Happy 4th of July! In between celebrating with fireworks and a plate (or two) of barbecue, consider spending the day curled up with a great book to read. Here’s a list of All-American classics, some new and old, some traditional, others not so much, that you might want to add to your reading list.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
As Pride Month comes to a close, we wanted to highlight nonfiction works from those in the LGBTQ + community. From history books to memoirs, we’re sure that they will not only inspire and educate but also be engaging reads!
Gentleman Jack: The Real Anne Lister
By Anne Choma
Anne Lister was extraordinary. Fearless, charismatic and determined to explore her lesbian sexuality by forging her own path in a society. In 1834, she made history by celebrating and recording the first ever known marriage to another woman. Now the basis for the HBO series Gentleman Jack, this is her remarkable, true story.
No Ashes in the Fire: Coming of Age Black and Free in America
By Darnell L. Moore
The award-winning writer, Black Lives Matter activist, and advocate shares his journey of a scared, bullied teenager who not only survived, but found his calling. Moore reminds us that liberation is possible if we commit ourselves to fighting for it, and if we dream and create futures where those who survive on society’s edges can thrive.
Queer Threads: Crafting Identity and Community
By John Chaich and Todd Oldham
This book spotlights an international, intergenerational, intersectional mix of thirty artists who are remixing fiber craft traditions while reconsidering the binaries of art and craft, masculine and feminine, and gay and straight. To further examine how queerness informs their work, the artists are interviewed by makers and thinkers from the worlds of dance, design, fashion, media, music, museums, scholarship, and more―many members of the LGBTQ community themselves, and otherwise passionate allies.
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!
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.
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.
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.
Emily A. on Crazy Rich Asians by Kevin Kwan:
Fun, breezy summer read with interesting footnotes.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
