Welcome to the **2020 BHS Summer Reading Decision Guide**
In the face of a global pandemic, many readers across the world have been turning to books to give them comfort or to provide a way to escape for a little while. Our summer reading this year invites you to join that community of readers.
This summer, you'll be reading **one book of your choice that provides a feeling of comfort or escape** <u>and</u> two additional books of your own choice.
That is a lot of choice. This tool is designed to help you navigate that choice to find a book that will provide a positive and meaningful reading experience this summer. Some of those recommendations will be specific books. Some will be general suggestions or ideas. Others may encourage you to reach out to someone in your life for a title to try.
There's a whole world of books out there. Let's go exploring.
**[[Click here to Choose Your Own Summer Reading Adventure!->HOME BASE]]**There are lots of ways for this summer reading journey to begin. Let's start with a simple decision. You can...
- [[Think about **different people** you might want to get book recommendations from.->People Path]]
OR
- [[Think about whether you want to read for **comfort or for escape**.->Comfort or Escape?]] (This will bring you to more specific titles with descriptions from their publishers.)
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Already picked your three books for the summer?
- [[Explore online e-book and audiobook resources to see if your titles are available to borrow.->Ebook Link]]
- [[Use this resource to keep track of and write about what you read.->Assignment Link]]
- [[Check out these podcast and documentary suggestions, too!->Podcasts Link]]
- [[Check out what the Brookliine Public Library is doing for their summer reading program!->Public Library Link]]Talking to others about books is a great way to find something to read.
We did some of the talking for you already.
[[Check out what Brookline Teachers recommend here.->Teacher Recommendations]] It's a great collection of books that your teachers have used to escape or find comfort. Find a teacher you know and try their book.
[[Check out what Brookline High School students recommend here.->Student Recommendations]]
But maybe you want suggestions on who to talk to about your interests and reading plans. [[We've got those, too!->Who To Talk To]]When people talk about reading for **comfort**, they often talk about books that can soothe anxieties and take the reader away from a challenging time for a while. For some people, re-reading an old favorite is comforting. Others find comfort in returning to authors that they like, reading about a topic they know well, or reading a book in a genre like romance, where they generally know what is going to happen.
Reading for **escape** usually describes a book that transports the reader somewhere else while they are reading. It's often used to talk about fantasy or science-fiction, but you can also escape into a good mystery. In this summer where many of us are staying home, a good travel story or a book that takes place far away can be a good escape, too.
So, what are you thinking?
Do you want to aim for [[COMFORT]]?
Or for [[ESCAPE]]?
Oh, and remember: These are just suggestions! You don't *have* to pick one of the books we've recommended here!
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If these choices aren't doing it for you, consider [[exploring other people you might ask for recommendations->People Path]]!(open-url: "https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1ZZJemYZRqY4Ajr3cXDzruQY9BmBXOihm-lGAsC89Hw0/edit?usp=sharing")
Didn't find what you were looking for?
[[Seek more recommendations from people here.->People Path]]
OR: Try exploring [[the Comfort and Escape Path->Comfort or Escape?]](open-url: "https://protect-us.mimecast.com/s/3XtYCL95JDiQgR1PcB2Wax?domain=collections.follettsoftware.com")
Didn't find what you were looking for?
[[Seek more recommendations from people here.->People Path]]
OR: Try exploring [[the Comfort and Escape Path->Comfort or Escape?]]There are lots of people in your life ready to connect you to a book.
You could talk to...
- [[A family member]]
- [[A friend]]
- [[A teacher]]
- [[A librarian]]When we think about comfort reading, there are a few paths to consider!
- You might [[reread an old favorite->Reread]].
- You might read [[a new book by an author you like->Familiar Authors]].
- You might read [[a new book set in a fictional world you know and love->Familiar Fantasy]].
- You might read a book in a predictable genre like **[[romance]]** or **[[mystery]]**. (Predictable here isn't a bad thing! It can be nice to read a story when you know how it "works.")
- You might read [[a book about a topic you enjoy and know about->Familiar Topics]].
- You might read [[a book connected to a show you like->TV Books]].
- You might find comfort in [[joining a community of readers in tackling a long, challenging novel->Big Book Challenge]], even when the book itself isn't a comfortable read.
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If these choices aren't doing it for you, consider [[browsing the escape options->ESCAPE]] or [[exploring other people you might ask for recommendations->People Path]]!Escape, huh?
How do you want to escape?
- A voyage to [[outer space->Science Fiction]]!
- A trip to [[a fantasy land->Fantasy]]!
- I could use [[a dystopia that isn't... y'know... this one->Dystopia]].
- Let's get lost in [[a good mystery->mystery]]!
- I could [[time-travel to the past->Historical]].
- I just want [[something that will make me laugh->Humor]]!
- I want to escape into [[a world of ideas->Philosophy]]!
- I want to see where I'm going... Any [[graphic novels]]?
- I'd rather listen to a book. [[Which titles have great audiobooks?->Audiobooks]]
- I kind of like [[this "Choose Your Own Adventure" Thing->Choose Your Own Adventure]].
- Wait, but [[I'm headed off to SWS. What's my escape?->SWS]]
- Not gonna lie, I have a lot of other escapes planned this summer. What books do you have that are [[on the shorter side->Short Reads]]?
- I've got lots of time to escape this summer. What are [[the longer books you've gathered->Long Reads]]?
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If these choices aren't doing it for you, consider [[browsing the comfort options->COMFORT]] or [[exploring other people you might ask for recommendations->People Path]]!Ask a parent, sibling, or other family member about a favorite book of theirs.
You could even read it together this summer as a family book group!
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Not a fan of this suggestion?
Consider talking to [[someone else->Who To Talk To]].
OR
Explore [[the Comfort & Escape suggestions->Comfort or Escape?]].Chances are, you and your friends share common interests -- that's probably a part of why you are friends. You might share similar taste in books, too. Ask a friend about some books they really liked and try one of those titles!
OR
Explore reading options with a friend or a group of friends. If you all read the same book, you can talk about the book together and motivate each other as you go.
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Not a fan of this suggestion?
Consider talking to [[someone else->Who To Talk To]].
OR
Explore [[the Comfort & Escape suggestions->Comfort or Escape?]].Your teachers know you well!
Reach out to a teacher and ask them about a book suggestion. Teachers love playing book-matchmaker!
We recommend talking with an ELA teacher, but lots of teachers can help you find a book.
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Not a fan of this suggestion?
Consider talking to [[someone else->Who To Talk To]].
OR
Browse the list of [[books teachers recommended in general->Teacher Recommendations]].
OR
Explore [[the Comfort & Escape suggestions->Comfort or Escape?]].Librarians love recommending books to students! Not only do they know lots of titles to recommend, they are also experts at helping you find a copy of the book once you've picked one out.
The BHS librarians have built [[a form you can fill out to request some custom-tailored book recommendations just for you->Library Form]]!
You can also contact a librarian via email or visit the [[BHS Library website]] for more information.
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Not a fan of this suggestion?
Consider talking to [[someone else->Who To Talk To]].
OR
Browse the list of [[books teachers recommended in general->Teacher Recommendations]].
OR
Explore [[the Comfort & Escape suggestions->Comfort or Escape?]].(open-url:"http://bhslibrary.weebly.com/")
Didn't find what you were looking for?
[[Seek more recommendations from people here.->People Path]]
OR: Try exploring [[the Comfort and Escape Path->Comfort or Escape?]]There can be something extremely comforting about re-reading an old favorite. If you choose this option, we offer you a couple of suggestions:
- **Before you read,** think about what you loved about the book last time. When was the last time you read it? What do you remember from it?
- **As you read,** think about the moments that feel differently to you now. Do new things stand out? Do you understand parts differently?
- **After you read,** think about what has changed. How was this reading experience different from your last experience with this book? Why do you think this was? How have you changed? How has the book changed?
- For your other two reads this summer, we encourage you to try new titles!
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Didn't find what you're looking for?
Go back to [[explore other comfort options->COMFORT]], or [[try the escape options instead->ESCAPE]]!There can be comfort to reading the work of an author you really like. You might search that author's name to find out what other books they have written.
We have some suggestions below for authors you may have read before.
- If you liked Gene Luen Yang's *American Born Chinese*, try his new book *[[Dragon Hoops]]*.
- If you liked Elizabeth Acevedo's *The Poet X*, try one of her new books, *[[With the Fire on High]]* or *[[Clap When You Land]]*.
- If you liked Kwame Alexander's *Rebound*, try its soccer-centered follow-up, *[[Booked]]*.
- If you liked Angie Thomas's *The Hate U Give*, try her new book *[[On the Come Up]]*.
- If you liked Fredrick Backman's *A Man Called Ove*, try *[[My Grandmother Asked Me to Tell You She's Sorry]]*.
- If you liked Michael Patrick MacDonald's *All Souls*, try *[[Easter Rising: An Irish American Coming Up from Under->Easter Rising]]*.
- If you liked F. Scott Fitzgerald's *The Great Gatsby*, try *[[This Side of Paradise]]*.
- If you liked Toni Morrison's *Song of Solomon*, try *[[Beloved]]*. (And if you're going into your senior year and haven't read *Song of Solomon*, read it!
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Didn't find what you're looking for?
Go back to [[explore other comfort options->COMFORT]], or [[try the escape options instead->ESCAPE]]!Over the past several years, the creators of some of the most famous fantasy and dystopian worlds in literature have revisited these universes to tell new stories. You can revisit those worlds, too, and find comfort while still experiencing a new book.
- Return to Hogwarts with *[[Harry Potter and the Cursed Child]]*.
- Return to Panem and the Hunger Games with *[[The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes]]*.
- Return to the world of Philip Pullman's 'His Dark Materials' with *[[La Belle Sauvage]]*.
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Didn't find what you're looking for?
Go back to [[explore other comfort options->COMFORT]], or [[try the escape options instead->ESCAPE]]!There's comfort in a good romantic story, because you know (generally) how it's going to work: two people meet, start to fall for each other, overcome some obstacles, and end up happy together. We've got a few options that play with that story set up.
We have...
- [[Girl-Meets-Boy Romance->When Dimple Met Rishi]]
- [[Girl-Meets-Girl Romance->Tell Me Again How a Crush Should Feel]]
- [[Boy-Meets-Boy Romance->What If It's Us?]]
- [[To All the Boys I've Loved Before<-Girl-Accidentaly-Sends-Letters-to-All-Her-Crushes Romance]]
- A collection of [[Meet Cute<-romantic short stories]]
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Didn't find what you're looking for?
Go back to [[explore other comfort options->COMFORT]], or [[try the escape options instead->ESCAPE]]!Mysteries are a great blend of comfort and escape. On the one hand, you have the comfort of knowing what's going to happen: clues will be found and the case will be solved. On the other hand, they're easy to get lost in. The question is, what type of mystery are you thinking about...
