Summer Reading Last Chances

I am getting a lot of requests from friends and family who want to squeeze in a few more books before the end of summer. These people have reading preferences all over the map, sort of like your patrons. I know people are coming into you libraries with the similar requests as well. The calendar will turn over to August tomorrow, remember. Kids are starting to go back to school. End of summer is on everyone's minds.

So here are a few books I have had great success handing out this summer to a wide range of readers as well as a few lists for you to peruse. My advice, take all of this information, and any other summer reads lists you have encountered, saved, or even used already, and make a "Last Gasps of Summer" display.

• Specific books I have suggested to a few people this summer that they have enjoyed include: Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin, Blacktop Wasteland and Razorblade Tears by S.A. Cosby (while they wait for All the Sinners Bleed, A House at the Bottom of the Lake by Josh Malerman,  Children of Chicago by Cynthia Pelayo, and The Murderbot Diaries series by Martha Wells (yes, I found someone who hadn't read them).
• The PW Summer Reads 2023 list with its easy backlist access to past years is a wonderful resources all year long. I wrote about why that is and how to best use it back in March.
• 2 lists from NPR Books. First, the NPR staffers shared their all time favorite Summer Reads. And the Code Switch podcast has summer reading picks as well. Speaking of NPR Books, you can use this link to see all of their "Summer Books" posts.
• Crime Rads had this great list of Mysteries set at lakes. Also, this list of Nine Gothic HOrror Novels I want to Spend My Summer Reading.
• Speaking of Gothic Horror, Summer Scares has options for all ages and in our Programming Guides there are 4 readalikes for every titles. You can access this year's info here and the previous years' here.
• I really like this list from LitHub: 50 of the Greatest Summer Novels of All Time. This one would make a good interactive display online or at the library since you could ask others to add their favs to the list. You can also check out all of LitHub's catalog of summer reading posts here.
• Finally, don't forget to use my tag, "Summer Reading," for more, including backlist gems.