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| Summer Must-Reads |
FICTION
The Vacationers by Emma Straub -- Celebrating their thirty-fifth anniversary and their daughter's high-school graduation during a two-week vacation in Mallorca, Franny and Jim Post confront old secrets, hurts, and rivalries that reveal sides of themselves they try to conceal.
All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr -- A blind French girl and a German boy whose paths collide in occupied France as both try to survive the devastation of World War II.
The Farm by Tom Rob Smith -- After learning his mother was committed to a mental hospital, Daniel receives a call from her, claiming that his lying father is part of a crime conspiracy.
Everything I Never Told You by Celeste Ng -- Lydia is dead. But they don't know this yet. So begins this debut novel about a Chinese American family living in 1970s small-town Ohio. Lydia is the favorite child of Marilyn and James Lee; their middle daughter, a girl who inherited her mother's bright blue eyes and her father's jet-black hair. Her parents are determined that Lydia will fulfill the dreams they were unable to pursue. When Lydia's body is found in the local lake, the delicate balancing act that has been keeping the Lee family together tumbles into chaos, forcing them to confront the long-kept secrets that have been slowly pulling them apart.
Mr. Mercedes by Stephen King -- In the frigid pre-dawn hours, in a distressed Midwestern city, hundreds of desperate unemployed folks are lined up for a spot at a job fair. Without warning, a lone driver plows through the crowd in a stolen Mercedes, running over the innocent, backing up, and charging again. Eight people are killed; fifteen are wounded. The killer escapes. In another part of town, months later, a retired cop named Bill Hodges is still haunted by the unsolved crime. When he gets a crazed letter from someone who self-identifies as the "perk" and threatens an even more diabolical attack, Hodges wakes up from his depressed and vacant retirement, hell-bent on preventing another tragedy.
All Fall Down by Jennifer Weiner -- On the outside, Gillian is a normal suburban mother—until a website she develops takes off, giving her more money than she ever dreamed of, and her life starts falling apart. Suddenly, her husband’s becoming distant, her daughter’s acting spoiled, her father is dealing with early Alzheimer’s, and her mother’s barely dealing at all. As she struggles to be a good daughter, a good mother, and a good wife, to run her business and serve as Class Mother in her daughter’s snooty private school (and maybe get to the gym every once in a while), Gillian finds that the prescription painkillers she took for a back injury help her deal with more than just physical pain—they give her energy, help her feel calm, and let her get through her increasingly hectic days. When her use gets to the point that she can no longer control it—or hide it—Gillian ends up in a world she never thought she’d experience outside of a movie theater: rehab.
The Hundred-Year House by Rebecca Makkai -- In her second novel, set on an historic estate that once housed an arts colony, Doug, the husband of the estate's heir, desperately needs the colony files to get his stalled academic career back on track. But what he discovers when he finally gets his hands on them is more than he bargained for. Doug may never learn the house’s secrets, but the reader will, as Makkai leads us on a journey into the past of this eccentric family.
The Southern Reach Trilogy by Jeff VanderMeer (Annihilation, Authority, and Acceptance) -- Area X has claimed the lives of members of eleven expeditions. The twelfth expedition consisting of four women hopes to map the terrain and collect specimens; to record all their observations, scientific and otherwise, of their surroundings and of one another; and, above all, to avoid being contaminated by Area X itself. The final installment in the series is scheduled for release in September.
NONFICTION
Hard Choices by Hillary Rodham Clinton -- The former secretary of state, senator, and first lady shares candid reflections about the key moments of her service in the Obama Administration as well as her thoughts about how to navigate the challenges of the 21st century.
Blue Mind: The Surprising Science That Shows How Being Near, In, On, or Under Water Can Make You Happier, Healthier, More Connected, and Better at What You Do by Wallace Nichols -- Why are we drawn to the ocean each summer? Why does being near water set our minds and bodies at ease? Combining cutting-edge neuroscience with compelling personal stories from top athletes, leading scientists, military veterans, and gifted artists, Nichols shows how proximity to water can improve performance, increase calm, diminish anxiety, and increase professional success.
The Third Plate: Field Notes on the Future of Food by Dan Barber -- Barber explores the evolution of American food from the "first plate," or industrially-produced, meat-heavy dishes, to the "second plate" of grass-fed meat and organic greens, and says that both of these approaches are ultimately neither sustainable nor healthy. Instead, Barber proposes Americans should move to the "third plate," a cuisine rooted in seasonal productivity, natural livestock rhythms, whole-grains, and small portions of free-range meat
The Zhivago Affair: The Kremlin, the CIA, and the Battle over a Forbidden Book by Peter Finn & Petra Couvee -- The dramatic, never-before-told story of how a forbidden book in the Soviet Union became a secret CIA weapon in the ideological battle between East and West.
MORE LISTS
- Los Angeles Times -- Summer Books Preview 2014
- Publishers Weekly -- Best Summer Books 2014
- The New York Times -- When the Water's Too Cold, Something Else to Dive Into
- USA Today -- Heat Up Your Summer with 30 New Books
- AARP -- Beach-Bag Books for Grownups
- Entertainment Weekly -- Summer Must-Reads: 10 Books for Your Beach Bag
- Glamour -- The 10 Best Books to Add to Your Summer Reading List Right This Second
- Flavorwire -- Summer Reading: 20 New Nonfiction Books That Will Make You Smarter
- Huffington Post -- 16 Great New Books to Read This Summer
- The Washington Post -- A Summer Reading List for Innovators
- Vogue -- Summer's Buzziest Beach Reads
- The Daily Beast -- The Summer's Juiciest Beach Reads
- New Republic -- The 2014 Summer Reading Guide
- Pittsburgh Post-Gazette -- Summer Reading: Lather on the Sunscreen, Get Under an Umbrella and Enjoy a Good Book
- Parade -- Looking for a Beach Read?
Don’t forget to check out the LibraryReads lists coming this summer, too. May and June are chock-full of great summer reads – the July and August lists are sure to be, too!As always, if you have any questions or need assistance placing a hold, give us a call at 480.782.2800.
Happy Reading!
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