When you think of summer, it’s lazy afternoons by the pool— of course, drenched in very strong sunblock, or fishing in some northern locale or a vacation away from work.
It also means books. It’s hard to imagine any vacation without a book or Kindle on your lap.
This means summer is a popular time to visit the library or bookstore.
"Obviously, when you're in the fall and the winter, a lot of individuals are wanting to come into the libraries for academic purposes," said Las Vegas-Clark County library community engagement director Matt McNally. "We see a lot more individuals wanting to come in during the summertime for experiences and for to be entertained."
The Las Vegas-Clark County Library District is holding a summer reading challenge for both kids and adults that includes events and activities as well as books.
And Drew Cohen from the downtown independent bookshop The Writer's Block says that as the season changes, so can the types of books people buy.
"I think for sure people are looking for a degree of escapism... a world that they can immerse themselves in," he said. "So we do sell a lot of fantasy, science fiction, genre fiction of all kinds — even horror, because if you're like me, sometimes it can be relaxing to read something really scary, kind of paradoxically. ... But summer is also interesting because there aren't a ton of new high profile books coming out, at least in the heart of summer. And so you do get people picking up books that have gained new traction. ... People do catch up on books they may have missed earlier in the year, or even in the previous year that have received a new lease on life by being singled out with a literary prize or award of some kind."
The Writer's Block also will host several events, mostly in conjunction with the neighboring Beverly Theater.
Here are some summer-reading recommendations from Cohen, State of Nevada staffers and listeners:
The Guest by Emma Cline
After the Funeral by Tessa Hadley
Look at the Lights, My Love by Annie Ernaux
Wonder Boy: Tony Hsieh, Zappos, and the Myth of Happiness in Silicon Valley by David Jeans and Angel Au-Yeung
The Lord of the Rings by JRR Tolkien
What Belongs To You by Garth Greenwell
Faith Hope and Desire by Nick Cave
Stella Maris by Cormac McCarthy
The Power of Myth by Joseph Campbell
96 Miles by JL Esplin
Yellow Bird: Oil, Murder, and a Woman's Search for Justice in Indian Country By Sierra Crane Murdoch
The Watchdog: How the Truman Committee Battled Corruption and Helped Win World War Two by Steve Drummond
The Death and the Life of the Great Lakes by Dan Egan
Cadillac Desert by Marc Reisner
The Secret River by Kate Grenville
Headhunters by Jo Nesbo
Geek Love by Katherine Dunn
Gun, With Occasional Music by Jonathan Lethem
The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich: A History of Nazi Germany by William L. Shirer
The Escape Artist: The Man Who Broke Out of Auschwitz to Warn the World by Jonathan Freedland
The Chief Inspector Gamache Book Series by Louise Penny
The Skull Mantra by Eliot Pattison
Custer Died for Your Sins: An Indian Manifesto by Vine Deloria Jr.
Guests: Matt McNally, director of community engagement, Las Vegas Clark County Library System; Drew Cohen, co-owner and buyer, The Writer’s Block
