June is Pride Month and Rainbow Book Month™

Pride month is a celebration of the LGBTQ+ community that takes place in June of each year. It originated from the Stonewall riots in New York City in 1969, when LGBTQ+ activists, many of them people of color, stood up against police raids and harassment of the LGBTQ+ community.

The following year, the first Pride march was held in New York City on the anniversary of the Stonewall riots, and it was followed by similar events in other cities across the US. In 1980, President Jimmy Carter declared the first National Gay and Lesbian Pride Month in June of that year. Since then, June has been recognized as Pride month in the US, and LGBTQ+ communities around the world hold events and celebrations during this time to promote acceptance, equality, and visibility.

The American Library Association designates June as Rainbow Book Month,™ a nationwide celebration of the authors and writings that reflect the lives and experiences of the LGBTQ+ community.

As LGBTQ+ rights are continually under attack nationally and globally, we invite you to browse these stories by and about LGBTQ+ lives as we stand in solidarity and celebration with the LGBTQ+ community this June.

Fiction

Young Mungo by Douglas Stewart (Booker Prize-winning author)

The Guncle by Steven Rowley

The Seven Moons of Maali Almeida by Shehan Karunatilaka (Winner of the Booker Prize, 2022.)

Lawn Boy by Jonathan Evison (Alex Award, 2019)

Love After the End: An Anthology of Two-Spirit and Indigiqueer Speculative Fiction edited by Joshua Whitehead (eBook on Libby)

Nonfiction and Memoir

How We Fight for Our Lives: A Memoir by Saeed Jones

We Have Always Been Here: A Queer Muslim Memoir by Samra Habib (Audiobook on Libby)

Let The Record Show: A Political History of Act Up New York 1987-1993 by Sarah Schulman (eAudiobook on Libby. Also available in libraries.)

Sorted: Growing Up, Coming Out, and Finding my Place by Jackson Bird (Audiobook on Libby)

The Natural Mother of the Child: A Memoir of Nonbinary Parenthood by Krys Malcolm Belc

LGBTQ+ youth have been disproportionately affected by an increase in book bannings and healthcare restrictions. Let these books and more be resources for teens who are looking for a place in this world to be loved and accepted for who they are.

Fiction and Memoir

Last Night at the Telegraph Club by Malinda Lo (Winner of multiple awards. eBook on Libby. Also available as eAudiobook and in libraries)

Felix Ever After by Kacen Callender (Stonewall honor book. eBook on Libby. Also available in libraries)

The Black Flamingo by Dean Atta (Stonewall Award winner. eBook on Libby. Also available as eAudiobook and in libraries)

Cemetery Boys by Aiden Thomas (eAudiobook on Libby. Also available in libraries)

All Boys Aren’t Blue: A Memoir-Manifesto by George M. Johnson

Nonfiction

The Pride Guide: A Guide to Sexual and Social Health for LGBTQ Youth by Jo Langford (eBook on Libby. Also available in libraries)

Queer: The Ultimate LGBTQ Guide for Teens by Kathy Belge (eBook on Libby. Also available in libraries)

Pride: An Inspirational History of the LGBTQ+ Movement by Stella Caldwell

Beyond Magenta: Transgender Teens Speak Out by Susan Kuklin (Stonewall honor book. eBook on Libby. Also available at libraries in print and audio)

The Abc’s of LGBT+ by Ashley Mardell (eBook on Libby. Also available in libraries)

May is Asian/Pacific American Heritage Month – a celebration of Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders (AAPI) in the United States. This is a month dedicated to honoring and uplifting AAPI individuals and their cultures. No matter what you prefer to read, there’s an AAPI author out there who has written something you’re sure to connect with.

