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Adult Reading Program
Take a Hike: Read Explore Discover
June 12 - September 10, 2023
For ages 14 years and older
This summer, take a hike away from your reading comfort zone with our National Parks-themed reading program! Participants can read different genres, explore different authors, and discover new favorites by visiting any of 12 National Parks. Get started with our Park Guidebook, a guide to 12 reading categories inspired by iconic National Park sites. You might choose to visit Mount Rushmore by reading a book featuring a U.S. President. Or venture on to the Great Smoky Mountains, home to 65 species of mammals, with a book featuring animals. See the full list of categories below.
How It Works
- Use our 12 reading categories as a guide to choose books this summer.
- Read 5 books from 5 different categories to earn a program t-shirt.
- Choose from our suggested reading lists or displays, OR choose any title that fits the category description.
- Get a prize ticket to enter in our prize drawings for each book or category you complete.
- Prize winners will be announced after September 10.
- Sign-up for weekly email alerts for special offers to earn extra prize tickets.
How to Participate
In-Person
- Register at the Adult Reference Desk starting June 12.
- Get a Park Passport (reading log) and Park Guidebook (list of suggested titles).
- Read 5 books from 5 different categories to earn a program t-shirt.
- Choose from our suggested reading lists or displays OR choose any title that fits the category description.
- Log each book in your Park Passport.
- Each time you log a book,
- Get your Park Passport stamped at the Adult Reference Desk.
- Pick up a prize ticket to enter in our prize buckets.
- After you complete 5 categories, you can continue reading to earn more prize tickets.
Online
- Register on Beanstack starting June 12.
- Print a Park Passport or pick one up at the Adult Reference Desk on your next visit to the Library.
- Read 5 books from 5 different categories to earn a program t-shirt.
- Choose titles from our online Park Guidebook OR choose any title that fits the category description.
- Log each book in your Park Passport. Get your Park Passport stamped at the Adult Reference Desk when you visit the Library, or turn in your completed Park Passport at the end of the program.
- After completing 5 categories, continue reading to earn more prize tickets.
- On Beanstack, when you complete a category, you will earn a prize ticket and can choose which prize you want to try for.
Categories
Check out our lists of suggested titles for each category. You don't have to stick to our suggestions. You can choose your own titles that fit each category.
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ACADIA NATIONAL PARK: Historical Fiction
Fiction
Title Author Call Number At the Hour Between Dog and Wolf Tara Ison New F ISON The Beach at Summerly Beatriz Williams New F WILLIAMS Bert and Mamie Take a Cruise John Keyse-Walker New F KEYSE-WALKER Hotel Laguna Nicola Harrison New F HARRISON The Spectacular Fiona Davis New F DAVIS Non-Fiction
Title Author Call Number Benjamin Franklin's Last Bet Michael Meyer 973.30952 MEY Lethal Tides Catherine Musmeche 940.5426 MUS Life on the Mississippi Rinker Buck 977 BUC A Fever in the Heartland Timothy Egan New 322.4209772 EGA Valor Dan Hampton 940.547252 HAM Others to Consider
- The 1619 Project
- The American Spirit by David McCullough
- The American Story by David McCullough
- Americanon by Jess McHugh
- Killing Series by Bill O'Reilly
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CHANNEL ISLANDS NATIONAL PARK: TV Series
- Animal Kingdom
- Banshee
- Community
- Death in Paradise
- Endeavor
- Father Brown
- Game of Thrones
- The Handmaid's Tale
- It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia
- Justified
- Killing Eve
- The Last Ship
- Major Crimes
- New Tricks
- Outlander
- Poldark
- Quarry
- Ray Donovan
- Shameless
- True Blood
- Unforgotten
- Van der Valk
- Waking the Dead
- Yellowstone
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DEATH VALLEY NATIONAL PARK: Mystery
