ELHS Summer Reading 2025 by Jeannine Barber

The Wedding People

barbej1 — 2025-06-02 12:08:32 UTC

This has been on the bestseller list forever and it takes place in Newport so I picked it up. Cute situational comedy about a woman who gives up on everything and checks in to a luxury hotel, but ends up getting caught up with the wedding happening there that week and making some really deep connections with lots of the party. Bonus points for witty banter. Very filmic.

A People's History of the United States

barbej1 — 2025-06-02 12:17:46 UTC

I finally got around to listening to this and purposely put it down for a while because it's just so intense and I couldn't really injest any more right now. I made it through chapter 6 of 25, so I'm still at about 1840. Especially for someone who never really studied history, it's a rich and disturbing account of some of the bases of our culture and traditions. I plan to read another 5 or so more chapters this summer.

It's available on Hoopla and online at https://www.historyisaweapon.com/zinnapeopleshistory.html updated through the 2020 presidential election.

Earth To Moon: A Memoir

barbej1 — 2025-06-02 12:25:56 UTC

Moon Unit Zappa writes beautifully about being the oldest daughter of a musical "genius" and the unique challenges and expectations that come with that role. It wasn't until after her mother died that she started trying to figure out who she herself was and what had made her that way. She's amazingly level-headed and non-judgemental, but the betrayals on the part of her parents are pretty hard to swallow.

Cher: The Memoir, Part One

barbej1 — 2025-06-02 12:34:08 UTC

I just love Cher, so I was down for whatever. I listened to this, which is my preference with memoir, and Cher reads the beginning of each chapter but then rather seamlessly hands it off to a friend becuase she's dyslexic and it's just too much for her. I love that she spends a lot of time on her interesting childhood and unconventional family. She's such a trusting soul and men take all kinds of financial advantage of her pleasant disposition and musical talent. This just gets us to 1976 so I'm really curious to read the next part!

The Anxious Generation

barbej1 — 2025-06-02 12:41:14 UTC

This book might make you want to throw your phone off a bridge. And also make you grateful that you grew up when you did, assuming you were born before 1990 or so.

Currently reading...not the most uplifting, but powerful nonetheless.

2025-06-02 15:47:42 UTC

How to Know a Person: The Art of Seeing Others Deeply and Being Deeply Seen

2025-06-02 15:49:58 UTC

This book has made me re-examine how I listen to others as well as how I share information about myself. A powerful read.

The Great Alone

2025-06-02 15:52:19 UTC

I loved that this was fiction but felt so real and about a place that I have close ties to. It was also a really good take on the toll of mental illness within a family.

The Southern Book Club's Guide to Slaying Vampires

2025-06-02 15:53:52 UTC

Southern gothic and weirdly feminist. Totally different from what I thought it would be, and loved it just the same.

The Roman Stoics: Self, Responsibility, and Affection

2025-06-02 15:57:37 UTC

Gulp (or any Mary Roach book)

timothydowd2_1 — 2025-06-02 16:00:26 UTC

Mary Roach is one of the most fun science writers there is. In each book she takes a slightly off-color topic and explores all of the people that have researched that topic to try and tell the story not just of what we know but who got us there. Some of the people are serious characters.This particular one is about what happens to our food from one end of us to the other.

Deep: Freediving, Renegade Science, and What the Ocean Tells Us about Ourselves

2025-06-02 16:01:02 UTC

This author is great at taking meaning from topics that I wouldn't consider interesting until reading his perspective. Along those lines, check out his book "Breath".

Shark Heart: A Love Story

2025-06-02 17:06:12 UTC

One of the weirdest, most beautiful love stories I've ever read. Human beings in Habeck's world suffer genetic mutations that turn them into animals. In the case of Wren and Lewis, Lewis learns shortly after he and Wren marry that he suffers the rarest of these mutations: he will eventually turn into a great white shark. This novel is all about how to find love and joy even in the darkest times. I couldn't put it down.

Severance: A Novel

2025-06-02 17:12:56 UTC

Not to be confused with the AppleTV series, this book comes highly recommended by my friend's daughter AND Julie Teixeira, so it must be amazing. Who doesn't want to read a creepy pandemic book that was written BEFORE the pandemic? From Amazon.com, it's described as a "send-up and take-down of the rituals, routines, and missed opportunities of contemporary life . . . a moving family story, a quirky coming-of-adulthood tale, and a hilarious, deadpan satire." On my summer TBR pile!

The Andromeda Strain

timothydowd2_1 — 2025-06-02 17:28:57 UTC

My 8th grade science teacher showed the movie of this one day she was out, but we only had 48 minute classes so we never finished it. The bell rang as they were going to like nuke some small town in New Mexico. 31 years later I'm kind of curious how it ends so this is where I'm starting this summer.

Problematic Summer Romance

2025-06-02 17:45:18 UTC

I adore Ali Hazelwood - every book of hers is full of fun and realistic emotion. This is her brand new release and I'm just so excited to get into it.

The Will of the Many

2025-06-02 17:52:19 UTC

I'm a big fan of world building and I've heard fantastic things about this book for a while now. I'm 20 pages in and it's mysterious and engaging. A warning: It is a BRICK of a book, so definitely not a light summer read.

A Survivor's Education

gabrielletassonejoy2 — 2025-06-02 18:17:57 UTC

My TBR

gabrielletassonejoy2 — 2025-06-02 18:19:23 UTC

gabrielletassonejoy2 — 2025-06-02 18:29:54 UTC

In another life, I am a travel writer experiencing cultures through their food. In this life, I read about Anthony Bourdain living my dream. I hear it through his voice as I read. Doesn't have to be read through linearly, I enjoyed skipping around.

2025-06-02 18:33:48 UTC

Vonnegut is my favorite humorist and satirist. I have laughed hysterically at many of his books, including Slapstick, Hi-Ho, The Sirens of Titan and several others, but this one is my favorite. As I retire in two weeks, I plan on reading this one again this summer.

All The Colors of The Dark

2025-06-03 14:37:07 UTC

Fiction: interesting story about how people’s paths are shaped from an incident that occurs when a few of the characters are young (~12 yo).

In this Together

2025-06-03 14:41:27 UTC

I attended a conference called EarthX in Dallas, TX this past April. It’s coordinated by the authors of this book. It was really fantastic and brings together people, ideas, investors, and innovators to collaborate on environmental stewardship and sustainability.

Braiding Sweetgrass

2025-06-03 14:42:27 UTC

So much love for the planet and people in this eloquently written book.

Mad Honey

2025-06-03 14:45:20 UTC

I abandoned Jodi Picoult because she was so predictable. There’s still predictability in this story, but it really dives deep into social implications of being trans. I think it’s a good time to remind ourselves of the struggles of existing as a trans person.

The Let Them Theory by Mel Robbins

garcij4 — 2025-06-05 15:13:24 UTC

What's The Let Them Theory?

What if the key to happiness, success, and love was as simple as two words?

If you've ever felt stuck, overwhelmed, or frustrated with where you are, the problem isn't you. The problem is the power you give to other people. Two simple words – Let Them – will set you free. Free from the opinions, drama, and judgments of others. Free from the exhausting cycle of trying to manage everything and everyone around you. The Let Them Theory puts the power to create a life you love back in your hands—and this book will show you exactly how to do it.