Here are some ideas from our collection. You may also be interested in the images and exhibitions available through the Library of Congress website at asianpacificheritage.gov

The Book of Form and Emptiness by Ruth Ozeki (Fiction)

Severance by Ling Ma (Fiction)

Bestiary by K-Ming Chang (Fiction)

The Color of Air by Gail Tsukiyama (Fiction)

Homeland Elegies by Ayad Akhtar (Fiction)

On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous by Ocean Vuong (Fiction)

Interior Chinatown by Charles Yu (Fiction)

Gold Diggers by Sanjena Sathian (Fiction)

When the Tiger Came Down the Mountain by Nghi Vo (Fiction)

If I Had Your Face by Frances Cha (Fiction)

Babel by R.F. Kuang (Fiction)

Rise: A Pop History of Asian America from the Nineties to Now by Jeff Yang, Phil Yu, and Philip Wang (Nonfiction)

Beautiful Country by Qian Julie Wang (Memoir)

What My Bones Know by Stephanie Foo (Memoir)

Know My Name by Chanel Miller (Memoir)

Trick Mirror by Jia Tolentino (Essays)

Here are some Young Adult (YA) suggestions from our collection! Many are award winners and hold a place on “Best Of” Lists.

The Best We Could Do by Thi Bui

Displacement by Kiku Hughes

A Map to the Sun by Sloane Leong

Luck of the Titanic by Stacey Lee

Ink and Ashes by Valynne E. Maetani

Legend by Marie Lu

The Bone Witch by Rin Chupeco

Flame in the Mist by Renée Ahdieh

An Ember in the Ashes by Sabaa Tahir

March 31 is International Transgender Day of Visibility. #tdov

Trans Day of Visibility is set aside to celebrate the accomplishments of trans and non-binary people and raise awareness of the discrimination that people face.

Trans and non-binary people are a part of our local community. According to a Pew Research Center survey, 42% of adults in the United States personally know someone who is transgender or goes by gender-neutral pronouns.

Libraries serve every member of the community. The American Library Association (ALA) encourages libraries to create safe environments for gender diverse, transgender, and intersex library users, stating that, “Discrimination based on gender identity or expression is damaging to the health of children, families, and society. Libraries must actively affirm and support the safety and rights of transgender people.”

If you’d like to learn more, consider one of these books at the library or on Libby.

Memoirs

The natural mother of the child : a memoir of nonbinary parenthood by Krys Malcolm Belc

All boys aren’t blue : a memoir-manifesto by George M. Johnson.

Sorted : Growing up, Coming Out, and Finding My Place (a Transgender Memoir) by Jackson Bird (eBook)

Fiction by Trans and Non-binary Authors

The Thirty Names of Night : a novel by Zeyn Joukhadar

The Echo Wife by Sarah Gailey

Lost in the Never Woods by Aiden Thomas

Queen of the Conquered by Kacen Callender

Confessions of the Fox : a novel by Jordy Rosenberg. (also available as eBook)

Hell Followed with Us by Andrew Joseph White. (eBook)

Between Perfect and Real by Ray Stoeve. (eBook)

In Deeper Waters by F.T Lukens. (eBook)

Titles of Interest

Diary of a misfit : a memoir and a mystery by Casey Parks (New)

Unbound : Transgender Men and the Remaking of Identity by Arlene Stein (eBook)

The Pride Guide: A Guide to Sexual and Social Health for LGBTQ Youth by Jo Langford (eBook)

March is National Nutrition Month. It’s a great time to try a new healthy recipe! The library has a large selection of cookbooks for a variety of dietary needs and food preferences. Here are a few of our newest and most popular.

Not every recipes is healthy, though. You can learn more about National Nutrition Month and browse a selection of healthy, balanced recipes at eatright.org. For additional information, check out the National Institutes of Health’s Physical Wellness Toolkit at nih.gov

Newest Cookbooks at the library

What would Jesus eat cookbook by Don Colbert, MD.

The brain health kitchen : preventing Alzheimer’s through food with 100 recipes by Annie Fenn, MD.