- An [[Death on the Nile<-Agatha Christie classic that will be coming to the big screen in the fall]].
- An [[action-packed thriller with touches of supernatural set in the Museum of Natural History->Relic]].
- A [[boarding school murder mystery->Truly Devious]]
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Didn't find what you're looking for?
Go back to [[explore other comfort options->COMFORT]] or [[other escape options->ESCAPE]]!It can be comforting to read something you already know about. That could be a story centered around your favorite sport or activity, a book about people doing things you like to do, or a way to learn and practice a hobby more. We've collected a few here, but if you don't find what you want, try searching online for "Books about ________."
**SPORTS:**
- A [[basketball story->Dragon Hoops]]
- A [[soccer story->Booked]]
- A [[hockey (and pie-making) story->Check Please]]
- A [[football story->Friday Night Lights]]
- A [[rowing story->The Boys in the Boat]]
**HOBBIES:**
- A [[baking story->Bloom]]
- A [[pie-making (and hockey) story->Check Please]]
- A [[book about how cooking works->Salt Fat Acid Heat]]
- A [[story centered on cooking->With the Fire on High]]
- A [[story about making your own music->On the Come Up]]
- A [[story about clothing design->The Prince and the Dressmaker]]
- A [[book about making comics->Making Comics]]
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Didn't find what you're looking for?
Go back to [[explore other comfort options->COMFORT]], or [[try the escape options instead->ESCAPE]]!There are lots of popular TV shows and movies right now that are based on books. You might check out one of these:
- [[To All the Boys I've Loved Before by Jenny Han->To All the Boys I've Loved Before]]
- [[The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood->The Handmaid's Tale]]
- [[Little Fires Everywhere by Celeste Ng->Little Fires Everywhere]]
- [[Emma by Jane Austen->Emma]]
Or, get ahead of the curve by reading some stories that will be coming to screen later this year:
- [[Dune by Frank Herbert->Dune]]
- [[Death on the Nile by Agatha Christie->Death on the Nile]]
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Didn't find what you're looking for?
Go back to [[explore other comfort options->COMFORT]], or [[try the escape options instead->ESCAPE]]!You found the Big Book Challenge!
Join a group of BHS students and teachers this summer in reading
**Ralph Ellison's *Invisible Man***.
<img src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1556482805l/16981._SY475_.jpg" width="275" height="400" alt="Invisible Man Cover">
As he journeys from the Deep South to the streets and basements of Harlem, from a horrifying "battle royal" where black men are reduced to fighting animals, to a Communist rally where they are elevated to the status of trophies, Ralph Ellison's nameless protagonist ushers readers into a parallel universe that throws our own into harsh and even hilarious relief. Suspenseful and sardonic, narrated in a voice that takes in the symphonic range of the American language, black and white, *Invisible Man* is one of the most audacious and dazzling novels of our century. First published in 1952 and immediately hailed as a masterpiece, *Invisible Man* is one of those rare novels that have changed the shape of American literature.
[[Learn more about the book and the challenge here.->Big Book Challenge Link]]
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Didn't find what you're looking for?
Go back to [[explore other comfort options->COMFORT]], or [[try the escape options instead->ESCAPE]]!***Harry Potter and the Cursed Child* by JK Rowling**
<img src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1470082995l/29056083._SY475_.jpg" width="275" height="400" alt="Harry Potter Cover">
In this script from the award-winning play, Harry Potter is all grown up!
It was always difficult being Harry Potter and it isn’t much easier now that he is an overworked employee of the Ministry of Magic, a husband and father of three school-age children.
While Harry grapples with a past that refuses to stay where it belongs, his youngest son Albus must struggle with the weight of a family legacy he never wanted. As past and present fuse ominously, both father and son learn the uncomfortable truth: sometimes, darkness comes from unexpected places.
If this book sounds good to you, [[learn more about it here->Harry Potter Link]].
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Didn't find what you're looking for?
Go back to [[explore other comfort options->COMFORT]], or [[try the escape options instead->ESCAPE]]!***The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes* by Suzanne Collins**
<img src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1570633798l/51901147._SX318_SY475_.jpg" width="275" height="400" alt="Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes Cover">
This prequel to the Hunger Games trilogy tells the story of President Snow's distant past...
It is the morning of the reaping that will kick off the 10th annual Hunger Games. In the Capitol, 18-year-old Coriolanus Snow is preparing for his one shot at glory as a mentor in the Games. The once-mighty house of Snow has fallen on hard times, its fate hanging on the slender chance that Coriolanus will be able to out charm, outwit, and outmaneuver his fellow students to mentor the winning tribute.
The odds are against him. He's been given the humiliating assignment of mentoring the female tribute from District 12, the lowest of the low. Their fates are now completely intertwined - every choice Coriolanus makes could lead to favor or failure, triumph or ruin.
If this book sounds good to you, [[learn more about it here->Songbirds and Snakes Link]].
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Didn't find what you're looking for?
Go back to [[explore other comfort options->COMFORT]], or [[try the escape options instead->ESCAPE]]!***La Belle Sauvage* by Philip Pullman**
<img src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1498739161l/9307699._SY475_.jpg" width="275" height="400" alt="La Belle Sauvage Cover">
Malcolm Polstead is the kind of boy who notices everything but is not much noticed himself. His life in the pub beside the Thames is safe and happy enough, if uneventful. But during a winter of unceasing rain the forces of science, religion, and politics begin to clash, and as the weather rises to a pitch of ferocity, all of Malcolm's certainties are torn asunder.
Finding himself linked to a baby by the name of Lyra, Malcolm is forced to undertake the challenge of his life and to make the dangerous journey that will change him and Lyra for ever…
If this book sounds good to you, [[learn more about it here->Belle Sauvage Link]].
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Didn't find what you're looking for?
Go back to [[explore other comfort options->COMFORT]], or [[try the escape options instead->ESCAPE]]!(open-url:"https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/34128219-la-belle-sauvage")
Didn't find what you were looking for?
Go back to [[explore other comfort options->COMFORT]], or [[try the escape options instead->ESCAPE]]!(open-url:"https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/29056083-harry-potter-and-the-cursed-child")
Didn't find what you were looking for?
Go back to [[explore other comfort options->COMFORT]], or [[try the escape options instead->ESCAPE]]!(open-url:"https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/51901147-the-ballad-of-songbirds-and-snakes")
Didn't find what you were looking for?
Go back to [[explore other comfort options->COMFORT]], or [[try the escape options instead->ESCAPE]]!***Dragon Hoops* by Gene Luen Yang**
<img src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1563406373l/44280830.jpg" width="275" height="400" alt="Dragon Hoops Cover">
Gene Luen Yang understands stories—comic book stories, in particular. Big action. Bigger thrills. And the hero always wins.
But Gene doesn’t get sports. As a kid, his friends called him “Stick” and every basketball game he played ended in pain. He lost interest in basketball long ago, but at the high school where he now teaches, it's all anyone can talk about. The men’s varsity team, the Dragons, is having a phenomenal season that’s been decades in the making. Each victory brings them closer to their ultimate goal: the California State Championships.
Once Gene gets to know these young all-stars, he realizes that their story is just as thrilling as anything he’s seen on a comic book page.
If this book sounds good to you, [[learn more about it here->Dragon Hoops Link]].
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Didn't find what you're looking for?
Go back to [[explore other comfort options->COMFORT]], or [[try the escape options instead->ESCAPE]]!***Clap When You Land* by Elizabeth Acevedo**
<img src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1570558443l/52516332._SX318_SY475_.jpg" width="275" height="400" alt="Clap When You Land Cover">
Camino lives in the Dominican Republic with her aunt and lives for the summers when her father comes to visit. Yahaira is a former chess playing NYC resident whose father has a secret - a secret she recently discovered. A plane crash leaves both girls without their father -- a father they share. This novel-in-verse follows the journey that the two girls go through as they struggle with the grief of losing their father and their first time meeting each other.
If this book sounds good to you, [[learn more about it here->Clap When You Land Link]].
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Didn't find what you're looking for?
Go back to [[explore other comfort options->COMFORT]], or [[try the escape options instead->ESCAPE]]!***On the Come Up* by Angie Thomas**
<img src="https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1518828924l/35887567.jpg" width="275" height="400" alt="On the Come Up Cover">
Sixteen-year-old Bri wants to be one of the greatest rappers of all time. Or at least make it out of her neighborhood one day. As the daughter of an underground rap legend who died before he hit big, Bri’s got big shoes to fill. With bills piling up and homelessness staring her family down, Bri no longer just wants to make it—she has to make it. This is a story of fighting for your dreams, even as the odds are stacked against you; of the struggle to become who you are and not who everyone expects you to be; and of the desperate realities of poor and working-class black families.
If this book sounds good to you, [[learn more about it here->On the Come Up Link]].
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Didn't find what you're looking for?
Go back to [[explore other comfort options->COMFORT]], or [[try the escape options instead->ESCAPE]]!***My Grandmother Asked Me to Tell You She's Sorry* by Fredrick Blackman**
<img src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1461904020l/23604559._SY475_.jpg" width="275" height="400" alt="My Grandmother Asked Me Cover">
Elsa is seven years old and different. Her grandmother is seventy-seven years old and crazy—as in standing-on-the-balcony-firing-paintball-guns-at-strangers crazy. She is also Elsa’s best, and only, friend. At night Elsa takes refuge in her grandmother’s stories, in the Land-of-Almost-Awake and the Kingdom of Miamas, where everybody is different and nobody needs to be normal.
When Elsa’s grandmother dies and leaves behind a series of letters apologizing to people she has wronged, Elsa’s greatest adventure begins. Her grandmother’s instructions lead her to an apartment building full of drunks, monsters, attack dogs, and old crones but also to the truth about fairy tales and kingdoms and a grandmother like no other.
If this book sounds good to you, [[learn more about it here->My Grandmother Asked Me Link]].
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Didn't find what you're looking for?
Go back to [[explore other comfort options->COMFORT]], or [[try the escape options instead->ESCAPE]]!***This Side of Paradise* by F Scott Fitzgerald**
<img src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1574566410l/46165.jpg" width="275" height="400" alt="My Grandmother Asked Me Cover">
*This Side of Paradise*, F. Scott Fitzgerald's romantic and witty first novel, was written when the author was only twenty-three years old. This semi-autobiographical story of the handsome, indulged, and idealistic Princeton student Amory Blaine received critical raves and catapulted Fitzgerald to instant fame. *This Side of Paradise* captures the rhythms and romance of Fitzgerald's youth and offers a poignant portrait of the "Lost Generation."
If this book sounds good to you, [[learn more about it here->This Side of Paradise Link]].
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Didn't find what you're looking for?
Go back to [[explore other comfort options->COMFORT]], or [[try the escape options instead->ESCAPE]]!(open-url:"https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/44280830-dragon-hoops")
Didn't find what you were looking for?
