Category: Summer Challenge Reviews

Stellar Reads, Part 4: Nonfiction Reviews from Adult Summer Challenge Participants

Posted on by Ashley Barnes

From biographies to how-to and self-help books, Nonfiction has something intriguing to offer so many readers. Here’s a look at Nonfiction books that our Adult Summer Challenge participants are enjoying.

Robert B. on The Ghosts of Johns Hopkins: The Life and Legacy That Shaped an American City by Antero Pietila:

The author introduces this well-researched volume by noting that Johns Hopkins destroyed his private papers so thoroughly that no credible biography exists.

He then continues by stating that the purpose of his book is to analyze how Hopkins’ legacy, the hospital, medical school, and university “became the defining factors that they are today, the largest private-sector employers in the city and the state, with a robust worldwide reach.” The Ghosts of Johns Hopkins definitely fulfills the author’s purpose but there is more.

As Pietila states, “a main goal of this book is to help the reader understand the idiosyncracies and complexities of Baltimore.” And here he succeeds magnificently. This is an essential book for anyone wanting to gain a better understanding of how Baltimore got to where it is today. Pietila creates an amazing mélange of politicians, crooks, police commissioners, and local characters in a historical tour de force.

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Kyla R. on Generation T: 108 Ways to Transform a T-Shirt by Megan Nicolay:

This is a cool and crafty book about turning T-shirts into one-of-a-kind styles. It’s my favorite DIY clothing book. Techniques feature cutting apart and reassembling shirts for beginners and more experienced crafters.

I must say that there are lots of casual, fun, and even insightful designs to make in this book. Great if you want to start making your own clothes.

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It’s not too late to 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 12 and August 14.

Stellar Reads, Part 3: More Reviews from Adult Summer Challenge Participants

Posted on by Ashley Barnes

What book have you enjoyed lately? Here are some favorites of our Adult Summer Challenge participants:

Melina T. on Little Fires Everywhere by Celeste Ng:

I loved this book—it begins with fires and then works its way back to lead up to the event that opens the book. The author cleverly weaves in story elements slowly, building up and helping you understand the reason for the fires. It’s a slow build but done with such care and great writing.

She switches the point of view frequently, helping to develop the different characters and ultimately what assumptions you make at the beginning of the book are completely crushed by the end of the book. It’s a great read, totally engrossing, and you’ll love characters you thought you couldn’t, and find empathy lurking in every corner.

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Helen B. on When All Is Said by Anne Griffin:

Join 84-year-old Maurice Hannigan as he makes final toasts to each of the five people who mattered most in his life. By turns humorous, tender, and shocking, his reflections paint a vivid picture of a man acknowledging his mistakes and appreciating his blessings.

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Holly T. on The Sleeper and the Spindle by Neil Gaiman:

Neil Gaiman takes the “Sleeping Beauty” story and transforms it into something rich, sinister, and strange. The 66 pages of this novella feature intricate drawings by Chris Riddell that perfectly illustrate the chilling horror of this telling. Startling and unexpected, this is NOT the story you heard growing up.

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Jedidiah S. on Level Up by Grace Luen Yang:

Thien Pham’s artwork is lovely, and Gene Luen Yang’s writing is really powerful. It sneaks up on you—I wasn’t expecting to be moved, but I was.

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Aaron B. on You Know You Want This by Kristen Roupenian:

The viral hit “Cat Person” is only one of the stories in Roupenian’s debut collection. A fascinating series of examinations on evolving gender roles, one that’s funny and twisted, bizarre and honest.

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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 12 and August 14.

Stellar Reads, Part 2: Reviews from Adult Summer Challenge Participants

Posted on by Ashley Barnes

The 2019 Summer Challenge is heating up! Here’s a look at a few books some of our Adult participants are enjoying.

Rachel D. on The Great Believers by Rebecca Makkai:

Excellent book, a real page-turner. I felt connected to art and all its possibilities and to the trauma of the generation of young men lost to AIDS, but in a way that left me hopeful and optimistic. Great read!

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Daryl M. on Tiamat’s Wrath by James S.A. Corey:

Perhaps the best so far of the eight books in the Expanse series, full of excitement, tension, joy, and pathos following the trials and tribulations of the four main characters whom fans of the series have come to know and care about. A space opera for the Twenty-Teens.

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Himani S. on The Friend by Sigrid Nunez:

How can the death of a dear friend completely derail an intelligent, highly intellectual writer? You are about to find out. And despite the moribund topic—there are so many chuckles along the way. The author is so gifted in her delivery that as the reader, I was able to suspend my anger and criticism of the main character and fall in love with her and share in her pain and grief.

