Summer Reading or Writing?

The last of the snow piles finally melted last week. Sheesh. I always knew global warming was a farce. And now bam! It's supposed to be 93 tomorrow. Summer is apparently here. How long it will last is anybody's guess, so let's make the most of it, eh?

So, besides lounging in a hammock with a lemonade in hand, what are your summer goals? If you fail to plan, you plan to fail. It doesn't have to be elaborate. This is the lazy season, after all. And if you're already in slacker mode, here are a few ideas you can simply copy...

READING
Choose 1 classic and 1 current novel to plow through. Sure, you can do a lot more if you like, but at the very least, accomplish this. Need some suggestions?

Classic
Wow. Where to begin? There are so many! A few of my favorites are:
BLEAK HOUSE by Charles Dickens
THE GRAPES OF WRATH by John Steinbeck
JANE EYRE by Charlotte Bronte
TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD by Harper Lee
THE CRUCIBLE by Arthur Miller

Contemporary
CAPTIVES by Jill Williamson
HOME RUN by Travis Thrasher
FORSAKEN DREAMS by MaryLu Tyndall
WINGS OF GLASS by Gina Holmes
A HEART DECEIVED by Michelle Griep (sorry, couldn't resist)

My Goal: I'm tackling Ayn Rand's ATLAS SHRUGGED for my classic. It's a whopper so it will take me all summer. As for contemporary, I've got a few to review on my stack. A TOUCH OF SCARLET by Eve Marie Mont and MADELINE'S PROTECTOR by Vanessa Riley.

WRITING
If your goal is to pound out an entire novel this summer, more power to you. Sounds a little overwhelming to me, though, so here are some other options:

- One chapter a week
- Complete an entire proposal with the first 3 chapters finished
- Post consistently on your blog and/or create a blog
- Design or freshen up your web site
- Finish that one manuscript that's been languishing on your computer

My Goal: Yikes. This is harder than I thought. I will go for writing a proposal with the first 3 chapters to be able to pitch at the ACFW Conference next fall and then I'll go back to working on a languishing manuscript.