Are you looking for a fun, relaxing book this summer?! We’ve got you covered!
It is important to take some time for yourself, especially during stressful and uncertain seasons. If relaxing with a new book, whether a print copy, an audiobook, or an e-book, sounds restful to you, you have come to the right place. The Duke Medical Center Library Engel Collection is filled with titles perfect for your summer beach trip, and Duke University Libraries makes leisure reading easy with a great selection of e-books and audiobooks. For ease of access to audiobooks, try using the Libby app and connect it to your Duke library account.
For your next summer read, check out our staff’s recommendations!
A Little Devil in America: In Praise of Black Performance, Hanif Abdurraqib
"Over the last few years, Hanif has easily become one of my favorite authors. A Little Devil in America: In Praise of Black Performance is a collection of essays that highlights Black performers while also incorporating anecdotal pieces from his life and his love for music and performance as a whole." - Aaliyah Alvin, Research & Education Librarian Intern
The Midnight Library, Matt Haig
"The book is a good reminder of being grateful for the life and the opportunities that you have in this lifetime." - Uyen Nguyen, Electronic Resources and Discovery Librarian
The Hunting Party, Lucy Foley
"When it's hot outside, I love to read a multi-perspective thriller set in an icy and snowy landscape." - Samantha Kaplan, Research & Education Librarian
In the Time of the Butterflies, Julia Alvarez
"The story is told from four perspectives, which is refreshing from other historical fiction. An easy, but meaningful read." - Beth Blackwood, Research & Education Librarian
The Anthropocene Reviewed: Essays on a Human-Centered Planet, John Green
"I found these personal essays to be heartfelt and clever. The format of short reviews on various topics makes for perfect summer reading on-the-go. I listened (via audiobook) to the essay “Auld Lang Syne” while walking the Al Buehler Trail and it was wonderful and moving." - Hope Riffee, Digital Projects Analyst
Birnam Wood, Eleanor Catton
"Eleanor Catton’s novel Birnam Wood is perhaps my favorite book I have read this year. I am not usually into thrillers, but this one grabbed me with a description that touts a billionaire doomsday prepper, a guerilla gardening collective, and a National Park in New Zealand. The last 100 pages go by too fast!" - Victor Gordon, Associate Director for Administration
Cutting for Stone, Abraham Verghese
"First, a confession: I read Cutting for Stone after Covenant of Water, the more recent of physician-author Abraham Verghese’s novels. I highly recommend them both, but I’m selecting Cutting for Stone for this recommendation because our Library has a print copy in the Engel Collection and I still like to read books on paper. Cutting for Stone is a novel about two orphaned twins raised at a mission hospital by its physicians in Addis Ababa. It is an expansive story with interwoven characters that spans both decades and continents. It is also a story about medicine, medical care, and medical training." - Megan von Isenburg, Associate Dean for Library Services & Archives