Albany Public Library discussion

Welcome to Week 2 of the Summer Reading Challenge!

Please post your preferred username and name if you would like to participate here on Goodreads this summer!

This week's recommended reading list celebrates Pride month, with a list of Rainbow Reads!

Red, White and Royal Blue - Casey McQuiston
This is How it Always Is - Laurie Frankel
When Katie Met Cassidy - Camille Perri
Less - Andrew Sean Greer
Real Life - Brandon Taylor
Lumberjanes - Noelle Stevenson, Shannon Watters, Grace Ellis, and Brooke A. Allen
Call Me by Your Name - André Aciman
Let's Talk About Love - Claire Kann
Mostly Dead Things - Kristen Arnett
Middlesex - Jeffrey Eugenides
What Is Not Yours Is Not Yours - Helen Oyeymi
The Importance of Being Earnest - Oscar Wilde
Juliet Takes a Breath - Gabby Rivera
Girl, Woman, Other - Bernardine Evaristo
On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous - Ocean Vuong
Symptoms Of Being Human - Jeff Garvin

All titles can be read on Hoopla/Overdrive. Happy reading!

I didn't finish anything Pride-related yet this week, but I did get through "His Majesty's Dragon" and "Yes, I'm Hot in This: The Hilarious Truth about Life in a Hijab," great for people who want to be more culturally sensitive, but don't have a lot of time! It's a quick and funny graphic novel.

I read "The Idea of You" by Robinne Lee over the past few days — such a page turner, and a really good escape at a time like this. I have to check out these suggested books for Pride month!

Just finished "The Address Book: What Street Addresses Reveal About Identity, Race, Wealth, and Power" by Deirdre Mask.

Added all of the books listed above. Great job guys!

Finally finished "A Memory Called Empire!" Not specifically Pride-focused, as there's too much politics going on for a romance, but there's a lot of same-sex pining, at least. Maybe everybody's bisexual in space? I know it's written by a woman whose wife is ALSO an author!

I chose LumberJanes off the suggested reading list and I learned that Graphic format does not work so well on my kindle.
I thought this was a fun take off of the Girl Scout experience. I chose volume one which seems to not be the start of the series, but the plot seems to require one to just roll with the events.

Brownie scouts might love this series.

I just finished They Did Bad Things by Lauren Forry and Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince (for like the 15th time😂) I’ll be checking out some of the ones from this list next!

I added all of the books above. Great job everyone!

Since the challenge started, I’ve finished 3 books:

(1/3)

- The Topeka School by Ben Lerner (finished June 27)
I was a little disappointed in this. I found there really wasn’t a strong plotline, and I think the main storyline surrounding Adam and Darren didn’t really deliver but fell a little flat. The intertwining stories were interesting, but the fast forward to the future (2019) didn’t really fit in with the rest of the story. I think this was supposed to be a fictionalized memoir, and think perhaps it might have worked better as an actual memoir.

(2/3)

The Giver of Stars by Jojo Moyes (finished June 28)
This one didn’t take me long to devour! After reading The Topeka School, this one was a quick feel good story. It was hardly complex literature but it was a lovely story based in a history I don’t know a lot about, so it was fun to learn a bit about the Packhorse Librarians. (And, clearly, this one didn’t take me long at all to read!)

(3/3)

- Such a Fun Age bu Kiley Reid (Finished July 1 - yes, this morning!)
Another quick read, though this one is not as light. Really interesting take/perspective on white privilege, CLASS privilege, casual racism, and how intent =\= impact. It was published this past December but takes place in Fall/Winter 2015, so clearly was looking to highlight the infancy of BLM, though is even more relevant after the events of the last few months. I admit I had some problems with the main character, Emira, and how she chose to handle certain things ... but I’m pretty sure that was the point. We are all human, and we’ve all been mid-20s and had that aimless feeling of not quite grasping adulthood and made less-than-mature decisions.

Note: This Is How It Always Is is by Laurie Frankel (lest it cause any confusion!)

I loved both What is Not Yours is Not Yours and On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous. I just purchased Girl, Woman, Other last week and can't wait to read it!

I didn't read anything Pride-related this week (maybe I'll rip through something before Saturday), but I did finally finish "Why Are All The Black Kids Sitting Together in the Cafeteria?": A Psychologist Explains the Development of Racial Identity!

