Friday Five: Summer Reading

Songbird, "lifelong book lover and enthusiastic summer reader" has chosen this week's Friday Five:

1) Do you think of summer as a particularly good season for reading? Why or why not?
My schedule remains the same throughout the year (no summer slow-down for optometrists!), and for the most part I read about the same amount throughout the year. However, having said that... I still associate summer with "pleasure reading". I'm sure that has to do with the gloriously relaxing summers of my childhood.

2) Have you ever fallen asleep reading on the beach?
Hmm... on the beach? No. Serious outdoor reading requires a shade tree. I'm sure I've fallen asleep reading under a tree.

3) Can you recall a favorite childhood book read in the summertime?
Childhood friend extraordinaire Debbie D. and I pedaled our bikes to the library and read every Nancy Drew book they had. I also remember reading and loving Tom Sawyer.

4) Do you have a favorite genre for light or relaxing reading?
For light reading I would most often choose contemporary fiction (as opposed to non-fiction or the classics). And since bookstores know that according to Francis Bacon, "Some books are to be tasted, others to be swallowed, and some few to be chewed and digested", they usually prominently display some 'light and tasty' books right up front when you walk in.

5) What is the next book on your reading list?
I just finished the tasty (albeit somewhat dark and harrowing) The Bright Forever (by Lee Martin) last night. Next up: I'll probably finally get to The Magician's Assistant. It's a book I've had on my shelf for a long time and just haven't gotten around to reading.