Summers Are for Reading Plans

Librarian Tiffany Walsh shares her summer reading plans, featuring plenty of fiction and leaving room for summer spontaneity.

As a librarian I love to read, and always have, even from my early childhood. I remember quite clearly having one shelf in my small bedroom dedicated to my “To Be Read” stack, and I would feel guilty as it would grow faster than I could possibly read the books. I just loved seeking out new stories to look forward to, and I enjoyed having a selection to choose from when I would inevitably finish a book and move on to picking another. I would arrange them roughly by genre, so the seeds of my future as an Organizer of Books were already being tended and watered. Now, rather than a physical “To Be Read” pile, I have a Kindle e-reader with dozens and dozens of books, catalogued into folders, awaiting my eager eyes!

woman wearing a sun hat, reading in the grass

Just as much as I enjoy collecting, organizing, and reading books, I also enjoy planning roadmaps for myself of a journey through the stories. I have written in the past about Lenten reading plans, but the other time of the year that I tend to become inspired by setting up reading goals for myself is the summer. The summer, with its longer carefree days, has always led me to want to map out a plan through my books: sometimes, I am looking to titles that are inspiring me of late, or I may focus on books that have been sitting on my shelf for quite a spell. Most summers, I find myself with an unofficially official Summer Reading Plan.

picnic basket, flowers, and open book

When I create a reading plan, I want it to be diverse. Contemporary fiction calls to me in the summertime, and its siren call cannot be ignored, but I also want to challenge myself with either a non-fiction title, or perhaps a heavier historical fiction selection. I allow current inspiration to dictate spiritual versus secular titles in the summer, rather than in Lent, where I intentionally focus only on titles related to my faith. The summer is a time to be spontaneous and curious, to explore the world and all of its fascinations. The summer is a time to inspire and be inspired.

teacup with spoon on top next to open book

This summer, I’m planning to read plenty of cozy mysteries (my current read is set around a Maine family clambake business!), and also Louis de Wohl’s historical novel based on the life of St. Francis Xavier. I figured St. Francis’s journeys about the world as a missionary were perfect summer fodder!

For a combination of both spiritual and secular, I enjoy the inspirational romance titles published monthly by Harlequin Love Inspired, which feature wholesome stories and Christian characters. They have traditional contemporary titles, but also romantic suspense selections, which are my personal favorite! Summer, but also Christmastime, are times when I turn to these lovely books.

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Do you often read more books in the summer than you do at other times of the year? #catholicmom

Do you have a specific set of books that you are planning to read this summer? Do you often read more books in the summer than you do at other times of the year? I would love to hear all about it in the comments!

woman reading at a dock beside a lake