“The Perfect Scoop” contains 200 recipes for ice cream and other frozen desserts including toppings. I especially liked that he provides several options to make homemade ice cream that stays soft in the freezer. I prefer to avoid cooking ice cream mixes, so I’m going to alter most of the recipes, leaving out the eggs and reducing the fat (although these 2 ingredients will improve storage in a home freezer). But there are lots of interesting flavors⁠ — so far I only made honey ice cream (leaving out the lavender). I am really interested in trying the sesame seed brittle and the chocolate shell.

Three words that describe this book: ice cream recipes

You might want to pick this book up if: You like to make homemade ice cream.

-Anonymous

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

The writings of ancient Greeks and Romans may seem like old, dusty stuff, but in “How To Be a Stoic” the author brings to light a worldview called Stoicism. The thoughts of Epictetus and his peers and colleagues, when translated into modern English, do have power and relevance for our own times. I was surprised at first, and then became very interested in Stoicism. This offers me real, useful ideas that can help me deal with life’s bumps and challenges, difficult people, and frustration with politics and other things. I am delighted that Stoicism emphasizes how I can try to become a better person, even when painful events, mistakes, and bad things happen. It can work compatibly with religious views, or not, making this a wide-open philosophy. I will be reading more books by this author, and by other writers, about modern Stoicism.

Three words that describe this book: Surprising, concrete, comforting

You might want to pick this book up if: You would like to live a better and more meaningful life, without necessarily having a religious “faith” or other system.

-Lynn

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

In “The Black Book,” a young Chicago cop, Billy Harney, from a family of cops, gets involved in a bust involving a lot of powerful citizens at a brothel. However, the only missing item to pull the case all together is the madame’s black book. Everyone is out to find the black book including Billy’s sexy, semi-crazy partner Kate, Billy’s twin sister, Patti, who will stop and nothing to protect her brother, the assistant state attorney, Amy, who Billy ends up falling for, and many others including some potential bad cops. During the search for the missing black book, major players are murdered and the evidence points to Billy. This book kept me wondering which character had the black book and which character was the murderer.

Three words that describe this book: Suspenseful, Shocking, Mysterious

You might want to pick this book up if: You like political or police involved stories that keep you hanging until the final few chapters of a book.

-Anonymous

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

Amy Tan explores the relationship between mothers and daughters in this compelling story. “The Bonesetter’s Daughter” follows Ruth Young as she struggles to care for her mother, LuLing, when she is diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease. Ruth’s relationship with her partner, Art, also undergoes challenges and rethinking as Ruth cares for her mother. Ruth finds two documents that her mother wrote in Chinese when she started to lose her memory so that she would not forget important aspects of her life. Upon reading these documents, Ruth discovers new secrets about her mother’s life as well as a new understanding and appreciation for the choices that she has made. When learning more about her mother, Ruth also begins to reflect on herself and her past. Tan explores the themes of mother-daughter relationships as well as the dynamics among different generations of Chinese-Americans in her riveting novel.

Three words that describe this book: Mother-daughter relationship, history, Chinese-American immigrant life

You might want to pick this book up if: You enjoy stories about family relationships and challenges.

-Sarah

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

“Churchill: Walking with Destiny” is the most recent and perhaps the finest single-volume biography of Winston Churchill. Readers should not be daunted by the length of the book (982 pages) — it is detailed and thorough yet eminently readable and engrossing. Roberts covers Churchill’s remarkable life chronologically to support his central thesis that Churchill, throughout his life, was “walking with destiny” and destined to lead Great Britain in the darkest hours of World War II. Roberts makes excellent use of private diaries and correspondence to complement the public record. The book’s extensive detail serves to paint a complete, nuanced and objective portrait of Churchill. Even the footnotes enrich the reader’s understanding of the man. Roberts does not gloss over Churchill’s mistakes, yet the reader leaves with the clear impression that Churchill, though not perfect, was one of the truly great leaders in history.

Three words that describe this book: Engrossing, remarkable, readable

You might want to pick this book up if: You like history or enjoy biographies.

