11 Things To Add To Your Summer Book Bucket List

Ever since I was a kid, writing up a summer bucket list has been a constant tradition. My past bucket lists have included silly things like attaining the phone number of my middle school crush or reading an insane number of books before school started back up. Bucket lists can include anything from embarking on road-trip adventures to facing a big fear that's been holding you back. It's anything you want, and if you're a book lover like myself, odds are you have a bucket list that contains a lot of books, too.

Spending your summer days with a good book and glass of lemonade is what dreams are made of — at least for book nerds. It's not so much about the tan or the temperature of the beach waves, but more so about the characters and settings within the books we hold close to our hearts. While you probably have a good number of books you're adding to your bucket list this year, consider adding a couple book-related activities to it as well. After all, you will need a little time in-between books that break your heart or blow your mind.

Gather your closest book loving friends and plan for one fantastic summer full of bookstores, arts and crafts, writing, and a whole lot of reading with these 11 fun things to add to your summer book bucket list:

1. Visit A New Or Your Favorite Bookstore Once A Week

If you live in a big city, you probably have a few favorite bookstores already, and if you live in a more rural setting, you have your favorite bookstore route memorized. No matter where you live, take some time to visit a real bookstore as often as possible. You'll be surrounded by new book smell and books you otherwise wouldn't have heard about, so there's really no reason not to.

2. Get A Library Card

If the library is closer than a bookstore, by all means, visit the library even more! Libraries are great places to spend time, go on dates, and talk to intelligent librarians who can recommend the perfect book for you. I had a library card all throughout my childhood, and once I went to live on my own in a new city, I got one immediately. I'm always so happy about it.

3. Join A Book Club If You Haven't Already

If you've been meaning to read more books, step outside of your comfort zone, or just meet some new cool book-loving people, join a book club! It's a great way to stick to your reading goals, especially if you have a tough time finishing books.

4. Read A Book With Your BFF, Partner, Or Sibling

Reading a book with a significant other, a friend, or even your brother or sister is a great way to build a stronger relationship and open up conversational topics that otherwise probably wouldn't come up. You can each pick a book or decide on one together, but either way, you'll enjoy the experience!

5. Find A Favorite Outdoor Reading Spot

Find a big shady tree in a park. Claim an outdoor table at your local cafe every Sunday morning. Lounge in the backyard, near the harbor, or your front porch. Find a spot and stick with it, because as soon as sunny days become a regular thing, you'll want a perfect reading spot to soak it all in.

6. Tackle A Bookish DIY Project

Take some used books, or books you know you'll never read, and create something new. Make jewelry, create an art piece you can frame on your wall, cut out pages and make them into an life-lasting paper bouquet for a wedding.

7. Attend Or Volunteer For A Literary Festival

This may be tricky depending on where you live, but there are literary events going on all around the world at any given time. You can always volunteer for a non-profit bookstore, literacy charity, or book drive. There are endless options, and it'll feel great to be a part of the community you already know and love so well.

8. Plan A Book Themed Road Trip

Head to a city that inspired a book, visit an author's hometown or gravesite, escape to a literary hotel — wherever the road takes you, bring a few books along and you're guaranteed to have a lot of fun.

9. Make Book Themed Cocktails

Throw a Harry Potter summer party just for fun and make some fancy cocktails, or find other literary cocktails and have some fun with your book as you sip on an Ernest Hemingway- or Jane Austen-themed drink.

10. Create A Reading List And Stick To It

Read a book you normally wouldn't, read multiple books written by authors of color, start and finish a new series, reread a classic, pick up a poetry or short story collection, dive into a prize-winning novel. Create a list of fun, interesting, and unique books to keep you entertained all summer, and make sure you stick to it!

11. Keep A Journal

While you read and enjoy your lovely summer, keep a journal nearby. Jot down your thoughts on a book, a character, an author, the cover of some new book — whatever you want. If keeping a journal around is new to you, take it slow and don't worry about what you fill it with. Writing your thoughts is healthy and beneficial, and a great way to document your summer shenanigans with books.

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