The final 32
Thank you to everyone who nominated a book! Here are the 32 books from which we'll choose this year's summer reading. They are all available in ebook formats through the public library. They are in random order to match the bracket and the voting form.
Key: Fic = fiction NF = nonfiction
Books 1-8
All the Light We Cannot See by Historical fiction about a blind French girl and a German boy whose paths collide in occupied France as both try to survive the devastation of World War II. (Fic)
The Night Circus by A dream-like circus that only opens at night and a strange contest between two magicians that neither fully know the objective of. (Fic)
I Am Princess X by When returning to her hometown, May finds clues in a webcomic that her best friend, Libby, presumed dead, may still be alive. A tantalizing, page-turner of a mystery that spans real locations in Seattle and dark pockets of the Internet. (Fic)
The Coddling of the American Mind by First Amendment expert Lukianoff and social psychologist Haidt explore whether colleges are producing independent, critical thinkers in today's political environment. (NF)The Last Town on Earth by
In 1918, a Pacific Northwest town named Commonwealth votes to quarantine itself as the Spanish flu sweeps the country. And then a tired young soldier comes knocking. (Fic)
Educated by A memoir about a young girl who, kept out of school, leaves her survivalist alternative Mormon home in rural Idaho and goes on to earn a PhD from Cambridge University. (NF)
True Letters from a Fictional Life by Coming of age story about a gay teen whose appearance to the outside world is quite different from what he knows himself to be on the inside. (Fic)
The Joy Luck Club by This book chronicles the lives of four Chinese women, their forty-year friendship, and how the death of one brings her daughter into the fold and creates a new understanding for each.
Books 9-16
Killing Commendatore by It's about a painter who moves up into the mountains in Japan where a famous painter used to live. He finds one of his old paintings and weird stuff begins to happen. (Fic)
The Warmth of Other Suns by Chronicles one of the great untold stories of American history: the decades-long migration of black citizens who fled the South for northern and western cities, in search of a better life. (NF)
The Glass Castle by The author recalls growing up in a dysfunctional family with an alcoholic father and distant mother and describes how she and her siblings finally found the resources and will to leave. (NF)
Such a Fun Age by An absorbing and challenging story about race and privilege, set around a young black babysitter, and her well-intentioned employer. (Fic)
Purple Hibiscus by A teenaged Nigerian girl and her older brother struggle to cope with life in their tense, stifling household after getting a taste of freedom during a visit to their aunt's home. (Fic)
The Awkward Thoughts of W. Kamau Bell by A humorous, well-informed take on the world today, in which the comedian reflects on his life and the challenges facing both marginalized and dominant cultures in the 21st century. (NF)
Seraphina by A fantasy novel set in an alternate-medieval world, where humans and dragons coexist. (Fic)
Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Set in ghostly, romantic Prague, where 17-year-old Karou is an art student - except when she is called "home" to do errands for the family of loving, albeit inhuman, creatures who raised her. A romantic fantasy about destiny, hope and the search for one's true self. (Fic)
Books 17-24
I’ll Give You the Sun by
A story of first love, family, loss, and betrayal, told from different points in time and in separate voices by artists Jude and her twin brother, Noah. (Fic)
The Long Way to a Small Angry Planet by This fun space opera follows Rosemary Harper and the motley crew of the Wayfarer on an epic journey through space. (Fic)
Rules of Civility by A young woman in post-Depression era New York suddenly finds herself thrust into high society in this smart and stylish novel. (Fic)
The Best We Could Do by This graphic novel tells the story of Thi Bui’s family's escape from Vietnam. (NF)
The Snow Child by A wondrous and magical novel (and a Pulitzer Prize finalist) that takes place in the Alaskan wilderness. A couple's lives are changed forever by the arrival of a little girl, wild and secretive, on their snowy doorstep. (Fic)
Egg & Spoon by An impoverished Russian country girl Elena Rudina and the aristocratic Ekatrina meet and set in motion an escapade that includes mistaken identity, a monk locked in a tower, a prince traveling incognito, and the witch Baba Yaga. (Fic)
Scythe by In a world with no disease or war, Scythes are the only ones who can end lives to limit over-population. Teens Cintra and Rowan are not thrilled to be chosen as apprentice Scythes. (Fic)
Fangirl by Cath's love for the Simon Snow series of wizardry novels has gotten her through a lot, but now she faces a challenge even Simon never confronted--freshman year of college. (Fic)
Books 25-32
Red Rising by A tale set in a bleak future society torn by class divisions follows the experiences of Darrow, who joins a revolutionary cell and attempts to infiltrate an elite military academy. (Fic)
The Soul of an Octopus by Explores the emotional and physical world of the octopus--a surprisingly complex, intelligent, and spirited creature--and the remarkable connections it makes with humans. (NF)
Dear Martin by 17 year old Justyce is only one of eight black students at his private high school. Writing letters to the deceased Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. helps him navigate today's world. (Fic)
The Great Alone by A family who has moved around their whole life because the dad is a vet and has PTSD ends up in Alaska in the middle of nowhere to build a new life. (Fic)
We Are the Ants by Henry Denton has spent years being periodically abducted by aliens. Then the aliens give him an ultimatum: The world will end in 144 days, and all Henry has to do to stop it is push a big red button.
Only he isn’t sure he wants to. (Fic)
Bel Canto by A world-renowned opera singer and a Japanese millionaire are taken hostage by guerrilla freedom fighters in an unnamed South American country. Amazing music, connections, love, tragedy and triumph ensue. (Fic)
The Raven Boys by Brilliantly written fantasy about five teenagers, a dead Welsh king, a family of psychics, and a supernatural quest. (Fic)
Braiding Sweetgrass by In these beautifully written essays, the author explores the natural world, wedding the scientific method with the traditional knowledge of indigenous people. (NF)