The challenges offer fun ways to connect with reading and library services. Each time a participant completes four challenges, they get a ticket to enter in one of our great Summer Reading raffles. Participants seem to be having a great time exploring videos on the library’s streaming services, trying new reading genres, sharing books suggestions, and attending library programs!

The prizes make it even better. Ticket holders can enter raffles for seven great summer prizes, including:

*The Dorney Park Prize, with two passes donated by Dorney Park and Wildwater Kingdom via @DonationMatch.

*The World Heritage Celebration prize, with four World Heritage Tour tickets, books about Bethlehem history, and Moravian star ornaments – all donated by Historic Bethlehem Museums and Sites.

*The Take Me Out to the Ballgame Prize, including four tickets to a game donated by the Lehigh Valley IronPigs, an insulated cooler bag, and various baseball-related items.

*The Book Lovers Prize, with three popular manga books donated by Manga Lane, a gift certificate to a local coffee shop, and some great items to proclaim your love of reading!

*The Local Luxury Prize, featuring a beautiful bracelet donated by the Shoppe at the Historic Hotel Bethlehem, a lovely decorative candle donated by Sharon Gattuso, chocolate bars, and a journal.

*The Lazy Summer Day Prize, which includes a gift card to an ice cream store, a s’mores kit, and fun summer puzzles and books

*The Tech Treasures Prize, connecting a lucky winner to a portable power bank, Bluetooth headphones, and a computer carrying case!

Many thanks to our generous donors who made these prizes possible!

This summer’s Bethlehem Area Public Library Adult Summer Reading Challenge encouraged over 240 participants to explore their choice of books and provided incentive to learn about library resources. Participants could find new recipes in the A to Z World Food Database, read about the Olympics in our global online news archives, or experiment with a language learning app. They read award-winning books, re-read childhood favorites, and watched movies about explorers. Many people said they enjoyed doing the challenges with their children and grandchildren who were participating in the children’s Summer Reading program.

Participants could choose how many challenge tasks they wanted to do—the more they did, the more chances they earned in our fabulous Adult Summer Reading Raffle! Thanks to generous donations from local businesses, we were able to offer six adventure-themed prize baskets. We are grateful to these businesses and individuals for their support:

• Captured LV Escape Room
• Grandpa Joe’s Candy Shop
• La Petite Provence
• Lehigh Valley IronPigs
• National Museum of Industrial History
• Regina Kochmaruk
• Sharon Gattuso
• Sicily Pizza and Restaurant III

And finally, congratulations to our six raffle basket winners!

• Barbara B. – French Flair
• Robert C. – Kanopy and Chill
• Carmela C. – Local Adventure
• Stephanie H. – Garden Adventure
• Danette L. – Summer Fun
• Betsy S. – Triple-A Adventures

The challenges were fun and easy. Some people learned new skills from library books, such as kayaking, cooking techniques, crafts, and computer skills. Others were introduced to our new floor layout at Main Library after our extensive renovations this year! Many people reported bringing a friend to the library or reading a book recommended by a friend. Lots of people discovered new books through the challenges and many people contacted us to say that they had tried online resources for the first time, such as Kanopy or BAPL’s digital postcard collection.

Everyone seemed to feel that the challenges were fun in themselves, but three lucky people also got to claim gift baskets.

Congratulations to:

Brianne Beebe, who won the Kitchen Creations basket

Carmela Cirilli, who won the Get Growing basket (pictured with Olivia M., a winner in the Youth Services Summer Reading Program)

Brenda Rich, who won the On the Road basket

Thank you to everyone who participated!

Is there a book you have been meaning to read?

Do you like to win prizes?

What if you could do all of these things at once? Sure, you might say, the library has a Summer Reading program for kids, but what can adults do? Good news! BAPL doesn’t limit the summer fun to young people. There are exciting programs, great books, and fun prizes for adults this summer.

You can pick up a Summer Reading Challenge Chart at the Main Library, Bookmobile, or Coolidge Branch, or you can print one yourself. The Summer Reading theme is “All Together Now/ Todos Juntos Ahora” and the chart suggests a variety of ways to get involved with the library, including reading suggestions, exploring library services, and participating in library programs. The more challenges you do, the more raffle tickets you can earn for our fabulous Summer Reading prizes.

The challenges are easy and diverse. When you have completed five of them, bring your chart to the Reference Desk at the Main Library. You will receive a small starter prize and your first raffle ticket! After that, you can earn a raffle ticket for every three challenges you complete.

The raffle prize baskets include:

The Get Growing Raffle Basket, which includes a $25 gift card for the Pharo Garden Center, gardening tools and gloves, and an incense holder with cones.

The Kitchen Creations Raffle Basket, which includes a $25 gift card for Azar Supermarket, a soft cooler, mugs, coasters, and several attractive cooking aides.