The vegan week : meal prep recipes to feed your future self by Gena Hamshaw

Downshiftology healthy meal prep : 100+ make-ahead recipes and quick-assembly meals by Lisa Bryan

Our Most Popular Cookbooks of the past 5 Years

Magnolia table : a collection of recipes for gathering by Joanna Gaines with Marah Stets

The whole30 fast & easy : 150 simply delicious everyday recipes for your whole30 / Melissa Hartwig

The Whole Smiths good food cookbook : delicious real food recipes to cook all year long by Michelle Smith

The pioneer woman cooks : the new frontier : 112 fantastic favorites for everyday eating by Ree Drummond

Our Most Popular Cookbooks of All Time

The Tasha Tudor cookbook : recipes and reminiscences from Corgi Cottage written and illustrated by Tasha Tudor with Carol Johnston Lueck

Barefoot Contessa at home : everyday recipes you’ll make over and over again by Ina Garten

Betty Groff’s Pennsylvania Dutch cookbook with illustrations by Heather Saunders.

The pioneer woman cooks : food from my frontier / Ree Drummond

Whether you love to read romance or you’re just dipping your toes into the genre, consider one of these award-winning romance novels or one of our newest titles for Valentine’s Day.

A Marvellous Light by Freya Marske — Romantic Novelists’ Association Awards: The Fantasy Romantic Novel Award Winner. (Listen to the audiobook on Libby)

So many awards! If you’re looking for an award-winning book to enjoy during Winter reading, here’s a partial list of books that won awards this year. Each of the following books was written for adults and won an award in 2022.

Many of these titles can be used to check other boxes on your card too! There are science fiction award-winners, westerns, books written by women and BIPOC authors, and even some non-fiction for your winter reading bingo. All are available at Adamstown Area Library.

The rabbit hutch / Tess Gunty — National Book Award 2022

Trust / Hernan Diaz — Kirkus Prize 2022

The book of form and emptiness / Ruth Ozeki — Women’s Prize for Fiction 2022

The other black girl : a novel / Zakiya Dalila Harris — American Book Award 2022

Covered with night : a story of murder and Indigenous justice in early America / Nicole Eustace — Pulitzer Prize 2022: History

Invisible child : poverty, survival & hope in an American city / Andrea Elliott — Pulitzer Prize 2022: General Nonfiction

A desolation called peace / Arkady Martine — Hugo Award for Best Novel 2022. Locus Award: SF Novel 2022

A master of djinn / P. Djèlí Clark — Nebula Award for Best Novel of 2021. Locus Award: Best First Novel 2022. Compton Crook Award 2022.

Bonus Title: My heart is a chainsaw/ Stephen Graham Jones — Shirley Jackson Winner 2022. Bram Stoker Award 2022. Locus Award: Horror Novel 2022

Razorblade tears / S.A. Cosby — Macavity Awards: Best Mystery Novel 2022. Barry Awards: Best Mystery/Crime Novel 2022. Hammett Award 2021.

Arsenic and adobo / Mia P. Manansala — Macavity Awards: Best First Mystery Novel 2022

The removed : a novel / Brandon Hobson — Western Heritage Awards (Wrangler Award): Novel 2022

Dark sky : a Joe Pickett novel / C.J. Box — Spur Awards: Best Western Novel 2022

The Orchard House / Heidi Chiavaroli — Carol Award Winner 2022 (historical)

A piece of the moon / Chris Fabry — Carol Award Winner 2022 (contemporary)

The prince of spies / Elizabeth Camden — Carol Award Winner 2022 (historical romance)

All that really matters / Nicole Deese — Carol Award Winner 2022 (romance)

How to Play Winter Reading Bingo

Print a BINGO Card

Looking for something to read? We can help!

Here are some short novels for a quick weekend read – to help you fill those squares in Winter Reading Bingo!

