Book by Book:
Adult Summer Reading

May 21 - August 31, 2020

Why let kids have all the fun? Milwaukee Public Library (MPL) is here to help grown-ups celebrate this summer with the best books around. Read or listen to five books between May 21 and August 31, 2020 and be entered to win a membership for Milwaukee Film and other fun Milwaukee Public Library goodies.

To participate, sign up for Book by Book online and complete the Book by Book challenge under “Activity Badges” by August 31, 2020.

Explore our Bonus Challenges! Are you a History Buff, Poetry Lover, or a Maker Extraordinaire? Then we have fun bonus challenges just for you! Look under “Activity Badges” for more ways to have fun this summer.

Winners will be contacted on how to obtain their prize.

The Book by Book Adult Summer Reading Program supports the library’s goal of creating a city of readers and lifelong learners by encouraging adults to read based on their interests, visit the library during the summer, and model positive reading habits. Past program participants have shared that the program helped reignite their passion for reading with the added benefit of fun prizes!

A special thank you to our 2020 prize sponsors!

Explore Our Booklists:

Recently Added

Undercover Bromance
by Lyssa KayAdams

Restaurant employee Liv Papandreas is fired for reporting sexual harassment before teaming up with Bromance Book Club member Braden Mack to turn the tables on an abusive celebrity chef.

View on CountyCat

My Dark Vanessa
by Kate Elizabeth Russell

Asked to help defend an older high-school English teacher with whom she had an affair at age 15, Vanessa struggles to choose between her romantic teen illusions and harrowing adult perceptions.

View on CountyCat

The Mirror and the Light
by Hilary Mantel

Inspired by Thomas Cromwell, this describes how after the execution of Anne Boleyn and death of Queen Jane, the former blacksmith’s son orchestrates a plot to fortify England and save his own life.

View on CountyCat

The Wild One
by Nick Petrie

Traumatized war veteran Peter Ash tracks a murderer from a criminal family through the icy landscapes of Reykjavik, where he is confronted by government officials who would block his investigation.

View on CountyCat

The Wives
by Tarryn Fisher

A woman in a voluntarily bigamous marriage befriends one of her husband’s other wives by chance, only to discover that the gentle husband she knows may be abusing his other families.

View on CountyCat

Such a Fun Age
by Kiley Reid

Seeking justice for a young black babysitter who was wrongly accused of kidnapping by a racist security guard, a successful blogger finds her efforts complicated by a video that reveals unexpected connections.

View on CountyCat

Love Lettering
by Kate Clayborn

When a word of warning she had hidden in a wedding program leads Reid Sutherland back into her life, hand letterer Meg Mackworth finds both her heart and business in danger.

View on CountyCat

Long Bright River
by Liz Moore

A policewoman races to find her missing sister, a homeless addict, amid a vicious killing spree in a Philadelphia neighborhood, in a story that alternates between the investigation and memories of their shared childhood.

View on CountyCat

House on Endless Waters
by Emuna Elon

Returning to his birthplace in Amsterdam, a successful writer uncovers heartbreaking secrets about his Dutch-Jewish family’s wartime experiences.

View on CountyCat

Dear Edward
by Ann Napolitano

A 12-year-old lone survivor of a plane crash investigates the stories of his less-fortunate fellow passengers before making a profound discovery about his life purpose in the face of transcendent losses.