Today is the last Friday of May. When I was a kid, this meant three glorious months of summer vacation was about to begin.
Things have changed.
My grandchildren will be in school for another couple of weeks. My daughter, the school bus driver, will be ferrying students hither and yon on field trips galore.
I can honestly say I don’t remember ever taking a field trip in elementary school. The first time I rode a school bus was at the end of sixth grade when we were transported to the High School, which was also home to our Junior High (7th and 8th grades). My heart beats a little bit faster recalling those dark hallways, formidable staircases and miles of lockers. The place seemed huge and very scary. Luckily, I had a whole summer to forget about my fears and have fun.
Or so I thought.
To my surprise, my mother signed me up for a Speed Reading Course that started the first week of June. Believe me, I was less than thrilled by the prospect, but the teacher was a woman my mother respected and I wasn’t given a choice. In hindsight, this was the BEST thing my mother ever did for me.
I’d always loved to read and my favorite hangout was the library, but I was easily distracted and often failed to finish a book before it was due back at the library. My reading ability was nothing to brag about. I’d never really thought about the content or in any way tried to measure what I retained from the books I read. This class changed how I looked at the written word, how my brain recognized words, sentences and patterns, and it tested my memory and retention. It also taught me how to ace tests with the least amount of effort. 
The course was ahead of its time in a pre-computer age. I don’t remember what the program was called or how much is cost, but I went five mornings a week to a classroom at the college and by the time the course was completed, I was a different person.
Apparently, my mom wasn’t the only parent advocating the teaching of Speed Reading.
Speed-reading basically amounts to skimming for content. This is a very handy tool for a student. My grades went up, accordingly. I read a lot of books that summer and never stopped–until I became a published author. Sigh. I still read fast, but far fewer books than I would like.
Regardless of the final tally, I start out every summer with a Reading List, which seems to grow exponentially.
Here’s the current line-up on my Kindle. If you’re interested, click on the title to see the author’s page or buy link:
Waking Up Joy by Tina Ann Folker (just finished last night and loved it)
The Taken by Linda Style (reading now)
Forgotten by CJ Carmichael (next up)
It’s You by Jane Porter
Vanish by Nicola Marsh (YA, free)
Satisfaction by Sarah Mayberry
Where There’s A Will by Katherine Garbera and Eve Gaddy
A Thousand Lies by Sharon Sala
What’s on your reading list for summer? Are you a fast reader or slow? Either way, you’re a reader, which means YOU ROCK!
Deb
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