Go back to [[explore other comfort options->COMFORT]], or [[try the escape options instead->ESCAPE]]!(open-url:"https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/52516332-clap-when-you-land")
Didn't find what you were looking for?
Go back to [[explore other comfort options->COMFORT]], or [[try the escape options instead->ESCAPE]]!(open-url:"https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/35887567-on-the-come-up")
Didn't find what you were looking for?
Go back to [[explore other comfort options->COMFORT]], or [[try the escape options instead->ESCAPE]]!(open-url:"https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/23604559-my-grandmother-asked-me-to-tell-you-she-s-sorry")
Didn't find what you were looking for?
Go back to [[explore other comfort options->COMFORT]], or [[try the escape options instead->ESCAPE]]!(open-url:"https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/46165.This_Side_of_Paradise")
Didn't find what you were looking for?
Go back to [[explore other comfort options->COMFORT]], or [[try the escape options instead->ESCAPE]]!Science Fiction can let us escape this planet or imagine technologies of a distant future. The book you'll want depends on where you want to go...
- Take me to [[space, but make it as realistic as possible->The Martian]].
- Take me to [[space, but make it as funny as possible->The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy]].
- Take me to [[space, but give me a long, epic story->Dune]].
- Take me to [[a galaxy *far, far away*. You know the one I mean...->Star Wars: Lost Stars]]
- Let's stay on [[Earth, but with a futuristic, action-packed video game->Warcross]].
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Didn't find what you're looking for?
Go back to [[explore other escape options->ESCAPE]], or [[try the comfort options instead->COMFORT]]!It can be nice to escape this world and explore one full of magic and adventure. Fantasy is a perfect way to do that, and it is a genre with incredible variety. Just look at how different each of these options is:
- A [[story of love and adventure that was made into a classic movie->The Princess Bride]].
- An [[epic (and long!) coming of age story full of music and magic->The Name of the Wind]].
- A [[world where some people can control the movement of the earth itself, and those who can are at once powerful and oppressed->The Fifth Season]].
- A [[world inspired by Nigerian mythlogy where magic has been outlawed->Children of Blood and Bone]].
- A [[hilarious novel about the end of the world->Good Omens]].
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Didn't find what you're looking for?
Go back to [[explore other escape options->ESCAPE]], or [[try the comfort options instead->COMFORT]]!A virus raging. Schools and businesses closed. New rules and routines guide daily behavior. The world right now may feel a bit dystopian.
A different dystopia can provide a break from all that.
Try one of these worlds:
- [[The Handmaid's Tale<-Gilead, a world of duties and hierarchies guided by gender, race, and rigid interpretation of scripture]].
- [[The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes<-Panem, a world where resource distribution and population control are dictated by the annual Hunger Games]].
- [[A world where a traveling theater troupe entertains a world devestated by a virus outbreak->Station Eleven]]. (Be warned: You may find this one hits a little close to home right now.)
- [[A world destroyed by environmental and economic disasters, yet one with hope in the form of a hyper-empathetic teenage girl->Parable of the Sower]].
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Didn't find what you're looking for?
Go back to [[explore other escape options->ESCAPE]], or [[try the comfort options instead->COMFORT]]!It can be hard to laugh when faced with the emotional demands of the world right now. These books make it a little easier.
Try laughing at...
- [[A book of fake facts by a BHS alum->The Areas of My Expertise]]
- [[A fantasy story about the end of the world->Good Omens]]
- [[The memoir of a comedian who grew up in the Boston area->Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me?]]
- [[An autobiography done as a Choose Your Own Adventure story->Choose Your Own Autobiography]]
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Didn't find what you're looking for?
Go back to [[explore other escape options->ESCAPE]], or [[try the comfort options instead->COMFORT]]!We get it. This is fun. (Seriously. You have no idea how easy it was to get carried away with this book choosing adventure.)
Here are some other books to have fun with:
- Neil Patrick Harris's *[[Choose Your Own Autobiography]]*.
- Ryan North's Choose Your Own Shakespeare books: *[[Romeo And/Or Juliet]]* and *[[To Be Or Not To Be]]*, a Choose Your Own *Hamlet* Adventure.
- Jason Shiga's Choose Your Own Graphic Novel Adventure, *[[Meanwhile]]*
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Didn't find what you're looking for?
Go back to [[explore other escape options->ESCAPE]], or [[try the comfort options instead->COMFORT]]!Visuals can help create a path for escape. And graphic novels can cover such a wide variety of topics that there's something for everyone.
We've got graphic novels about...
- [[Basketball->Dragon Hoops]]
- [[Hockey and Pie->Check Please]]
- [[Baking and Romance->Bloom]]
- [[A dystopian Los Angeles->Parable of the Sower]]
- [[Three cartoony brothers in an epic fantasy world->Bone]]
- [[Royalty and fashion design->The Prince and the Dressmaker]]
- [[Choosing Chocolate or Vanilla... Among other choices ->Meanwhile]]
- [[Making your own comics->Making Comics]]
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Didn't find what you're looking for?
Go back to [[explore other escape options->ESCAPE]], or [[try the comfort options instead->COMFORT]]!***To All the Boys I've Loved Before* by Jenny Han**
<img src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1372086100l/15749186.jpg" width="275" height="400" alt="All the Boys Cover">
Lara Jean has never openly admitted her crushes, but instead wrote each boy a letter about how she felt, sealed it, and hid it in a box under her bed. But one day Lara Jean discovers that somehow her secret box of letters has been mailed, causing all her crushes from her past to confront her about the letters: her first kiss, the boy from summer camp, even her sister's ex-boyfriend, Josh.
As she learns to deal with her past loves face to face, Lara Jean discovers that something good may come out of these letters after all.
If this book sounds good to you, [[learn more about it here->To All the Boys Link]].
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Didn't find what you're looking for?
Go back to [[explore other comfort options->COMFORT]], or [[try the escape options instead->ESCAPE]]!***The Handmaid's Tale* by Margaret Atwood**
<img src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1578028274l/38447._SY475_.jpg" width="275" height="400" alt="Handmaids Cover">
Offred is a Handmaid in the Republic of Gilead. She may leave the home of the Commander and his wife once a day to walk to food markets whose signs are now pictures instead of words because women are no longer allowed to read. She must lie on her back once a month and pray that the Commander makes her pregnant, because in an age of declining births, Offred and the other Handmaids are valued only if their ovaries are viable. Offred can remember the years before, when she lived and made love with her husband, Luke; when she played with and protected her daughter; when she had a job, money of her own, and access to knowledge. But all of that is gone now...
If this book sounds good to you, [[learn more about it here->Handmaids Link]].
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Didn't find what you're looking for?
Go back to [[explore other comfort options->COMFORT]], or [[try the escape options instead->ESCAPE]]!***Little Fires Everywhere* by Celeste Ng**
<img src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1522684533l/34273236._SY475_.jpg" width="275" height="400" alt="Little Fires Cover">
In Shaker Heights, a placid, progressive suburb of Cleveland, everything is planned... And no one embodies this spirit more than Elena Richardson, whose guiding principle is playing by the rules.
When old family friends of the Richardsons attempt to adopt a Chinese-American baby, a custody battle erupts that dramatically divides the town--and puts Elena and her neighbor Mia on opposing sides. Suspicious of Mia and her motives, Elena is determined to uncover the secrets in Mia's past. But her obsession will come at unexpected and devastating costs...
If this book sounds good to you, [[learn more about it here->Little Fires Link]].
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Didn't find what you're looking for?
Go back to [[explore other comfort options->COMFORT]], or [[try the escape options instead->ESCAPE]]!***Emma* by Jane Austen**
<img src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1373627931l/6969.jpg" width="275" height="400" alt="Emma Cover">
Emma Woodhouse is one of Austen's most captivating and vivid characters. Beautiful, spoilt, vain and irrepressibly witty, Emma organizes the lives of the inhabitants of her sleepy little village and plays matchmaker with devastating effect.
If this book sounds good to you, [[learn more about it here->Emma Link]].
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Didn't find what you're looking for?
Go back to [[explore other comfort options->COMFORT]], or [[try the escape options instead->ESCAPE]]!***Dune* by Frank Herbert**
<img src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1567929075l/39776179._SY475_.jpg" width="275" height="400" alt="Dune Cover">
Set on the desert planet Arrakis, *Dune* is the story of the boy Paul Atreides, heir to a noble family tasked with ruling an inhospitable world where the only thing of value is the “spice” melange, a drug capable of extending life and enhancing consciousness. Coveted across the known universe, melange is a prize worth killing for....
When House Atreides is betrayed, the destruction of Paul’s family will set the boy on a journey toward a destiny greater than he could ever have imagined...
If this book sounds good to you, [[learn more about it here->Dune Link]].
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Didn't find what you're looking for?
Go back to [[explore other comfort options->COMFORT]], or [[try the escape options instead->ESCAPE]]!***Death on the Nile* by Agatha Christie**
<img src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1327955885l/6251565.jpg" width="275" height="400" alt="Death on the Nile Cover">
The tranquillity of a cruise along the Nile is shattered by the discovery that Linnet Ridgeway has been shot through the head. She was young, stylish and beautiful, a girl who had everything - until she lost her life. Hercule Poirot recalls an earlier outburst by a fellow passenger: "I'd like to put my dear little pistol against her head and just press the trigger." Yet in this exotic setting, nothing is ever quite what it seems...
If this book sounds good to you, [[learn more about it here->Death on the Nile Link]].
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Didn't find what you're looking for?
Go back to [[explore other comfort options->COMFORT]], or [[try the escape options instead->ESCAPE]]!***When Dimple Met Rishi* by Sandhya Menon**
<img src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1475687488l/28458598.jpg" width="275" height="400" alt="Dimple Cover">
Dimple is a headstrong girl who is passionate about coding and web development much to the chagrin of her parents, who wish she would focus more on her appearance and attracting a husband. Basking in her acceptance to Stanford, Dimple is surprised when her parents agree to let her attend a six-week "Insomnia Con" in San Francisco. Not long into her convention, Dimple discovers why her parents were so willing to let her go. She has been set up to meet a potential husband—the very traditional yet charming Rishi.
Dimple and Rishi may think they have each other figured out. But when opposites clash, love works hard to prove itself in the most unexpected ways.
If this book sounds good to you, [[learn more about it here->When Dimple Met Rishi Link]].
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Didn't find what you're looking for?
Go back to [[explore other comfort options->COMFORT]], or [[try the escape options instead->ESCAPE]]!***Tell Me Again How a Crush Should Feel* by Sara Farizan**
<img src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1410170987l/20312458.jpg" width="275" height="400" alt="Tell Me Again Cover">
High-school junior Leila has made it most of the way through Armstead Academy without having a crush on anyone, which is something of a relief. Her Persian heritage already makes her different from her classmates; if word got out that she liked girls, life would be twice as hard. But when a sophisticated, beautiful new girl, Saskia, shows up, Leila starts to take risks she never thought she would, especially when it looks as if the attraction between them is mutual. Struggling to sort out her growing feelings and Saskia's confusing signals, Leila confides in her old friend, Lisa, and grows closer to her fellow drama tech-crew members, especially Tomas, whose comments about his own sexuality are frank, funny, wise, and sometimes painful. Gradually, Leila begins to see that almost all her classmates are more complicated than they first appear to be, and many are keeping fascinating secrets of their own.
