Hi all,
This is our final list of summer reading challenges/suggestions for adults. I can’t believe we are already halfway through August.
My first suggestion, is to read a “classic” Maine book. Criteria is pretty loose here, but I would say that a “classic Maine book” is a book that received good reviews, was set in Maine, and was written by an author who lived at least some of the time, here in Maine. I moved here “from away” 16 years ago and reading these books has really helped me to learn about the history and cuture of the state I now can’t imagine myself ever leaving. (Disclaimer: this is meant to be a short list – there are many other great classic Maine books and a good list is here!)
The Pearl of Orr’s Island, by Harriet Beecher Stowe
The Country of the Pointed Firs, by Sarah Orne Jewett
We Took to the Woods, by Louise Dickinson Rich
Empire Falls, by Richard Russo
Dolores Claiborne, by Stephen King
My second suggestion, is pretty simple and summer vacation friendly; try a new fiction genre. Just try it- it won’t bite. You might even like it. After years of shunning fantasy, I realized that I actually like it. Do I want to read nothing but? No, but I now regularly mix it in to my to-read list. Here are some lists of recommendations. Find something but can’t find it in our catalog? Submit a request for purchase here.
Historical Fiction – The Heaven and Earth Grocery Store is going on my list
Religious Fiction – Books where religion plays a major role in the plot or character development
My final recommendation for your summer reading, is to re-read something that made a big impression on you in the past. Think about books that really blew your mind as a young person, but you have never read as an older adult. Here are a few random recommendations of popular books written a while ago, that might be worth a re-run:
The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe (1950)
The Catcher in the Rye (1951)
Giovanni’s Room (1956)
Stranger in a Strange Land (1961)
A Wrinkle in Time (1962)
The Outsiders (1967)
Watership Down (1972)
Breakfast of Champions (1973)
Song of Solomon (1977)
Kindred (1979)
Ender’s Game (1985)
The Handmaid’s Tale (1985)
Watchmen (1986)
The Giver (1993)
Infinite Jest (1996)
Geek Love (2002)
