Bibliophiles around the country celebrate National Book Lovers Day on August 9, including several book lovers on the PRIME Team. What better time to recognize the love of books than during the hot summer months, when you can slow down for a bit and take a bestseller or the latest title from your favorite author to the beach, the front porch, or the cool confines of your comfiest room? In celebration of National Book Lovers Day, read on to find out what the team has been reading this summer.
JULIE: LOCAL AUTHOR FOR THE WIN
“I’ve mostly been rereading old books lately, but I recently started a new book written by a local gal—The Station by Rebecca Kelly. It’s based in the future after a World War wiped out all the communication systems and internet. There was a manned space station that was completely forgotten about and there is only one person on it… an 18-year-old girl who was born on it while the war was going on. Her mom has been dead for 3 years, so she’s been alone keeping the thing running with the help of a robot. I’m just getting to the part where NASA is picking up her distress signals as they are starting to relaunch communication satellites.”
MELISSA: ORIGIN STORY
“This summer, I’m re-reading Brad Zellar’s Till the Wheels Fall Off to mark the one-year anniversary of its release. And because it was such a phenomenal read the first time.
Zellar’s genuine and palpable descriptions of places, people, feelings, and events stir up a sense of nostalgia in his tale of a man who takes an introspective journey back to his ostensibly inert hometown.
Through affecting memories of life-shaping music, acquaintances, interests, and disinterests, he vacillates between then and now to forge his main character, with anywhere from a hint to a deluge of potentially semi-autobiographical experiences in the mix.
Zellar’s words are poetry, skillfully strung together in a conversational and effortless way that feels very natural and sentimental. And real. This immersive and engaging narrative is filled with every emotion at a very visceral level.
And that’s why I’m reading it again.
If you’re anything like me, Till the Wheels Fall Off will leave you thinking about your own origin story and reminiscing over seemingly meaningless moments that turned out to hold great significance in your path from then to now.”
SUSAN: ALL-STAR CAST
Run, Rose, Run by James Patterson, Dolly Parton; narrated by Dolly Parton, Kelsea Ballerini, James Fouhey, Kevin T. Collins, Peter Ganim, Luis Moreno, Soneela Nankani, Ronald Peet, Robert Petkoff, Ella Turenne, and Emily Woo Zeller
“Dolly Parton. Need I say more?”
The Covenant of Water by Abraham Verghese; narrated by Abraham Verghese
“I’m a sucker for historical fiction! I was intrigued by how the author is also an accomplished physician. I settled in and learned much about how life was in India just a few generations ago.”
Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver; narrated by Charlie Thurston
“I very much enjoyed reading The Poisonwood Bible, so I’m excited to start this one—it’s a 21-hour listen!”
ROB: NEIL GAIMAN SUMMER
“I am in a Neil Gaiman summer. Having read American Gods, Stardust, and Good Omens, I was excited to keep going. I finished Neverwhere and it was excellent! I am currently reading The Ocean at the End of the Lane. In between I am still getting through Agatha Christie’s vast supply of murderous fun.
I did manage to get through Middlemarch by George Eliot for the second time in my life. Glad I did, but it will be the last!”
ROCLYN: FIVE-STAR READ
“I just loved Yours Truly, the latest book from local author Abby Jimenez, who is also the owner of Nadia Cakes. I’ve been a super fan of all of her books! I love how she weaves romance, comedy, and tough issues/conversations all into one book. This latest book really hit home for me as one of her main characters struggles with an anxiety disorder. I could relate to it, as I have someone close to me who does as well. She did a wonderful job describing how that feels to that person to help give readers a perspective which they don’t always see or understand. As always, five stars to her and her incredible ability to weave these intriguing but insightful stories to life.”
KENZIE: BACK TO THE STACKS
“Motherhood has really put a damper on my reading time, but I’m about to start The Assassin’s Blade by Sarah J. Maas, the prequel to Throne of Glass. I’m pretty excited about it! I’ve heard great things about the series, and I love the author.😊”
CASIE + LIZ: DAISY CHAIN
CASIE: “Work-related fave: the audiobook of The Creative Act by Rick Rubin. Fave fun read: Daisy Jones & the Six by Taylor Jenkins Reid, mostly because of the format and being able to compare it with the show on Amazon Prime. 😊 Also, the show’s songs have really stuck with me.”
LIZ: Daisy Darker by Alice Feeney, All Good People Here by Ashley Flowers, and The Book of Two Ways by Jodi Picoult
CHRISTY: GOOD READS
“I’ve been enjoying lots of good reads this year, but my favorite so far would be The Measure by Nikki Erlick. I’m super excited to read Kristin Hannah’s new book, The Women, but that won’t be published until February 2024. Something to look forward to during winter!”
KELSEY: WHAT’S YOUR SUPERPOWER?
“I’m finishing up the fourth and final installment of The Frost Files series, A Sh*tload of Crazy Powers by Jackson Ford (pen name/pseudonym for Rob Boffard). Teagan Frost was a child whose parents were genetic scientists and enabled her (and her siblings) to have powers, hers being psychokinesis, the ability to move inorganic matter with her mind. After being caught by the government later in her adult life, she was enlisted to work black-ops jobs for them or face the consequences (be dissected to learn the source of her ability). As things culminated in the first few books, we now find Teagan without her powers and on the run from the government and evil doers. I really like this book series. It’s funny and action packed, and I love that every book in the series has a curse word in the title. 🤣”
SARA: SUMMER OF LOVE
“To no one’s surprise, I’ve filled my summer with love stories. I’m currently obsessed with You, With a View by Jessica Joyce, a road-trip enemies-to-lovers rom-com. As always, I thoroughly enjoyed the latest two novels by Christina Lauren, Something Wilder and The True Love Experiment. But Happy Place by Emily Henry? I can easily say it’s one of my favorite books ever. I first listened to the audiobook, narrated by the inimitable Julia Whelan, then bought both the US and UK hardcovers, and will probably buy them when they come out in paperback, too. That’s how much I love this book.”
If you haven’t had a chance to pick up an unputdownable read this summer, you’ve still got time! Maybe one of the PRIME Team’s picks will pique your interest. In the meantime, we wish you a very happy National Book Lovers Day!
