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The Summer Reading Challenge (for grown-ups!)
Every year we plan to read all the books and soak up all the sun, but something always gets in the way. This year? This is the year that we finally read. Now, we’re not trying to put you into any kind of shame spiral or anything — in fact, we have prizes to win that don’t have anything to do with how much you read. (Check out our Instagram post for more details.)
But sometimes the only thing standing between you and your goals of 14 books over the summer is inspiration — and that’s where we come in.
Each week this summer we’ll have a prompt to help you get on your way. Plus, we’ve provided you with four titles for every theme on the list — to either inspire you or save you from having to pick one yourself.
The only thing you need is a book, a spot to read and curiosity about a world beyond your own. (If you’re here, we know you have at least the curiosity.)
Please take a look, dip in, and make this a book summer.
Week 1 Adventure 5/26
The Wide Wide Sea: Imperial Ambition, First Contact and the Fateful Final Voyage of Captain James Cook
Hampton Sides
4.3
Hardcover
$35.00
This item is currently out of stock online.
This item is currently out of stock online.
This item is currently out of stock online.
This item is currently out of stock online.
Week 2. Backyard 6/2
This item is currently out of stock online.
This item is currently out of stock online.
This item is currently out of stock online.
This item is currently out of stock online.
Week 3. Hot Dogs – 6/9
This item is currently out of stock online.
This item is currently out of stock online.
Women Who Run with the Wolves: Myths and Stories of the Wild Woman Archetype
Clarissa Pinkola Estés Phd
Paperback
$24.00
This item is currently out of stock online.
This item is currently out of stock online.
Week 4. Hot & Humid – 6/16
This item is currently out of stock online.
This item is currently out of stock online.
This item is currently out of stock online.
Till Summer Do Us Part (Deluxe Edition) (B&N Exclusive Edition)
Meghan Quinn
4
BN Exclusive
$15.99
$18.99
This item is currently out of stock online.
Week 5. Shade – 6/23
This item is currently out of stock online.
The Splendid and the Vile: A Saga of Churchill, Family, and Defiance During the Blitz
Erik Larson
4.7
Paperback
$22.00
This item is currently out of stock online.
This item is currently out of stock online.
This item is currently out of stock online.
Week 6 Cool 6/30
This item is currently out of stock online.
This item is currently out of stock online.
This item is currently out of stock online.
This item is currently out of stock online.
Week 7 Shark Week 7/7
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Chasing Shadows: Unraveling the Mysteries of the Great White Shark
Greg Skomal, Ret Talbot
2
Paperback
$18.99
This item is currently out of stock online.
This item is currently out of stock online.
This item is currently out of stock online.
Week 8. Stars – 7/14
Hidden Figures: The American Dream and the Untold Story of the Black Women Mathematicians Who Helped Win the Space Race
Margot Lee Shetterly
4.9
Paperback
$19.99
This item is currently out of stock online.
This item is currently out of stock online.
This item is currently out of stock online.
This item is currently out of stock online.
Week 9. Ocean – 7/21
This item is currently out of stock online.
This item is currently out of stock online.
This item is currently out of stock online.
This item is currently out of stock online.
Week 10. Forests – 7/28
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This item is currently out of stock online.
This item is currently out of stock online.
This item is currently out of stock online.
Week 11. Campfire Stories- 8/3
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The Greatest Beer Run Ever: A Memoir of Friendship, Loyalty, and War
John "Chick" Donohue, J. T. Molloy
4.6
Paperback
$18.99
This item is currently out of stock online.
The Lost Tomb: And Other Real-Life Stories of Bones, Burials, and Murder
Douglas Preston
5
Paperback
$16.99
$19.99
This item is currently out of stock online.
This item is currently out of stock online.
Week 12 Wandering 8/11
Leave Only Footprints: My Acadia-to-Zion Journey Through Every National Park
Conor Knighton
4
Paperback
$19.00
This item is currently out of stock online.
This item is currently out of stock online.
This item is currently out of stock online.
This item is currently out of stock online.
Week 13. Puzzles – 8/18
Code Girls: The Untold Story of the American Women Code Breakers of World War II
Liza Mundy
4.7
Paperback
$21.99
This item is currently out of stock online.
This item is currently out of stock online.
The Art Thief: A True Story of Love, Crime, and a Dangerous Obsession
Michael Finkel
4.4
Paperback
$18.00
This item is currently out of stock online.
This item is currently out of stock online.
Week 14 School – 8/25
This item is currently out of stock online.
This item is currently out of stock online.
This item is currently out of stock online.
The Book: A Cover-to-Cover Exploration of the Most Powerful Object of Our Time
Keith Houston
5
Paperback
$23.00
$26.00
This item is currently out of stock online.
The fine print: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/h/terms-and-condition?m=5&y=2025&f=summer-reading-challenge-sweeps-rules