Reading for fun can be a difficult concept for some no matter what age. Now that summer is in full swing, Barnes & Noble in Fayetteville and the Fayette County Public Library are providing young readers with incentives for cultivating one's mind between trips to the beach and Six Flags. With plenty of activities, including book clubs and special programs, burying your nose in a book has never been more fun.

Linda Metoyer, community relations manager for Barnes & Noble in Fayetteville has been busy making sure local reading lists for high school students are well represented in the store. "Every school has their own particular method of promoting summer reading. It helps to maintain their reading levels." Metoyer said. Whitewater High School asks the kids to gather quotes from their books and doesn't assign particular titles. "We just want them to read."

Starr's Mill High School took a list of books on consignment which Metoyer delivered to the school. It made it more convenient for the students to purchase and also made close to $1,000 for the school.

"We took 20 percent off the price of the books which helped," she added.

For students in first through sixth grade, there's the "Dive Into Reading" program that encourages kids to ready by keeping track of the books in a reading journal. Once they have read eight, they can choose a free book from a list of age appropriate titles. "We've handed out 55 books since school let out." Metoyer said.

In addition, there are several reading groups being conducted with the help of some book-loving employees. Bookseller Tina Jones fittingly heads up the Junie B. Jones Book Club (Thursdays at 2 p.m.) that has grown from five to 10 members in the last month. Booksellers Rachel Wilson and Patty Loth team up to host The American Girls Book Club (Mondays at 6:30 p.m.) which has gone from five to 20 members. Cafe Manager Ken Rivard hosts the Harry Potter Book Club (Tuesdays at 6:30 p.m.) along with Patty Loth, an understandably popular gathering.

As a bonus, the newest Harry Potter adventure the "Half-Blood Prince" is due out July 15. Barnes and Noble will once again host a special pre-release party culminating at midnight with the opening of the first Harry Potter box.

For adults who like to share their literary thoughts, there are a couple of year round book clubs to join. The Kente Rainbow book club which started in December of 2001, and is still going strong will tackle "Our Kind of People" by Lawrence Otis Graham for July. The Mystery Book Group which began in April continues in July with "The Third Secret" by Steve Berry.

Even Oprah is doing something special this summer with her Faulkner 101 summer reading series consisting of three of the great Southern author's classics, "As I Lay Dying," "The Sound and the Fury," and "Light In August."

If this isn't all enough to get people turning pages, the Fayette County Public Library presents the "FUNtastic Reading." Children up to 12 years of age can register through July 15 and win prizes for reading 5 or more hours per week. The summer program includes events on Wednesday afternoons at 2 p.m. culminating in a