Albany Public Library discussion

Hi all, and welcome to Theme Week 1 of the Albany Public Library Summer Reading Challenge!

First, the Albany Public Library Adult Summer Reading Challenge will run from Monday, June 17 to Friday, August 30. If you have not signed up for SRC yet, you can participate in a few ways:
1. Online (through this APL Goodreads group). If you want to participate through the Goodreads group, leave a comment in this discussion topic saying you want to be signed up (with your preferred name and username, please!);
2. Paper-based bingo card which you can pick up through your local Albany Public Library branch;
3. A combination of both!

Keep track of your reading throughout the summer! You will earn prizes based on how many books you read. Any books you finish during this time period counts, no matter when you started reading.

Our prizes this year:
Level 1- 3 books read: Lip Balm
Level 2- 6 books read: Memo Cubes
Level 3- 9 books read: Metal Bookmark
Level 4- 12 books read: Wallet/Zipper Pouch
Level 5- 20 books read: Summer Reading T-shirt

Pretty sweet prizes! You can collect the prizes at your local Albany Public Library branch when you have reached a level!

Now on to this week's theme. This year's Summer Reading Challenge overall theme is A Universe of Stories. We have narrowed that theme down this week to a topic seen throughout the ages: Star-Crossed Lovers. Remember to comment with any books you have finished this week! We will keep track of them for you, and let you know if you have reached a prize level!

Here's a list of Star-Crossed Lovers themed recommended reading curated by your local APL librarians!
The Hamilton Affair - Elizabeth Cobbs
Wuthering Heights - Emily Bronte
The Fault in Our Stars - John Green
Daughters of Smoke & Bone - Laini Taylor
The Time Traveler's Wife - Audrey Niffenegger
Antony & Cleopatra - Colleen McCullough
The Great Gatsby - F. Scott Fitzgerald
Helen of Troy - Margaret George
Five Feet Apart - Rachel Lippincott
Atonement - Ian McEwan
Me Before You - Jojo Moyes
Like Water for Chocolate - Laura Esquivel
In Another Time - Jillian Cantor
Ethan Frome - Edith Wharton
The Lonely Hearts Hotel - Heather O'Neill
Love in the Time of Cholera - Gabriel Garcia Marquez
White Fur - Jardina Libaire

Happy reading!

Hello. I was just wondering if it's possible to get a list of each week's theme. I'm attempting to get ahead of each week as it can take a while for requested books to reach the library. Thanks very much.

@Vickie, no problem!

Our themes for this summer are:
Week 1: Star-Crossed Lovers
Week 2: Rockstars
Week 3: Somewhere in Space
Week 4: Out of This World (Paranormal/Supernatural)
Week 5: Real Life Rockstars (Biographies)
Week 6: Space Savers (Novels with not very many pages)
Week 7: A Universe of Stories: Multicultural books
Week 8: Rising Stars: New York Times Best Seller authors
Week 9: A Star is Born: Child Actor Biographies
Week 10: Summer Reading Challenge wrap up and end of program!

Thank you, Alexandra!

I just finished The Secret to Southern Charm by Kristy Woodson Harvey, the second book in her Southern Charm trilogy. Good fluffy read for summer, especially if you like stories about mothers and daughters and how loving but complicated those relationships can be.

I finished Between the World and Me by Ta-Nehisi Coates on Sunday morning. Just started American Spy by Lauren Wilkinson.

I started and finished The Liar's Daughter in two days. I was lucky enough to have an ARC for this book - it will be published later this year. Think it will appeal to the YA crowd. A girl has been rescued from a cult, although at the time the book begins, she doesn't realize that's what it is. She just thinks of it as her family. The chapters alternate between before and after the rescue.

When I started my first job, every other person on the subway was reading one of the books on your list - Love in the Time of Cholera. I just couldn't get into it back then. Has anyone here read it? Should I try it now that I am older and wiser?

Hi, Susan. I read it back in 2012 and gave it 5 stars. I say yes. Give it another go.

Hi, Alexandra, Perhaps, this is asking too much... Do you have book suggestions to go along with those themes? I would love to see them if you do.

Vickie wrote: "Hi, Susan. I read it back in 2012 and gave it 5 stars. I say yes. Give it another go." Thanks, Vickie! I feel culturally illiterate having not read it, so will try again.

@ Vickie,
Here's some recommended reads curated by our librarians for each weekly theme:

Week 2: Rockstars
Musicophilia: Tales of Music and the Brain - Oliver Sacks
How Music Works - David Byrne
Just Kids - Patti Smith
Bel Canto : a novel - Ann Patchett
A Visit from the Goon Squad - Jennifer Egan

Week 3: Somewhere in Space
Artemis - Andy Weir
Dune - Frank Herbert
The Martian Chronicles - Ray Bradbury
The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy - Douglas Adams
Astrophysics for People in a Hurry - Neil deGrasse Tyson

Week 4: Out of This World (Paranormal/Supernatural)
Chilling Adventures of Sabrina - Kiersten White
The Outsider - Stephen King
Good Omens - Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman
John Dies at the End - David Wong
Ender's Game - Orson Scott Card

