I meant to put out a spring book list, but that came and went, so now we’ll launch into summer reading. I hope you’re participating in your local summer reading campaigns. A lot of local bookstores, libraries, or online book websites have summer reading campaigns and fun. Choose one, or more, and have some fun reading your way through the summer. Here are a few diverse books to help round out your reading lists.

Light and Sunny Reads

Vera Wong Unsolicited Advice for Murders and the newer book Vera Wong Guide to Snooping on a Dead Man are charming. Despite their titles they are perfect for a lighthearted summer read. If you’re participating in the Seattle Public Library or King County Library System Summer Book Bingo both of these books will work for the Found Family or Humor squares.

Serviceberry by Indigenous writer and botanist Robin Wall Kimmerer is a book about resisting consumerism and moving to a gift and sharing economy. For those who are reading NY Times columnist Ezra Klein’s newest book Abundance, make sure to read Kimerer’s book to understand a Native perspective on the same topic. For SPL/KCLS Bingo this fits the Resistance square.

In honor of Asian American Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander month, and for the flower on the cover square, I’ll mention Lei Aloha. The book features different types of Hawaiian lei and how the author reconnected with the art form.

A Little Deeper Read

My friend Susan Lieu’s book The Manicurist Daughter just came out in paperback. She details her journey to understand her mother’s sudden death while undergoing plastic surgery and body acceptance. I really enjoyed her audiobook version since Susan narrated it and she’s a great actor as well. SPL/KCLS Bingo –Grief.

The SPL/KCLS Bingo board has a square for Monsters. The young adult pair of books Healer of the Water Monster and Heroes of the Water Monster are great books. They bring awareness to climate change and the importance of water in our lives. They are written from a Native American perspective.

I finally got around to listening to the audio version of James. It was so good. The tale of Jim, Huckleberry Finn’s companion was worth the read. It fits the Great Escape square.

For censorship or dystopian square the science fiction YA book The Last Cuentista. The story focuses on a doomed society but how a young girl wants to preserve the stories of the past to help the future.

Deep Read

It is the five year anniversary of the murder of George Floyd. I still remember the collective anguish, coupled with COVID, as a call to do better. I wish I could say we’re making progress on racial repair and reckoning. That is why books and learning continue to be important. His Name is George Floyd documents Floyd’s life and how systemically Black people face more obstacles in America.

Picture Books

No list would be complete without a few picture books. Make Your Mark was an interesting read to learn more about tattoo artist and Black history.

Free to Learn tells the story of the landmark Supreme Court case, Plyer v. Doe, that guarantees immigrant students the right to obtain a public education in the US.

Since it is graduation season, The Blur by Minh Lê, or What Will You Be? by Yamile Saied Méndez, are worthy alternative to the Oh the Places You’ll Go by Dr. Seuss. The Blur is great for new parents or preschool graduates. The messages will be lost on young kids but for the adults a tear may fall. Since my kids were born way before these books were published they both have copies of Dr. Seuss book which they take to school at the end of the year to collect signatures and messages like an autograph book. We’ve done this since they were at a childcare center and it’s become a nice keepsake. If I was doing it over again I would have found a BIPOC book to use instead.

I may put out a second list with more titles in a few weeks. I didn’t get around to including cookbooks or other faves I’ve recently read.

*The links above are for my Bookshop affiliate page. The profits are used to purchase books to donate to public schools.