If this book sounds good to you, [[learn more about it here->Tell Me Again Link]].
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Didn't find what you're looking for?
Go back to [[explore other comfort options->COMFORT]], or [[try the escape options instead->ESCAPE]]!***What If It's Us* by Becky Albertalli & Adam Silvera**
<img src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1526557760l/36341204._SY475_.jpg" width="275" height="400" alt="What If It's Us Cover">
Arthur is only in New York for the summer, but if Broadway has taught him anything, it’s that the universe can deliver a showstopping romance when you least expect it.
Ben thinks the universe needs to mind its business. If the universe had his back, he wouldn’t be on his way to the post office carrying a box of his ex-boyfriend’s things.
But when Arthur and Ben meet-cute at the post office, what exactly does the universe have in store for them?
If this book sounds good to you, [[learn more about it here->What If It's Us Link]].
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Didn't find what you're looking for?
Go back to [[explore other comfort options->COMFORT]], or [[try the escape options instead->ESCAPE]]!***Meet Cute* by 14 Different Authors!**
<img src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1492664131l/33503607.jpg" width="275" height="400" alt="Meet Cute Cover">
Whether or not you believe in fate, or luck, or love at first sight, every romance has to start somewhere. MEET CUTE is an anthology of original short stories featuring tales of "how they first met" from some of today’s most popular YA authors.
Readers will experience Nina LaCour's beautifully written piece about two Bay Area girls meeting via a cranky customer service Tweet, Sara Shepard's glossy tale about a magazine intern and a young rock star, Nicola Yoon's imaginative take on break-ups and make-ups, Katie Cotugno's story of two teens hiding out from the police at a house party, and more!
If this book sounds good to you, [[learn more about it here->Meet Cute Link]].
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Didn't find what you're looking for?
Go back to [[explore other comfort options->COMFORT]], or [[try the escape options instead->ESCAPE]]!***Relic* by Douglas Preston & Lincoln Child**
<img src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1391522105l/20724408.jpg" width="275" height="400" alt="Relic Cover">
Just days before a massive exhibition opens at the popular New York Museum of Natural History, visitors are being savagely murdered in the museum's dark hallways and secret rooms. Autopsies indicate that the killer cannot be human...
But the museum's directors plan to go ahead with a big bash to celebrate the new exhibition, in spite of the murders.
Museum researcher Margo Green must find out who-or what-is doing the killing. But can she do it in time to stop the massacre?
If this book sounds good to you, [[learn more about it here->Relic Link]].
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Didn't find what you're looking for?
Go back to [[explore other comfort options->COMFORT]], or [[try the escape options instead->ESCAPE]]!***Truly Devious* by Maureen Johnson**
<img src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1498501619l/29589074._SX318_.jpg" width="275" height="400" alt="Truly Devious Cover">
Ellingham Academy is a famous private school in Vermont for the brightest thinkers, inventors, and artists. It was founded by Albert Ellingham, an early twentieth century tycoon, who wanted to make a wonderful place full of riddles, twisting pathways, and gardens. “A place,” he said, “where learning is a game.” But shortly after the school opened, his wife and daughter were kidnapped, leading to one of the great unsolved crimes of American history.
Now, true-crime aficionado Stevie Bell is set to begin her first year at Ellingham Academy, and she plans to solve this cold case. But the case heats up when the past crawls out of its grave and death revisits Ellingham Academy...
If this book sounds good to you, [[learn more about it here->Truly Devious Link]].
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Didn't find what you're looking for?
Go back to [[explore other comfort options->COMFORT]], or [[try the escape options instead->ESCAPE]]!(open-url:"https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/28458598-when-dimple-met-rishi")
Didn't find what you were looking for?
Go back to [[explore other comfort options->COMFORT]], or [[try the escape options instead->ESCAPE]]!(open-url:"https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/20312458-tell-me-again-how-a-crush-should-feel")
Didn't find what you were looking for?
Go back to [[explore other comfort options->COMFORT]], or [[try the escape options instead->ESCAPE]]!(open-url:"https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/36341204-what-if-it-s-us")
Didn't find what you were looking for?
Go back to [[explore other comfort options->COMFORT]], or [[try the escape options instead->ESCAPE]]!(open-url:"https://www.goodreads.com/en/book/show/33503607")
Didn't find what you were looking for?
Go back to [[explore other comfort options->COMFORT]], or [[try the escape options instead->ESCAPE]]!(open-url:"https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/15749186-to-all-the-boys-i-ve-loved-before")
Didn't find what you were looking for?
Go back to [[explore other comfort options->COMFORT]], or [[try the escape options instead->ESCAPE]]!(open-url:"https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/38447.The_Handmaid_s_Tale")
Didn't find what you were looking for?
Go back to [[explore other comfort options->COMFORT]], or [[try the escape options instead->ESCAPE]]!(open-url:"https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/34273236-little-fires-everywhere")
Didn't find what you were looking for?
Go back to [[explore other comfort options->COMFORT]], or [[try the escape options instead->ESCAPE]]!(open-url:"https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6969.Emma")
Didn't find what you were looking for?
Go back to [[explore other comfort options->COMFORT]], or [[try the escape options instead->ESCAPE]]!(open-url:"https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/39776179-dune")
Didn't find what you were looking for?
Go back to [[explore other comfort options->COMFORT]], or [[try the escape options instead->ESCAPE]]!(open-url:"https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/20724408-relic")
Didn't find what you were looking for?
Go back to [[explore other comfort options->COMFORT]], or [[try the escape options instead->ESCAPE]]!(open-url:"https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/29589074-truly-devious")
Didn't find what you were looking for?
Go back to [[explore other comfort options->COMFORT]], or [[try the escape options instead->ESCAPE]]!(open-url:"https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6251565-death-on-the-nile")
Didn't find what you were looking for?
Go back to [[explore other comfort options->COMFORT]], or [[try the escape options instead->ESCAPE]]!***The Martian* by Andy Weir**
<img src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1413706054l/18007564.jpg" width="275" height="400" alt="Martian Cover">
After a dust storm nearly kills him and forces his crew to evacuate while thinking him dead, Mark finds himself stranded and completely alone on Mars with no way to even signal Earth that he’s alive—and even if he could get word out, his supplies would be gone long before a rescue could arrive.
But Mark isn’t ready to give up yet. Drawing on his ingenuity, his engineering skills — and a relentless, dogged refusal to quit — he steadfastly confronts one seemingly insurmountable obstacle after the next. Will his resourcefulness be enough to overcome the impossible odds against him?
If this book sounds good to you, [[learn more about it here->The Martian Link]].
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Didn't find what you're looking for?
Go back to [[explore other escape options->ESCAPE]], or [[try the comfort options instead->COMFORT]]!***The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy* by Douglas Adams**
<img src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1531891848l/11._SY475_.jpg" width="275" height="400" alt="Dune Cover">
Seconds before the Earth is demolished to make way for a galactic freeway, Arthur Dent is plucked off the planet by his friend Ford Prefect, a researcher for the revised edition of *The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy* who, for the last fifteen years, has been posing as an out-of-work actor.
Together this dynamic pair begin a journey through space aided by quotes from *The Hitchhiker's Guide* ("A towel is about the most massively useful thing an interstellar hitchhiker can have") and a galaxy-full of fellow travelers.
If this book sounds good to you, [[learn more about it here->Hitchhiker's Guide Link]].
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Didn't find what you're looking for?
Go back to [[explore other escape options->ESCAPE]], or [[try the comfort options instead->COMFORT]]!***Warcross* by Marie Lu**
<img src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1533058119l/41014903._SY475_.jpg" width="275" height="400" alt="Warcross Cover">
For the millions who log in every day, Warcross isn’t just a game—it’s a way of life. The obsession started ten years ago and its fan base now spans the globe, some eager to escape from reality and others hoping to make a profit. Struggling to make ends meet, teenage hacker Emika Chen works as a bounty hunter, tracking down players who bet on the game illegally. Emika takes a risk and hacks into the opening game of the international Warcross Championships—only to accidentally glitch herself into the action and become an overnight sensation.
Emika is shocked when she gets a call from the game’s creator with an irresistible offer. He needs a spy on the inside of this year’s tournament in order to uncover a security problem... and he wants Emika for the job. But soon her investigation uncovers a sinister plot, with major consequences for the entire Warcross empire.
If this book sounds good to you, [[learn more about it here->Warcross Link]].
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Didn't find what you're looking for?
Go back to [[explore other escape options->ESCAPE]], or [[try the comfort options instead->COMFORT]]!***Star Wars: Lost Stars* by Claudia Gray**
<img src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1539015804l/25067046._SY475_.jpg" width="275" height="400" alt="Lost Stars Cover">
*Lost Stars* gives a new perspective on the events before, during, and after the original *Star Wars* trilogy.
The reign of the Galactic Empire has reached the Outer Rim planet of Jelucan, where aristocratic Thane Kyrell and rural villager Ciena Ree bond over their love of flying. Enrolling at the Imperial Academy is nothing less than a dream come true for both of them. But Thane sours on the dream when he sees firsthand the horrific tactics the Empire uses to maintain its ironclad rule.
If this book sounds good to you, [[learn more about it here->Lost Stars Link]].
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Didn't find what you're looking for?
Go back to [[explore other escape options->ESCAPE]], or [[try the comfort options instead->COMFORT]]!***The Princess Bride* by William Goldman**
<img src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1327903636l/21787.jpg" width="275" height="400" alt="Princess Bride Cover">
What happens when the most beautiful girl in the world marries the handsomest prince of all time and he turns out to be...well...a lot less than the man of her dreams?
The answer: Fencing. Fighting. True Love. Strong Hate. Harsh Revenge. A Few Giants. Lots of Bad Men. Lots of Good Men. Five or Six Beautiful Women. Beasties Monstrous and Gentle. Some Swell Escapes and Captures. Death, Lies, Truth, Miracles... In short, a bit of everything!
(If you've seen the movie, you'll love this book on which it is based!)
If this book sounds good to you, [[learn more about it here->Princess Bride Link]].
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Didn't find what you're looking for?
Go back to [[explore other escape options->ESCAPE]], or [[try the comfort options instead->COMFORT]]!***The Name of the Wind* by Patrick Rothfuss**
<img src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1437771789l/2495567.jpg" width="275" height="400" alt="Name of the Wind Cover">
After his family is attacked by a group evil beings long believed to be only the subject of mythology and children's rhymes, young Kvothe sets out to learn the truth and seek his revenge. Along the way, he'll find love and friendship, make music and outwit rivals, and develop his skills in a variety of magics.
