Book It: Time for the Vermont Edition Summer Reading Show

I am the luckiest substitute host ever! Seems every time Jane Lindholm goes on vacation, I get to fill in for one of the Vermont Edition reading shows, and I admit to having a special fondness for them because, well, I love to read...and to hear what others are reading so I can get a lead on that next great book!

This Friday we're celebrating the summer reading season with a terrific panel of guests including Linda Ramsdell, owner of The Galaxy Bookshop in Hardwick, and Bennington College Librarian Oceana Wilson, who won the 2009 national "I Love My Librarian" award, sponsored by the Carnegie Corporation of New York and the New York Times.

And of course we'd love to hear your suggestions. Whether it's novels, non-fiction, memoir, poetry, science, even the back of a cereal box you found especially compelling, add your favorites here. I've already listed my recommendations, so hop to it...summer may have only just started, but it's short!

We'll also take your phone calls during the program this Friday at noon. You can catch a rebroadcast that evening at 7.

So forget all that nonsense you hear about "no one reads" anymore...prove that books are alive and well and being devoured by readers like you, by contributing to the annual Summer Reading Show on VPR!

Vermont Edition's Summer Reading Show: The List

When I was a kid, my school library would stay open throughout the summer. During those long, lazy days of vacation, we'd bike to school a few mornings a week and while away hours browsing the stacks and picking out new books to read. Aside from keeping us amused and out of trouble, we also received McDonald's coupons for every book we read. This seems like a strange practice today, but it certainly explains why I tend to associate summer reading with cheeseburgers.

Truth is I would have grown to love reading even without the bribery, and although I rarely get to read all of the books that pique my interest, reading lists are one of my very favorite things about summer. Visit our website for the complete list of books recommended during yesterday's Vermont Edition Summer Reading Show.

And if that's not enough, NPR has a whole section of their website devoted to summer reading.

As for what I'm reading this summer, I'm almost finished with Special Topics in Calamity Physics by Marisha Pessl, which I first heard about a few years ago on Studio 360. Next up? Tough to say, my list just got longer!