Week 5: Real Life Rockstars (Biographies)
I Am Malala - Malala Yousafzai
Alexander Hamilton - Ron Chernow
Becoming - Michelle Obama
Born a Crime - Trevor Noah
Unbroken - Laura Hillenbrand

Week 6: Space Savers (Novels with not very many pages)
Friday Black - Nana Kwame
Uncommon type : some stories - Tom Hanks
Fox 8: A story - George Saunders
Days of Awe - A.M. Homes
Sweet & Low - Nick White

Week 7: A Universe of Stories: Multicultural books
Everything I Never Told You - Celeste Ng
The Lowland - Jhumpa Lahiri
Between the World and Me - Ta-Nehisi Coates
Negroland - Margo Jefferson
A Thousand Splendid Suns - Khaled Hosseini

Week 8: Rising Stars: New York Times Best Seller authors
Any titles from current New York Times Best Sellers

Week 9: A Star is Born: Child Actor Biographies
Melissa Explains it All - Melissa Joan Hart
Choreography - Corey Feldman
Where Am I Now? True Stories of Girldhood and Accidental Fame
Unsweetened - Mara Wilson
Wildflower - Drew Barrymore

Hope this helps! We will post complete lists in each weekly themed discussion post.

I have added all completed books listed above. Great job, everyone!

Alexandra wrote: "I have added all completed books listed above. Great job, everyone!"
Are these complete, or do you expect to add more titles as we get closer to the week in question. (Am not feeling the categories as much as last year!)

I recently read Friday Black because it is by a University at Albany grad!

Great writing, but some pretty dark stories. I want to warn readers that the first story may be the most gruesome of the bunch. Was supposed to read it as part of a book group, but a lot of people stopped after the first story. I wish the editor had changed the order of the stories because they are worth sticking with.

Here's what I've read since the 17th:
Filmish: A Graphic Journey Through Film. A look at how and why film does what it does to us!
Hedy Lamarr: An Incredible Life. Actress, bombshell, wifi pioneer! A quick-read graphic biography.
Fullmetal Alchemist: The Complete Four-Panel Comics (and) Helvetica Standard. These are both collections of four-panel gag-a-day comics, but I found their appeal kind of limited.
This Body's Not Big Enough for Both of Us: A wonderful noir romp! Hits all the genre tropes and then kicks them while they're down.
Grand Theft Horse: As exciting as the title makes it sound, but it's a modern-day legal thriller rather than a Western!

@Susan, I listed only a few titles from each week to give an idea of that theme to get you started. I have also added the book you read!

@Kathleen, I have added your titles, and you have a Level 1 and Level 2 prize waiting for you at your local APL branch!

I finished Mating in Captivity by Esther Perel and Proposals for the Feminine Economy by Jennifer Armbrust, which is a quick awesome read about a new way of doing business and valuing each other, the earth, etc.

Downloading Me Before You, but it will have to wait until I've finished Calypso .

On 6/19, I finished Girl, Wash Your Face: Stop Believing the Lies about Who You Are So You Can Become Who You Were Meant to Be . My review.

Alexandra wrote: "@Susan, I listed only a few titles from each week to give an idea of that theme to get you started. I have also added the book you read!

@Kathleen, I have added your titles, and you have a Level 1..."
Thanks. Now I have something to look forward to!

I have added the titles above. Great start, everyone!

I just finished A Secret Killer by Gillian Larkin, a cheesy cozy mystery!

I’ve just read “Clock Dance” by Anne Tyler
“The Girl Who Came Home” by Hazel Gaynor
“The Life She Was Given” by Ellen Marie Wiseman

So far this week I've finished "The Wilds" by Julia Elliot and "Good Omens" by Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett.

I think audiobooks count, right? I just finished listening to The Lost Man , which is billed as a mystery, but really more of a character and location driven story. It is set in the Australian outback, and you really feel like you are there, so maybe don't read on a hot summer day! This is Jane Harper's third book, and I have liked them all.

Incidentally, there are definitely star-crossed lovers in this book, although that was completely unbeknownst to me when I picked it up.

Hello! I finished "On Turpentine Lane" by Elinor Lipman last night. I suppose it might fit with this week's theme - but I don't often match up with those haha. I liked this book because the mystery element was captivating, but also the love story was just sweet, silly and had some unexpected twists!

Audiobooks count! :)

Emily wrote: "Hello! I finished "On Turpentine Lane" by Elinor Lipman last night. I suppose it might fit with this week's theme - but I don't often match up with those haha. I liked this book because the mystery..." Thanks so much for this post. I love Elinor Lipman for light, upbeat reading. (somehow, even the book where a bride dies was upbeat), but missed this one. It is now on my list.

Fun fact - Elinor Lipman spent time in a library I worked at to do research on her fictional character who worked at said library. She got the setting and characters of the staff pretty much right.

I will note that Girl Wash Your Face has been on the NYT bestseller list, so in a pinch, I can use that to "count" for Week #8. (Unless I get inspired to select another bestseller.)