Many years later, an innkeeper named Kote provides food and drink to a small town in a world at war.
But Kote *is* Kvothe, and the story of how he went from student, to unequaled sword fighter, magician, and musician, to humble inn-keeper is the story of *The Name of the Wind* and the rest of the Kingkiller Chronicles.
If this book sounds good to you, [[learn more about it here->Name of the Wind Link]].
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Didn't find what you're looking for?
Go back to [[explore other escape options->ESCAPE]], or [[try the comfort options instead->COMFORT]]!***The Fifth Season* by N.K. Jemisin**
<img src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1386803701l/19161852.jpg" width="275" height="400" alt="Fifth Season Cover">
In a world where some people can control the movement of the earth itself, three terrible things happen in a single day. Essun, a woman living an ordinary life in a small town, comes home to find that her husband has brutally murdered their son and kidnapped their daughter. Meanwhile, mighty Sanze -- the world-spanning empire whose innovations have been civilization's bedrock for a thousand years -- collapses as most of its citizens are murdered to serve a madman's vengeance. And worst of all, across the heart of the vast continent known as the Stillness, a great red rift has been been torn into the heart of the earth, spewing ash enough to darken the sky for years. Or centuries.
Now Essun must pursue the wreckage of her family through a deadly, dying land. Essun does not care if the world falls apart around her. She'll break it herself, if she must, to save her daughter.
If this book sounds good to you, [[learn more about it here->Fifth Season Link]].
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Didn't find what you're looking for?
Go back to [[explore other escape options->ESCAPE]], or [[try the comfort options instead->COMFORT]]!***Children of Blood and Bone* by Tomi Adeyemi**
<img src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1516127989l/34728667.jpg" width="275" height="400" alt="Lost Stars Cover">
In this West African-inspired fantasy novel, Zélie Adebola remembers when the soil of Orïsha hummed with magic. But everything changed the night magic disappeared. Under the orders of a ruthless king, maji were killed, leaving Zélie without a mother and her people without hope. Now Zélie has one chance to bring back magic and strike against the monarchy. With the help of a rogue princess, Zélie must outwit and outrun the crown prince, who is hell-bent on eradicating magic for good.
If this book sounds good to you, [[learn more about it here->Children of Blood and Bone Link]].
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Didn't find what you're looking for?
Go back to [[explore other escape options->ESCAPE]], or [[try the comfort options instead->COMFORT]]!***Good Omens* by Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman**
<img src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1392528568l/12067.jpg" width="275" height="400" alt="Good Omens Cover">
People have been predicting the end of the world almost from its very beginning, so it’s only natural to be sceptical when a new date is set for Judgement Day. But what if, for once, the predictions are right, and the apocalypse really is due to arrive next Saturday, just after tea?
You could spend the time left drowning your sorrows, giving away all your possessions in preparation for the rapture, or laughing it off as (hopefully) just another hoax. Or you could just try to do something about it.
It’s a predicament that Aziraphale, a somewhat fussy angel, and Crowley, a fast-living demon now finds themselves in. They’ve been living amongst Earth’s mortals since The Beginning and, truth be told, have grown rather fond of the lifestyle and, in all honesty, are not actually looking forward to the coming Apocalypse.
And then there’s the small matter that someone appears to have misplaced the Antichrist…
If this book sounds good to you, [[learn more about it here->Good Omens Link]].
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Didn't find what you're looking for?
Go back to [[explore other escape options->ESCAPE]], or [[try the comfort options instead->COMFORT]]!***Station Eleven* by Emily St. John Mandel**
<img src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1451446835l/20170404.jpg" width="275" height="400" alt="Station Eleven Cover">
One snowy night a famous Hollywood actor slumps over and dies onstage during a production of *King Lear*. Hours later, the world as we know it begins to dissolve. Moving back and forth in time—from the actor's early days as a film star to fifteen years in the future, when a theater troupe known as the Traveling Symphony roams the wasteland of what remains—this suspenseful, elegiac, spellbinding novel charts the strange twists of fate that connect five people: the actor, the man who tried to save him, the actor's first wife, his oldest friend, and a young actress with the Traveling Symphony, caught in the crosshairs of a dangerous self-proclaimed prophet.
If this book sounds good to you, [[learn more about it here->Station Eleven Link]].
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Didn't find what you're looking for?
Go back to [[explore other escape options->ESCAPE]], or [[try the comfort options instead->COMFORT]]!***Parable of the Sower* by Octavia Butler, graphic novel adaptation by Damian Duffy**
<img src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1550354651l/43908991._SX318_.jpg" width="275" height="400" alt="Parable of Sower Cover">
In the year 2024, the country is marred by unattended environmental and economic crises that lead to social chaos. Lauren Olamina, a preacher’s daughter living in Los Angeles, is protected from danger by the walls of her gated community. However, in a night of fire and death, what begins as a fight for survival soon leads to something much more: a startling vision of human destiny... and the birth of a new faith.
If this book sounds good to you, [[learn more about it here->Parable of the Sower Link]].
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Didn't find what you're looking for?
Go back to [[explore other escape options->ESCAPE]], or [[try the comfort options instead->COMFORT]]!Books open up the possibility of time travel, too. Escape to the past with one of these options:
- Let's stay close to home: [[South Boston in the 1980s->Easter Rising]].
- Let's go to [[Civil War era America... but with ghosts->Lincoln in the Bardo]].
- Let's go to [[the 1936 Berlin Olympics->The Boys in the Boat]].
- How about [[early 19th century England->Emma]]?
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Didn't find what you're looking for?
Go back to [[explore other escape options->ESCAPE]], or [[try the comfort options instead->COMFORT]]!***The Areas of My Expertise* by John Hodgman**
<img src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1442971510l/24807._SY475_.jpg" width="275" height="400" alt="Expertise Cover">
Were you curious which U.S. Presidents had hooks for hands? Are you seeking a convenient table of omens and portents to help predict the future? Have you been desperately seeking a list of 400 Hobo Names and clarification on other Hobo Matters?
Look no further than *The Areas of My Expertise*, a book of fake world knowledge by BHS alum John Hodgman. This title is also available as an amazing audiobook with bonus songs and trivia!
If this book sounds good to you, [[learn more about it here->Areas of My Expertise Link]].
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Didn't find what you're looking for?
Go back to [[explore other escape options->ESCAPE]], or [[try the comfort options instead->COMFORT]]!***Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me?* by Mindy Kaling**
<img src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1443264638l/10335308._SY475_.jpg" width="275" height="400" alt="Is Everyone Hanging Out Cover">
Mindy Kaling has lived many lives: the obedient child of immigrant professionals, a timid chubster afraid of her own bike, a Ben Affleck–impersonating Off-Broadway performer and playwright, and, finally, a comedy writer and actress prone to starting fights with her friends and coworkers with the sentence “Can I just say one last thing about this, and then I swear I’ll shut up about it?”
In *Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me?*, Mindy invites readers on a tour of her life and her unscientific observations on romance, friendship, and Hollywood, with several conveniently placed stopping points for you to run errands and make phone calls.
If this book sounds good to you, [[learn more about it here->Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me Link]].
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Didn't find what you're looking for?
Go back to [[explore other escape options->ESCAPE]], or [[try the comfort options instead->COMFORT]]!***Choose Your Own Autobiography* by Neil Patrick Harris**
<img src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1400599072l/20170296.jpg" width="275" height="400" alt="NPH Cover">
Seeking an exciting, interactive read that puts the “u” back in “aUtobiography”? Then look no further than *Neil Patrick Harris: Choose Your Own Autobiography*!
You will be born in New Mexico. You will get your big break at an acting camp. You will get into a bizarre confrontation outside a nightclub with actor Scott Caan. Even better, at each critical juncture of your life, you will choose how to proceed.
Choose correctly and you’ll find fame, fortune, and true love. Choose incorrectly and you’ll find misery, heartbreak, and a hideous death by piranhas. All this, plus magic tricks, cocktail recipes, embarrassing pictures from your time as a child actor, and even a closing song.
If this book sounds good to you, [[learn more about it here->Choose Your Own Autobiography Link]].
---
Didn't find what you're looking for?
Go back to [[explore other escape options->ESCAPE]], or [[try the comfort options instead->COMFORT]]!***Easter Rising: An Irish American Coming Up from Under* by Michael Patrick MacDonald**
<img src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1491817689l/90375._SY475_.jpg" width="275" height="400" alt="Easter Rising Cover">
Michael Patrick MacDonald's *All Souls: A Family Story from Southie* told the story of the loss of four of his siblings to the violence, poverty, and gangsterism of Boston's Irish American ghetto. The question "How did you get out?" has haunted MacDonald ever since. In response he has written this new book, a searingly honest story of reinvention that begins with young MacDonald's breakaway from the soul-crushing walls of Southie's Old Colony housing project and ends with two healing journeys to Ireland that are unlike anything in Irish American literature.
If this book sounds good to you, [[learn more about it here->Easter Rising Link]].
---
Didn't find what you're looking for?
Go back to [[explore other escape options->ESCAPE]], or [[try the comfort options instead->COMFORT]]!***Lincoln in the Bardo* by George Saunders**
<img src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1492130850l/29906980.jpg" width="275" height="400" alt="Lincoln Cover">
February 1862. The Civil War is less than one year old. The fighting has begun in earnest, and the nation has begun to realize it is in for a long, bloody struggle. Meanwhile, President Lincoln’s beloved eleven-year-old son, Willie, lies upstairs in the White House, gravely ill. In a matter of days, despite predictions of a recovery, Willie dies and is laid to rest in a Georgetown cemetery, where he finds himself in a strange purgatory, where ghosts mingle, gripe, commiserate, quarrel, and enact bizarre acts of penance. Within this transitional state—called, in the Tibetan tradition, the bardo—a monumental struggle erupts over young Willie’s soul.
This book is also available as an outstanding audiobook production featuring Nick Offerman, David Sedaris, Keegan Michael Key, Julianne Moore, Bill Hader, Megan Mullally, Rainn Wilson and more!
If this book sounds good to you, [[learn more about it here->Lincoln in the Bardo Link]].
---
Didn't find what you're looking for?
Go back to [[explore other escape options->ESCAPE]], or [[try the comfort options instead->COMFORT]]!***The Boys in the Boat* by Daniel James Brown**
<img src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1354683116l/16158542.jpg" width="275" height="400" alt="Boys in the Boat Cover">
Daniel James Brown's robust book tells the story of the University of Washington's 1936 eight-oar crew and their epic quest for an Olympic gold medal, a team that transformed the sport and grabbed the attention of millions of Americans. The sons of loggers, shipyard workers, and farmers, the boys defeated elite rivals first from eastern and British universities and finally the German crew rowing for Adolf Hitler in the Olympic games in Berlin, 1936.
