School is officially back in session for Santa Cruz. The Santa Cruz Public Library Summer Reading Program wrapped up last week. I’m sure you are all curious how it went, me too! I had a hectic week last week, I had to finish out the summer reading program then I disappeared to WorldCon 76 for FIVE days. So, I had four big things to complete last week and I got them all done. But it did mean taking a day and finishing everything, it was worth it.
As a reminder the Adult Summer Reading Program consisted of a bingo card with the theme: “Reading Takes You Everywhere”. On the bingo card were 25 things to do in the area. It was my intention to complete all of them, and I did.
Favorites Activities
My absolute favorite activity was looking at the stars. Griffin and I went to Henry Cowell State Park on a night that the Santa Cruz Astronomy club was going to be there with their telescopes. We talked conspiracy theories, and got to see Venus and Jupiter, and three of Jupiter’s moons.
Another favorite was reading a book by a local author. I read La Costa Nostraby Ivano Franco Comelli. It is a memoir of growing up the child of Italian immigrants on the coast road north of Santa Cruz. It was full of local history and a little different perspective of the area.
Honorable Mention:
Going to the Santa Cruz Museum of Art & History.
An exhibit at the Santa Cruz Museum of Art & History.
Visiting a community garden and reading there.
Reading in the community garden.
Hardest Challenge
Going e-device or screen free for a day. This one actually took some planning on my part, and I wrote a blog post about it (click here).
Cool Things You Might Not Know About
Did you know that you can check out passes to museums from your library? How about digital magazines? Or, put a telescope on hold? Learn a new language for free? These are all things that I did this summer, it has been pretty cool. I sometimes forget that the library offers so many more services than just as a receptacle for books. So, while I’m waiting patiently for my telescope, you should go ask your librarian what are some of their underutilized services?
What Now?
Life continues on. I really enjoyed participating in the summer reading program. I feel more grounded in my community. I’m a little sad that there isn’t something like the summer reading program for all the other seasons of the year.
