ROAR!

 

Summer is here! The warm weather, school's almost out, the smell of hot dogs on the grill...all the things that immediately bring summer to mind. Summer is actually a library's "busy season." 

All my teacher friends are putting their feet up and finally relaxing and reading for fun, and we're here, picking up where they left off. Summer Reading is many things to many people. For some kids and parents, it's a way to stave off the Summer Slide. For some kids, it's a competition with themselves to read as much as they can. For adults, it's a fun way to find new things to read. Everyone gets a chance to win prizes or vouchers to our used book sale. Our staff has its own summer reading challenge...look out for our weekly t-shirt themes!

This year, the official theme is Unearth a Story. As you can see, it's very dinosaur-forward. I envy Miss Sandy's job because nothing is more fun than a child's obsession with dinosaurs. My version of the theme will really lean on local history. Keep an eye out for a program from The Jaybird Foundation about unearthing history while rehabbing a historic place, right in our backyard! LPCL's Summer Reading program runs from June 15th to August 7th.

As I mentioned in last month's post, I love Dinosaurs. The biggest letdown of adulthood is that no one ever wants to talk about dinosaurs. This is my chance; This is my shot to shoot. I love the Stegosaurus, and here are some of my favorite dinosaur books! If you decide to read any of these titles, please let me know what you think.

First of all, I would be remiss if I didn't mention what started my dinosaur obsession: The 1992 PBS miniseries The Dinosaurs. This series had my brother and me in a chokehold. We probably wore through that bootleg VHS tape... But back to the books:

The Monster's Bones by David K Randall is about the Museum Wars and the man who unearthed the first complete T. rex skeleton. Written like a novel, it's a captivating story of love, loss, rivalry, and dinosaurs!

Dinner with King Tut by Sam Kean isn't focused on dinosaurs per se, but focuses on the unconventional study of Experimental Archaeology. This book mixes nonfiction sections with imaginative sections of what might have happened in ancient times and how scientists are trying to put the pieces together, not with bones, but weapons, building materials, and more.

Dinosaurs at the Dinner Party by Edward Dolnick is a delightful book about how Victorians went so hard for their interests and hobbies...and how a woman actually discovered the first dinosaur fossils and never got proper credit. Did you know our Founding Fathers didn't know dinosaurs existed? Fossils found in their time were thought to be mythical or biblical monsters. Wild.

The Rise and Fall of the Dinosaurs by Steve Brusatte is probably the book I'd recommend if I were on a delegation to introduce Aliens to dinosaurs. It covers all the prehistoric periods and their respective dinosaurs. The author also discusses his travels around the world researching dinosaurs and the geology related to extinctions. This book will challenge our assumptions about dinosaurs and what we've been taught all these years. 

What the Dinosaurs Did Last Night by Refe and Susan Tuma is a whimsical picture book that even adults can enjoy. This book lives on my coffee table at home and inspired me to buy plastic dinosaurs to annoy my family during the pandemic. Nothing makes me smile like posing toys and making a mess. This is a great book to lift your mood or inspire a little Dino-themed mischief.

As you can see, I've *been* ready for a summer reading theme like this. I hope these books will give you a child-like wonder and help you discover something new. I am a firm believer that you're never too old for dinosaurs and you're certainly never too old for Summer Reading!

Surprisingly, I am NOT currently reading about dinosaurs right now. I just finished probably the strangest memoir I've ever read. Priestdaddy by Patricia Lockwood is unique, to say the least. I didn't hate it, but I also questioned my taste in books a few times. 

I'm now currently enjoying my first ILL (Inter Library Loan. This book is from Pittsburgh!) of the year: The Cheese Monger's History of the British Isles by Ned Palmer. I love cheese, and I love reading about cheese. Each chapter is a different time period and a different variety of cheese. Palmer tells us the history and the current-day life of cheesemakers. Some of my favorite cheeses are mentioned, as well as a few I've never heard of. I'm making a list of new-to-me cheeses to snag the next time I'm at the cheese shop!

As always, I'll see you at the library!