Anna Marie R. on The Five by Hallie Rubenhold: If you’re looking for gory true crime murder details this is not your book. Instead, you get a well thought-out history of how Jack the Ripper’s “Five” confirmed victims ended up being where they were when they were killed. Fascinating insights into Victorian mores and a real picture of these women, generally branded “prostitutes,” who had amazing stories. A reminder that no one is worthless.

Shawna P. on Would Like to Meet by Rachel Winters: Want a romance with plenty of humorous, disastrous meet-cutes? Would Like to Meet includes all of that. I loved reading this novel. Evie is so clumsy and forgetful that she is the main character that you would yell at your TV to get her act together. I love Ben and his little girl Anette, the photography and school play scenes were my favorite! And this is the perfect beach/pool read because I read it in two sittings. So fast, and wonderful.

Himani S.  on Long Bright River by Liz Moore: Philadelphia, the heroin epidemic of America, the blue code of silence among police officers. These are the threads that run through this fun, quick summer read.

Laura M. on Horrorstör by Grady Hendrix: A unique and modern horror story set in a big box furniture showroom that’s not QUITE like the blue and yellow Swedish one you know. Not for kids, this tale occurs during an overnight shift where Amy and her coworkers realize the consequences of a seance in a store built over the site of a notoriously cruel penitentiary. It will have you looking for your hex wrench to find a way out!

Amy Y. on Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel: This is a beautiful novel. It seems maybe a little masochistic reading this in COVID-19 days, but while it alludes to the worst horrors of a pandemic and post-apocalyptic life, this book does not delight in cruelty and focuses more on hopefulness than horror. If anything, living in our current times makes the characters longing for a previous era more poignant. This is a story about the connections we make as humans, about the fragility and resiliency of humanity, about the small things and moments that really matter in the end.

Thank you to everyone who participated in Adult Summer Challenge 2020!

David H. on Outline by Rachel Cusk: The first in Cusk’s “Outline” trilogy, Outline follows less of a traditional narrative and is more of a series of conversations. Although Cusk’s prose is beautiful, veering often into astute observations into the human condition, the pace of the book is fairly one-note. Each chapter moves along gradually, following Faye, a writer teaching a summer workshop in Greece, and the moments we find ourselves in are occasionally as languid as the heat frequently alluded to. The book is at its most successful when it is at its least objective—and these moments of narrative tension, however brief, feel all the more rewarding.

Deborah H. on Party of Two by Jasmine Guillory: Like her other books, this book was fun and, while not totally believable, it was engaging and addressed some challenging topics while also being entertaining.

Ronald P. on On Cats by Charles Bukowski: Wonderful small collection of short fiction, anecdotes and poetry by Charles Bukowski—all pieces involving those wonderful felines. Definitely not a child’s book…but that was Bukowski. Mr Bukowski was particularly fond of cats.

Naomi C. on Cilka’s Journey by Heather Morris: I absolutely loved this book from the moment I started reading it. I felt invested and connected to the main character, Cilka, really quickly. The description of the struggles she and the other prisoners go through is heartbreaking;  the story pulls you in immediately. I haven’t read The Tattooist of Auschwitz yet (the prequel to this) but I loved the author’s writing style and am looking forward to reading it.

Danielle P. on Amazons, Abolitionists, and Activists by Mikki Kendall : Excellent graphic novel and should be required reading for students of all genders! Would’ve meant a lot to me to read this as a child.

Kyra E. on Mean Streak by Sandra Brown: This book was the perfect combo of suspense and romance.

Join the fun! For a chance to win fabulous prizes in the Adult Summer Challenge, create a free Beanstack account and log each book you finish between June 17 and August 31.

Heather T. on The Great Alone by Kristin Hannah: Kristin Hannah is in a league all her own with this book. It is a story that I will read for years to come. The journey traveled by the young woman in this book is remarkable yet her feelings, emotions and experiences are those that anyone can relate to. It’s beautiful, sad, heartbreaking and endearing all together in a gorgeous but dangerous setting. I have a new heroine in the pages of The Great Alone.

Rochetta G. on The Misadventures of Awkward Black Girl by Issa Rae: This was a FABULOUS read. Totally relatable, easy to read, funny, brilliant!

Sarah H. on The Last Mrs. Parrish by Liv Constantine: At first, I thought this was a totally predictable novel about a woman’s attempt at transcending her social class in order to steal another woman’s husband. Although the first part of the book was full of foreshadowing, I had NO idea what to expect as soon as part two began. After the jarring twist in part two, this book became an absolute page-turner that I ended up finishing entirely in less than five hours. The ending was satisfying and left me with one of those good feelings that comes with putting a good book to rest after the last page.

Sarah B. on Cymbeline by William Shakespeare: This read like a sibling to The Winter’s Tale. I thoroughly enjoyed this play! Even with some archetypal characters, the conflict was believable. The resolution felt part natural, part contrived. Pisanio was the realest real one, as Shakespeare servants are, and the villains were first-class evil schemers. Posthumus’s path of repentance wasn’t as well done as Leontes in The Winter’s Tale. This had a little bit of everything: romance, humor, killing, war, deception, prophecies, and *holy crud*, the god Jupiter!

Join the fun! For a chance to win fabulous prizes in the Adult Summer Challenge, create a free Beanstack account and log each book you finish between June 17 and August 31.