Short Classics:

Of mice and men by John Steinbeck – 186 pages, award-winner, banned or challenged

The great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald – 172 pages, banned or challenged

The great divorce by C.S. Lewis – 125 pages

Their eyes were watching God by Zora Neale Hurston – 219 pages, banned or challenged, written by a woman, BIPOC author

Even Shorter: Classic Novellas

A Christmas carol : in prose being a ghost story of Christmas by Charles Dickens – 85 pages

The little prince by Antoine de Saint Exupéry – 96 pages

The strange case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson – 97 pages

Animal farm by George Orwell – 113 pages, banned or challenged

Recent short fiction:

Stella Maris by Cormac McCarthy – 189 pages, 2022

Of women and salt by Gabriela Garcia – 207 pages, 2021, written by a woman, BIPOC author, award-winner

The cat who saved books by Sosuke Natsukawa – 198 pages, 2021, set in another country

The silence by Don DeLillo – 117 pages, 2021

How to Play Winter Reading Bingo

Print a BINGO Card

Looking for something to read? We can help!

If you’re participating in Winter Reading Bingo, here are some titles to help you fill those squares. The library also offers a resource called Books and Authors that can help you find your next book.

“Read a book that takes place in Pennsylvania”

Here are a few of the top picks from Goodreads:

The lovely bones by Alice Sebold

The Dutch house by Ann Patchett

Life as we knew it by Susan Beth Pfeffer

Long bright river by Liz Moore

“Read a book set in another country”

Here are four that you find at the top of many lists:

One hundred years of solitude by Gabriel García Márquez

The book thief by Markus Zusak

A thousand splendid suns by Khaled Hosseini

Life of Pi by Yann Martel

And here are some recent titles for armchair travel and dreams of warmer days:

One Italian summer by Rebecca Serle

Wish you were here by Jodi Picoult

The Paris apartment by Lucy Foley

Reckless girls by Rachel Hawkins

How to Play Winter Reading Bingo

Print a BINGO Card

Why learn about mental health?

1. Your mental health affects your physical health, too.

2. It’s related to your emotional well-being and stress levels.

3. Mental health plays a crucial role in relationships!

4. It is connected to productivity and financial stability.

5. Awareness of mental health can help in curbing suicide rates and helps end the stigma.

Why should you read self-help books?

1. They can help you interpret yourself and the world more positively.
2. You’re inspired to make better choices and take positive actions more often.
3. You don’t improve your mind; you expand it.
4. Limitations can be embraced and become sources of strength instead of weakness.
5. They can assist you in creating personal projects that rocket your growth.

 Click on the title to request the item.

ADULT NONFICTION

The More or Less Definitive Guide to Self-Care – Anna Borges

Triggered : A Memoir of Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder – Fletcher Wortmann

Battlefield of the Mind : Winning the Battle in Your Mind – Joyce Meyer

The Comfort Crisis : Embrace Discomfort to Reclaim Your Wild, Happy, Healthy Self – Michael Easter

12 Tiny Things : Simple Ways to Live a More Intentional Life – Heidi Barr & Ellie Roscher

Love People, Use Things : Because the Opposite Never Works – Joshua Fields Millburn & Ryan Nicodemus

Satisfied : Finding Hope, Joy, and Contentment Right Where You Are – Alyssa Joy Bethke

What Happened to You? : Conversations on Trauma, Resilience, and Healing – Bruce D. Perry

Goodbye, Again : Essays, Reflections, and Illustrations – Jonny Sun

Cleaning Up Your Mental Mess : 5 Simple, Scientifically Proven Steps to Reduce Anxiety, Stress, and Toxic Thinking – Caroline Leaf

The Body Keeps the Score : Brain, Mind, and Body in the Healing of Trauma – Bessel A. van der Kolk

Welcome to the United States of Anxiety : Observations from a Reforming Neurotic – Jen Lancaster

ADULT FICTION

Freshwater – Akwaeke Emezi

Pulse – Felix Francis

Saving CeeCee Honeycutt – Beth Hoffman

After You – Jojo Moyes

YOUNG ADULT NONFICTION

Depression : A Teen’s Guide to Survive and Thrive – Jacqueline B. Toner & Claire A. B. Freeland

