Summer Reading List
September 8, 2018
I really don’t want summer to end, because this summer I rediscovered something I had forgotten that I loved to do: reading. And not just any kind of reading – reading a book, a real book, just for pleasure.
Like so many of us, I had jumped on the e-reader bandwagon downloading book after book either for work or enjoyment. Sometimes I’d download a book and forget I had it on the darn device, so it was just a forlorn icon of the cover of a book I didn’t even remember purchasing.
And then there was the difficulty of reading the device when I was outside, in the sun on vacation - which is typically when I have time to read for pleasure. It’s called a “beach read” for a reason.
This summer kicked off with a hot beachy vacation, our last for a while as a family, as our son was moving cross country to start his post-college career and our daughter was away working all summer. At the airport for our early morning flight, I decided to look through the books at the airport book store.
And then I realized how much I missed roaming through a library or even my local book store to pick a book to read. I have always loved the feel of books and in just a moment I can decide if this is the one book I want to dive into or not. Yes, I do judge a book by its cover. But I also judge it by the back cover, the first pages, and the subject matter.
This summer I read mysteries, novels, and even a great fantasy novel that my son purchased that morning at the airport. Our daughter joined our book fun when she cashed in all her gift cards and read all the Freakonomics books (for fun – I’m so proud).
I’m so glad I started to read books again for fun, because, apparently, reading fiction is good for me. Dr. Melanie Green is an Associate Professor of Communications at the University of Buffalo who has studied the effects of reading fiction. She says stories that transport us provide both enjoyment and stress relief. She also says, “there is even some evidence that fiction reading can help increase empathy, both toward specific groups featured in the story (e.g., a story of refugees) or in general.”
One group that has been reading together and reaping the benefits of reading since 1952 is the Maywood Book Club, located in the Maywood section of West Irondequoit. The book club has about 24 members this year but is never larger than 30 women of diverse ages (from mid-thirties to late eighties) and backgrounds.
The only connection is living in the neighborhood.
It isn’t your typical book club where everyone reads the same book at the same time. Robbyn McKie-Holzworth who has been a member for 10 years, explained that all the members buy a recently published book and then pass them around to each other throughout the year. They gather together to discuss what they’ve read, but also bring in guest speakers to talk about topics of interest.
The women are all passionate readers. Robbyn says, “I’m not a typical book club person but this was just different enough.” She says because of the diversity of books chosen, she’s been introduced to books she might never have known about “The bonus is I don’t have to think about what I’m going to read next because each month a book magically shows up.”
Dr. Green says that stories “allow us to feel connected with others and part of something bigger than ourselves.” The ladies of the Maywood Book Club have figured out, for a remarkable 66 years, that belonging and reading is good for the soul.
First Published in the Democrat and Chronicle and USA Today Network.