Three local librarians give us their picks for the books you won’t be able to put down this summer. Plus, suggestions for kids and teens, as well as the rundown on the most in-demand books maxing out library wait lists this year.
Guests:
Susannah Borysthen-Tkacz - Adult services librarian at the Cambridge Public Library.
Robin Brenner - Teen librarian at the Public Library of Brookline.
Veronica Koven-Matasy - reader services librarian at the Boston Public Library.
Full Summer Reading Lists
*Previously reviewed on Under the Radar
Callie's Picks:
Children's Books
Parker Looks Up by Parker Curry and Jessica Curry
Illustrated by Brittany Jackson
The Last Last Day of Summer by Lamar Giles
Illustrated by Dapo Adeola
*
The Undefeated by Kwame Alexander
Illustrated by Kadir Nelson
Between Us and Abuela: A Family Story from the Border by Mitali Perkins
Illustrated by Sara Palacios
Young Readers
My Life as an Ice Cream Sandwich by Ibi Zoboi
Pride by Ibi Zoboi (hear our conversation about other Pride and Prejudice reimaginings)
Shouting at the Rain by Lynda Mullaly Hunt
Other Words for Home by Jasmine Warga
Grown Readers
Pachinko by Min Jin Lee
The Book of Delights: Essays by Ross Gay
Ladysitting: My Year with Nana at the End of Her Century by Lorene Cary
Dancing on the Edge of the Roof: A Novel by Sheila Williams
* The World According to Fannie Davis: My Mother's Life in the Detroit Numbers by Bridgett M. Davis
Frederick Douglass: Prophet of Freedom by David W. Blight
* On the Same Page by N.D. Galland
The Water Dancer by Ta-Nehisi Coates (coming September 24, 2019)
Susannah's Picks:
Fiction
Washington Black by Esi Edugyan
Lost Children Archive by Valeria Luiselli
Home After Dark by David Small (graphic novel)
Walking on the Ceiling by Aysegül Savas
Lie With Me: A Novel by Philippe Besson
The Nickel Boys by Colson Whitehead (release date July 16)
Sag Harbor by Colson Whitehead
On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous by Ocean Vuong (release date June 4)
Disappearing Earth by Julia Phillips
Home Remedies by Xuan Juliana Wang (short stories)
Sabrina & Corina by Kali Fajardo-Anstine (short stories)
Non-Fiction
The Book of Delights: Essays by Ross Gay
Impossible Owls: Essays by Brian Phillips
Long Live the Tribe of Fatherless Girls: A Memoir by T Kira Madden
Digital Minimalism: Choosing a Focused Life in a Noisy World by Cal Newport
Good Talk: A Memoir in Conversations by Mira Jacob
Mother Winter: A Memoir by Sophia Shalmiyev
Robin's Picks:
On the Come Up by Angie Thomas
Sadie by Courtney Summers
The Extremely Inconvenient Adventures of Bronte Mettlestone by Jaclyn Moriarty
The Music of What Happens by Bill Konigsberg
Once & Future by Amy Rose Capetta and Cori McCarthy
Aurora Rising by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff
The Last Best Story by Maggie Lehrman
The Dead Queens Club by Hannah Capin
With the Fire on High by Elizabeth Acevedo
Internment by Samira Ahmed
York series (second installment York: The Clockwork Ghost) by Laura Ruby
Royals series (second installment Her Royal Highness) by Rachel Hawkins
New Kid by Jerry Craft
Queen of the Sea by Dylan Meconis
Stepsister by Jennifer Donnelly
If It Makes You Happy by Claire Kann
The Disasters by M. K. England
Red, White, and Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston
Veronica's Picks:
Fiction:
The Bride Test by Helen Hoang
Spinning Silver by Naomi Novik
What Did You Eat Yesterday? by Fumi Yoshinaga
The True Queen by Zen Cho
Saint Young Men by Hikaru Nakamura
Circe by Madeline Miller
The Bride Was a Boy by Chii
A Duke by Default by Alyssa Cole
Sleepless by Sarah Vaughn and Leila Del Duca
Exit Strategy: The Murderbot Diaries by Martha Wells
Red, White & Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston
Gods of Jade and Shadow by Silvia Moreno-Garcia
Queenie by Candice Carty-Williams
Natalie Tan's Book of Luck and Fortune by Roselle Lim
My Sister, the Serial Killer by Oyinkan Braithwaite
The Parking Lot Attendant by Nafkote Tamirat
Nonfiction:
Educated by Tara Westover
* Becoming by Michelle Obama
Say Nothing: A True Story of Murder and Memory in Northern Ireland by Patrick Radden Keefe
Very Short Introductions from Oxford University Press
The U.S. Constitution: A Very Short Introduction by David J. Bodenhamer
Big Ideas Simply Explained from DK
The Feminism Book edited by Hannah McCann
