“Just For The Summer” is about a traveling nurse named Emma who feels that she has a curse: every man that she dates ends up finding “the one” once they break up with her. Through Reddit, she meets a man named Justin, who has gone viral for having the same problem. They make a deal to date one another to break the “curses.”

As expected, they find themselves falling deeply for one another as the relationship blossoms. However, there are many obstacles in the way for Emma and Justin. Complex family issues ravage the latter half of the book. You’ll have to read on to find out more! I liked this book because the romance was great (think kittens and post-date surveys!) and because the author framed mental health issues and healing in a thoughtful way.

Three words that describe this book: Mushy, Complex, Heart-Wrenching

You might want to pick this book up if: You like reading about family dynamics and are a sucker for a wholesome love story.

-Ashley

This reader review was submitted as part of Adult Summer Reading. We will continue to share them throughout the year. 

In “Touch the Dark,” Cassie Palmer is a clairvoyant being hunted by pretty much everyone in the supernatural world. Everyone wants something from her; some want her dead, others want her powers under their control. Cassie has to control her powers to keep free of the clutches of Black and Silver Circle and to escape the vampires holding her captive.

I love this book. Cassie seems like a real person — her character is well rounded and her actions feel like something a real person would do in her situations. The book rarely has a slow point and every chapter has a shocking revelation in it. I can’t wait to get my hands on the sequel.

Three words that describe this book: Engaging, Action, Suspense

You might want to pick this book up if: You want a kick-ass heroine, enthralling vampires, devious mages, and ghosts who have gambling problems.

-Anonymous

This reader review was submitted as part of Adult Summer Reading. We will continue to share them throughout the year. 

“100 Days of Real Food” is a cook book but it’s also the author and her family’s journey of taking a 100 day pledge to eat only real, unprocessed food. She shares her favorite recipes for eating whole food, what she learned along the way, as well as information about our conventional food system.

The book was quite eye opening. I knew a good amount of the information already but this is a pretty comprehensive look at the food industry. While it’s not a new book, it’s got really rich information in it and timeless advice on how to find and benefit from REAL food.

Three words that describe this book: Cooking, health, lifestyle

You might want to pick this book up if: You’re looking for healthier recipes with few ingredients, looking to make lifestyle changes but aren’t sure where to start, are disgusted by the corporate food industry and want info to inspire you to make changes in how you source your food.

-Hannah

This reader review was submitted as part of Adult Summer Reading. We will continue to share them throughout the year.

Two of my favorite things are Pirates and Godzilla movies. So I was ecstatic when I stumbled upon “Godzilla: Here There Be Dragons.” This comic book limited series, now collected in trade paperback, is an awesome summer read.

Written by Frank Tieri, this story places Monster Island in the tropical waters of the golden age of piracy. The book is a quick read, full of maritime adventure and giant monster battles.

Even if you don’t dig the story, the book is worth picking up just to peruse the gorgeous artwork. Artist Inaki Miranda’s illustrations are so good that they earned this title a nomination for Best Penciller/Inker at this year’s Eisner Awards.

{Pirate voice}: If ye be searching for some summertime adventure, voyage to DB-Arrr-L and pick up “Godzilla: Here There Be Dragons.”

Three words that describe this book: Adventurous, Exciting, Fun

You might want to pick this book up if: You are into Pirates or Kaiju

-Joe

This reader review was submitted as part of Adult Summer Reading. We will continue to share them throughout the year.

I’ve been on a haunted house novel deep dive this year. During this reading streak, I came upon “The September House.” Most haunted house stories involve the characters trying to escape the specters haunting their abode. In this debut horror novel, author Carissa Orlando instead explores what it would be like to try and continue living in a house you love despite its being haunted.

The “September House” is a well written horror story that blends several major aspects of the haunted house genre with dark humor and reflections on what a person is willing to put up with to stay in the place they love.

Reader beware, this book contains depictions of emotional abuse, mental illness and gaslighting. The depictions of the ghosts are also very gory.

I found “The Summer House” to be a legitimately scary read. It’s perfect for those looking to add a little scary to their summer.

Three words that describe this book: Scary, Dark, Tense

You might want to pick this book up if: You’re in the mood for a summertime scare.

