Albany Public Library discussion

Hi everyone and welcome to the last week of our 2021 Summer Reading Challenge!

Make sure to continue to comment all of the books that you have completed reading this week! If you would like to know how close you are to the 10 book finish line, please comment and we can let you know.

Here is this week's recommended reading list:

Normal People by Sally Rooney
Let's Get Back to the Party by Zak Salih
Tell the Wolves I'm Home by Carole Rifka Brunt
Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro
On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous by Ocean Vuong
The Lying Life of Adults by Elena Ferante
The Paris Library by Janet Skeslien Charles
The Fire Never Goes Out by Noelle Stevenson
The Times I Knew I was Gay by Eleanor Crewes
Stitches by David Small
Home After Dark by David Small

I can't believe summer is almost over and this is the last week of the reading challenge! Once again, I have read several books that I never would have known about if not for the weekly themes. I read 2 books from last week's theme "Made in America" and really liked them both. "Homeland Elegies" was a well down memoir.

Here are the books I finished last week;

Crooked Hallelujah by Kelli Jo Ford
Homeland Elegies by Ayad Akhtar
The Music of Bees by Eileen Garvin
Persuasion by Jane Austin

Can I know how close I am to the summer goal?
I am still planning on reading Normal People this week since it's big on BookTok =)

Also wondering how close I am since I have several books that I am about 3/4 done with!

@DianeBrown - I added your books! Please stop into your local APL branch to pick up your prize tote bag

@Farzin - you are at 9 books read!

@Susan - you are also at 9 books read!

Finished In a Dark, Dark Wood on a bus ride to Cohoes today. It is the September pick for the APL Mystery Book Club. Couldn't put it down, but I am not sure I actually liked the story. :-) Am looking forward to discussing it.

@Susan, I got your 10th book marked down! Please visit your local APL branch to pick up your prize tote bag!

Nooooo! I need at least one more week. To finish six more books!

This week I have read The Ghost and the Bogus Bestseller by Cleo Coyle and The Bookshop at Water’s End by Patti Callahan Henry. That is 10 for me

This morning I have finished The Fishermen . I believe this is the fifth book I am logging, on this final day of the summer challenge. Bringing me to the halfway point of this challenge I have no chance to complete before the day is over. Not that I'm bitter.

Okay, I am a little bitter. Next year, could we maybe have 12 weeks to complete 10 books, instead of just eight? So it's okay to not average slightly more than a book a week? And also okay to have some weeks of not completing a book?

And maybe we can go back to having some intermediary prizes, so this doesn't feel so Zero Sum?

Or maybe I shouldn't do the challenge. It feels like some of the joy of reading has gone away for me. :(

Edit: Technically summer lasts from June 21 to September 22. So in theory, we could have a 14-week summer challenge!

Last night, I finished Normal People 💃🌞

I finished reading All About Love: New Visions by bell hooks, This book is a deep dive into the meaning of what love actually is and what it could look like in politics, the workplace, religion, domestic households and intimate relationships.
hooks argues that our culture is experiencing lovelessness and is quite uncomfortable with discussions of love in general. This is a provocative and thought wrenching read.

I have only managed to finish one more book this week. It is part two of a trilogy Bewilderness Part Two: What Rough Beast. Thank you for the opportunity to share my reading this summer. It is a good way to stay a bit connected.

I was tracking through READsquared. Should I also post on this group?

I wanted to know if all 10 books have been added for me? Thanks in advance.

Catherine wrote: "This week I have read The Ghost and the Bogus Bestseller by Cleo Coyle and The Bookshop at Water’s End by Patti Callahan Henry. That is 10 for me"

Hi Catherine, you have finished over 10 books! You can come in to redeem your prize!

Farzin wrote: "Last night, I finished Normal People 💃🌞"

Hi Farzin,
You have completed the Summer Reading Challenge! Stop by any branch to pick up your prize.

ED wrote: "I wanted to know if all 10 books have been added for me? Thanks in advance."

Hello! We have logged all of your books and you are free to pick up your prize at any branch! Great job.

Mayra wrote: "I was tracking through READsquared. Should I also post on this group?"

Hi Mayra, no need to log on Goodreads if you are tracking on ReadSquared. On our end, we see that you have 9 books logged on ReadSquared, so just log one more and then come pick up your prize!