Adult Summer Reading

This year’s Summer Reading theme is Oceans of Possibilities!

Adult (18+) cardholders from Scotch Plains and Fanwood can join the fun through September 6.

Log Your Reads for a Chance to Win

Log your reads here!

Summer Reading Reviews

The reviews are in! Check here often to see what our readers have to say about their summer reads. For more ideas, see the reviews from summer 2021.

Find Your Next Great Read!

Visit our Reader Resources page to learn how you can find the perfect books for summertime — or anytime!

Programs

Register for these fun and informative programs — some on Zoom, some meeting outside (weather permitting): 

  • Balance Awareness: join us on Friday mornings for a different approach to exercise!
  • Bagels & Books: share your thoughts about what you’re reading with this informal group.
  • Raising Kelp: Farming the Ocean and Fighting Climate Change. Recording available on our YouTube page
  • Commodore Reigart B. Lowry: SP resident William McClintock shares his great-great-grandfather’s perspective on U.S. naval history.
  • Endurance22: The Search for Shackleton’s Lost Ice Ship
  • The Amazing Osprey: New Jersey’s Fish Hawk
  • Bagels & Books: share your thoughts about what you’re reading with this informal group.
  • Pirate Queens: The Lives of Anne Bonny and Mary Read
  • Night Sky Observation: with astrono-educator Bob Reichman
  • Trivia Night: with some categories related to our summer reading theme

Other Fun Stuff!

Our next Take & Make kit for adults includes a 3×3 canvas, paintbrush, and paint. Return your artwork by August 31 and we’ll display it during September in our Tiny Art Show! Stop by the Adult Services Desk while supplies last.

Watch and Learn with Kanopy

Kanopy offers several films that go with our summer reading theme, including:

  • Ship that Changed the World (2021) – A newly discovered 500-year-old wreck offers vital clues to the key innovation that made long-distance voyages practical.
  • Reef Rescue (2021) – Learn how scientists from around the globe are rushing to help corals adapt to a changing climate through assisted evolution.
  • Frontline: Plastic Wars (2020) – FRONTLINE and NPR investigate the fight over the future of plastics.
  • Octopus: Making Contact (2019) – Follow an Alaskan professor as he raises and studies an octopus in his home, making discoveries about its extraordinary intelligence, personality, and skills. (Who read Remarkably Bright Creatures?)