How to Prepare for Summer Reading

Even though school is out for the summer, you still have to do that pesky summer reading. While putting off summer reading won't make it go away, with some planning ahead of time, you can do your reading and still have time to enjoy summer. In fact, if you pick the right books and the right places to read, you may even find summer reading to be an enjoyable experience. Summer reading may also help expand your vocabulary and help you answer the inevitable college admissions essay question about a book you read recently.

EditSteps

Take a look at your summer reading list. While reading the list, keep a look out for the following:
- Required reading: These are books that must be read by everyone in the class, so you'll probably be tested on them or asked to write about them shortly after starting the school year. Try to get these books over with first.
- Books you're already familiar with, but haven't read: You probably know about these books because they someone mentioned them to you or you read about them somewhere. Keep these books (and what was said about them) in mind if you are given any choice over what to read.
- Genres you like: Some reading lists are divided by genre, so if you're a mystery maven or a science fiction buff, you may find a book that appeals to you.

Research the books to know what to expect and find out if you actually want to read them. There are many ways to do this:
- Ask your friends or family. Many summer reading lists include classics or books that are already popular. In most cases, it is highly likely that you know someone who has read some of the books on your summer reading list. You may want to make sure that the person you ask shares your taste in literature.
- Research your book on the web. There are many websites out there that are dedicated to books. Amazon is a good place to start to get a general plot description, reviews by other readers and other useful information like page count. Then, there are book recommendation sites like Shelfari and GoodReads and applications like iRead for Facebook and MySpace which allow you to see what your friends are reading and ask other readers if they recommend a particular book.

Get the book. You will want to do this as soon as possible. If you are relying on local book stores and libraries for your summer reading lists, it's better to start early as summer reading titles for local schools are usually in high demand. If you do not drive and are dependent on someone else for a ride to the bookstore or library, start asking for a ride early since someone may not always be around to drive you. If you want to order books online, make sure that you have a credit card or know someone (usually a parent or guardian) who is willing to order the books for you.

Decide how much time you have to read, by estimating how much time there is before school starts, how much free time you have each day and how much you have to read. You may want to make up a schedule (such as an hour a day) or set certain goals (such as a chapter a day) for yourself. Some people find it helpful to divide the number of pages they have to read by the number of days they have to read them, so they know how much they have to read each day.

Consider your own personal reading style. Can you concentrate if there is noise around or while you're listening to music? What if there are other people, such as your friends, around? Do you need lots of light or do you find bright light distracting? Which times are you most alert or most likely to fall asleep?

Choose where you want to read. Some possible options include: your room, other rooms in the house, outside, a local coffee shop or your local library. Some people even like to read while traveling in the car or while bathing.