summer_18

READING

SUMMER 2018 CEA ADVISOR 13

Summer Reading Recommendations

Summer vacation can be a great time to catch up on reading…for pleasure. Here are some CEA staff recommendations.

Rufus, how they find each other, and how they choose to live their last day. It’s a thought-provoking story that reminds us, “There is no life without death, and no love without loss.” If you’re as touched by it as I was, you’ll both love and hate the ending. This is billed as young adult fiction, so it’s suitable for high schoolers, though there are some descriptions of violence and law breaking. The Last Mrs. Parrish, by Liv Constantine Set on Connecticut’s “gold coast,” The Last Mrs. Parrish is an engrossing mystery told in two parts, the first by Amber, a newcomer to the tony village of Bishops Harbor from humble—and nebulous—beginnings who seeks to get ahead; the second by Daphne, the wealthy and titular Mrs. Parrish she befriends, who has some secrets of her own and whose life isn’t all it appears to be. Full of twists and dark secrets that will keep you guessing ’til the final chapter, The Last Mrs. Parrish is this summer’s read to satisfy the appetites of anyone who enjoyed Gone Girl or The Girl on the Train. Relentless: From Good to Great to UNSTOPPABLE , by Tim S. Grover I read this book on a recommendation from a fellow runner and chose to listen to it on Audible during my long training runs. It’s a motivating, direct, and sometimes brash professional account of how the author, a self-made personal trainer, worked his way up from training clients in gyms around Chicago to owning his own training facility and working with basketball greats Kobe Bryant, Dwayne Wade, and Michael Jordan. A self-help book for pragmatists, Grover’s book is a practical guide for those determined to unlock their potential for greatness in any discipline. He doesn’t mince words or pull punches, and his quotable and sensible advice will likely prove useful for anyone looking to get ahead in any aspect of life—not just basketball. ORLANDO RODRIGUEZ, ECONOMIST AND RESEARCH & all—of the planet uninhabitable, the last humans are confined to massive airships that circle the Earth in a perilous search for a new home. The ships, however, are old, and most have come crashing back down to Earth. The only thing keeping the surviving lifeboats in motion are Hell Divers: men and women who risk life and limb scavenging for parts the ships need to keep running. Their mission ultimately pulls back the curtain on the history of the war that left humankind stranded in the air for centuries. When one of the remaining airships is damaged in an electrical storm, a Hell Diver team is deployed to a hostile zone called Hades. But there’s something down there that’s far worse than the mutated creatures discovered on dives in the past—something that threatens the fragile future of humanity. POLICY DEVELOPMENT SPECIALIST Hell Divers , by Nicholas Sansbury Smith This four-book series is a must for science fiction fans. Set on Earth, in a future that is nightmarish but plausible, the books offer up good characters, conflict, and interesting plots. I bought a copy of the third book before it was even released. After World War III has rendered most—if not

KATE FIELD, CEA TEACHER DEVELOPMENT SPECIALIST Everything Happens for a Reason and Other Lies I’ve Loved , by Kate Bowler A friend gave me this book after I lost my husband to cancer, and I hope by writing a review I might pass on this kindness to another in need of

comfort. Written by a college professor at Duke who was diagnosed with terminal cancer, Everything Happens for a Reason and Other Lies I’ve Loved is as much about how to live as it is about dying. Brief and elegantly written, Bowler’s book helped me glimpse what my husband may have thought and felt in his final weeks. Strongly recommended for anyone struggling with loss or serious illness, Everything Happens for a Reason assures us joy is

still possible, even in the midst of heartache and despair. Wonder , by R.J. Palacio A heartwarming novel and perfect summer read—read it before you see the film! Inspired by a real-life

interaction Palacio had with an exceptional child while waiting in line for ice cream, the story explores what it means to be human and how compassion triumphs over cruelty and fear. A delightful, uplifting story at a time when we all desperately need it, it’s also a great book to include in the middle school or high school curriculum to promote empathy, joy, and—yes—wonder. The Stranger and the Statesman: James Smithson, John Quincy Adams, and the Making of America’s Greatest Museum— The Smithsonian , by Nina Burleigh I found this book in a Free Little Library in a park in my hometown, and it felt like a stranger gave me a great gift. I once lived in D.C., where I

would frequently spend my afternoons wandering through my favorite Smithsonian museums—the National Portrait Gallery, Museum of Natural History, the Sakler, and my absolute favorite, the Botanical Gardens. The grandeur of the buildings made them feel like great marble temples to beauty and learning, and I’d wonder what mysteries lay buried in the archives or boxed up in storage rooms. This book provides a glimpse into one of the museum’s greatest mysteries of all—its reclusive benefactor, James Smithson, a

wealthy naturalist from England who bequeathed his entire fortune, library, and mineral collection to establish the museum, despite never having visited the United States or even having met an American. A fascinating story that reads like a mystery novel, it is also meticulously researched—the endnotes are almost more fun to read than the book itself. You will learn much and may even find comfort in knowing bitter partisan politics are nothing new, and that as disheartening as they may be, they need not stand in the way of progress or the celebration of knowledge. MICHELE RIDOLFI O’NEILL, CEA EDUCATIONAL ISSUES SPECIALIST They Both Die at the End , by Adam Silvera This book was a surprise! I read it on a

recommendation from my sister, whose taste in books differs from mine, and I confess I was skeptical at first, but the premise hooked me. In a not-so-distant future, people are notified by a service called Death-Cast that they will die sometime later that day. They aren’t told how or when, but death is certain. Though the book follows several characters, it focuses on Mateo and