Want to stretch your reading this summer? Adult Summer Reading offers bonus categories for this very goal, and one of the playful ways to start is to choose by book cover: Color your world by trying a Millennial Pink book. [Wondering what ‘millennial pink’ may be? Try here for a lighthearted explanation.] Following are a few of the eye-catching titles that have millennial pink covers. For more summer reading suggestions, email readers@mppl.org or find the links for each bonus category in Beanstack or in Lists & Suggestions.
Severance by Ling Ma
A survivor of an apocalyptic plague maintains a blog about a decimated Manhattan before joining a motley group of survivors to search for a place to rebuild, a goal that is complicated by an unscrupulous group leader.
Character-driven; Witty
The Two Lives of Lydia Bird by Josie Silver
A woman grieving the loss of her fiancé finds herself swapping back and forth between parallel lives, including one in which her first love has survived and another involving a new person who is asking her to move on.
Engaging; Thoughtful
Gingerbread by Helen Oyeyemi
Draws on the classic fairy-tale element of gingerbread in the story of a British family whose surprising legacy and secret past are tied to a favorite recipe.
Compelling; Lyrical
Laura Dean Keeps Breaking Up With Me by Mariko Tamaki
Laura Dean, the most popular girl in high school, was Frederica Riley’s dream girl, but Freddy is learning she is not the best girlfriend, so she seeks help from a mysterious medium and advice columnists to help her through being a teenager in love.
Angst-filled; Character-driven
Lovely War by Julie Berry
Meeting in a World War II-era Manhattan hotel for a forbidden tryst, immortals Ares and Aphrodite are caught by the latter’s jealous husband before she defends her actions by imparting the tale of four young humans who became connected during World War I.
Moving; Romantic
City of Margins by William Boyle
The lives of several lost souls intersect in gritty 1990s south Brooklyn, from a disgraced ex-cop with blood on his hands to the grieving mother of a suicide victim.
Compelling; Gritty