-Joe

This reader review was submitted as part of Adult Summer Reading. We will continue to share them throughout the year. 

“Driving Miss Norma: One Family’s Journey Saying ‘Yes’ to Living” is an inspiring memoir about 90-year-old Miss Norma, who, after a cancer diagnosis, opts for a cross-country road trip with her son Tim, daughter-in-law Ranie, and their poodle Ringo. I enjoyed reading about the love of a family as well as sights and experiences they encountered along the way. Death is portrayed as a natural part of life rather than something to dread.

Three words that describe this book: Inspiring, heartwarming, hopeful

You might want to pick this book up if: You enjoy road trips, appreciate reading books about families or like to read about end of life experiences.

-Kristi

This reader review was submitted as part of Adult Summer Reading. We will continue to share them throughout the year.

What happens when you get a chance of a lifetime to help one of your favorite screenwriters rewrite his romance script (because he just doesn’t do romance), and you happen to have a crush on him too? “The Rom-Commers” introduces us to Emma, an aspiring screenwriter who has been the sole caretaker of her father, but passes on the duties to her sister in order to take this chance of a lifetime writing gig — it’s her sister’s turn to put her dreams on hold for now.

I do think the character arc of Emma is believable for the most part. She’s an adult who deals with the aftermath of a traumatic childhood event which leaves her wanting to be accommodating and too self-sacrificing, believing she deserves to put her needs aside for others. As a person myself who often explores her helpful oldest-daughter/sibling and people pleasing tendencies, I resonated with Emma a bit.

The main characters had great banter — they are writers after all. However, I do know that sometimes the banter of super quirky characters can rub readers the wrong way or be “too good,” and leave you wondering if they are even real people. Emma was unapologetically herself, which I value in a main character, and also contributed to the great banter.

I enjoy Katherine Center books. They are fun, loving, and offer a bit of light while also dealing with harder topics. I will say that Katherine Center’s writing style, where there are breaks in the fourth wall, is sometimes interesting and at other-times off-putting, but it’s something a reader can get use to eventually.

Three words that describe this book: Enemies-to-lovers, Funny, A+ Banter

You might want to pick this book up if: You are a fan of romance novels and Emily Henry.

-Taira

This reader review was submitted as part of Adult Summer Reading. We will continue to share them throughout the year. 

After playing the video game “The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt” and discovering that it originated from a book series, I’ve wanted to read them ever since — I’m glad I finally did! “The Last Wish” is a collection of short stories that follow the Witcher Geralt, who travels around fighting evil and helping people. I loved reading about the different characters, creatures and adventures that make up the Witcher universe. I also found that the little bits of humor spread throughout kept it fun. Now that I’ve read the first book, I can say that I enjoyed it immensely, and I’m looking forward to continuing the series. “The Last Wish” is a fantastic read for fantasy and Witcher fans alike.

Three words that describe this book: Fantasy, adventure, riveting

You might want to pick this book up if: You like fantasy adventure with some humor and likeable characters, or if you liked the Witcher games or show.

-Anonymous

This reader review was submitted as part of Adult Summer Reading. We will continue to share them throughout the year. 

“The Anthologist” is a meandering meditation on poets, meter and style; a novel that light on plot and often stream-of-consciousness. I adore author Nicholson Baker’s “minutiae” books (“The Mezzanine,” “Room Temperature,” and “A Box of Matches”) but I’ve picked up few of his other works too. It’s easy to recognize that the same mind/voice that created a story like “The Mezzanine” is behind “The Anthologist,” but because this book is so predominantly focused on poetry, and that’s never been a huge interest for me, this tale didn’t capture me in the same way his minutiae ones did.

I will say I’m walking away from this reading better informed of, for example, what iambic pentameter really is as well as having some further insights into the lives and works of numerous poets (Ezra Pound doesn’t come out looking very good). I also am glad I listened to the audio version of this (read by Baker himself) because his cadence really helps me better understand some of the points he’s trying to make.

Three words that describe this book: calm, thoughtful, light

You might want to pick this book up if: you have a passion for poetry and want to dive into the argument for or against free verse.

-Xander

This reader review was submitted as part of Adult Summer Reading. We will continue to share them throughout the year.