Book by Book Summer Reading
Hot books and cool library air conditioning create the perfect summer vibe (in our humble opinion). If you add in the Book by Book Adult Summer Reading Challenge you’ll have a chance to win amazing prizes from our favorite Milwaukee places, setting you up for an amazing rest of your 2022.
Here are some perfectly hand-picked selections to pop into your library book bag on your way to a summer adventure (or to sit and enjoy at home).
Binged all of Bridgerton and looking for your next exciting holiday across the Atlantic? Try Adriana Herrera’s series debut A Caribbean Heiress in Paris which features a sultry romance between a rum heiress and a Scottish lord set in 1889 Paris. We highly recommend you try the audio from Hoopla. Narrator Nneke Okoye brings both Luz Alana and the Earl of Darnick’s accents to luscious life.
Love Romance? The East Branch Pop Genre Romance Book Club meets next on August 2, with a discussion of Alexis Hall’s A Lady for a Duke.
A creepy lakeside cabin and family secrets await those looking for an excellent summer thriller in Rachel Howzell Hall’s newest, We Lie Here. Put your hold on before it is too late! For more insight on how Rachel Howzell Hall crafts her mysteries, catch MPL’s interview with the author on our YouTube Channel.
Staying on shore not thrilling enough? Board the murder boat mystery launched by Rachel Hawkins’ Reckless Girls (keep your life jacket handy).
Prefer to see what life was actually like on a pirate ship (still murder boats, sometimes)? Set sail with Born to be Hanged by Keith Thomson. Thomson recounts the thrilling adventures of some of the first “gentleman pirates” and what happened when they were caught.
Maybe the pool is your preferred summer activity, or maybe you need a tearjerker to go with your “sad girl summer” aesthetic. If so, try Julie Otsuka’s The Swimmers, featuring mother/daughter relationships and cracks in foundations both real and internal.
Don’t forget to fuel up for all these reading adventures. My America: Recipes From a Young Black Chef by Kwame Onwuachi honors the food of the African Diaspora, with the author giving his own spin on these classic American dishes.
When you need to take a break from all of your summer reading, catch a new documentary or film on Milwaukee Public Library’s new Kanopy subscription. Stream today from the comfort of your own home. We must recommend Academy Award-winning Moonlight.
Need more recommendations? Request a mystery book bundle hand-picked for you by Milwaukee Public Library staff.
Don’t forget to log all of your reads to be entered to win Book by Book Adult Summer Reading prizes by August 31, 2022.