Need a Crime Thriller or a Rom-Com? Check out Reviews from our Summer Challenge Participants

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.

The Five
by Hallie Rubenhold
Book|eBook

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.

Would Like to Meet
by Rachel Winters
Book|eBook

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.

Long Bright River
by Liz Moore
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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!

Horrorstor
by Grady Hendrix
Book|eBook

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.

Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel Book|CDs|eBook|Audiobook

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

What to Read Reviews from Summer Challenge Participants

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.

Outline
by Rachel Cusk
Book|eBook

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.

Party of Two
by Jasmine Guillory
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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.

On Cats
by Charles Bukowski
eBook

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.

Cilka’s Journey
by Heather Morris
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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.

Amazons, Abolitionists, and Activists
by Mikki Kendall and A. D’Amico
Book|eBook

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

Mean Streak
by Sandra Brown
Book|Compact Disc|eBook|Audiobook

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.

More Reviews from Adult Summer Challenge Participants

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.

The Great Alone
by Kristin Hannah
Book|eBook|Audiobook

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

The Misadventures of Awkward Black Girl
by Issa Rae
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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.

The Last Mrs. Parrish
by Liv Constantine
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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.

Imagine Your Story, Part 7: Reviews from Adult Summer Challenge Participants

Whitney J. on They All Fall Down by Rachel Howzell Hall: They All Fall Down is a book that makes one wish Mom was still alive. I needed someone to tell me that it was time to turn out the lights. I knew before I started that all the players would be gone by the end of the story, but I certainly didn’t see the last death coming! It’s also very funny in places. I really enjoyed it and found it difficult to put down!

They All Fall Down
by Rachel Howzell Hall
Book

George H. on Before and After the Book Deal by Courtney Maum: Incredibly helpful for those looking to get started in literary publishing. Maum collects the wisdom of many authors and highlights aspects of publishing that often aren’t talked about in books like this.

Before and After The Book Deal
by Courtney Maum
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Laura R. on The Storied Life Of A.J. Fikry by Gabrielle Zevin: A fun little book for book people and bookstore lovers. Lighthearted and at times serious. Just enough character development to enjoy the people of this small town and their relationships and how books weave throughout their stories.

The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry
by Gabrielle Zevin
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Cheryl D. on The Invention of Hugo Cabret by Brian Selznick: Delightful, Fun and a quick read despite its size (530 pages.) This is a very different style book with many full page original drawings (which fill many pages so you fly through the 500+ pages.) I selected this book from the online catalog for my second graders but didn’t realize it was over 500 pages until I picked it up. I almost put it directly into the return box but figured I should give it a try. I am so happy that I did! I do not like reading fiction so I was delighted to find this story based on nonfiction historically accurate people and places. Set in 1930s Paris, you learn of the city and early film! Give this book a try!

The Invention of Hugo Cabret
by Brian Selznick
Book|eBook|Audiobook

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.

Imagine Your Story, Part 6: Reviews from Adult Summer Challenge Participants

Kathryn L. on Mr. Penumbra’s 24-Hour Bookstore by Robin Sloan: An unexpected delight. Much like the titular bookstore and its enigmatic shopkeeper, this book and its expansive perspective on knowledge both digital and analog will make you think, laugh, and cry in equal measure. With a winning narrator and a colorful cast of characters, this is a summer read that is as much action-adventure as it is technological meditation without ever relinquishing its central preoccupation with the importance of and delight in freedom of knowledge.

Mr. Penumbra’s 24-Hour Bookstore
by Robin Sloan
Book|CD|Audiobook|eBook

Jaimie R. on Solaris by Stanislaw Lem: Russian sci-fi, depicting an excursion to the planet Solaris in which the laws of physics and reality are bent into a confounding, yet curiously miraculous, alternative reality. Very well-written and easily digestible (unlike other Russian sci-fi!).

Solaris
by Stanislaw Lem
Book

Lauren S. on The First Conspiracy: The Secret Plot to Kill George Washington by Brad Meltzer: I’m a big fan of history, but I sometimes struggle to get through nonfiction on certain periods, including the Revolutionary War, because they can be dry, boring, and rife with facts I already knew. I was pleasantly surprised to find that this book was none of those things. I loved that the chapters were short which kept the plot moving and made the information digestible. The cherry on top was the intrigue and mystery around the secret plot, how it was uncovered, and the contributions that made to the intelligence tactics we use today. I highly recommend for fellow history nerds!

The First Conspiracy: The Secret Plot to Kill George Washington
Brad Meltzer
Book|Playaway|Audiobook|eBook

Allie P. on The Vanishing Half by Brit Bennett: Bennett’s second novel is getting tons of praise and it is well-deserved. I couldn’t put this book down. Bennett tells a moving story about family and lives we make for ourselves. Each character is written with empathy and care.

The Vanishing Half
by Brit Bennett
Book|Audiobook|eBook

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.