Thurber House Staff Summer Reading Picks

It’s a welcomed side-effect of working at Thurber House that all of us here spend a lot of time reading – and thinking about – good books, especially in the summer, when we all need to unwind and relax after a day in the office.

Yesterday, we posted hundreds of choices for summer reading in lists from across the web. Today, we’re switching gears and making our own list. Each member of the Thurber House  team was asked to submit one suggestion – the absolute top of their summer reading list. Without further adieu, here’s the Thurber House Staff Summer Reading List.

The book: The Hunger Games, Suzanne Collins
The staffer: Meg Brown, Children’s Programming
Meg says: “Just one?! Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins! Our campers and Young Docents have been raving about it for years and I haven’t read it yet. It’s the top of my to-read list at the moment. “

The book: The Passage, Justin Cronin
The staffer: Pat Shannon, Director of Education
Pat says: “I am most looking forward to finishing The Passage by Justin Cronin.  I just

have short snips of time to read and it has been slow going for me but I am determined.”

The book: The Land of Painted Caves, Jean Auel
The staffer: Anne Touvell, Deputy Executive Director
Anne says: “I’m looking forward to reading Jean Auel’s, The Land of Painted Caves. It’s the 6th in the Earth’s Children series, I’ve read them all – each is hundreds and hundreds and hundreds of pages and she puts new books out so infrequently…. I need closure. I must finish Ayla’s journey!”

The book: The Parisians: An Adventure History of Paris, Graham Robb
The staffer: Susanne Jaffe, Executive Director
Susanne says: “The first is: The Parisians: An Adventure History of Paris by Graham Robb, a non-fiction look at this remarkable city from the perspectives of a variety of different people.”

What’s at the top of your summer list?

Summer Reading Suggestions

Oh, summer. Who doesn’t enjoy some quality reading on the beach, at the park, at the coffee shop or poolside? And, this summer, there’s an abundance of “can’t miss” books. To help you create your own summer reading list, we’ve collected some suggestions from across the web. From classic to debut authors, romantic love stories to suspenseful mysteries, lighthearted fiction to educational business books, there’s something for everyone to read in these lists:

O, the Oprah Magazine’s Summer Reading List: Always an excellent resource for reading suggestions, this year’s O summer reading list is jam-packed with 14 titles, including a number of brand new authors as well as some “hidden-gem” classics.

NPR’s 2011 Summer Reading List: Thus far, NPR has collected summer reading suggestions from eight book critics, and they’ll continue adding lists throughout the summer. Selections include indie bestsellers, Sci-Fi and fantasy, cookbooks, suspense and more.

TIME Magazine Staff Reads: TIME Magazine asked some of their most popular staff writers what books they like to read when they’re reading for fun. The result? Fifteen titles you’re unlikely to find in any other list.

Barnes & Noble Summer Fun Section: Barnes & Noble offers almost 60 titles for this summer’s suggested reading: bestsellers, recent installments in popular series, high-profile authors and new-to-the-scene novelists.

Reader’s Digest Unforgettable Beach Reads: From the hundreds of books they review each month, the editors of Reader’s Digest Select Editions have compiled this list of 10 summer-reading titles. It’s an especially great list if you’re looking to stray from the typical big-name authors listed elsewhere.

New York Times Summer Book List: The weekly New York Times “Books Update” recently featured a round-up of must-read titles this summer. Lists include fiction, gardening, cookbooks, music, Hollywood memoirs, travel and sports.

Business Books for Summer: These two lists, from socialmedia.biz and Bloomberg Business Week, include a number of titles related to social media, economics, finance and Wall Street. They’re a nice change of pace from the light-hearted fiction lists above.

Stay tuned for our staff list coming soon!