I just finished reading the Vanishing Half by Brit Bennet. It was very interesting reading from so many perspectives. Highly recommend as you just zip along. Also finished listening to my book from last week.

I listened to Comedy Sex God, which had a lot of sex in it for a book recommended by a Catholic podcast! :-)

I just finished “American Spy” and it was a slow read but worth it. Interesting to be inside the head of a woman who knows everything she does, every decision she makes has a butterfly effect on a world event.

Earlier this week I finished Drive Your Plow Over the Bones of the Dead and New Kid. Starting my belated Pride read, The Twyborn Affair and looking forward to being able to browse a bit at some local libraries again! Ebooks and audiobooks are formats I struggle with...

I have added all of the books above! Fantastic job, all!

@Anne C - whoops! Thanks for the catch! All fixed now ;)

@Diana - We look forward to having you back in the branches to browse, soon! We have curbside pickup available at two of our branches (Bach and Delaware) starting next week!

Jen wrote: "(3/3)

- Such a Fun Age bu Kiley Reid (Finished July 1 - yes, this morning!)
Another quick read, though this one is not as light. Really interesting take/perspective on white privilege, CLASS priv..."

Everyone talks about this book!

I just finished the book: Agent Running in the Field/ John LeCarre.
This is a classic style spy story with todays politics as the backdrop. LeCarre captures spys are real people not 007 - mostly bureaucrats with lives in the "real' world and such.

I finished "The Worst-Case Scenario Survival Handbook: Travel" this week. Not the most useful reference, but it's got some good advice along with the life-and-death stuff!

Hello! I hope you are having a great day! I have had quite a bit of time to read due to a minor surgical procedure and the start of summer vacation. In the last week, I have read:

"The Southern Book Club's Guide to Slaying Vampires"
"Baby Teeth"
"The Perfect Nanny"
"The Memory Thief"

Just finished What is Not Yours is Not Yours - it was EXCELLENT

Good morning! Just finished Alice Walker's "The Color Purple."

My pride reads included the awesome sequel to Motor Crush">, but I've also finished a few graphic novels My Boyfriend is a Bear and Miles Morales Volume 1 and Miles Morales Volume 2. And one of my favorites was the audiobook of The Sixth Extinction"> which actually references Albany and it seems like the author lives nearby?

I have finished “How Could She” by Lauren Mechling

I've finished Searching for Sylvie Lee: A Novel and look forward to discussing it in the APL Mystery Book Club meeting on Monday, 7/6!

So far I have finished Such a Fun Age by Kiley Reid and Someone We Know by Shari Lapena.

I just finished "Dark Matter", which was (for a lack of a better word) dark and twisty. I had a hard time putting down the book because I wanted to find out how this story could possibly end.

Samantha wrote: "I just finished "Dark Matter", which was (for a lack of a better word) dark and twisty. I had a hard time putting down the book because I wanted to find out how this story could possibly end."

@ Samantha Dark Matter is my favorite Blake Crouch book. Have you read Recursion?

I have added all of the books above. Great job!

@Kate I have not read Recursion yet. Is the topic matter similar?

Samantha wrote: "@Kate I have not read Recursion yet. Is the topic matter similar?"

@ Samantha Yes, they are similar. Recursion is twisty too. You will want to keep reading to see how it plays out for the characters in the end.

For Week 2, I read "Killing Commendatore" by Haruki Murakami. The protagonist is a portrait painter who secludes himself in the mountain home of a college friend after his wife leaves him. His friend's father was a famous artist and after discovering an unknown painting of his in the attic, the protagonist's world gradually begins to go sideways. This is the second book of his I've read, and while engaging with a lot of slow burn mystery, it lacked the energy of the previous book I've read "1Q84."

Rich wrote: "For Week 2, I read "Killing Commendatore" by Haruki Murakami. The protagonist is a portrait painter who secludes himself in the mountain home of a college friend after his wife leaves him. His frie..."

@ Rich Thanks for the review. I have IQ84 on my TBR list.
I have added your book.

Diana wrote: "Earlier this week I finished Drive Your Plow Over the Bones of the Dead and New Kid. Starting my belated Pride read, The Twyborn Affair and looking fo..."

Come back to YA book club, Diana! We miss you!