Staff Blog: Perfect Reading Spots and Current Favorites

Rachel
Jun 13
4 min read

Person reading an e-reader in a blue hammock with orange trim in a forest. Another hammock is visible. Setting feels peaceful and relaxed.

With Summer Reading in full swing, the staff has put together a list of their favorite reading spots and shared what they're currently enjoying. Check to see if you have any favorite spots in common! Perhaps you're reading some of the same books, or maybe you're just curious about the staff's current reads to add to your own TBR pile!

Favorite Reading Spot #1 - Back Porch or Deck

Callie's cozy porch with gray sectional, string lights, and plants. Small tables hold a candle and plant. Green lawn and trees in background. — Callie's Favorite Spot

The back porch or deck appears to be a favorite reading spot for several staff members, such as Adara, Callie, and Kyle. But what are they reading out there?

Adara is enjoying Beak of the Finch by Jonathan Weiner. "On a desert island in the heart of the Galapagos archipelago, where Darwin received his first inklings of the theory of evolution, two scientists, Peter and Rosemary Grant, have spent twenty years proving that Darwin did not know the strength of his own theory."

The Beak of the Finch by Jonathan Weiner can be found in both regular print and as a CD audiobook.

Callie is deep in The Rose Code by Kate Quinn. "As England prepares to fight the Nazis, three very different women answer the call to mysterious country estate Bletchley Park, where the best minds in Britain train to break German military codes."

The Rose Code by Kate Quinn is offered in both regular and large print; as an audiobook on CD, hoopla, and Libby; as an e-book on hoopla; and on Playaway.

Kyle is immersed in the wild journey of Thomas Pynchon's Gravity's Rainbow. "In war-torn England, WWII U.S. soldier Lieutenant Tyrone Slothrop is targeted by British intelligence. His map of sexual conquests exactly matches the map created by locations of recent German rocket bombs. Slothrop flees the suspicious superpowers in an attempt to find the mysterious Rocket 00000, which may hold the answers."

Gravity's Rainbow by Thomas Pynchon is available in regular print.

Favorite Reading Spot #2 - Outdoor Pavilions

Marcus enjoys the solitude of an outdoor pavilion to dive into a good book. Currently, he is reading The Coming of the Third Reich by Richard J. Evans. "From one of the world's most distinguished historians, a magisterial new reckoning with Hitler's rise to power and the collapse of civilization in Nazi Germany."

The Coming of the Third Reich by Richard J. Evans is available in regular print; audiobook on hoopla; and as online content.

Favorite Reading Spot #3 - Outdoor Swing

Bobbi's red-cushioned hammock chair on a porch with brick walls, overlooking a street through large screened in windows. — Bobbi's Cozy Swing

Bobbi quietly slips away to her outdoor swing on the sleeping porch, to curl up with her latest read, The Book of Bill by Alex Hirsch. "Bill Cipher, the demon that terrorized Gravity Falls, is back to tell his side of the story. Bill sheds light on his origins, his roles in many historical events, and more."

The Book of Bill by Alex Hirsch is available in regular print.

Favorite Reading Spot #4 - Warm & Cozy Bed

Depending on the weather, Christin might be found curled up with a good book either on her backyard bench or in her warm, cozy bed. Her current book of choice, Bi the Way by Lois Shearing. "Whether you are openly bisexual, still figuring things out or just interested in learning more about bisexuality, Bi the Way is your essential guide to understanding and embracing bisexuality. With first-hand accounts from bi advocates, it includes practical tips and guidance on topics including dating, sex, biphobia, bi-erasure, coming out, activism, and gender identity, demystifying a community that is often erased or overlooked."

Bi the Way by Lois Shearing is available in regular print.

Favorite Reading Spot #5 - Car with the Windows Down

Emily is enjoying the audiobook Lights Out by Navessa Allen as she cruises around town in her car. "Trauma nurse Aly Cappellucci doesn't need any more kinks. She likes the one she's landed on just fine. To her, nothing could top the masked men she follows online. She fantasizes about one man in particular hunting her down. But she never could have guessed that one drunken text could make those dreams into reality."

Lights Out by Navessa Allen is available in regular print; e-book on Libby and cloudLibrary; and audiobook on hoopla and Libby.

Favorite Reading Spot #6 - The Garden

Rachel's garden with young plants in red and green cages, surrounded by straw mulch. Wire fence and netting protect from wildlife. Lush green trees. — Rachel's Garden

As summer thrives, Rachel is often seen tending to her flower beds or garden with her phone playing her current audiobook. She's currently captivated by Pierce Brown's Red Rising series. "Darrow is a Red, a member of the lowest caste in the color-coded society of the future. Like his fellow Reds, he works all day, believing that he and his people are making the surface of Mars livable for future generations. Yet he spends his life willingly, knowing that his blood and sweat will one day result in a better world for his children. But Darrow and his kind have been betrayed. Soon he discovers that humanity reached the surface generations ago. Vast cities and sprawling parks spread across the planet. Darrow and Reds like him, are nothing more than slaves to a decadent ruling class. Inspired by a longing for justice, and driven by the memory of lost love, Darrow sacrifices everything to infiltrate the legendary Institute, a proving ground for the dominant Gold caste, where the next generation of humanity's overlords struggle for power. He will be forced to compete for his life and the very future of civilization against the best and most brutal of Society's ruling class. There, he will stop at nothing to bring down his enemies ... even if it means he has to become one of them to do so."

Book one in the series, Red Rising by Pierce Brown is available in regular & large print; audiobook on CD, hoopla, and Libby; and e-book on Libby.