to have a much more relaxed practice routine. That means that I have more time to devote to one of my favorite activities - reading.
I've found that summer is the perfect time for me to begin reading larger novels that I have avoided during the school year. Part of the problem is that the books are so long. Often times they are classic works and require more brain cells than I can spare while teaching. I enjoy approaching these works during the summer months because I find it easy to escape into the setting of the novel without worrying that I am neglecting other responsibilities.
Some of my past adventures have been some of my favorite reading adventures. Last summer, I finally got around to reading Jude the Obscure as well as beginning the Harry Potter series. The summer before was the beginning of my reading of Ken Follett's Century Trilogy. Summer was also the time for great sagas like Gone with the Wind as well as modern beach reads.
So what do I have in mind for this year? I'm going back to the classics and reading Middlemarch by George Eliot. I first encountered Eliot in my undergraduate survey class with The Mill on the Floss and fell in love with her style. Middlemarch has always intimidated me because of its reputation and its massive size. I picked up a copy of the novel just before finals began and spent some time getting started last weekend. Now that finals are over and the lazy days of summer are about to begin, I think it's time to dive back in.
Now, where did I put that book? It's time to get in some reading.
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