My LINKcat AccountSummer arrived in all it's hot, steamy glory this past weekend with temperatures hovering near ninety degrees (in the shade). School has ended the dawn chorus is full-throated in the extremely early hours of the morn. Plants are putting forth great efforts in foliage and blossom production. Trees and grasses are emitting prodigious amounts of pollen that wafts everywhere on those not-so-gentle-at-times breezes. The Summer Reading in well underway with many of you already signed up and logging books and activities in your Beanstack account (more information about the program and about downloading the Beanstack app is located here: https://www.deforestlibrary.org/reading-program ). As if more proof were needed that summer has indeed arrived, I cite three and possibly four of the titles listed below that have the word "summer" in their titles i.e., The Summer of Lost and Found, A Summer to Remember, and That Summer. I think you could argue (and I'd back your argument) that the non-fiction title, On Juneteenth refers to a day (June 19th) only two days away from the summer solstice so that in its own way, this too is a summer book. Below, along with these four "summer" titles you will find some other books that will make excellent summer reading even though their titles don't contain that season-indicating word. Join the Summer Reading Program and Enjoy!
New Non-Fiction
How to Change: The Science of Why Some People Have Breakthroughs and Other’s Don’t by Katy Milkman. An award-winning Wharton Professor and Choiceology podcast host, drawing on her original research, offers an invaluable, science-based blueprint for achieving your goals, once and for all.
American Republics: A Continental History of the United States, 1783-1850 by Alan Taylor. In a history of America’s formative period, a Pulitzer Prize-winning historian upends the traditional story of a young nation confidently marching to its continent-spanning destiny and illuminates the continuities between our own social and political divisions.
The Indispensables: Marbleheads’ Diverse Soldier-Mariners Who Shaped the County, Formed the Navy, and Rowed Washington Across the Deleware by Patrick O’Donnell. In an addition to the literature of the American Revolution, a best-selling historian dramatically recounts how and why the Marblehead Regiment, led by John Glover, was truly indispensable.
Killing the Mob: The Fight Against Organized Crime in America by Bill O’Reilly & Martin Dugard. The authors, in the 10th book in a multimillion-selling Killing series, take on the Mob, tracing the brutal history of 20th Century organized crime in the U.S., turning the most legendary criminal and their true-life escapades into a riveting crime novel.
On Juneteenth by Annette Gordon-Reed. The descendant of enslaved people brought to Texas in the 1850s recounts the origins of Juneteenth and explores the legacies of the holiday that remain with us.
New Fiction
The Guncle by Steven Rowley. When Patrick, or Gay Uncle Patrick (GUP) for short, takes on the role of primary guardian for his young niece and nephew, he sets “Guncle Rules,” but soon learn that parenting isn’t solved with treats or jokes as his eyes are opened to a new sense of responsibility.
Hidden (Lost and Found) by Fern Michaels. In the first in a brand-new series from a #1 New York Times best-selling author, brother and sister Cullan and Luna Bodman are drawn into a dangerous mystery through an antique with a complicated past.
The Summer of Lost and Found by Mary Alice Monroe. With her family, finances, emotions, relationships and health teetering on the brink, Linnea Rutledge finds her life further complicated by her feelings for John, an old flame who turns up from California and is quarantining next door.
A Summer to Remember by Erika Montgomery. When a mysterious package arrives, containing a photograph that changes her life forever, 32-year-old Frankie Simon, the owner of a movie memorabilia shop on Hollywood Boulevard, discovers the meaning of home and the magic of true love.
That Summer by Jennifer Weiner. While trying to pinpoint the root of her dissatisfaction with her life, Daisy Shoemaker beings receiving misdirected emails meant for another woman and begins living vicariously through her until she discovers that their connection was not completely accidental.
Where the Grass is Green and the Girls are Pretty by Lauren Weisberger. When her husband is arrested in an Ivy League admissions sting, jeopardizing everything she worked so hard for, Peyton, co-anchor of a hit morning show, soon discovers that this is not the worst of it as dark secrets in their posh world come to light.
Mary Jane by Jessica Anya Blau.Taking a summer job as a nanny for the daughter of a local doctor, straight-laced Mary Jane is introduced to a world of sex, drugs, and rock-and-roll, which helps her figure out what she really wants out of life, and what kind of person she’s going to be.
Local Woman Missing by Mary Kubica. When Delilah, who disappeared 11 years earlier when she was only six years old, shockingly returns, the residents of a quiet suburban neighborhood want to know what happened to her, but no one is prepared for what they’ll find.