Drawing on the boys' own diaries and journals, their photos and memories of a once-in-a-lifetime shared dream, The Boys in the Boat is an irresistible story about beating the odds and finding hope in the most desperate of times.
If this book sounds good to you, [[learn more about it here->Boys in the Boat Link]]. It is also available in [[a Young Readers Edition that you can learn about here->Boys in the Boat YA Link]].
---
Didn't find what you're looking for?
Go back to [[explore other escape options->ESCAPE]], or [[try the comfort options instead->COMFORT]]!***Check, Please!* by Ngozi Ukazu**
<img src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1589341298l/37534577._SX318_.jpg" width="275" height="400" alt="Check Please Cover">
Eric Bittle may be a former junior figure skating champion, vlogger extraordinaire, and very talented amateur pâtissier, but being a freshman on the Samwell University hockey team is a whole new challenge. It is nothing like co-ed club hockey back in Georgia! First of all? There’s checking (anything that hinders the player with possession of the puck, ranging from a stick check all the way to a physical sweep). And then, there is Jack―his very attractive but moody captain.
A collection of the first half, freshmen and sophomore year, of the megapopular webcomic series of the same name, *Check, Please!: #Hockey* is the first book of a hilarious and stirring two-volume coming-of-age story about hockey, bros, and trying to find yourself during the best four years of your life.
If this book sounds good to you, [[learn more about it here->Check Please Link]].
---
Didn't find what you're looking for?
Go back to [[explore other escape options->ESCAPE]], or [[try the comfort options instead->COMFORT]]!***Bloom* by Kevin Panetta and Savanna Ganucheau**
<img src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1561136420l/39073387.jpg" width="275" height="400" alt="Bloom Cover">
Now that high school is over, Ari is dying to move to the big city with his ultra-hip band—if he can just persuade his dad to let him quit his job at their struggling family bakery. Though he loved working there as a kid, Ari cannot fathom a life wasting away over rising dough and hot ovens. But while interviewing candidates for his replacement, Ari meets Hector, an easygoing guy who loves baking as much as Ari wants to escape it. As they become closer over batches of bread, love is ready to bloom... that is, if Ari doesn’t ruin everything.
If this book sounds good to you, [[learn more about it here->Bloom Link]].
---
Didn't find what you're looking for?
Go back to [[explore other escape options->ESCAPE]], or [[try the comfort options instead->COMFORT]]!***Bone* by Jeff Smith**
<img src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1522442066l/92143.jpg" width="275" height="400" alt="Bone Cover">
Three modern cartoon cousins get lost in a pre-technological valley, spending a year there making new friends and out-running dangerous enemies. After being run out of Boneville, the three Bone cousins, Fone Bone, Phoney Bone and Smiley Bone are separated and lost in a vast uncharted desert. One by one they find their way into a deep forested valley filled with wonderful and terrifying creatures. Facing off against rat creatures, dragons, and ancient prophecies, the brothers will face the longest -- but funniest -- year of their lives.
If this book sounds good to you, [[learn more about it here->Bone Link]].
---
Didn't find what you're looking for?
Go back to [[explore other escape options->ESCAPE]], or [[try the comfort options instead->COMFORT]]!***The Prince and the Dressmaker* by Jen Wang**
<img src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1494400495l/34506912.jpg" width="275" height="400" alt="Dressmaker Cover">
Paris, at the dawn of the modern age:
Prince Sebastian is looking for a bride―or rather, his parents are looking for one for him. Sebastian is too busy hiding his secret life from everyone. At night he puts on daring dresses and takes Paris by storm as the fabulous Lady Crystallia―the hottest fashion icon in the world capital of fashion!
Sebastian’s secret weapon (and best friend) is the brilliant dressmaker Frances―one of only two people who know the truth: sometimes this boy wears dresses. But Frances dreams of greatness, and being someone’s secret weapon means being a secret. Forever. How long can Frances defer her dreams to protect a friend?
If this book sounds good to you, [[learn more about it here->Prince and Dressmaker Link]].
---
Didn't find what you're looking for?
Go back to [[explore other escape options->ESCAPE]], or [[try the comfort options instead->COMFORT]]!***Romeo and/or Juliet* by Ryan North**
<img src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1453225664l/27209455.jpg" width="275" height="400" alt="Romeo and/or Juliet Cover">
What if Romeo never met Juliet? What if Juliet got really buff instead of moping around all day? What if they teamed up to take over Verona with robot suits? This choose-your-own-path version of Romeo and Juliet—packed with fun puzzles, secrets, and quadrillions of possible storylines—lets you decide where the plot goes every time you read. You might play as Romeo, or as Juliet, or as both of them at the same time. You might even unlock additional playable characters!
That’s right. We figured out how to have unlockable characters in books.
If this book sounds good to you, [[learn more about it here->Romeo and/or Juliet Link]].
---
Didn't find what you're looking for?
Go back to [[explore other escape options->ESCAPE]], or [[try the comfort options instead->COMFORT]]!***To Be or Not To Be* by Ryan North**
<img src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1371519375l/17938417.jpg" width="275" height="400" alt="To Be or Not Cover">
*To Be or Not To Be* is a choose-your-own-path version of Hamlet by New York Times best-selling author Ryan North. Play as Hamlet, Ophelia, or King Hamlet--if you want to die on the first page and play as a ghost. It's pretty awesome! Readers can follow Yorick skull markers to stick closely to Shakespeare's plot, or go off-script and explore alternative possibilities filled with puzzles and humor.
Each ending in the book is accompanied by a full-color, full-page illustration by one of the 65 most excellent artists working today, so each rereading yields new surprises and rewards.
If this book sounds good to you, [[learn more about it here->To Be or Not to Be Link]].
---
Didn't find what you're looking for?
Go back to [[explore other escape options->ESCAPE]], or [[try the comfort options instead->COMFORT]]!***Meanwhile* by Jason Shiga**
<img src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1327878248l/7229730.jpg" width="275" height="400" alt="Meanwhile Cover">
Chocolate or Vanilla? This simple choice is all it takes to get started with *Meanwhile*, the wildly inventive creation of comics mastermind Jason Shiga, of whom Scott McCloud said “Crazy + Genius = Shiga.” Jimmy, whose every move is under your control, finds himself in a mad scientist’s lab, where he’s given a choice between three amazing objects: a mind-reading device, a time-travel machine, or the Killitron 3000 (which is as ominous as it sounds). Down each of these paths there are puzzles, mysterious clues, and shocking revelations. It’s up to the reader to lead Jimmy to success or disaster.
If this book sounds good to you, [[learn more about it here->Meanwhile Link]].
---
Didn't find what you're looking for?
Go back to [[explore other escape options->ESCAPE]], or [[try the comfort options instead->COMFORT]]!***Booked* by Kwame Alexander**
<img src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1447139181l/25897953.jpg" width="275" height="400" alt="Dragon Hoops Cover">
In this follow-up to the Newbery-winning novel THE CROSSOVER, soccer, family, love, and friendship, take center stage as twelve-year-old Nick learns the power of words as he wrestles with problems at home, stands up to a bully, and tries to impress the girl of his dreams. Helping him along are his best friend and sometimes teammate Coby, and The Mac, a rapping librarian who gives Nick inspiring books to read.
This electric and heartfelt novel-in-verse by poet Kwame Alexander bends and breaks as it captures all the thrills and setbacks, action and emotion of a World Cup match!
If this book sounds good to you, [[learn more about it here->Booked Link]].
---
Didn't find what you're looking for?
Go back to [[explore other comfort options->COMFORT]], or [[try the escape options instead->ESCAPE]]!***Friday Night Lights* by H.G. Bissinger**
<img src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1522874522l/802757.jpg" width="275" height="400" alt="Dragon Hoops Cover">
*Friday Night Lights* is a story about the Permian Panthers of Odessa--the winningest high-school football team in Texas history. Odessa is not known to be a town big on dreams, but the Panthers help keep the hopes and dreams of this small, dusty town going. Socially and racially divided, its fragile economy follows the treacherous boom-bust path of the oil business. In bad times, the unemployment rate barrels out of control; in good times, its murder rate skyrockets. But every Friday night from September to December, when the Permian High School Panthers play football, this West Texas town becomes a place where dreams can come true.
If this book sounds good to you, [[learn more about it here->Friday Night Lights Link]].
---
Didn't find what you're looking for?
Go back to [[explore other comfort options->COMFORT]], or [[try the escape options instead->ESCAPE]]!***Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat* by Samin Nosrat**
<img src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1475460859l/30753841._SX318_.jpg" width="350" height="400" alt="Salt Fat Cover">
Chef and writer Samin Nosrat has taught everyone from professional chefs to middle school kids to author Michael Pollan to cook using her revolutionary, yet simple, philosophy. Master the use of just four elements—Salt, which enhances flavor; Fat, which delivers flavor and generates texture; Acid, which balances flavor; and Heat, which ultimately determines the texture of food—and anything you cook will be delicious. By explaining the hows and whys of good cooking, *Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat* will teach and inspire a new generation of cooks how to confidently make better decisions in the kitchen and cook delicious meals with any ingredients, anywhere, at any time.
If this book sounds good to you, [[learn more about it here->Salt Fat Acid Heat Link]].
---
Didn't find what you're looking for?
Go back to [[explore other comfort options->COMFORT]], or [[try the escape options instead->ESCAPE]]!***With the Fire On High* by Elizabeth Acevedo**
<img src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1537991887l/38739562.jpg" width="275" height="400" alt="Dragon Hoops Cover">
With her daughter to care for and her abuela to help support, high school senior Emoni Santiago has to make the tough decisions, and do what must be done. The one place she can let her responsibilities go is in the kitchen, where she adds a little something magical to everything she cooks, turning her food into straight-up goodness. Still, she knows she doesn’t have enough time for her school’s new culinary arts class, doesn’t have the money for the class’s trip to Spain — and shouldn’t still be dreaming of someday working in a real kitchen. But even with all the rules she has for her life — and all the rules everyone expects her to play by — once Emoni starts cooking, her only real choice is to let her talent break free.
If this book sounds good to you, [[learn more about it here->With the Fire on High Link]].
---
Didn't find what you're looking for?
Go back to [[explore other comfort options->COMFORT]], or [[try the escape options instead->ESCAPE]]!***Making Comics* by Lynda Barry**
<img src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1554343020l/43317485.jpg" width="275" height="400" alt="Dragon Hoops Cover">
In *Making Comics*, Lynda Barry shares a new hand-drawn syllabus detailing her creative curriculum, in which she has students drawing themselves as monsters and superheroes, convincing students who think they can’t draw that they can, and, most important, encouraging them to understand that a daily journal can be anything so long as it is hand drawn.
Barry teaches all students and believes everyone and anyone can be creative. At the core of *Making Comics* is her certainty that creativity is vital to processing the world around us.
If this book sounds good to you, [[learn more about it here->Making Comics Link]].
---
Didn't find what you're looking for?