The Anger Workbook for Teens : Activities to Help You Deal with Anger and Frustration – Raychelle Cassada Lohmann

The Confidence Code for Girls : Taking Risks, Messing Up, and Becoming Your Amazingly Imperfect, Totally Powerful Self – Katty Kay & Claire Shipman

Your Brain Needs A Hug : Life, Love, Mental Health, and Sandwiches – Rae Earl

Behind Happy Faces : Taking Charge of Your Mental Health – Ross Szabo & Melanie Hall

YOUNG ADULT FICTION

Lock and Key – Sarah Dessen

After the Wreck, I Picked Myself Up, Spread my Wings, and Flew Away – Joyce Carol Oates

JUNIOR NONFICTION

What to Do When You Worry Too Much : A Kid’s Guide to Overcoming Anxiety – Dawn Huebner

Right Now, I am Fine – Dr. Daniela Owen

Attention, Girls! : A Guide to Learn All About Your AD/HD – Patricia O. Quinn

Right Now, I am Brave – Dr. Daniela Owen

JUNIOR FICTION

Middle School, the Worst Years of My Life – Chris Tebbetts & James Patterson

Half a World Away – Cynthia Kadohata

CHILDREN’S FICTION

The Boy Who Build a Wall Around Himself – Ali Redford

A Terrible Thing Happened – Margaret M. Holmes

DVD

Thanks for Sharing

Love Happens

Yes Man

Rain Man

My Sister’s Keeper

Why read graphic novels?

These books improve literacy skills and encourage kids to dive into books for fun — the perfect recipe for a love of reading. Graphic novels will improve your child’s reading skills like any other book would, and they are fantastic choices for reading outside of class.

1. Graphic novels are full of text. Sure, they have drawings, illustrations, and sometimes photos, but they also have text that readers must actually decode, analyze, and comprehend. With graphic novels, kids still must follow plots and character development. They must understand cause and effect, and they must learn about perspective. All of these things will improve their reading comprehension.
2. Graphic novels are engaging. Often, especially for reluctant readers, graphic novels add the extra support kids need to help them through a text. They tend to be particularly captivating for kids, and the combination of text and pictures provides context for stories that they may otherwise not completely understand.
3. Graphic novels are high-quality reading material. Just like traditional novels, graphic novels have exciting and complex plots, characters, and conflicts. The plots have twists and turns. Characters are developed and dynamic. Conflicts are presented, unwound, and resolved like they are in other texts. The only difference is that graphic novels have more images to support the development.

 Click on the image to request the item.

JUNIOR NONFICTION

Donner Dinner Party – Nathan Hale

Medieval Knights : Europe’s Fearsome Armored Soldiers – Blake Hoena

A Chemical Nightmare : Bald Eagle Comeback – Tim Cooke

JUNIOR FICTION

Ape and Armadillo Take Over the World – James Sturm

Claudia and Mean Janine – Raina Telgemeier

A Wrinkle in Time – Madeleine L’Engle

ADULT NONFICTION

The Best We Could Do : An Illustrated Memoir – Thi Bui

Solutions and Other Problems – Allie Brosh

Can’t We Talk About Something More Pleasant? – Roz Chast

ADULT FICTION

The Black Diamond Detective Agency : Containing Mayhem, Mystery, Romance, Mine Shafts, Bullets – Eddie Campbell

I Love You More Than My Phone – Dante Fabiero

Quiet Girl in a Noisy World : An Introvert’s Story – Debbie Tung

YOUNG ADULT NONFICTION

Band Nerds Awards : Nominations from the 13^th Chair Trombone Player – DJ Corchin

Invisible Differences : A Story of Asperger’s, Adulting, and Living a Life in Full Color – Julie Dachez

Dancing at the Pity Party : A Dead Mom Graphic Memoir – Tyler Feder

YOUNG ADULT FICTION

This One Summer – Mariko Tamaki & Jillian Tamaki

Eight-Lane Runways – Henry McCausland

A Map to the Sun – Sloane Leong