BINGO Summer Reading Challenge results
Thanks to everyone who participated in the Summer Reading Bingo challenge this year! If you are looking for something new to try this Fall, check out what your neighbors suggest:
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How the Irish Saved Civilization, by Thomas Cahill: “This book is an excellent scholarly history book that is told in a clear fun style. Great Irish biographies and stories form the background of Ireland’s role in saving the literary legacy of the classical world.” |
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Let Me Call You Sweetheart, by Mary Higgins Clark: “A young woman who is a prosecuting attorney and who has a young daughter finds information that a man convicted for murder may be innocent. As she pursues different avenues her daughter is threatened with possible harm. Many twists and turns to the plot. Not til about 10-12 pages to the end of the book do you finally figure out what’s going on.” |
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Meditation for Fidgety Skeptics, by Dan Harris: “This book is a follow-up to his book 10% Happier. It’s a humorous but practical guide to meditation for those of us who want to meditate but just haven’t made the commitment for some reason. It offers common-sense guidance which inspired me to try again.” |
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A Psalm for Lost Girls, by K. Bayerd: “So good – I couldn’t put it down! Well-drawn characters and teenagers that act like teenagers not like adults in teen clothing. Heavy subjects – grief, death, religion, identity – are handled both realistically and with sensitivity. I will miss the universe of this book.” |
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The House on Mango Street, by Sandra Cisneros: “This book has become one of my all-time favorites. Cisneros used short literary vignettes, or snapshots, of Esperanza’s inner thoughts to build her coming of age story following a young Latina growing up in Chicago. Published in 1984, this book is still a must-read. With fluid and poetic writing, this is a quick read with a lot of depth.” |
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Louise Penny’s Inspector Gamache mysteries: “I love all Louise Penny books – they are all good, Glass Houses was a particular favorite however I would recommend reading them in order. It isn’t absolutely necessary but helps in understanding the development of the characters. Her detective Armand Gamache has become a favorite along with the other recurring (and somewhat eccentric) characters of Three Pines. L. P. is a remarkable writer – hard to put her books down prior to finish.” |
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The Bridge, by Peter Tomasi: Very interesting. “I had no idea how hard it was to build the Brooklyn Bridge in NYC. The trials and all the engineering. But the politics were another dimension. Recommended to my son to read.” |
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The Speed of Dark, by Elizabeth Moon: “A well-respected sci-fi writer who initially entered the field by co-writing two books with Anne McCaffrey. Though this book takes place sometime (not specified) in the future, it’s about an autistic male who works for a large company that employs a group of people with autism that can make incredibly fast calculations. Should our hero have an operation that will correct his autism or will the operation essentially impair his brilliance? Moon has an autistic son herself so she knows what she is talking about though the book is fiction.” |
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A Column of Fire, by Ken Follett: “This book is historical fiction starting in England in the 16th century and branching out to other locations in the world. The world is torn by religious conflict. Exploring the conflicts and historical characters of the time through the fictional characters in the story helps to provide better understanding of the period.” |
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The Great Alone, by Kristin Hannah: “This is a great story of courage and resilience set in the Alaskan wilderness. All of the characters face hardships that can only be overcome by working together.” |
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The Outsider by Stephen King: “What starts out as a murder to be solved turns into a book about people in two places at once. Actually the murderer is a shape-shifter – includes Holly from Mr. Mercedes.” |
Other books read during the challenge:
Read a Book from a genre you don’t like:
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Read a short story collection:
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Read a book published the year you were born:
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Read a Staff Pick:
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Read a Graphic Novel:
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Read a book that’s also a movie:
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Other answers from readers:
Tell us about an item the library should lend:
| Science equipment for kids
Nintendo Switch Novelty cake pans GPS preloaded with local hiking trails Halloween costumes Toys Art work |
Graphic novel binge box
Cameras Summer lawn games Basic home repair toolbox Crafting materials Self paced programming courses (some are available here) |
Suggest a program the library should offer:
| More reading challenges
Escape room for kids Photography Class Better learning garden at MacKay Trips for seniors Bilingual storytime Gaming club Magic 101 |
Adulting classes
How to Sew Quilting group (Crafty people should also check out our newest book group, Knit-Lit!) Walking tour of Chelmsford History (check out the walking tour created by the Chelmsford Historical Society and Girl Scout Troop 63112 here!) Cooking classes |