Lakeland Public Library discussion

Welcome to week one of Summer Reading! This week is all about birds. For the Reading Challenge, we're asking you to read a book that features our feathered friends, or maybe just has one on the cover. If you're looking for inspiration, we’ve put together a list of recommended titles to get you started. Click on the title to view it in our online catalog. 

For more information on Summer Reading, birdwatching, and craft ideas, visit our website.


FICTION:


Birdsong by Sebastain Faulks


Black Swan Green by David Mitchell


Boy, Snow, Bird by Helen Oyeyemi


Cher Ami and Major Whittlesey by Kathleen Rooney


Cuckoo's Calling by Robert Galbraith


The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt


The Good Lord Bird by James McBride


Grief is the Thing with Feathers by Max Porter


Jonathan Livingston Seagull by Richard Bach


Lonesome Dove by Larry McMurtry


The Maltese Falcon by Dashiell Hammett


The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah


One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest by Ken Kesey


The Raven by Edgar Allan Poe


Red Sparrow by Jason Matthews


Swans of Fifth Avenue by Melanie Benjamin


The Thorn Birds by Colleen McCullough


To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee


The Yellow Birds by Kevin Powers


NON-FICTION:

Bird by Bird: Some Instructions on Writing and Life by Anne Lamott


The Feather Thief: Beauty, Obsession and the Natural History Heist of the Century by Kirk Johnson


H is for Hawk by Helen Macdonald


I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou


Let's Explore Diabetes with Owls by David Sedaris


A Most Remarkable Creature: The Hidden Life and Epic Journey of the World's Smartest Birds of Prey by Jonathon Meiburg


The Ravenmaster: My Life with the Ravens of the Tower of London by Christopher Skaife


Wesley the Owl: The Remarkable Love Story of an Owl and His Girl by Stacey O'Brien


A World on the Wing: the Global Odyssey of Migratory Birds by Scott Weidensaul


What It's Like to Be a Bird: From Flying to Nesting, Eating to Singing - What Birds Are Doing, and Why by David Sibley


YA & KID'S


Blackbird by Anna Carey


Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs


Raven Boys by Maggie Stiefvater


Six of Crows by Leah Bardugo


Mr. Popper's Penguins by Richard Atwater


Trumpet of the Swan by E.B. White


Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus by Mo Willems


Make Way for Duckings by Robert McCloskey

Would a book count toward this challenge if birds play a recurring role in a book you're reading but aren't mentioned in the title or shown on the cover? For instance, I am reading "A Storm of Swords" and the characters are constantly using ravens as a form of long distance communication, and another character is in search of a "three-eyed crow." But I realize that may be too much of a stretch, so I thought I would ask. ;-)

Hi Dawn! Absolutely. The books on the fiction list are to inspire, but also to let you know that the theme doesn't have to be limiting or daunting. If birds are important to the story, even if only tangentially, that's more than good enough for us.
And welcome to summer reading! Thanks for participating.

So excited! I participated last year as well and had so much fun challenging myself to work in the prompts alongside the other challenges I am doing through the year. I am so happy you all decided to do this again this summer. Beanstack is a great little app!

I’m super excited!! Great way to start summer off as a teacher!