Summer is a great time to read  — whether you’re enjoying a luxurious holiday or, like me, sneaking in a little reading while at the soccer field. The warmer weather and longer days seem to allow for more reading time. 

With that in mind, this week I share some recommendations for books you may not have yet picked up. We Loved It All: A Memory of Life by Lydia Millet is a very readable look at the environment through the lens of a lifetime of experiences. It skilfully blends the human perspective with the natural world.  In addition to being a Time Best Book of the Year, it was also named a Most Anticipated Book by the Washington Post, Oprah Daily and Literary Hub.  

Daniel Handler is perhaps better-known by his pen name Lemony Snicket, but his latest release is just for adults, as opposed to adults and kids. The book offers an in-depth look at his professional writing experiences, inspirations and the interplay of his personal experiences – both the positive and the traumatic. His sense of humour, familiar from his Lemony Snicket writing, makes it a page-turner for any aspiring writer.

Everyone in My Family Has Killed Someone by Benjamin Stevenson is the first in a series. If you like a novel packed with twists and turns, told by a possibly-unreliable narrator, this is a great pick.  As the main character explains of his title, “I’m not trying to be dramatic, but it is the truth. Some of us are good, others are bad, and some just unfortunate.”

Andres N. Ordorica is a Latinx writer based in Edinburgh. How We Named the Stars is set at an elite East Coast University as well as in Mexico City, and told though the perspective of a first-generation Mexican American student named Daniel de La Luna as he adapts to a completely new environment and meets and ultimately falls in love with his roommate Sam.  It’s a heartbreaking story that is sure to bring the reader back to those heady university years.

Jana Dumas joined the Friends of the Wellington Branch Library Passions series this winter, to discuss her book Closer to Quiet.  This exciting adventure tells the story of her cross-Africa, 12,000-kilometre bike journey – which traverses lava rock roads in Kenya, ferry boats in Sudan and dance parties in Tanzania. The book is utterly transporting.

These are just a few titles available at the library to keep you reading all summer. Drop by any branch for these or other suggestions.