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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
4.7
Hardcover
$35.00
Ships in 1-2 days.
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Week 2. Backyard 6/2
Ships in 1-2 days.
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Week 3. Hot Dogs – 6/9
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Women Who Run with the Wolves: Myths and Stories of the Wild Woman Archetype
Clarissa Pinkola Estés Phd
Paperback
$24.00
Ships in 1-2 days.
Ships in 1-2 days.
Week 4. Hot & Humid – 6/16
Ships in 1-2 days.
Ships in 1-2 days.
Ships in 1-2 days.
Till Summer Do Us Part (Deluxe Edition) (B&N Exclusive Edition)
Meghan Quinn
4.5
BN Exclusive
$14.24
$18.99
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Week 5. Shade – 6/23
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The Splendid and the Vile: A Saga of Churchill, Family, and Defiance During the Blitz
Erik Larson
4.8
Paperback
$22.00
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Week 6 Cool 6/30
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Week 7 Shark Week 7/7
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Chasing Shadows: Unraveling the Mysteries of the Great White Shark
Greg Skomal, Ret Talbot
3
Paperback
$18.99
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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
5
Paperback
$19.99
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Ships in 1-2 days.
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Week 9. Ocean – 7/21
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Week 10. Forests – 7/28
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The Secret History of Bigfoot: Field Notes on a North American Monster
John O'Connor
2.5
Paperback
$17.99
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Ships in 1-2 days.
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
4.5
Paperback
$18.99
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The Lost Tomb: And Other Real-Life Stories of Bones, Burials, and Murder
Douglas Preston
4.5
Paperback
$16.99
$19.99
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Ships in 1-2 days.
Week 12 Wandering 8/11
Leave Only Footprints: My Acadia-to-Zion Journey Through Every National Park
Conor Knighton
3.8
Paperback
$19.00
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Week 13. Puzzles – 8/18
Code Girls: The Untold Story of the American Women Code Breakers of World War II
Liza Mundy
Paperback
$21.99
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Ships in 1-2 days.
The Art Thief: A True Story of Love, Crime, and a Dangerous Obsession
Michael Finkel
4.5
Paperback
$18.00
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Ships in 1-2 days.
Week 14 School – 8/25
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The Book: A Cover-to-Cover Exploration of the Most Powerful Object of Our Time
Keith Houston
Paperback
$23.00
$26.00
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The fine print: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/h/terms-and-condition?m=5&y=2025&f=summer-reading-challenge-sweeps-rules