Fiction
Title Author Call Number The Angel Maker Alex North New F NORTH, A. City Under One Roof Iris Yamashita New F YAMASHITA, I. I Have Some Questions for You Rebecca Makkai New F MAKKAI, R. I Will Find You Harlan Coben New F COBEN, H. Liar, Dreamer, Thief Maria Dong New F DONG, M. Non-Fiction
Title Author Call Number Hell's Half-Acre Susan Jonusas 364.15232 JON My Brother the Killer Alix Sharkey 364.1523 SHA Supper with the Crippens David James Smith 364.1523 SMI Trailed Kathryn Miles 364.1523 MIL Tremors in the Blood Amit Katwala New 363.254 KAT Authors to Consider
- Kathryn Casey
- Diane Fanning
- Michelle McNamara
- M. William Phelps
- Anne Rule
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DENALI NATIONAL PARK: 300+ Page Books
Fiction
Title Author Call Number Age of Vice Deepti Kapoor New F KAPOOR, D. The Gifts Liz Hyder New F HYDER, L. The Mountain in the Sea Ray Nayler F NAYLER, R. Mystic Wind James Barretto New F BARRETTO, J. Observer Robert Lanza and Nancy Kress New F LANZA, R. Paradise-1 David Wellington New F WELLINGTON, D. Non-Fiction
Title Author Call Number The People's Tongue Ilan Stevens (edited) New 427.973 PEO Rikers Graham A. Rayman New 365.974 RAY Saving Time Jenny Odell New 753 ODE The Wager David Grann New 910.91641 GRA Transformer Nick Lane New 572 LAN Authors to Consider
- Jean Auel
- Charles Dickens
- George Eliot
- Madeline Miller
- Ransom Riggs
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DEVILS TOWER NATIONAL MONUMENT: Books about Florida
Fiction
Title Author Call Number A House with Good Bones T. Kingfisher New F KINGFISHER, T. Mary: An Awakening of Terror Nat Cassidy F CASSIDY, N. Motherthing Ainslie Hogarth F HOGARTH, A. Mr. & Mrs. Witch Gwenda Bond F BOND, G. White Horse Erika Wurth New F WURTH, E. Non-Fiction
Title Author Call Number Buzzfeed Unsolved Supernatural Ryan Bergara New Non-Fiction Dark Archives Megan Rosenbloom 002 ROS The Unwritten Book Samantha Hunt Biography HUNT, S. In the Valleys of the Nobel Beyond John Zada 001.9442 ZAD A Haunted History of Invisible Women Leanna Renee Hieber New Non-Fiction Classics to Consider
- Patricia Briggs
- Christine Feehan
- Sherrilyn Kenyon
- R.A. Salvatore
- J.R. Ward
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EVERGLADES NATIONAL PARK: Books about Florida
Fiction
Title Author Call Number Brutes Dizz Tate New F TATE, D. The Light Pirate Lily Brooks-Dalton New F BROOKS-DALTON, L. The Magic Kingdom Russell Banks New F BANKS, R. Silver Alert Lee Smith New F SMITH, L. Swamp Story Dave Barry New F BARRY, D. Non-Fiction
Title Author Call Number Backroads of Paradise Cathy Salustri 917.59 SAL Florida and the South's National Parks Anthony Ham 917.590464 HAM In the Land of Good Living Kent Russell 917.5904 RUS A New Guide to Old Florida Attractions Doug Alderson 917.5904 ALD Oh, Florida! Craig Pittman 975.9 PIT Other Authors to Consider
- Carl Hiaasen
- Elmore Leonard
- Ed McBain
- John D. MacDonald
- Lawrence Sanders
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GREAT SMOKY MOUNTAINS NATIONAL PARK: Books about Animals
Fiction
Title Author Call Number Pride of Eden Taylor Brown F BROWN, T. Glory NoViolet Bulawayo Large Print BULAWAYO, N. Composite Creatures Caroline Hardaker F HARDAKER, C. What We Fed to the Manticore Talia Lakshmi-Kolluri F KOLLURI, T. Stolen Ann-Helen Laestadius New F LAESTADIUS, A. Perestroika in Paris Jane Smiley F SMILEY, J. Non-Fiction
Title Author Call Number Wild New World Dan Flores 591.97 FLO Rescue Dogs Pete Paxton 636.7 PAX The Grizzly in the Driveway Robert Chaney New 599.784 CHA George: A Magpie Memoir Frieda Hughes New Non-Fiction Unraveling Peggy Orenstein New 746.432 ORE Classics to Consider
- All Creatures Great and Small by James Herriot
- The Art of Racing in the Rain by Garth Stein
- Dewey, the Library Cat by Vicki Myron
- H is for Hawk by Helen Macdonald
- Marley and Me by John Grogan
- Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame
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INDIANA DUNES NATIONAL PARK: Beach Reads
Fiction
