Summertime and the Reading Is Easy!

Bubbles the Beach Sloth

As published in the Red Rock News

It’s that time of year! We have curated a fantastic summer reading list for young and old alike to enjoy at home, on vacation, or maybe even on the beach. Come visit the Library to see our new “beach” and meet Bubbles the Beach Sloth! Bubbles is featured in our new beach display, where you will find the books described below, and many more. Read on for descriptions of a few of our favorite summer reads.

According to Katherine Merlino, SPL’s Materials Management Coordinator, “Our list includes stories that take place on a beach, but also my favorite kind of beach reads: those that are so engrossing you can't put them down.” Katherine noted that we’ve also included some lighter, easier reads with short chapters that you can return to if distracted . . . say by a dolphin, or sandcastle, or a beach sloth.

Our list of children’s book titles was curated by Viviane Kraus, our Youth Services Manager, with a couple of titles in Spanish chosen by Librarian Maria Bernardi. With this amazing collection of beach reads, you’ll have plenty to read to your kids or grandkids, while curled up on a lounge chair on your patio or maybe sipping an iced Irish coffee on the Aran Islands.

Author Elin Hilderbrand bases her novel 28 Summers on the classic film Same Time Next Year. This novel explores the agony and romance of a one-weekend-per-year affair and the dramatic ways this relationship affects the lives of the couple and their loved ones. People says, “Their secret love affair has lasted for decades—but this could be the summer that changes everything.”

Summer Longing, by Jamie Brenner, is a moving story about a baby girl left on the doorstep of a Cape Cod beach house, and the group of local women who risk all they hold dear to figure out this mystery and to protect this child. Publishers Weekly says that Brenner’s novel is a "touching, nuanced summer yarn."

A book that takes you to some of the chilliest beaches in the world is destined to cool you off on a hot summer’s day. In Migrations, the first novel by Australian author Charlotte McConaghy, we follow Franny, the heroine, from the coasts of Greenland to Antarctica, as she tracks the last flock of Arctic terns. This story investigates the love and loss of both our Earth and Fanny’s family. Shiver along with Fanny on her ocean adventure where she takes fearless dips into some of the coldest water on the planet.

According to Good Morning America, Oprah, and Buzzfeed, a “must read” is Float Plan, by Trish Doller. Anna, the heroine, is heartbroken by the loss of her fiancé, but she finds a second chance at love with an Irish sailor in this riveting, emotional romance. Kirkus Reviews says, “Doller clearly knows her Caribbean islands: After months of pandemic sheltering, her detailed travel log is fun and very, very tantalizing.”

For younger readers, Viviane recommends The Music of Dolphins, by Karen Hesse. In this story we follow four-year-old Mila, who survives a plane crash off the coast of Cuba and is nurtured by dolphins until her rescue. This fascinating read may lead to interesting discussions about how Mila longs for her sea life after her rescue, as she learns more about how humans live. (Interest level 5th–9th grade, reading level 3.5)

Another recommendation is the new title Of Salt and Shore, by Annett Schaap. You will meet Lampie, a lighthouse keeper’s daughter who lights a lantern every night to help ships avoid dangerous rocks. One fateful night she forgets to buy the matches and she cannot light the lanterns. Tragedy ensues. Lampie’s punishment leads to adventures including a haunted house, mermen, and pirates. (Interest level 7th–8th grade, reading level 5)

For younger readers, we have Duck & Goose Go to the Beach, written and illustrated by Tad Hills. If you cannot get to the beach this summer for yourself, you can go with Duck and Goose! One of them loves the ocean, and the other . . . not so much. Can you guess which one? (Interest level KDG–3rd grade, reading level 2.3)

For our Spanish-language readers, Maria recommends Water Rolls Water Rises/ El agua rueda, El agua sube, in both English and Spanish, by Pat Mora. Readers young and old will enjoy this poetic story about the world’s fourteen different types of water. This ode is accompanied by beautiful illustrations of oceans, canals, seas, rivers, and more. Mora is an award-winning poet and author of books for adults, teens, and children, and this one is sure to please your summer reads cravings.

These and many more books will be available in our Summer Beach Reads display. Come visit the library beach and peruse our titles, meet Bubbles, and begin your summer with wonderful books. Enjoy your vacation wherever you go—to faraway places, or sitting in your backyard with a new novel, the red rocks, a cool drink, and a great book.

Thanks to West Sedona High School for the loan of Bubbles the Beach Sloth, recently named by a two-year-old patron. Sedona Public Library is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. We are grateful for support from the City of Sedona, Friends of the Sedona Library, Yavapai and Coconino Counties, and gifts from businesses, foundations, and individuals like you. Please visit sedonalibrary.org to learn more.

Sedona Public Library
Column for June 4, 2021
Written by Anne Marie Mackler, Development Director

---