Now that spring classes have wrapped, it’s time to relax and pick up some ‘unrequired’ reading material. Paula Crossman in Paradise Valley Community College’s Buxton Library has put together a list of summer reads - some of her favorites, a few older, popular titles, and some new releases.
The Other Black Girl by Zakiya Dalila Harris
This debut author is getting a lot of buzz over her thriller that looks at office power dynamics through a social justice lens. A psychological thriller that is witty and contemporary.
One Two Three by Laurie Frankel
Author, Laurie Frankel is known for her three-dimensional characters and this novel about three sisters who battle against a chemical plant that polluted their town’s water supply doesn’t disappoint. A Reese’s Book Club pick.
Animal by Lisa Taddeo
Not a light-hearted read, but an essential one. Lisa Taddeo made waves when her book, Three Women appeared in 2019. It revealed the sexual lives of three very different women. Animal explores how men’s violence impacts women and the rage the central character must navigate in coping with her past experiences.
Love at First by Kate Clayborn
Delightful romance about a star-crossed couple filled with humor that will restore your faith in humanity. A feel-good rom-com that a winning beach read.
The One Hundred Years of Lenni and Margot by Marianne Cronin
Keep your tissues handy for this tender story about the friendship that blooms between two women in a terminal ward: seventeen-year-old Lenni and eighty-three year old Margot.
An Atlas of Extinct Countries by Gideon Defoe
If you’re the kind of reader who pores over footnotes mumbling to yourself, then this is the book for you! This original book which dives into the stories behind the extinction of countries, the secrets and gossip that is normally buried, is both entertaining and informative.
Wanting: The Power of Mimetic Desire in Everyday Life by Luke Burgis
Why do you want your neighbor’s motorcycle or your co-worker’s dress? This enlightening book reveals why we wish for things. Entrepreneur, Luke Burgis, investigates why we want things and how that desire impacts our lives and the lives of organizations.
Wake: The Hidden History of Women-Led Slave Revolts by Rebecca Hall illustrated by Hugo Martínez
Graphic novel which uncovers the buried history of women-led slave revolts. Combines dramatic storytelling with gorgeous woodcut-style illustrations.
Firekeeper's Daughter by Angeline Boulley
Boulley describes her young adult novel as her take on “the Indigenous Nancy Drew thriller.” Eighteen-year-old Daunis, witnesses a murder and agrees to go undercover to help solve the mystery, all while relying on Ojibwe medicine wheel teachings.
Crying in H Mart by Michelle Zauner
Michelle Zauner is a singer, guitarist and songwriter for Japanese Breakfast. In this memoir, she wryly describes her childhood growing up Korean American in Eugene, and how she copes with her mother’s diagnosis of pancreatic cancer.
Hola Papi: How to Come Out in a Walmart Parking Lot and Other Life Lessons by John Paul Brammer
Called the “Chicano Carrie Bradshaw” of his generation, advice columnist, John Paul Brammer, relates stories of growing up queer and Mexican in rural Oklahoma. His honest and charming depictions are broadly relatable.
Survive the Night by Riley Sager
It’s everyone’s nightmare: trapped in a car with a serial killer -- or is he? Charlie gets a ride home from college to Ohio with John, whom she meets on a ride board. But he may not be the caring son he claims to be. This twisty thriller will keep you chilled through those hot summer days.
The Maidens by Alex Michaelides
Mariana obsesses that charismatic Greek tragedy professor, Edward Fosca, is responsible for the death of her niece’s friend. If you love Greek mythology with a heady dose of suspense, this is your summer read.
One Last Stop by Casey McQuiston
A sexy and sweetly authentic love story about two women who meet on the subway. Plot twist, one of them is from 1970s Brooklyn and is trapped in the present.
The Wisteria Society of Lady Scoundrels by India Holton
If that title isn’t enough to pique your interest, how about if I told you this story involves Victorian ladies, pirates, and murder! It’s like a cupcake filled with playful banter and adventure.
Girl One by Sara Flannery Murphy
This genre-defying novel will appeal to lovers of The Handmaid’s Tale. Josephine is one of nine “Miracle Babies” conceived without male DNA. She and the other Girls and their Mothers are displaced when their experimental commune is burned down. Josephine and the Girls must battle those who are bent on their destruction.
Questland by Carrie Vaughn
Imagine if Elon Musk asked you to save rich tourists from the Westworld-like Fantasy Island he built. That’s what happens to literature professor, Dr. Addie Cox when she is called in to lead a strike team to Insula Mirabilis after the game designer of the island goes rogue. This novel is for D&D fans and Monty Python geeks.
The Personal Librarian by Marie Benedict and Victoria Christopher Murray
A fascinating novel, based on the true story of JP Morgan’s personal librarian. It relates the story of Belle da Costa Greene, born Belle Marion Greener, daughter of Richard Greener, the first Black graduate of Harvard and civil rights advocate. She crafts a white identity to survive in the racist upper echelons of society in which she must navigate.
Interested in joining a book club? Check out PVCC’s PVReads’ program this summer. The group will host its first meeting virtually June 21 and is open to all students, faculty, and staff. Stay tuned for June’s book pick! For more information, contact michelle.bielick@paradisevalley.edu.
Additionally, PVCC has a book club for students, faculty and staff called PVReads. It was developed last spring and will begin again Fall 2021. The book choice is Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents by Isabel Wilkerson. Register here