IT is your ticket to the history of the human imagination. The bear with very little brain. The boy who built a windmill to bring electricity to his community. The little girl with the courage to chase a pocket watch-wearing rabbit into a Wonderland. IT has the power to show you the human experience through a thousand different lenses. The science fiction that reveals our future. The tragedies that bare our flaws. The comedies that celebrate our creativity. IT can give you access to the knowledge you need to understand the human condition, explore the reaches of human love, witness the horrors of hate and anger, and stand in awe of the power of empathy and the human capacity for kindness. IT can provide you with full access to the collective wisdom of the ages. IT asks only that you set aside the time necessary to enjoy the gifts that IT has the power to release to your hands.

IT is a library card.

This summer I invite you to read stories that will spark your imagination, draw you in, and take you away from what you know –  to see the familiar in unfamiliar ways and to better understand your own human situation. 

Summer reading is the reading of choice, which is what makes it so wonderful and what can also make it so daunting. What do I read? How do I find a good book? Here is one way to find the stories written for you: 

• Write down the titles of the stories you remember enjoying most, 
• Identify the authors, 
• Go to your local library (get a library card if you do not already have one – they are free)
• Introduce yourself to the librarian
• Let the librarian see you list and ask this simple question:
  • What do you think I should read next?
• Pull the recommended books from the shelf
• Study the covers and the titles
• Read the inside flaps and the back of the book jacket
• Read the first five pages of each book
• Checkout 3-5 books that call you to read beyond page five

At home, with your promising books, find a comfortable place with good light, and designate a time each day to read. Allow at least three sittings before you decide if the book is worth reading fully. Repeat this cycle weekly and enjoy the ways reading opens your mind and your heart to the wonders of the human condition.

Reading is one of the magical powers we have as human beings. I wish each of you many hours of the kind of reading that transports you, that leaves you questioning your certainties, sheds new light on what you have never even seen before, and gives you pause to live your life with a bit more understanding.

Happy summer reading and peace to you all,
Chris