I signed up for our library’s adult summer reading program the same day I signed my kids up for their program, and because I participated, I read some books I might not have otherwise read. The adult program was just what I needed: something to get me out of my rut of reading books from the mystery section!

Appaloosa Appaloosa by Robert B. Parker

My rating: 4 of 5 stars
As part of my summer reading program, I was challenged to read a book from a different genre than I usually do. I immediately thought “Western,” since that is the absolutely last genre I would read voluntarily.

I have read many of Robert B. Parker’s other books, and Appaloosa is written in the same style as his many other crime books, but in a different setting. As usual, once I started reading I couldn’t put it down.

A Good Indian Wife: A Novel A Good Indian Wife: A Novel by Anne Cherian

My rating: 4 of 5 stars
This book explores the conflict between arranged marriages and marrying for love. But that’s not all; Anne Cherian writes about so much more; family expectations; fidelity; and being comfortable in one’s own skin. Even though the ending was predictable, I really enjoyed this book.

Hands of My Father: A Hearing Boy, His Deaf Parents, and the Language of Love Hands of My Father: A Hearing Boy, His Deaf Parents, and the Language of Love by Myron Uhlberg

My rating: 5 of 5 stars
I also needed to read a non-fiction book for my reading program, and so I naturally leaned toward a memoir. Myron Uhlberg writes about the difficulties of being a hearing child with two deaf parents. In the outside world, he needs to be a translator for his parents and is put in adult situations that children normally would not face. At home, he is a child of his parents. This dual life leads to some resentment, but in the end, Myron loves his parents dearly for who they are.

What summer books have you been reading?