Go back to [[explore other comfort options->COMFORT]], or [[try the escape options instead->ESCAPE]]!(open-url:"https://www.goodreads.com/en/book/show/43317485")
Didn't find what you were looking for?
Go back to [[explore other comfort options->COMFORT]], or [[try the escape options instead->ESCAPE]]!(open-url:"https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/802757.Friday_Night_Lights")
Didn't find what you were looking for?
Go back to [[explore other comfort options->COMFORT]], or [[try the escape options instead->ESCAPE]]!(open-url:"https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/38739562-with-the-fire-on-high")
Didn't find what you were looking for?
Go back to [[explore other comfort options->COMFORT]], or [[try the escape options instead->ESCAPE]]!(open-url:"https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25897953-booked")
Didn't find what you were looking for?
Go back to [[explore other comfort options->COMFORT]], or [[try the escape options instead->ESCAPE]]!(open-url:"https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/30753841-salt-fat-acid-heat")
Didn't find what you were looking for?
Go back to [[explore other comfort options->COMFORT]], or [[try the escape options instead->ESCAPE]]!(open-url:"https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18007564-the-martian")
Didn't find what you're looking for?
Go back to [[explore other escape options->ESCAPE]], or [[try the comfort options instead->COMFORT]]!(open-url:"https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11.The_Hitchhiker_s_Guide_to_the_Galaxy")
Didn't find what you're looking for?
Go back to [[explore other escape options->ESCAPE]], or [[try the comfort options instead->COMFORT]]!(open-url:"https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/41014903-warcross")
Didn't find what you're looking for?
Go back to [[explore other escape options->ESCAPE]], or [[try the comfort options instead->COMFORT]]!(open-url:"https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25067046-lost-stars")
Didn't find what you're looking for?
Go back to [[explore other escape options->ESCAPE]], or [[try the comfort options instead->COMFORT]]!We get it. Summer is busy for lots of reasons. Here are a few books that won't take you too long to enjoy:
- [[Booked<-*Booked* by Kwame Alexander]]
- [[The Little Prince<-*The Little Prince* by Antoine de Saint-Exupery]]
- [[The Prince and the Dressmaker<-*The Prince and the Dressmaker* by Jen Wang]]
- [[The Alchemist<-*The Alchemist* by Paulo Coelho]]
---
Didn't find what you're looking for?
Go back to [[explore other escape options->ESCAPE]], or [[try the comfort options instead->COMFORT]]!The summer is a great time to get lost in a long book. We've got lots of options across multiple genres here!
[[Big Book Challenge<-Join the Big Book Challenge and read an American classic with a group of students and teachers]].
OR:
- Read [[Dune<-a long work of science-fiction]].
- Read [[The Name of the Wind<-a long work of fantasy]].
- Read [[Bone<-a long graphic novel]].
- Read [[Sapiens<-a long work of non-fiction]].
---
Didn't find what you're looking for?
Go back to [[explore other escape options->ESCAPE]], or [[try the comfort options instead->COMFORT]]!(open-url:"https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/21787.The_Princess_Bride")
Didn't find what you're looking for?
Go back to [[explore other escape options->ESCAPE]], or [[try the comfort options instead->COMFORT]]!(open-url:"https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2495567.The_Name_of_the_Wind")
Didn't find what you're looking for?
Go back to [[explore other escape options->ESCAPE]], or [[try the comfort options instead->COMFORT]]!(open-url:"https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/19161852-the-fifth-season")
Didn't find what you're looking for?
Go back to [[explore other escape options->ESCAPE]], or [[try the comfort options instead->COMFORT]]!(open-url:"https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/34728667-children-of-blood-and-bone")
Didn't find what you're looking for?
Go back to [[explore other escape options->ESCAPE]], or [[try the comfort options instead->COMFORT]]!(open-url:"https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/12067.Good_Omens")
Didn't find what you're looking for?
Go back to [[explore other escape options->ESCAPE]], or [[try the comfort options instead->COMFORT]]!(open-url:"https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/20170404-station-eleven")
Didn't find what you're looking for?
Go back to [[explore other escape options->ESCAPE]], or [[try the comfort options instead->COMFORT]]!(open-url:"https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/43908991-parable-of-the-sower")
Didn't find what you're looking for?
Go back to [[explore other escape options->ESCAPE]], or [[try the comfort options instead->COMFORT]]!(open-url:"https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/92143.Bone")
Didn't find what you're looking for?
Go back to [[explore other escape options->ESCAPE]], or [[try the comfort options instead->COMFORT]]!(open-url:"https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/34506912-the-prince-and-the-dressmaker")
Didn't find what you're looking for?
Go back to [[explore other escape options->ESCAPE]], or [[try the comfort options instead->COMFORT]]!(open-url:"https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/37534577-check-please-book-1")
Didn't find what you're looking for?
Go back to [[explore other escape options->ESCAPE]], or [[try the comfort options instead->COMFORT]]!(open-url:"https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/39073387-bloom")
Didn't find what you're looking for?
Go back to [[explore other escape options->ESCAPE]], or [[try the comfort options instead->COMFORT]]!(open-url:"https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/90375.Easter_Rising")
Didn't find what you're looking for?
Go back to [[explore other escape options->ESCAPE]], or [[try the comfort options instead->COMFORT]]!(open-url:"https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/29906980-lincoln-in-the-bardo")
Didn't find what you're looking for?
Go back to [[explore other escape options->ESCAPE]], or [[try the comfort options instead->COMFORT]]!(open-url:"https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/16158542-the-boys-in-the-boat")
Didn't find what you're looking for?
Go back to [[explore other escape options->ESCAPE]], or [[try the comfort options instead->COMFORT]]!(open-url:"https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/24807.The_Areas_of_My_Expertise")
Didn't find what you're looking for?
Go back to [[explore other escape options->ESCAPE]], or [[try the comfort options instead->COMFORT]]!(open-url:"https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/10335308-is-everyone-hanging-out-without-me")
Didn't find what you're looking for?
Go back to [[explore other escape options->ESCAPE]], or [[try the comfort options instead->COMFORT]]!(open-url:"https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/20170296-neil-patrick-harris")
Didn't find what you're looking for?
Go back to [[explore other escape options->ESCAPE]], or [[try the comfort options instead->COMFORT]]!(open-url:"https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/27209455-romeo-and-or-juliet")
Didn't find what you're looking for?
Go back to [[explore other escape options->ESCAPE]], or [[try the comfort options instead->COMFORT]]!(open-url:"https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17938417-to-be-or-not-to-be")
Didn't find what you're looking for?
Go back to [[explore other escape options->ESCAPE]], or [[try the comfort options instead->COMFORT]]!(open-url:"https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/7229730-meanwhile")
Didn't find what you're looking for?
Go back to [[explore other escape options->ESCAPE]], or [[try the comfort options instead->COMFORT]]!(open-url:"https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/24611866-the-boys-in-the-boat")
Didn't find what you're looking for?
Go back to [[explore other escape options->ESCAPE]], or [[try the comfort options instead->COMFORT]]!It's easy to get lost in a world of ideas. Here are just a few you might explore:
- [[Ideas about the meaning of life in the face of suffering->Man's Search for Meaning]]
- [[Ideas about the history of humankind->Sapiens]]
- [[Ideas about nearly everything->A Short History of Nearly Everything]]
- [[Ideas about life and growing up told through a story of a little boy from another planet->The Little Prince]]
- [[Ideas about dreams and living told through a fable about a young shepherd->The Alchemist]]
Wondering about math-related ideas? We've got those, too! We've got...
- [[Math ideas with (bad) drawings->Math With Bad Drawings]]
- [[Math ideas that will help me not be wrong->How Not To Be Wrong]]
- [[Math ideas in the form of letters->Letters to a Young Mathematician]]
---
Didn't find what you're looking for?
Go back to [[explore other escape options->ESCAPE]], or [[try the comfort options instead->COMFORT]]!***Man's Search for Meaning* by Viktor E. Frankl**
<img src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1535419394l/4069._SY475_.jpg" width="275" height="400" alt="Dragon Hoops Cover">
Psychiatrist Viktor Frankl's memoir has riveted generations of readers with its descriptions of life in Nazi death camps and its lessons for spiritual survival. Based on his own experience and the stories of his patients, Frankl argues that we cannot avoid suffering but we can choose how to cope with it, find meaning in it, and move forward with renewed purpose. At the heart of his theory, known as logotherapy, is a conviction that the primary human drive is not pleasure but the pursuit of what we find meaningful. *Man's Search for Meaning* has become one of the most influential books in America; it continues to inspire us all to find significance in the very act of living.
If this book sounds good to you, [[learn more about it here->Man's Search Link]].
---
Didn't find what you're looking for?
Go back to [[explore other comfort options->COMFORT]], or [[try the escape options instead->ESCAPE]]!***Sapiens* by Yuval Noah Harari**
<img src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1420585954l/23692271.jpg" width="275" height="400" alt="Dragon Hoops Cover">
In *Sapiens*, Dr Yuval Noah Harari spans the whole of human history, from the very first humans to walk the earth to the radical – and sometimes devastating – breakthroughs of the Cognitive, Agricultural and Scientific Revolutions. Drawing on insights from biology, anthropology, paleontology and economics, he explores how the currents of history have shaped our human societies, the animals and plants around us, and even our personalities. Have we become happier as history has unfolded? Can we ever free our behaviour from the heritage of our ancestors? And what, if anything, can we do to influence the course of the centuries to come?
If this book sounds good to you, [[learn more about it here->Sapiens Link]].
---
Didn't find what you're looking for?
Go back to [[explore other comfort options->COMFORT]], or [[try the escape options instead->ESCAPE]]!***The Little Prince* by Antoine De Saint-Exupery**
<img src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1367545443l/157993.jpg" width="275" height="400" alt="Little Prince Cover">
Moral allegory and spiritual autobiography, *The Little Prince* is the most translated book in the French language. With a timeless charm it tells the story of a little boy who leaves the safety of his own tiny planet to travel the universe, learning about adult behaviour through a series of extraordinary encounters. His personal odyssey culminates in a voyage to Earth and further adventures, where he alters the worldview of the pilot with whom he shares his story.
If this book sounds good to you, [[learn more about it here->The Little Prince Link]].
---
Didn't find what you're looking for?
Go back to [[explore other comfort options->COMFORT]], or [[try the escape options instead->ESCAPE]]!***The Alchemist* by Paulo Coelho**
<img src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1483412266l/865.jpg" width="275" height="400" alt="Alchemist Cover">
Paulo Coelho's masterpiece tells the mystical story of Santiago, an Andalusian shepherd boy who yearns to travel in search of a worldly treasure. His quest will lead him to riches far different, and far more satisfying, listening to our hearts, of recognizing opportunity and learning to read the omens strewn along life's path, and, most importantly, to follow our dreams.
If this book sounds good to you, [[learn more about it here->The Alchemist Link]].
---
Didn't find what you're looking for?
