Seymour
Public
Library

Summer book suggestions
 

Ideas for your summer reading

Looking for a good book to read this summer? Here's an eclectic list of books compiled by Seymour Library director Sheila Mikkelson and librarian Lisa Carr, who presented our annual summer book preview in June.

Be sure to stop in the library to browse through our collection and learn more about our summer reading program for adults. This year’s theme for adults is “Master the Art of Reading.” Participants will have a chance to win prizes every week and a grand prize in July and August.

Suggested titles:

Wintergirls by Laurie Halse Anderson

Eighteen-year-old Lia comes to terms with her best friend’s death from anorexia as she struggles with the same disorder.
 

 The Boy in the Striped Pajamas by John Boyne

Bored and lonely after his family moves from Berlin to a place called "Out-With" in 1942, Bruno, the son of a Nazi officer, befriends a boy in striped pajamas who lives behind a wire fence. 
 

The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie by Alan Bradley

Eleven-year-old Flavia de Luce, an aspiring chemist with a passion for poison, must exonerate her father of murder. Armed with more than enough knowledge to tie two distant deaths together and examine new suspects, she begins a search that will lead her all the way to the King of England himself.    

Life and Times of the Thunderbolt Kid by Bill Bryson

Bill Bryson has this ability to write funny books that also make you think.  In this humorous and thought-provoking book, Bryson writes about his childhood in 1950s in Des Moines, Iowa.  It was a time of unprecedented wealth and optimism.  What a great time to be a kid!

Storm Front by Jim Butcher

Of the many books re-issued in graphic novel format, this is one of the best.  The artwork and text really capture the story of Harry Dresden.  Harry is a private investigator, living in Chicago. He also happens to be a professional wizard.  He’s hired as a consultant to the police when there are crimes that the police can’t trace to human involvement.

To-Do List:  From Buying Milk to Finding a Soul Mate, What Our Lists Reveal About Us by Sasha Cagen

This is a collection of one hundred real, hand-written to-do lists, giving us insight into how others are motivated.

Columbine by David Cullen

Ten years in the making and a masterpiece of reportage, this is an award-winning journalist's definitive account of one of the most shocking massacres in American history.     

Gargoyle by Andrew Davidson

A very contemporary cynic, physically beautiful and sexually adept, crashes his car into a ravine and suffers horrible burns over much of his body. As he recovers in a burn ward, undergoing the tortures of the damned, he awaits the day when he can leave the hospital and commit carefully planned suicide--for he is now a monster in appearance as well as in soul. Then a beautiful and compelling, but clearly unhinged, sculptress of gargoyles by the name of Marianne Engel appears at the foot of his bed and tells him that they were once lovers in medieval Germany.

The Mighty Queens of Freeville:  a mother, a daughter, and the people who raised them by Amy Dickinson

Amy Dickinson, syndicated advice columnist and weekly National Public Radio celebrity, shares her remarkable story set partly in Freeville, NY--a tale of Amy and her daughter and the people who helped raise them after Amy found herself a reluctant single parent. 

The Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet by Jamie Ford

Set in the ethnic neighborhoods of Seattle during World War II and Japanese American internment camps of the era, this debut novel tells the heartwarming story of widower Henry Lee, his father, and his first love Keiko Okabe.     

A Safe Place for Dying by Jack Frederickson

In this mystery, Dek, a down and out investigator, is drawn into investigating a series of explosions at the gated community where he used to live with his wife.

Pride and Prejudice and Zombies by Seth Grahame-Smith

Imagine Jane Austen’s world inhabited by zombies.

Tamara Drewe by Posy Simmonds

If you haven’t read a graphic novel, this might be a good place to start.  There is an even mixture of art and text to help move the story along.  The story is told from the viewpoints of a couple of major characters.  It’s a little bit of a soap opera/drama about a celebrity journalist, Tamara, coming home and tracing the happenings of the writer’s community next door. 

Pay It Forward by Catherine Ryan Hyde

This book tells the heartwarming story of a twelve year old boy, Trevor, who sets out to change the world.  Through a social studies project, he plans to pay it forward by doing good deeds.  His goal is to complete three good deeds, and for those people to do three good deeds as well, beginning a chain of human kindness. This book is the 2009 selection for our community reading program, Cayuga Reads.

Blindspot:  by a Gentleman in Exile and the Lady in Disguise by Jane Kamensky

Stewart Jameson is a Scottish portrait painter who fled to America to escape debt.  He arrives in Boston at the dawn of the American Revolution.  Francis Weston is the boy who answer Jameson’s ad for an apprentice.  But Francis is really Fanny Easton, a young fallen woman.  The story is told in alternating viewpoints, with lots of references to original news items.  Not a deep story, although there is the ugly reality of the Colonists demanding their liberty while engaging in the slave trade.

Too Fat to Fish by Artie Lange

The author, a comedian, is a recovering heroin addict.  He chronicles his life and tells stories about his father, his suicide attempt, and his work as an actor on MAD TV. 

The Book of Lies by Brad Meltzer

In 1932, Mitchell Siegel was killed by three gunshots to his chest. While mourning, his son dreamed of a bulletproof man and created the world's greatest hero: Superman. And like Cain's murder weapon, the gun used in this unsolved murder has never been found. Today in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, Cal Harper comes face-to-face with his family's greatest secret: his long-lost father, who's been shot with a gun that traces back to Mitchell Siegel's 1932 murder. But before Cal can ask a single question, he and his father are attacked by a ruthless killer tattooed with the ancient markings of Cain.

Dewey:  The Small-Town Library Cat Who Touched the World by Vicki Myron

The charming story of Dewey Readmore Books, the library cat in Spencer, Iowa.

The Darwin Awards 4 by Wendy Northcutt

Named after Charles Darwin, the father of evolution, these awards pay homage to those who improve our gene pool by removing themselves from it. 

Nineteen Minutes by Jodi Picoult

Describes the details of a school shooting in a small New Hampshire town. 

I Like You:  Hospitality Under the Influence by Amy Sedaris

Through text, drawings, and photographs, Sedaris, through comedy, gives advice about all aspects of being a hostess.

When You Are Engulfed in Flames by David Sedaris

The author relays funny tales about his life, such as quitting smoking, dealing with his babysitter as a child, and his love-hate relationship with his next door neighbor. 

Unforgettable Walks to Take Before You Die by Steve Watkins and Clare Jones

Features Yellowstone National Park, Boston’s Freedom Trail, South West Coast Path in England, King Ludwig’s Way in Germany, Canals of Amsterdam in the Netherlands, the Great Ocean Walk in Australia, and more.

1960s by Nick Yapp

These photos by Getty Images chronicle the highlights of the 1960s, including categories such as conflict, entertainment, the arts, pop, sport, guilt and grief, and all human life.