Have a question?
Send enquiry
Message sent Close

2024 Adult Summer Reading Program

Prendergast Library > 2024 Adult Summer Reading Program

Welcome to our Adult Summer Reading Celebration!

June 29th - August 24th, 2024

How to Participate

Summer Reading Main Page

Printer-Friendly Bingo Sheets

 Printer-Friendly Program Brochure

Participants can pick up a Summer Reading Bingo sheet at the Circulation Desk or Information Desk in the library starting June 29, 2024.

Finish a “Bingo” (horizontal, vertical or diagonal row) and get entered into prize drawings. All participants who finish as least one “Bingo” get a Prendergast Library tote bag to fill with book sale books.

Reader’s Delight – Complete all 24 squares to be entered into a special prize drawing!

Fun bingo activities:

  • Trade a book.
  • Participate in a library program.
  • Take a nature walk.
  • Attend a community event.
  • Read a book from your childhood.
  • Read a book with a hero’s journey.
  • And lots more!

Want to Participate online?

  • Create an account on our summer reading website at READsquared or download the app from Apple or Google Play.
  • Check off your Bingo Sheet activities online starting June 29.

Prizes:

  • Reader’s Delight drawing prize: $50 Good Neighbor Bookstore gift card.
  • Halfway drawing prize: $25 Crown Street gift card.
  • Finale drawing prize: $25 Chamber of Commerce gift card.

Special Programs & Events

Community Block Party & Summer Reading Kick-off

Saturday, June 29: 11:00am-2:00pm

Join us to celebrate the start of Summer Reading at our annual Block Party! Enjoy food, games, crafting, music, prizes, and more.

Jamestown Public Market’s Mobile Market

Wednesdays, June 12 – September 25: 11:30am-12:30pm

The Mobile Market will be at the library every Wednesday from 11:30-12:30 with local fruit and veggies. All produce is priced below retail value, and SNAP is accepted.

All Ages Drumming with Infinity

Thursdays, July 11 – August 29: 11:00am-12:00pm

Join us on the library’s front lawn for a drum circle. Drums and other percussion instruments will be provided. You are welcome to bring your drum. No experience is necessary.

3D Print Board Game Pieces

Tuesday, July 2: 5:30-7:00pm

Learn about 3D printing and print your own board game pieces in this staff-led workshop. Registration is appreciated. To register, call (716) 484-7135 Ext. 226.

Diamond Painting

Monday, July 15: 5:00-7:00pm

Diamond painting is a fun new version of Paint by Numbers.  Instead of using paint and a brush to fill in the areas, the paper is sticky and you stick the plastic diamonds to the correct number.  Registration is required for this free program for adults. To register, call (716) 484-7135 Ext. 226.
 

Books & Brews @ Labyrinth Press Co.

Wednesday, July 10 & August 14: 5:30-6:30pm

Books & Brews is a monthly book club that meets at Labyrinth (12 E. 4th St, Jamestown) on the second Wednesday of each month. Each month we’ll read a novel and then gather to talk about the book in a fun, casual atmosphere, with discussion led by the library staff.

July’s book: The Christie Affair by Nina de Gramont

August’s book: Yellowface by R.F. Kuang

Book Swap

Friday, July 26: 9:00am-7:00pm

Celebrate the halfway point of Summer Reading with a Book Swap! Bring in a book you no longer want, and trade it for something new. Categories for kids, teens, and adults will be available. Contributed books must be in good condition.

Oak Tree Birthday Party

Thursday, August 1: 4:30-6:30pm

Come celebrate the birthday of the library’s historic oak tree! This program will feature a lawn party for kids, followed by a talk about Jamestown’s trees for adults.

Trivia Night

Friday, August 9: 5:30-6:30pm

Test your knowledge at our August trivia night! Questions are geared toward adults, but this is a family-friendly program.

Summer Reading Finale

Saturday, August 31: 12:30-2:30pm

Celebrate a successful summer of reading when with an ice cream party on the library’s patio! All are welcome to attend as we play lawn games, socialize, and award Summer Reading prizes.

Bingo Book Lists

  1. Wild by Cheryl Strayed
  2. Into Thin Air by Jon Krakauer
  3. World Travel: An Irreverent Guide by Anthony Bourdain and Laurie Woolever
  4. West with the Night by Beryl Markham
  5. In the Heart of the Sea by Nathaniel Philbrick
  1. The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini
  2. Native Son by Richard Wright
  3. The Glass Castle by Jeanette Walls
  4. Year of Wonders by Geraldine Brooks
  5. The Things They Carried by Tim O’Brien
  1. March: Book One by John Lewis, Andrew Aydin, and Nate Powell
  2. Locke & Key Volume 1 by Joe Hill and Gabriel Rodriguez
  3. The Umbrella Academy Volume 1 by Gerard Way and Gabriel Ba
  4. Saga Volume 1 by Brian K. Vaughan and Fiona Staples
  5. Vox Machina Origins Volume 1 by Matthew Mercer and Matthew Colville
  1. Dune by Frank Herbert
  2. Outlander by Diana Gabaldon
  3. No Country for Old Men by Cormac McCarthy
  4. True Grit by Charles Portis
  5. The Revenant by Michael Punke

The Hero’s Journey is the term used to describe the common template of stories that involve a hero who goes on an adventure, is victorious in a decisive crisis, and comes home changed or transformed.

  1. The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien
  2. Red Rising by Pierce Brown
  3. The Poppy War by R.F. Kuang
  4. Fairy Tale by Stephen King
  5. Ready Player One by Ernest Cline
  1. Swing Time by Zadie Smith
  2. 1Q84 by Haruki Murakami
  3. A Man Called Ove by Fredrik Backman
  4. The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini
  5. This is How You Lose Her by Junot Diaz

#OwnVoices is a term used to describe books about characters from underrepresented and/or marginalized groups in which the author shares the same identity.

  1. Black Sun by Rebecca Roanhorse
  2. Act Your Age, Eve Brown by Talia Hibbert
  3. Gideon the Ninth by Tamsyn Muir
  4. Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi
  5. Long Petal of the Sea by Isabel Allende
  1. Nora Goes Off Script by Annabel Monaghan
  2. Little Fires Everywhere by Celeste Ng
  3. A is for Alibi by Sue Grafton
  4. Stone Blind by Natalie Haynes
  5. Jade City by Fonda Lee
  1. The Great Alone by Kristin Hannah
  2. The Guide by Peter Heller
  3. Noor by Nnedi Okorafor
  4. How Much of These Hills is Gold by C. Pam Zhang
  5. My Heart is a Chainsaw by Stephen Graham Jones
  1. The Water Dancer by Ta-Nehisi Coates
  2. The Evening and the Morning by Ken Follett
  3. The Valley of Amazement by Amy Tan
  4. Rise to Rebellion by Jeff Shaara
  5. Trust by Hernan Diaz
  1. The Priory of the Orange Tree by Samantha Shannon
  2. Red at the Bone by Jaqueline Woodson
  3. The House in the Cerulean Sea by T.J. Klune
  4. Tress of the Emerald Sea by Brandon Sanderson
  5. Yellowface by R.F. Kuang

Reader's Advisory

Still looking for another book to read? Fill out our Reader’s Advisory form and a librarian will send you a personalized list of suggested books!