Whether you curl up with a book under your favorite backyard tree or spread out on a beach towel with a Kindle, summer is a favorite time for reading. We’ve compiled a few suggestions to get you started.
Secaucus Library Director Jenifer D. May likes to carry her books on her e-reader everywhere she goes but especially loves reading in parks, where she can get completely lost in a book for hours without any interruption.
Jenifer recommends
HALF THE SKY: TURNING OPPRESSION INTO OPPORTUNITY FOR WOMEN WORLDWIDE By Nicholas D. Kristof and Sheryl WuDunn. The brave, brilliant women introduced in this book are truly inspiring as they struggle against some of the worst conditions imaginable in order to create a better world for themselves and others.
MARCH By Geraldine Brooks. March is a companion novel to one of May’s absolute favorite books: Louisa May Alcott’s Little Women. In Brooks’ modern retelling, the father of Meg, Jo, Beth, and Amy works as a Union Army chaplain and teacher in war-ravaged Virginia, while recalling defining moments of his past both in antebellum Virginia and at home in Concord, Mass.
Lanora recommends
Lanora Melillo, a local librarian, listens to audiobooks in her car, particularly on her ride to the library and home. Melillo recommends:
WHAT HAPPENED TO GOODBYE By Sarah Dessen. A pleasant read about self-discovery and maturity that follows the journey of McClean, a young girl in search of her identity as she moves from place to place with her father after her mother committed a scandal. Is she ready to fall in love with the boy next door and forgive her mother?
Cristal recommends
Avid reader Cristal Reyes works as a law clerk at Waters, McPherson, McNeill, P.C. in Secaucus. She loves to read anywhere under the sun. Reyes recommends:
THE HUNGER GAMES By Suzanne Collins. The Hunger Games is the first of a trilogy by Suzanne Collins that caters to adult and young adult audiences. Sixteen-year-old Katniss Everdeen is stuck in a big-brother like society called “Panem.” Through her participation in the violent Hunger Games where children fight to the death, Everdeen learns about loss and the gruesome realities of war.
Puddy the Cat recommends
Puddy the cat lives in Jersey City. He loves stretching out over books and looking at the illustrations. For kids he recommends:
HOGWASH! By Karma Wilson. In alternating rhyme, a tale of pigs that refuse to be hogwashed by Farmer who eventually learns that a mud bath can be more fun.
Adriana Rambay Fernández may be reached at afernandez@hudsonreporter.com.