Summer Reading Challenge: Books Set Where We Were Born

From the Mandel Public Library of West Palm Beach:

June 15, 2020

By Emily and the Mandel Public Library staff

Summer Reading 2020 is underway at the library, and ICYMI, we have a set of reading challenges to help you pick out your summer TBRs! (That’s "to be read" for those who don’t spend all your time on the lit-ernet). One of our challenges is to read a book set where you were born; this can be as specific as the town or city or as broad as the country. So, I asked our library staff members what their choices are for books set where they were born. What resulted is a literary tour of the US with some very interesting picks! I hope you enjoy. And as always, we librarians are happy to find the right book for you. Call us at 561-868-7701 or email MPL@wpbcitylibrary.org if you need a recommendation or help signing up for Summer Reading (which you can still do, by the way!). Read all about Summer Reading 2020 here, and don’t forget that you can still check out e-books and audiobooks on our digital library while our physical doors are closed! Happy reading!

Emily’s pick (Chicago, IL): Will Grayson, Will Grayson by John Green and David Levithan

"When two teens, one gay and one straight, meet accidentally and discover that they share the same name, their lives become intertwined as one begins dating the other's best friend, who produces a play revealing his relationship with them both." -- from the publisher

Emily says: "Set in Chicago, John Green and David Levithan do a great job of describing the city and making it feel real. Also, it’s hilarious!"

Available at the library and online as an e-book and audiobook from cloudLibrary

Tara’s pick (Philadelphia, PA): The Orphan Collector by Ellen Marie Wiseman

"From the internationally bestselling author of What She Left Behind, a powerful tale of upheaval, resilience and hope set in Philadelphia during the 1918 Spanish Flu outbreak—the deadly pandemic that went on to infect one-third of the world’s population…" -- from the publisher

Tara says: "Set in Philadelphia at the time of the Spanish Flu, it might remind me of the books Where the Crawdads Sing and Before We Were Yours."

This book is set to be released on August 4, 2020.

Antoinette’s pick (California): Summer Promise (Christy Miller series) by Robin Jones Gunn

"A summer in California for Wisconsin farm girl Christy Miller brings her a new image, a moral dilemma involving the local fast crowd, an encounter with Christianity, and a vortex of questions about what is important in life." --from NoveList

Antoinette says: "This whole book series is awesome. It's set in California and weaves together some amazing stories. What I also like is that as you read the series, you can grow with the spin-off series."

Available online as audiobooks from hoopla digital

Sarah’s pick (New Jersey): One for the Money (Stephanie Plum series) by Janet Evanovich

"Out of work and out of money, Stephanie blackmails her bail-bondsman cousin Vinnie into giving her a try as an apprehension agent. Stephanie knows zilch about the job requirements, but she figures her new pal, el-primo bounty hunter Ranger, can teach her what it takes to catch a crook. Her first assignment: nail Joe Morelli, a former vice cop on the run from a charge of murder one. Morelli’s the inamorato who charmed Stephanie out of her virginity at age sixteen. There’s still powerful chemistry between them, so the chase should be interesting…and could also be extremely dangerous." --from the publisher

Sarah says: "It isn’t the town I was born in, but the whole series is very ‘New Jersey.’"

Available at the library and online as e-book and audiobook from cloudLibrary

Tina’s pick (Florida): Skinny Dip by Carl Hiaasen

"Ex-police officer Mick Stranahan rescues a woman from the ocean. Joey Perrone's husband tried to kill her by pushing her overboard from a cruise liner because he suspected that she had figured out his scam of doctoring water samples so that a ruthless agribusiness tycoon can illegally dump fertilizer into the endangered Everglades. Mick helps Joey haunt and taunt her homicidal husband." -- from the publisher

Tina says: "If you want to throw your wife off a cruise ship, you probably shouldn’t have married an Olympic swimmer. A hilarious crowd-pleaser with good guys, bad guys, and pythons."

Available at the library and online as an e-book from cloudLibrary

Danielle’s pick (Miami, FL): Sal and Gabi Break the Universe by Carlos Hernandez

"In order to heal after his mother's death, thirteen-year-old Sal learns to reach into time and space to retrieve things--and people--from other universes." --from NoveList

Available at the library and online as an e-book from hoopla digital

Sue’s pick (Hartford, CT): Sons of Fortune by Jeffrey Archer

"In the late 1940s, twin boys are separated at birth, Nat going home with his middle-class parents, and Fletcher to be raised by a wealthy couple, but their lives come together when they both run for governor of Connecticut." --from NoveList

Available at the library and online ad an e-book from cloudLibrary

Amris’ pick (Sacramento, CA): The Jane Austen Book Club by Jane Fowler

"Six Californians join to discuss Jane Austen's novels. Over the six months they meet, marriages are tested, affairs begin, unsuitable arrangements become suitable, and love happens. With her finely sighted eye for the frailties of human behavior and her finely tuned ear for the absurdities of social intercourse, Fowler has never been wittier nor her characters more appealing. The result is a delicious dissection of modern relationships." -- from the publisher

Available at the library and online as an audiobook from hoopla digital

Sophie’s pick (New York): Shadowshaper by Daniel José Older

"When the murals painted on the walls of her Brooklyn neighborhood start to change and fade in front of her, Sierra Santiago realizes that something strange is going on. Then she discovers that her Puerto Rican family are shadowshapers, and she finds herself in a battle with an evil anthropologist for the lives of her family and friends." -- from the publisher

Sophie says: "It's been a long time since I lived in New York, but this book felt like being reminded of home."

Available at the library and online as an e-book and audiobook from cloudLibrary and audiobook from hoopla digital

Lisa’s pick (New York): Not Our Kind by Kitty Zeldis

"Forced to hide her Jewish identity from her employer's post-World War II Park Avenue community, a Vassar-educated tutor forges unexpected bonds before a crossed line leads to life-changing decisions." --from NoveList

Available at the library and online as an e-book and audiobook from cloudLibrary

*Print materials will be available for holds when the library reopens.

This press release was produced by the Mandel Public Library of West Palm Beach. The views expressed are the author's own.