The holidays are upon us. Summer is slowly taking over and most of you have already made plans to travel, visit your family, go on hikes, or simply chill in a cozy place. Whether you’re heading for the mountains or the beach, visiting your grandparents or your friends, staying local or heading across the country, wherever you go, don’t forget to also pack some reading material.

I hope you’re not even thinking about ditching on reading for the next 2-3 months. People already complain they have no time to read  ‒ you can use your free days to fall in love with reading all over again.

Here’s some suggestions for what to grab on your way out the door. I don’t want to influence you even more than necessary, so I won’t give any examples of titles or authors. The choice is yours. You can also choose to ignore the following. I only hope to encourage you to put together a list of reading material for the beautiful summer days of freedom that suits your preferences.

A collection of short stories

A volume of short stories can be a great choice for the holidays because short stories tend to be more easily digestible. Some people claim short stories are not as beautiful or engaging or well-written as novels, but that’s just baseless accusations. Holidays are often unpredictable, and a longer book, like a novel, might be harder to follow through. Short stories, on the other hand, are better suited for erratic schedules.

Graphic novel

You could also try a graphic novel. Though often associated with children’s literature, graphic novels can, in fact, be as captivating and memorable as any successful novel, if not more. The graphic aspect makes it both easier to read and more unforgettable. Give it a try!

Dramatic play

Dialogue-based and without tedious descriptions, plays can be as profound as any other literary genre. And, oftentimes, a lot faster and easier to read. When was the last time you read a play? Why not re-discover the genre this holiday?

Anthology

As with other aspects of life, whether you like anthologies or not is all about taste. But what is an anthology? A published collection of poems, proverbs or any other short pieces of writing. So you can easily find an anthology to suit your literary interests, and squeeze bite-sized poems, jokes, or sci-fi stories into your unpredictable holiday schedule. 

Children’s lit

Unsurprisingly, many grownups enjoy reading books for children. They’re simpler, more concise, blessed with more humor, and some of the few books “allowed” to have a happy ending nowadays. So don’t be shy, pick up the latest children’s hit, and infuse a couple of hours of childlike wonder into your life.

Self-help book

It’s hard to clearly define a self-help book  ‒  it differs so much from people to people. Some books can answer your most troubling questions, others can help you make up your own, and others offer you new perspectives on life. These tends to be the inspirational and motivational area of self-help books.

Recommendation

Ask a good friend for a book recommendation, if you dare! Phrase it like this: “What’s the one book that you think everyone should read in their lifetime?” Then, enjoy your holidays by getting an insight into your friend's world views.

A massive book

This is not for the faint of heart. Maybe you’ve been wanting to read that 700-page long book for quite some time, but never had the time… The upcoming holidays could be the perfect setting for this goal!
 

Enjoy your holidays and your reading!