I was supposed to have written this column in the month of June and the theme was the epic challenge of parents to find occupations for their children, who have summer vacations three or four times longer than theirs.
The wind blew time, and now you will read a hybrid text, a mix between the theme of holidays for children and the non-holidays of books.
As the mother of two girls aged ten and seven, I understand that the task of entertaining children in the summer is as complicated as unraveling a riddle.
There are sports and cultural holidays, it's true. But they sell out almost as quickly as Coldplay concert tickets.
There were times when entertainment options were simpler: a board game, a trip to the beach or a picnic in the park. But today's children have other tastes, or are we the ones who educate them in that sense and let the "take your cell phone there until you get a Brazilian accent" dominate everyday life?
The simple "Let's play hide and seek!" it no longer has the same effect (does it?).
Almost all children have lost the habit of playing in the street or having little fun. In addition to the duration of parents' vacations not matching that of school-age children, most families do not have a support network (aunts, uncles, grandparents, grandparents) with whom they can share this time.
The challenge is great. But we will certainly survive another summer. On this side, I already have the cubs oriented between trips to the beach, days dedicated to painting and playing in the street with the neighbors.
As a compulsive reader, it is with pleasure that I observe the installation of discount book aisles in large surfaces. The sales didn't just reach body adornments. Also the soul can be fed at low prices. It's good to see people contemplating the covers, flipping through the pages, comparing prices and adding a book to the shopping cart among the bottles of soft drinks, chips and cartons of meat to grill.
I had to bite myself not to bring another book under my arm; the shelf of books to be read is already almost as huge as that of books to be read.
I won't get into the conversation of «literary quality» or «the place of books is in bookstores». As a literary activist, I want people to read and nothing like putting books where the people are, but I can assure you that I found proposals for everyone: Colleen Hoover, Daniel Silva, Agatha Christie, Lesley Pearse, Mario Vargas Llosa, Afonso Noite- Luar, JRR Tolkien, Lev Tolstoy, João Tordo and others, with discounts from 10% to 40%.
If you're on vacation (or will be soon), stock your shopping cart with a book or two. Choose by cover, author, synopsis, recommendation you saw on Instagram, Tiktok, but read. Believe me: a book will add a new dimension to your vacation. It will add emotion and escape to everything you will experience in these days of rest, far from routine.
I leave you with some recommendations and an invitation to, on the 29th of July, at 21 pm, join a very special online meeting with the young writer Ana Bárbara Pedrosa, within the scope of the reading club «Literary Encounters O Prazer da Escrita» , which I have the privilege of curating.
Here is the link to join (where you will find all the details): https://www.facebook.com/groups/EncontrosLiterariosOPrazerDaEscrita
This reading club has the institutional support of the National Reading Plan. It's free and Always will be.
BOOK SUGGESTIONS WITH THE BEST DISCOUNTS FOR YOUR VACATION
The Last Refuge, Pedro Garcia Rosado (40% off at Auchan)
The selection, Kiera Cass (40% off on the Mainland)
The Discreet Hero, Mario Vargas Llosa (40% discount on the mainland)
The Price of Money, Ken Follett (30% off on the Continent)
How to make friends and influence people, Dale Carnegie (20% off on the Continent)
The Brief Life of Flowers, Valérie Perrin (10% off on the Continent)
Felicidade, João Tordo (10% discount on the mainland)
A suggestion for boys and girls from 12 years old:
Cherub The Sect, Robert Muchamore (30% off Auchan)
Author: Analita Alves dos Santos is a Mother concerned with environmental issues... and not only
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