Like many school librarians, I like to post what I’m reading so the kids can see that I
practice what I preach! I especially enjoy posting what I read over the summer, since I have
more time to read then. Following a rather too-eventful summer in 2024, I decided to
schedule in more down time this year—aka reading time! The AISL Summer Book Bingo
provided the perfect starting incentive, and I was determined to fill all 25 of the squares,
which I did. I really enjoyed the opportunity to read some books that differed from my usual
fare (I mean, Japanese Cat Lit? Who knew that was a thing? ).

I also read a lot of other books, primarily audiobooks. I listen to audiobooks in the car,
when I’m getting ready in the morning, when I’m out walking, and when I’m getting ready for
bed (that’s cozy mystery time!). While public library is a great source of audiobooks, if you
are not familiar with the Libro.FM program for educators, definitely check it out! Every
month it offers educators something like 20 free, pre-chosen audiobooks, and I love getting
that email and going to the site to see what they have on offer. Though I generally choose
the middle school books, as that’s my student population, the site always offers a number
of YA titles and several adult books as well. I love that this program leads me to discover
books I wouldn’t otherwise encounter or read, like The Mizzy Mysteries: A Skeleton in the
Closet by Claire Hatcher-Smith. In this family mystery, the detective has Down’s Syndrome,
and the audiobook is read by a person with Down’s.
Last night I used LibraryThing to put together a graphic of the covers of all the books I read
over the summer, which I will post by my desk for the kids to see when they arrive. One of
the site’s useful tools is that after you enter books by title or ISBN into a list, it can generate
thumbnail covers of all the books in that list. From there, I used the snipping tool to put
together my graphic.
Welcome back, and I hope you find some wonderful books this year!