Aaand also just finished Pyramids by Terry Pratchett 😊

Last night I finished A Hundred Summers by Beatriz Williams, which had a little of the star crossed lovers theme since the main couple kept being torn apart by different circumstances. It took me the first 50 pages or so to get into it, but once I did I enjoyed it! It alternates between 1931 and 1938, “present day”, but the chapters are all clearly labeled so you don’t get confused.

@SusanDE - audiobooks definitely count!

I have added all of the listed books above.

@Nicole, you have a Level 1 prize to pick up at your local APL branch

@Judi, you have a Level 1 and Level 2 prize to pick up at your local APL branch

@Abi, you have a Level 1 prize to pick up at your local APL branch

@Susan DE, you have a Level 1 prize to pick up at your local APL branch

This week I I finished:
Morning Glory by Carolyn Brown
Shadow Queen by Kim Lorraine
The Perfect Dress by Carolyn Brown

Finished Calypso yesterday! Review.

Also started Me Before You yesterday. Didn't have a chance to get very far into yet.

I just finished “One Year to an Organized Life: From Your Closets to Your Finances, the Week-by-Week Guide to Getting Completely Organized for Good” by Regina Leeds. It’s been on my list for a while and I’m happy to be done with it so I can enjoy something new. I’m going to continue with “Me After You” by Jojo Moyes so I can follow along with this week’s theme!

I figured I'd make my check in on the weekends of each week because of schedules but also because I tend to do a lot of reading.

The books I read this week include The Art of Breaking Things, Life in Motion: An Unlikely Ballerina Young Readers Edition (which was absolutely beautiful middle grade/YA biography of the ballerina's life told by her, and I listened to The Parker Inheritance.

Right now I'm a few chapters into reading of my favorite adult nonfiction writers, Bee Wilson who is a British food academic. This book is The Hive about bees and honey. It's already phenomenally informative.

This week I have read:

Before the Fall by Noah Hawley

Florida by Lauren Groff

In an Absent Dream by Seanan McGuire

This week I finished Alice Waters and Chez Panisse: The Romantic, Impractical, Often Eccentric, Ultimately Brilliant Making of a Food Revolution, which was wonderfully juicy and interesting. If you like cultural histories a la Mark Kurlansky or Virginia Nicholson, I'd recommend it.

June 17 - June 29 I read:
- The Buddha in the Attic - Julie Otsuka
- Anne Boleyn: A King’s Obsession - Alison Weir
- The Hallowe’en Party - Agatha Christie
- The Samurai’s Garden - Gail Tsukiyama
- Five Little Pigs - Agatha Christie
- The Makioka Sisters - Junichiro Tanizaki
- Three Act Tragedy - Agatha Christie

Forgot to pop in yesterday - I also finished “Meet Cute” by Helena Hunting on Friday.

This week I read and loved New Kid by Jerry Craft. I do not usually like graphic novels, but this kids one was lovable AND tackled a number of serious issues without being too serious. The plot is about a kid from Washington Heights transferring to a posh private school on scholarship.

I also read Hurricane Season, which is another youth book about a girl dealing with her single dad's mental illness. I do not know much about bipolar disease, but others say it is an accurate depiction. Despite the plot, it is not really a downer because of the love the girl and father have for each other.

I finished the following books the past week:

Stuck-suit by Vi Keeland and Penelope Ward
BossMan by Vi Keeland
Bad Boss by Stella Rhys
The Bride Test by Helen Hoang
I owe you by Sophie Kinsella
Five Feet Apart by Rachael Lipincott

I finished American Spy by Lauren Wilkinson on Sunday. It definitely qualifies as part of this topic!

I have added titles to this point. 7/2/19

Susan wrote: "Emily wrote: "Hello! I finished "On Turpentine Lane" by Elinor Lipman last night. I suppose it might fit with this week's theme - but I don't often match up with those haha. I liked this book becau..."

Awesome!

For week one, I read Outlander by Diana Gabaldon. If you are a history buff or want to get lost in Scottish mythology (or like time travel), Outlander hits both marks and certainly meets the criteria of star-crossed lovers, in this well-crafted kickoff to the lauded series. This is the first book I’ve read, that not once, but twice, I’ve had someone pull over at the bus stop I’ve been reading at to welcome me to the Outlander family. I encourage others to follow suit!

So I did not read a star-crossed lovers novel but I did read The Cornwalls Are Gone by James Patterson. I have to say I was hooked from the first page and it only took me about 3 days to read. Looking forward to the next adventure.

I have added your books above!

Yesterday, I completed Me Before You . My review.

Finished Me Before You from the Star-Crossed Lovers list. I have seen this book a lot and know it is popular, but never picked it up because of the TITLE FONT. It looks like the same font of forbidden books kids would sneak reads of under their desks in my 1970s elementary school. Anyone remember Sunshine or Mr. and Mrs. Bo Jo Jones? Obviously someone much younger than I am designed the covers of these books.

I was skeptical, but another member of this group, Judith Wines (how do you tag people on this), gave it a good review, so I gave it a try. I liked it much better than expected. Was surprised Judith did because she is a marathoner, and they were not depicted too positively in this book!

I have added the same book to both of your accounts.

@Susan, I agree with what you said about the font choice they used!