More light to read by
Vol. 2 Issue 25
"One benefit of summer was that each day we had more light to read by." --Jeannette Walls
BOOK NEWS & NOTES
No reading required: The Supreme Court ruled today that a group of parents in Maryland may pull their children out of English/language arts lessons at public schools if the suggested reading includes stories that clash with their religious beliefs. The school system in Montgomery County expanded its curriculum in 2022 to include books with LGBTQ+ characters as a way to better reflect the diversity of families in the area. However, a coalition of religious parents didn’t want their offspring reading such stories. The 6-3 decision in Mahmoud v. Taylor could have implications for public schools nationwide. (The Washington Post)
Moving away from books?: Remember when Amazon just sold books? You know, before it was a megacorp-supersized-sell-you-anything-uber-warehouse store. Well, the company seems to have decided to invest less in that department. Earlier this month, Amazon cut dozens of jobs in its book division, including its Goodreads site and Kindle units. And it's not like the company is hurting financially. In the first quarter of this year, Amazon saw an increase in revenue to $17.1 billion -- over the mere $10.4 billion it made during the same period in 2024. (Publishers Weekly and Amazon)
Human meets machine: Have you been sucked into the new Apple TV+ show "Murderbot"? Or perhaps you are, like me, a fan of the dark/fun "Murderbot Diaries" series by Martha Wells? Cool. Then check out these similar science fiction tales of robots, cyborgs and augmented humans. (BookBub)
Summer story suggestions: The editors of Publishers Weekly have come out with their annual list of the best novels and nonfiction books of the season. Browse this year's list or amble through the previous lists going back to 2012. The older the book, the more likely it'll be available without delay at the library. As for the new offerings, I'm most interested in "Baldwin: A Love Story" and "Bury Our Bones in the Midnight Soil" by V.E. Schwab. (Publishers Weekly)
Share your beach reads: What paperbacks and hardcovers are you tossing into your beach bag this summer? Reading something off the bestseller lists or a classic? Perhaps you're learning a new hobby? I'd love to hear about it. Drop me an email and list up to three books you're planning to read before fall. I'll share some of the suggestions in July.
Literary calendar of events: Looking for something fun to do? Here’s a handy list of book fairs and literary festivals. The calendar is also available at the top of The Moonlight Reader Society homepage. If I’ve missed one in your neck of the woods, please let me know.
Short admin note: There will be no issue of The Moonlight Reader Society on July 4th. If you celebrate, enjoy the holiday!
Bookmark love: What's between your pages? Take a photo of your bookmark or placeholder and let me know why you love it. I may share your image/thoughts in a future issue.
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READER POLL
LAST WEEK’S POLL
HOOKED FROM THE 1ST PAGE
As Gregor Samsa awoke one morning from uneasy dreams he found himself transformed in his bed into a monstrous vermin.
25-WORD REVIEWS
Rating System:
* * * * * One of the best books I've read in a while
* * * * A wonderful book, recommended
* * * Good book, worth the read
* * This book was fine, but not my favorite
* This book wasn't for me
I think I'm in an abusive relationship with this series. The stories are relatively engaging, the characters fairly annoying, and I'm reading the fourth book. --Nikki Clark
Rating: * * * stars
This could be mistaken for a JD Robb “In Death” novel. Change NYC to a lakeside setting, add a supportive family and start checking boxes. --Pam Otis
Rating: * * * 1/2 stars
PUBLIC SERVICE ANNOUNCEMENT
FMI: Click here.
LITERARY HOLIDAYS
July is: Read an Almanac Month
July 4 is Alice in Wonderland Day
July 30 is Paperback Book Day
WRITER BIRTHDAYS
June 27 - Lucille Clifton, Anita Diamant, Paul Laurence Dunbar, M. Carl Holman, Helen Keller, Peter Maas, Alice McDermott, Kirkpatrick Sale and Anna Cabot Quincy Waterston
June 28 - Kate Atkinson, Aimee Bender, Kurt Eichenwald, Bette Greene, A.E. Hotchner, Deborah Moggach, Luigi Pirandello, Jean-Jacques Rousseau and Florian Zeller
June 29 - Brian Herbert, Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, Celia Thaxter and John Toland
June 30 - James Goldman, Winston Graham, Czesław Miłosz and Eleanor Ross Taylor
July 1 - George Sand, Lisa Scottoline, Louise Penny, and William Strunk
July 2 - Peter Desbarats, Jean Craighead George, Hermann Hesse, Darren O'Shaughnessy and Wisława Szymborska
July 3 - Evelyn Anthony, Dave Barry, Julie Burchill, W.H. Davies, M.F.K. Fisher, Matt Haig, Joanne Harris, Franz Kafka, Dorothy Kilgallen, Michael Shea and Tom Stoppard
July 4 - Nathaniel Hawthorne, Ron Kovic, Eppie Lederer, Paul Rogat Loeb, Pauline Phillips, Richard Rhodes and Howard Taubman
July 5 - Frederick Lewis Allen, Michael Blake, Jean Cocteau, Anthony Berkeley Cox, Veronica Guerin, Ronald D. Moore, Jill Murphy, Gary Shteyngart, W.T. Stead and Bill Watterson
July 6 - Sophie Adlersparre, David Crystal, Peter Hedges, Will James, Jonas Jonasson, Janet Leigh, Frederica Sagor Maas, Hilary Mantel, Harold Norse, Vance Trimble, Louisa Caroline Tuthill and Alexander Wilson
July 7 - T.J. Bass, Simone Beck, David Eddings, Herbert Feis, Robert A. Heinlein, Kathy Reichs, Howard Rheingold, V.E. Schwab, Joel Siegel, Jeff VanderMeer and Margaret Walker
July 8 - R. Carlyle Buley, Raquel Correa, Jenny Diski, Jean de La Fontaine, Erin Morgenstern, Elisabeth Kübler-Ross, Anna Quindlen and Jean Rouverol
July 9 - Barbara Cartland, Jamie Ford, Haynes Johnson, June Jordan, Dean Koontz, Tim Kring, Michael Lederer, Matthew Gregory Lewis, Thomas Ligotti, Mervyn Peake, Junauda Petrus, Ann Radcliffe and Rebecca Sugar
July 10 - James Aldridge, Mildred Benson, David Brinkley, Seth Godin, David G. Hartwell, Judith Jasmin, Jean Kerr, Julian May, Alice Munro, Marcel Proust, Alfred Ronalds, Janette Sherman and John Wyndham
July 11 - Nadeem Aslam, Harold Bloom, Jhumpa Lahiri, Marie Lu, J.R. Morgan, Patricia Polacco, Cordwainer Smith and E.B. White
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MOMENT OF GRATITUDE
Thanks to Sandralise Photography, The Washington Post, Publishers Weekly, Amazon, BookBub, Great Big Story, YouTube, A Bit of Good News, PEN America, Holidays Calendar, National Today, National Day Calendar, A Wandering Scribbler, Good Good Good, Writers Write, Keeping Up With the Penguins, Brainy Quote, The Literary Lifestyle, Wikipedia, The End Files, Portobello Literary, Canva and Deposit Photos for art and story suggestions.
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