Go back to [[explore other comfort options->COMFORT]], or [[try the escape options instead->ESCAPE]]!(open-url:"https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/865.The_Alchemist")
Didn't find what you're looking for?
Go back to [[explore other escape options->ESCAPE]], or [[try the comfort options instead->COMFORT]]!(open-url:"https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/157993.The_Little_Prince")
Didn't find what you're looking for?
Go back to [[explore other escape options->ESCAPE]], or [[try the comfort options instead->COMFORT]]!(open-url:"https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/23692271-sapiens")
Didn't find what you're looking for?
Go back to [[explore other escape options->ESCAPE]], or [[try the comfort options instead->COMFORT]]!(open-url:"https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/4069.Man_s_Search_for_Meaning")
Didn't find what you're looking for?
Go back to [[explore other escape options->ESCAPE]], or [[try the comfort options instead->COMFORT]]!(open-url:"https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSc7Tu4Y3g9f1WXewEg95yr9_PrZ2W6SqObiYB2OLugxAmENaw/viewform?usp=sf_link")
Didn't find what you were looking for?
Go back to [[explore other comfort options->COMFORT]], or [[try the escape options instead->ESCAPE]]!(open-url:"https://docs.google.com/document/d/1KOuztCZ_0LnopfsZyxoTw6BdEBv6zlB3Cc60DzTMnFc/edit?usp=sharing")
Still not sure what books to use to complete this assignment?
[[Explore some comfort options->COMFORT]], or [[try the escape options instead->ESCAPE]]!(open-url:"https://protect-us.mimecast.com/s/EzsaCR651nu51R4GS9cH7I?domain=collections.follettsoftware.com")
Still looking for books?
[[Explore some comfort options->COMFORT]], or [[try the escape options instead->ESCAPE]]!(open-url:"https://www.brooklinelibrary.org/teens/summer-reading/")
Still looking for books?
[[Explore some comfort options->COMFORT]], or [[try the escape options instead->ESCAPE]]!So, escaping to SWS, huh?
You've got a choice of two books by SWS Alumni to read this summer.
You could read [[The Areas of My Expertise<-*The Areas of My Expertise*]], a book of hilarious fake trivia by John Hodgman, BHS Class of 1989.
OR
You could read [[*The Altruist*->The Altruist]], a "darkly funny" novel of family drama by Andrew Ridker, BHS Class of 2010.***The Altruist* by Andrew Ridker**
<img src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1530636618l/34857932.jpg" width="275" height="400" alt="Alchemist Cover">
Arthur Alter is in trouble. A middling professor at a Midwestern college, he can’t afford his mortgage, he’s exasperated his much-younger girlfriend, and his kids won’t speak to him. And then there’s the money–the small fortune his late wife Francine kept secret, which she bequeathed directly to his children.
Those children are Ethan, an anxious recluse living off his mother’s money on a choice plot of Brooklyn real estate; and Maggie, a would-be do-gooder trying to fashion herself a noble life of self-imposed poverty. On the verge of losing the family home, Arthur invites his children back to St. Louis under the guise of a reconciliation.
Spanning New York, Paris, Boston, St. Louis, and a small desert outpost in Zimbabwe, *The Altruists* is a darkly funny (and ultimately tender) family saga.
If this book sounds good to you, [[learn more about it here->The Altruist Link]].
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Didn't find what you're looking for?
Go back to [[explore other comfort options->COMFORT]], or [[try the escape options instead->ESCAPE]]!(open-url:"https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/34857932-the-altruists")
Didn't find what you're looking for?
Go back to [[explore other escape options->ESCAPE]], or [[try the comfort options instead->COMFORT]]!(open-url:"http://bhslibrary.weebly.com/digital-books.html")
Still looking for books?
[[Explore some comfort options->COMFORT]], or [[try the escape options instead->ESCAPE]]!The world of audiobooks has never been better! Here are a few audiobooks to get lost in this summer...
- The hilarious John Hodgman includes extra features (including musical numbers!) in the audiobook for [[The Areas of My Expertise]].
- A full cast (including Nick Offerman, David Sedaris, Keegan Michael Key, Julianne Moore, Bill Hader, Megan Mullally, and Rainn Wilson) reads George Saunders' Civil War era ghost story [[Lincoln in the Bardo]].
- Bahni Turpin is a phenomenal narrator for both Angie Thomas's [[On the Come Up]] **and** Tomi Adeyemi's [[Children of Blood and Bone]].
- A cast of actors rounds out the most dramatic moments of Frank Herbert's science fiction epic [[Dune]].
---
Didn't find what you're looking for?
Go back to [[explore other escape options->ESCAPE]], or [[try the comfort options instead->COMFORT]]!(open-url:"https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdL4wRJiHv5icIzx9iWMuzJ0G4e_9ZYmX4PMicrtEaNipxPUA/viewform")
Didn't find what you were looking for?
[[Seek more recommendations from people here.->People Path]]
OR: Try exploring [[the Comfort and Escape Path->Comfort or Escape?]]***A Short History of Nearly Everything* by Bill Bryson**
<img src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1433086293l/21._SY475_.jpg" width="275" height="400" alt="Short History Cover">
In Bryson's biggest book, he confronts his greatest challenge: to understand—and, if possible, answer—the oldest, biggest questions we have posed about the universe and ourselves. Taking as territory everything from the Big Bang to the rise of civilization, Bryson seeks to understand how we got from there being nothing at all to there being us. To that end, he has attached himself to a host of the world’s most advanced (and often obsessed) archaeologists, anthropologists, and mathematicians, travelling to their offices, laboratories, and field camps. He has read (or tried to read) their books, pestered them with questions, apprenticed himself to their powerful minds. *A Short History of Nearly Everything* is the record of this quest, and it is a sometimes profound, sometimes funny, and always supremely clear and entertaining adventure in the realms of human knowledge, as only Bill Bryson can render it. Science has never been more involving or entertaining.
If this book sounds good to you, [[learn more about it here->A Short History Link]].
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Didn't find what you're looking for?
Go back to [[explore other comfort options->COMFORT]], or [[try the escape options instead->ESCAPE]]!***Math with Bad Drawings* by Ben Orlin**
<img src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1528328702l/36205393.jpg" width="275" height="400" alt="Math With Bad Drawings Cover">
In *Math With Bad Drawings*, Ben Orlin answers math's three big questions: Why do I need to learn this? When am I ever going to use it? Why is it so hard? The answers come in various forms-cartoons, drawings, jokes, and the stories and insights of an empathetic teacher who believes that math should belong to everyone.
Orlin shows us how to think like a mathematician by teaching us a new game of Tic-Tac-Toe, how to understand an economic crisis by rolling a pair of dice, and the mathematical reason why you should never buy a second lottery ticket. Every example in the book is illustrated with his trademark "bad drawings," which convey both his humor and his message with perfect pitch and clarity.
If this book sounds good to you, [[learn more about it here->Math With Bad Drawings Link]].
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Didn't find what you're looking for?
Go back to [[explore other comfort options->COMFORT]], or [[try the escape options instead->ESCAPE]]!***How Not to Be Wrong: The Power of Mathematical Thinking* by Jordan Ellenberg**
<img src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1387726285l/18693884.jpg" width="275" height="400" alt="How Not to be Wrong Cover">
Math allows us to see the hidden structures underneath the messy and chaotic surface of our world. It’s a science of not being wrong, hammered out by centuries of hard work and argument. Armed with the tools of mathematics, we can see through to the true meaning of information we take for granted: How early should you get to the airport? What does “public opinion” really represent? Why do tall parents have shorter children? Who really won Florida in 2000? And how likely are you, really, to develop cancer?
*How Not to Be Wrong* presents the surprising revelations behind all of these questions and many more, using the mathematician’s method of analyzing life and exposing the hard-won insights of the academic community to the layman—minus the jargon.
If this book sounds good to you, [[learn more about it here->How Not To Be Wrong Link]].
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Didn't find what you're looking for?
Go back to [[explore other comfort options->COMFORT]], or [[try the escape options instead->ESCAPE]]!***Letters to a Young Mathematician* by Ian Stewart**
<img src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1434274111l/537480._SY475_.jpg" width="275" height="400" alt="Young Mathematician">
*Letters to a Young Mathematician* tells readers what Ian Stewart wishes he had known when he was a student and young faculty member. Subjects ranging from the philosophical to the practical--what mathematics is and why it's worth doing, the relationship between logic and proof, the role of beauty in mathematical thinking, the future of mathematics, how to deal with the peculiarities of the mathematical community, and many others--are dealt with in Stewart's much-admired style, which combines subtle, easygoing humor with a talent for cutting to the heart of the matter.
If this book sounds good to you, [[learn more about it here->Letters to Mathematician Link]].
---
Didn't find what you're looking for?
Go back to [[explore other comfort options->COMFORT]], or [[try the escape options instead->ESCAPE]]!(open-url:"https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/537480.Letters_to_a_Young_Mathematician")
Didn't find what you're looking for?
Go back to [[explore other escape options->ESCAPE]], or [[try the comfort options instead->COMFORT]]!(open-url:"https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18693884-how-not-to-be-wrong")
Didn't find what you're looking for?
Go back to [[explore other escape options->ESCAPE]], or [[try the comfort options instead->COMFORT]]!(open-url:"https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/21.A_Short_History_of_Nearly_Everything")
Didn't find what you're looking for?
Go back to [[explore other escape options->ESCAPE]], or [[try the comfort options instead->COMFORT]]!(open-url:"https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/36205393-math-with-bad-drawings")
Didn't find what you're looking for?
Go back to [[explore other escape options->ESCAPE]], or [[try the comfort options instead->COMFORT]]!***Beloved* by Toni Morrison**
<img src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1347984578l/6149.jpg" width="275" height="400" alt="Beloved Cover">
Winner of the Pulitzer Prize, Toni Morrison’s *Beloved* is a spellbinding and dazzlingly innovative portrait of a woman haunted by the past.
Sethe was born a slave and escaped to Ohio, but eighteen years later she is still not free. She has borne the unthinkable and not gone mad, yet she is still held captive by memories of Sweet Home, the beautiful farm where so many hideous things happened. Meanwhile Sethe’s house has long been troubled by the angry, destructive ghost of her baby, who died nameless and whose tombstone is engraved with a single word: Beloved.
Sethe works at beating back the past, but it makes itself heard and felt incessantly in her memory and in the lives of those around her. When a mysterious teenage girl arrives, calling herself Beloved, Sethe’s terrible secret explodes into the present.
If this book sounds good to you, [[learn more about it here->Beloved Link]].
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Didn't find what you're looking for?
Go back to [[explore other comfort options->COMFORT]], or [[try the escape options instead->ESCAPE]]!(open-url:"https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6149.Beloved")
Didn't find what you were looking for?
Go back to [[explore other comfort options->COMFORT]], or [[try the escape options instead->ESCAPE]]!