Books

In an age where we are so preoccupied with social media and the internet, it’s common to hear someone say that they don’t like to read; but reading used to be a daily ritual for those who wanted the gain knowledge, improve their memory, and broaden their vocabulary. With multiple forms of communication and information available at our fingertips, it’s important not to lose touch with the practice of daily reading. While some people are often too busy to read, some don’t care to read at all.

Summertime is classically known as the season where one can finally catch up on reading, whether you are swinging in a hammock in your backyard, tanning by the pool, or lounging on the beach. Thousands of new novels are being released this June, July, and August that vary in genres, promising all readers that there will be something that sparks your interest.

The day has come once again where your spending urges must be fulfilled because the deals are too good to pass up: Amazon Prime Day. The genius marketing of the Amazon team has already released a number of products set to go on super-sale starting July 12th, with some deals beginning in a few days on June 21st.

Juneteenth is celebrated on June 19th, in remembrance of the day that all enslaved people in America were ensured freedom. Federal troops arrived in Galveston, Texas on June 19th, 1865, a full two years after the signing of the Emancipation Proclamation, to take control of the state. Today it honors the end of slavery, and on June 17th, 2021 it became an official federal holiday. Below are books for both children and adults to learn more about the longest running African American holiday.

There is very little Argentine literature that is just for fun. I can count with the fingers on one hand the instances I’ve read Argentine fiction, and it was completely devoid of political commentary.

Many view the beloved Anthony Bourdain as someone whose career was built around cooking and cuisine, as he was most famous for his popular food and travel shows. More dedicated fans may also know of his book Kitchen Confidential, which launched his career. It is no secret that Bourdain was a writer, but Laurie Woolever’s book Bourdain The Definitive Oral Biography offers a different perspective on Bourdain’s legacy, a writer who became a chef rather than the other way around.

Young adult romance, LGBTQ+ stories, family conventions, childhood friends becoming lovers, old friends falling out, and time travel are all included in this cute and fluffy summer read list. Some of these stories are more mature, dealing with professional failure and growing old. Others are more carefree and adolescent, with stories about finding your passion and rebelling against traditional cultural norms. However, they are all stories about finding yourself and discovering love in the summer.

A book slump is when you can’t for the life of you pick up a book. You want to read, but when you try to, you just put the book down within the first 30 minutes. I hate being in a book slump, but I discovered that the best way to get out of it is by picking up an easy, fun, interesting read.

If you love reading, you’ve probably experienced the ‘post-book blues.’ When you fully immerse yourself in the imagination and adventure of a book, it can be really sad, even kind of depressing, when the book is over. When one parts with a story’s characters, who have somewhat become a part of the reader through the reading experience, sometimes picking up another book doesn’t seem right.

Nothing is better than fully immersing yourself in a good book. For all my binge-readers out there, this is for you. Here are seven fantastic, binge-worthy series that will make you want to read all day, for the next week straight. Trust me, I’ve been there with these books! If you’ve never binge-read before, now is the perfect time to start!

If there is anything that has evoked from the pandemic, it is the rise and acknowledgement of mental health. Bessel van der Kolk’s The Body Keeps the Score shares experiences and thoughts on overcoming a traumatic experience and techniques that are used to recover from those scars. Everyone has had at least one traumatic experience, but they either have little impact or large impact.

The five titles that are on the Rapid City Area School Board of Education’s school district surplus list as books “to be destroyed” are the following: 185 copies of “How Beautiful We Were: A Novel” by Imbolo Mbue, 35 copies of “Fun Home: A Family Tragicomic” by Alison Bechdel, 75 copies of “The Perks of Being a Wallflower” by Stephen Chbosky, 30 copies of “Girl, Woman, Other: A Novel” by Bernardine Evaristo, and 30 copies of “The Circle” by Dave Eggers. Two of these five titles have been challenged as being inappropriate in other school districts across the country.