Summer is the perfect time for reading, whether it be at the beach, by the pool or at home on the front porch. Coatesville Area Public Library director Penny Williams recently shared what books patrons are asking for and what books she recommends for summer reading.
Community Courier: What books are patrons requesting?
Williams: Currently our patrons are asking for a wide variety of titles in fiction, from current bestsellers to perennial favorite authors such as Harlan Coben, Danielle Steel, Lisa Scottoline and James Patterson. Nonfiction topics run the gamut from current political and social issues, fasting, aging, self-help, history and biographies. For light or so-called beach reading, humorous and cozy mysteries top the list.
Community Courier: What books or authors make for good summer reading?
Williams: My recommendations for someone who would like a new author or new book to try: "Code Name Helène" by Ariel Lawhon, "Fifty Words for Rain" by Asha Lemmie, "The Gentleman in Moscow" by Amor Towles, "The Dry" and "The Lost Man" by Jane Harper, "People of the Book" by Geraldine Brooks, "Snow Flower and the Secret Fan" by Lisa See (or any of her books), "Cutting for Stone" by Abraham Verghese, "An American Marriage" by Tayari Jones, "The Ocean at the End of the Lane" by Neil Gaiman and "The All-Girl Filling Station's Last Reunion: A Novel" by Fannie Flagg.
Community Courier: What book can you read again and again?
Williams: Not just one book, but any of Janet Evanovich's Stephanie Plum series or Agatha Christie are my go-to comfort books.
Community Courier: Do you prefer audiobooks, e-books or actual books?
Williams: Before 2020's quarantine, I mostly borrowed actual books and only read e-audiobooks occasionally. But because we couldn't go out, and I do read constantly, I started using the Libby app for books to read and to listen to on my tablet. Now I probably read just as many electronic books as I do actual books! It's more than doubled the number of books available to me and I just love the choices.
The Coatesville Public Library, 501 E. Lincoln Highway, Coatesville, is offering a Summer Reading Program, themed "Tails and Tales." Children who participate and log their reading hours can win prizes, decorate the library's bulletin board and be entered in drawings to win larger prizes at the end of the program. The program will run through Friday, Aug. 6. Also featured are Crafternoons every Tuesday and Wild Wednesday activities. A complete schedule of events is available at http://www.coatesvilleareapubliclibrary.org.
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