Our Summer Reads
Summer is a great time to catch up on your reading! Longer days means more daylight, and more daylight means more time to read outside. It is a great time of year find a nice spot outside to read or take a walk and listen to an audiobook. Your YA Friday bloggers, Megan and Leizel, have a never-ending list of books we'd like to read, and we are sharing what we'll be reading this summer. We've even got a bonus pick from TeenHQ intern, Beth.
Whether you are going on a tropical beach vacation or a staycation, the library is sure to have something from your reading list to keep you entertained. Share what you're reading this summer in the comments below, and if you haven't already, sign up for Summer Learning!
Leizel's Picks
With the Fire on High by Elizabeth Acevedo
I absolutely adored The Poet X, so I was super excited for the release of With the Fire on High. The book is about Emoni, a teen mom who is struggling with finishing high school, raising money for a class field trip to Spain, and achieving her dream to become a professional chef, all while dealing with her feelings for the new boy in school. Since Emoni wants to be a chef, food descriptions abound in this book. I wish I could eat all the food described! I am listening to the audiobook, narrated by the author, and she really embodies Emoni's voice.
Sleepless, Volume 1
by Sarah Vaughn; art by Leila del Duca
So, technically, I'm reading Volume 2 since I read Volume 1 earlier this year. Lady Poppy is the daughter of a king, but not the princess. When her father dies, his brother takes the throne, and Poppy has to navigate the new court. When there are attempts on her life, Poppy and her protector, the sleepless knight Cyrenic, must figure out who is after her. The art in this book is beautiful I am intrigued to find out more about the magic that powers the "sleepless" knights and who is behind the assassination attempts on Poppy.
Botanical Line Drawing: 200 Step-by-Step Flowers, Leaves, Cacti, Succulents, and Other Items Found in Nature by Peggy Dean
Doodling is fun, and I love plants so enter Botanical Line Drawing: 200 Step-by-Step Flowers, Leaves, Cacti, Succulents, and Other Items Found in Nature. The title is pretty self-explanatory. The directions are easy to follow, and even someone like me (who hasn't had art classes since elementary school) can create some cute plant drawings.
Megan's Picks
Serious Moonlight by Jenn Bennett
It's a mystery and non-traditional love story all in one. What I like about Jenn Bennett's books is that she doesn't make you wait til the end for the kissing scenes. The book is set in Seattle and is about Birdie who comes out of her introverted shell while working the night shift at a historic hotel and tries to solve the mystery of a famous reclusive author's identity with the cute and charming valet, Daniel.
Shout by Laurie Halse Anderson
Author of acclaimed novel Speak, she has written a poetry memoir that is as vulnerable as it is rallying, as timely as it is timeless. In free verse, Anderson shares reflections, rants, and calls to action woven between deeply personal stories from her life that she's never written about before. Searing and soul-searching, this important memoir is a denouncement of our society's failures and a love letter to all the people with the courage to say #MeToo and #TimesUp, whether aloud, online, or only in their own hearts. I listened to the audiobook which is read by the author making the poetry that much more poignant.
Beth's Pick
Wanderlove by Kristen Hubbard
This book is a charming story about Bria, a teenage girl who, following a nasty breakup, decides to finally break out of her shell and become the adventurous world traveler she's always wanted to be. She books a tour of Latin America, but when the group fails to live up to her expectations, she spontaneously decides to ditch them in favor of a ragtag duo of bohemian backpacker friends. During the course of her journey, she grows closer to an elusive young man named Rowan, who's spent the last two years of his life away from home and doesn't seem to be in any hurry to go back. Though Bria and Rowan originally don't get along, over the course of their travels together they develop a deeper appreciation and understanding for each other.
I love a good, sappy romance novel, and Wanderlove fits the bill perfectly. It's the ideal light-hearted summer read, whether you're lounging on the beach, jetting off to Europe, or just curled up with your cats in bed. Be warned, though - Kirsten Hubbard is a former travel writer, and her lush nature descriptions and thorough knowledge of backpacker culture might tempt you into an impulse plane ticket purchase (or two).
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