It’s officially summer! Otherwise known as, officially the season we can (mostly) get away with choosing our best friends (books) over basically everything else.

Whether you have multiple “unread” bookshelves or you’re a frequent library explorer, you don’t have to wander aimlessly in search of a book or the perfect spot to read it. Reading can stimulate our senses and helps teach and motivate us to write creatively and even bravely when we’re afraid to read and compose outside our comfort zones.

Here’s your new and improved summer reading guide to kick your creative thought process up a notch (or several). 

Read books from multiple genres

When you find a genre you like—often the one you start with, or where your favorite authors ‘hang out’—it’s easy to grab a couch and make yourself comfortable without realizing you’re holding yourself back. Every genre has something a little different to offer—why not take a chance?

Make it a goal this summer not to read more than one book in the same genre. Try it! Expose yourself to new authors and writing styles. These different techniques can open up your mind to new ideas and can even inspire you to write something a little different just for the fun of it. That’s what reading and writing are supposed to be during the summer—fun!

Switch up your book nook

Do you always read in the exact same spot? Seriously, you gotta learn to live a little. (That’s kind of a tongue twister. A brain twister? AWESOME.) The reason we read is to experience new places, but the reading experience itself (grabbing a book, sitting down, opening to a page) doesn’t have to stay the same.

Change up where you read. New surroundings have the potential to change the way you soak in what’s on those pages. (Don’t actually get them wet though. Wrinkled pages are the WORST.) Read on the floor. On the porch. On the beach. In a Starbucks. On a roof. If you’re going to spend an entire day reading, mix it up. Be weird. We give you permission.

Review, discuss and recommend

Not all of us are frequent book reviewers, but there are more ways to discuss literature than writing a point-by-point review or sitting in a circle with books and coffee (but who doesn’t love the coffee?). There are books out there you might think are amazing, but no one else has even heard of them. It’s a crime against hard-working authors everywhere!

If you read a book you like—or couldn’t stand—this summer, share your thoughts in whatever way you like. Write a blog post; make a video; Tweet the author! (DO IT—but be nice!) Reading shouldn’t make you feel isolated. Discussing others’ literature can also motivate you to keep working on developing and tweaking your own works-in-progress.

Summer was invented for reading. Come on, everyone knows it. Use this time to your advantage. Even if you’re still in school, and working, etc., etc. Books are meant to be enjoyed by everyone. As a writer, you have a good reason to make reading them a priority.

Image courtesy of Novelty Revisions.