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Julia D. on Daisy Jones & the Six by Taylor Jenkins Reid:

This book is gripping. I started it in the morning and literally did not put it down until I finished it that night. Pithy, productive, visceral writing. You will think this is a real band.

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Emily A. on Crazy Rich Asians by Kevin Kwan:

Fun, breezy summer read with interesting footnotes.

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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 12 and August 14.

Stellar Reads, Part 1: Reviews from Adult Summer Challenge Participants

Posted on by Ashley Barnes

Looking for an absorbing summer read? Here are some recommendations from Adult Summer Challenge participants:

Nayantara B. on Between The World and Me by Ta-Nehisi Coates:

In the form of a letter to his son, Coates questions what it really means to live the American Dream as a black man in America. He explores the history of violence committed against minorities in order to achieve the prosperity we enjoy as a country. And finally he comes to the troubling conclusion, that to be black in America is always to be vulnerable. This book is a must-read—poignant, provocative, and beautifully written.

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Joni D. on A Good Enough Mother by Bev Thomas:

Rather than a page-turner—I found this novel to be a slow and steady reveal. Ruth Hartland is an experienced psychotherapist. She keeps her deep and profound grief private. Her 17-year-old son Tom disappeared, her daughter has moved far away and her husband has left. When a new patient enters who bears a striking resemblance to Tom she is torn between her professional judgment and a primal need that clouds her decision making.

While I often found the pace of events slow, and the writing to be about thought and senses rather than action, the insight into the therapeutic process is written brilliantly. The reader gets an intimate view of psychotherapy and the therapist’s process, revealing what, why and the impact on both the client and the therapist. It’s a fascinating story of the desire and need to help as a mother, as a therapist, and what happens when boundaries are held, and more importantly – when they are not.

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Krista T. on Girl, Stop Apologizing by Rachel Hollis:

This was the book I needed—a reminder that I am my own worst critic and that in order to get to where I want I need goals, an action plan, and belief that I can do this. I took many things away that I can do to improve my life and to not allow other people to hold me back.

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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 12 and August 14.

Rockin’ Reads, Part 7: More Reviews from Adult Summer Challenge Participants

Posted on by Tracy Dimond

What’s next on your to-read list? Adult Summer Challenge participants have some suggestions:

Michael H. on Storm in a Teacup by Helen Czerski: Loved this book! Great combination of readability and reliability, applies physics principles to everyday life. Enjoyed reading anecdotes to my wife.

Connie G. on Factfulness by Hans Rosling: Superb—a must-read for anyone interested in clear, dispassionate thinking about the serious problems facing us now.

Brynez R. on Year of Yes by Shonda Rhimes: Great self-help and empowering book around being open to all possibilities despite your fears and the good that can come when you do that.

Meredith V. on The Penderwicks at Last by Jeanne Birdsall: This remains one of the sweetest and most delightful series ever. I really enjoyed spending the book with Lydia. I kind of wanted some more time with the older girls, but I understand why the book wasn’t written that way. And the ending made me literally hug the book in happiness. I’m going to pretty immediately go back and start the series over.

Meri R. on Manhattan Beach by Jennifer Egan: Jennifer Egan does not disappoint. I read this book in a day, which is very fast for me, but every turn in the story was true and richly described. For a period novel, this book included details that felt lived in and personally important instead of carefully researched and curated. I highly recommend this book to anyone.

Zachary F. on Off Armageddon Reef by David Weber: The concept of this book is really interesting. Essentially humanity has to revert to the dark ages with a repressive religion and one person who remembers the pinnacle of civilization has to try and bring this backward version of humanity into the future. The implications of having a religion that had eight million people around for the creation of the world and saw entities they believed to be archangels is really interesting. The plot is solid. I love the parts where they discuss advancing technologies. Some parts are a little over the top and sometimes the dialogue is a bit more wordy than necessary.

Kelly H. on All We Ever Wanted by Emily Giffin: This is an incredibly timely novel but it’s also got a new slant: it’s told from the perspective of the parents (Finch’s mom and Lyla’s dad) and not the teens themselves. It was especially interesting to hear from Finch’s mom, because it’s clear that she struggles with loving and wanting to protect her son but, at the same time, being horrified at what he did (and with it seeming like he doesn’t fully get exactly why it was so wrong). This novel also touches on class differences (Lyla is at the school on scholarship; Finch can have pretty much literally anything and everything he wants) and that’s also interesting. Finch’s dad believes that his money can get them out of any predicament (he tries to bribe Lyla’s dad to drop the matter and gives him $15,000. It’s clear that he doesn’t think of that as a large amount of money…which I can’t even imagine, btw).  If you want your beach reads to be more than a guilty pleasure, check this one out.

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 13 and August 15.