Title Author Call Number The Bodyguard Katherine Center F CENTER, K. The Fraud Squad Kyla Zhao New F ZHAO, K. Georgie, All Along Kate Clayborn New F CLAYBORN, K. Same Time Next Summer Annabel Monaghan On Order Sorry, Bro Taleen Voskuni New F VOSKUNI, T. Non-Fiction
Title Author Call Number The Crane Wife C.J. Hauser New Large Print 814.6 HAU Crying in the Bathroom Erika L. Sanchez Biography SANCHEZ Dirtbag, Massachusetts Isaac Fitzgerald New Large Print B FITZGERALD, I. Life on the Rocks Juli Berwald New Adult Nonfiction 333.95 BER Secrets of the Sprakkar Eliza Reid 305.4094912 REI Classics to Consider
- All the Days of Summer by Nancy Thayer
- Nantucket Nights by Elin Hilderbrand
- Once More with Feeling by Elissa Sussman
- Romantic Comedy by Curtis Sittenfeld
- Summer Stage by Meg Mitchell Moore
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MOUNT RUSHMORE NATIONAL PARK: Books Featuring U.S. Presidents
Fiction
Title Author Call Number December '41 William Martin New Large Type F MARTIN, W. Deep Fake Ward Larsen New F LARSEN, W. Shadow State Frank Sennett New F SENNETT, F. The Old Lion Jeff Shaara New F SHAARA, J. The President's Daughter Bill Clinton, James Patterson F CLINTON, B. Non-Fiction
Title Author Call Number Dinner with the President Alex Prud'homme New 973.099 PRU The Jeffersonians Kevin R. C. Gutzman New 973.5 GUT The Lincoln Conspiracy Brad Meltzer 973.7092 MEL Photographic Presidents Cara A. Finnegan 973.099 FIN Wine and the White House: A History Frederick Ryan 973 RYA Other Authors to Consider
- Vince Flynn
- Bill O'Reilly
- Richard North Patterson
- Elliott Roosevelt
- Andrew Shaffer
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ROCKY MOUNTAIN NATIONAL PARK: Books about Sports
Fiction
Title Author Call Number Fake It Till You Bake It Jamie Wesley F WESLEY, J. The Last Chairlift John Irving F IRVING, J. Ravaged Naima Simone New F SIMONE, N. The Sense of Wonder Matthew Salesses New F SALESSES, M. The Winners Fredrik Backman F BACKMAN, F. Non-Fiction
Title Author Call Number Becoming Forrest Rob Pope 796.424092 POP Everest 1922 Mick Conefrey 796.522 CON Good for a Girl Lauren Flesman New B FLESHMAN, L. The Grandest Stage Tyler Kepner New 796.35764 KEP So Help Me God Rick Reilly 796.352 REI The Red Gladiator Tony Sullivan 796.80937 SUL Classics to Consider
- Beartown by Fredrik Backman
- Born to Run by Christopher McDougall
- Denali's Howl by Andy Hall
- Into Thin Air by Jon Krakauer
- The Mosquito Bowl by Buzz Bissinger
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SAGUARO NATIONAL PARK: Westerns
Fiction
Title Author Call Number The Big Sugar Mary Logue New F LOGUE, M. Crow Mary Kathleen Grissom New F GRISSOM, K. Lucky Red Claudia Cravens New F CRAVENS, C. Sing Her Down Ivy Pochoda New F POCHODA, I. Where Coyotes Howl Sandra Dallas New F DALLAS, S. Non-Fiction
Title Author Call Number Covered with Night Nicole Eustace 364.1523 EUS Follow Me to Hell Tom Clavin 363.209764 CLA Gentleman Bandit John Boessenecker 979.404092 BOE The Last Campaign H.W. Brands 973.8 BRA The Summer of 1876 Chris Wimmer New 978.02 WIM Authors to Consider
- Ralph Compton
- Zane Grey
- William W. Johnstone
- Elmer Kelton
- Louis L'Amour
- Elmore Leonard
- Cormac McCarthy
- Larry McMurtry
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VOYAGEURS NATIONAL PARK: Books about Time Travel
Fiction
Title Author Call Number Happy Place Emily Henry New F HENRY. E. Jasmine and Jack Rock the Boat Sonya Lalli New F LALLI, S. Kismet Becky Chalsen New F CHALSEN, B. Mrs. Nash's Ashes Sarah Adler New F ADLER, S. Things I Wish I Told My Mother Sue Patterson New F PATTERSON, S. Non-Fiction
Title Author Call Number Feral Emily Pennington New 917.304933092 PEN The Half Known Life Pico Iyer New Non-Fiction My Travels with Mrs. Kennedy Clint Hill 973.922092 HIL Train Beyond the Mountains Rick Antonson New 917.11 ANT Walking with Sam Andrew McCarthy New Non-Fiction Classics to Consider
- Blue Highways by William Least Heat-Moon
- Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilber
- Notes from a Small Island by Bill Bryson
- On the Road by Jack Kerouac
- Travels with Charley by John Steinbeck
- A Year in Provence by Peter Mayle