-Jeff

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

It’s likely that readers will already be familiar with the basics of this classic adventure tale. “Treasure Island” has become such a part of our cultural memory at this point, that few will be meeting Jim and Long John for the first time. I first read this book, as well as Stevenson’s “Kidnapped,” when I was young, and I remember being a little bored with it, but enjoyed the action scenes. I enjoyed it much more reading it as an adult. I found that I was much more interested in Stevenson’s descriptions of sailor life, even if they are highly fanciful, than when I was younger. In many ways, it was like visiting old friends again. I read it as a beach read when I vacationed this summer, and it was an excellent choice. As a fan of history, I found “The Annotated Treasure Island” to be thoroughly enlightening. I learned from the annotations while simultaneously enjoying Stevenson’s adventure story.

Three words that describe this book: adventure, pirates, sea tales

You might want to pick this book up if: You want a quick read that is full of adventure and interesting characters. Choose the annotated edition if you are also intrigued with 19th-century history and sailor life.

-Allen

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

“Kill Shakespeare Volume 1: A Sea of Troubles” collects the first six Kill Shakespeare comic books and re-introduces us to some of Shakespeare’s most famous characters, but in new roles, as they hunt for Will Shakespeare, wizard god. Killing Will and securing his magical quill is the quest of the bad guys in power (Lady Macbeth, Richard III), while the rebellion, led by Juliet and backed by Othello, have put their faith in a Shadow King to find Will and save his followers. Being a fan of Shakespeare is not a requirement to enjoy the story — especially with the fantastic art by Andy Belanger — however, I suspect it’s more fun to know a bit about the characters and to pick up on the small Easter eggs, like the evening spent at the pub known as Midsummer Night’s Dram. Like all of Shakespeare, there’s comedy, murder, plotting, mayhem, romance, confusion, innuendo, and a great storyline with complicated characters. For those who struggle with the very idea of Shakespeare as an enjoyable reading experience, the artwork in this comic tells the story as much as the writing.

Three words that describe this book: Epic, Graphic, Literary

You might want to pick this book up if: You like twisted fairy tales such as those told in “Once Upon a Time” or the “Land of Stories.”

-Melody

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

“To Kill a Mockingbird,” written from the point of view of a young girl in a small town in 1960s Alabama, is a poignant look at racism, classism and the basic human spirit. It certainly tackles difficult topics — unfortunately, these are topics that we are still struggling with today. However, seeing these issues through the eyes of a child gave it such a sweet simplicity that it gave me hope, like maybe if we all took a moment to think like young Scout Finch, we could really make things better. It was an excellent book that I look forward to reading again and again.

Three words that describe this book: Engaging, thought-provoking, charming

You might want to pick this book up if: I wanted to be reminded there are good people out there and that there is hope for change.

-Shelli

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

I loved “The Confident Parent” because it gives a global perspective on parenting, which I think is so important these days. As a parent in the US, it is easy to get anxious and stressed out while making sure your child gets the best start, succeeds in school, and is a contributing member of society. However, our children need us to lead by example and can sense our anxiety while we are trying to get everything “perfect.” This book includes a lot of great strategies and ideals that are a confluence of many cultures due to the author’s experience living and parenting in many parts of the world. My main takeaways from this book are to chill out, lead by example, and enjoy the journey.

Three words that describe this book: global, practical, timely

You might want to pick this book up if: You are a parent, grandparent, or caregiver.

-Megan

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

“A Man Called Ove” tugged on all of my heartstrings. The main character, Ove, is unlikeable, truly. He is old and grumpy, and takes it out on everyone that he encounters, including the person trying to sell him an iPad. When Ove gets new neighbors, he is infuriated. Not only are they annoying, but the husband cannot back up a trailer. Ove, out of frustration rather than just being helpful, decides to help the couple back up the trailer. This is where the book really takes off, and Ove’s relationships with the people around him change. Ove reminded me of my own grandpa, who was quite grumpy, and thought his way was the only way. Ove also reminds me of my dad, so this character holds a special place in my heart. The book surprised me, made me laugh out loud, and made me cry while staying up late to finish it.

Three words that describe this book: Heart-wrenching, funny, and sad.

You might want to pick this book up if: If you are looking for something that will warm your heart while also breaking it, this is the book to pick up.

-Claire

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