The On the Road Raffle Basket, which includes a $25 Wawa gift card, a BAPL tote bag, water bottles, and travel accessories such as an RFID wallet, a book light, and headrest hooks.

All raffle baskets also include a voucher for our popular BAPL Book Sale

The Summer Reading program continues until August 19. Be sure to get your raffle tickets soon!

Lottery by Patricia Wood – Mary Jo R. says this is a great summer read! “What’s your number? Perry L. Crandall’s number is 76. You have to be 75 to be mentally retarded – he is just slow. Perry is 31 years old and lives with his Gram. They have a routine – bingo, words, the lottery, and lists. They keep lists for everything – especially what they will do if they win the lottery. Gram dies suddenly and Perry adjusts to his new life. His friends, Keith, Gary, and Cherry help him. Then he wins the lottery and everyone wants to be his “friend,” especially his older brothers. They want to “con” him out of his money. With the help of Keith and Gary, Perry outwits his brothers and gets what he wants – but so do his brothers. Read this book to find out how. So – what’s your number?”

Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Wall Kimmerer – Amy G. describes this book as “part poetry, part memoir, part naturalist guidebook, and part Indigenous wisdom. Beautifully written, Wall Kimmerer, an Environmental Scientist and Potawatomi, offers a love letter to nature and her culture between the pages of her book.”

I Heard That Song Before by Mary Higgins Clark – Christine M. says “Reading a Mary Higgins Clark mystery is like putting on a comfy pair of socks: easy to read, good for guessing an ending, not a brain-taxing experience. It’s a cozy read and the appropriate people live happily ever after.”

What books do you recommend? Fill out a short book review to enter and our summer reading prize raffle – the contest is open until August 14! You can enter online or in person at any Bethlehem Area Public Library or Bookmobile stop.

Our most recent winner is Karen G., who won a gift certificate to Town & Country Lanes. Thank you to the Friends of the Bethlehem Area Public Library for donating the prize!

The Bethlehem Area Public Library’s summer reading contest for adults continues until August 14. Just write a short review of a book that you’ve read, submit it online, at one of our libraries, or at the Bookmobile and you will be entered in our weekly raffle! Last week’s winner was Rachel T., who reviewed People You Meet on Vacation. Her prize is a gift certificate to the Clubhouse Grille. Thank you to the Friends of the Bethlehem Area Public Library for donating the prizes!

Bethlehem readers have reviewed a wide variety of books in our contest. Here are some of the fun summer romantic books they recommend. All of these books are available at one of our libraries and through our digital book collection in cloudLibrary.

Allende, Isabel. The Japanese Lover.

Bradford, Barbara Taylor. Playing the Game.

Bromley, Kate. Talk Bookish to Me.

Dev, Sonali. Incense and Sensibility.

Henry, Emily. Beach Read.

Henry, Emily. People We Meet on Vacation.

Morgan, Sarah. The Summer Seekers.

Moyes, Jojo. Me Before You.

Rudnick, Paul. Playing the Palace.

Sparks, Nicholas. Every Breath.

Steele, Danielle. Beauchamp Hall.

Williams, Preslaya. A Lowcountry Bride.

Williams, Tia. Seven Days in June.

Roll out those lazy, hazy, crazy days of summer reading – you’ll wish that summer could always be here!

Lauren B. tells us about Fatima Farheen Mirza’s first novel, A Place for Us:

A Place for Us is the debut novel of a young author and what a debut it was! I’m looking forward to see where this author goes. This novel is a slow burn family drama, somewhat akin to Little Fires Everywhere. The story starts at a wedding, and then goes back in time, showcasing little events that led the family to where they are at today. A Place for Us is about a Muslim Indian American family and deals with themes such as belonging, family ties, and cultural identity. I would give it a 3.5/5. I would recommend reading as much as possible in one or two sittings. It’ll make the biggest impact that way. When I stretched out readings more, I found I started losing the threads of what was happening in the book, since it does jump around timelines often and from different characters’ perspectives.

Our raffle winner this week is Barbara S., who reviewed Linwood Barkley A Noise Downstairs. She won a gift card to Patti’s Petals. Prizes are donated by the Bethlehem Area Public Library’s Friends of the Library.

We have great prizes left – so make sure your get your book reviews in to be entered in the raffle. You may enter online or in person at any Bethlehem library location or bookmobile stop.

Our third randomly selected raffle winner is Christine M.  who won a gift card to the Lehigh Valley Iron Pigs.

She recommends You Are Special; Words of Wisdom from America’s Most Beloved Neighbor by Fred Rogers:

This book is a compilation of “words of wisdom” from beloved neighbor, Mister Rogers. I marked over 23 quotes that I thought I might use in this review. Here are a few. “The world needs a sense of worth, and it will achieve it only by its people feeling that they are worthwhile.” “Often, problems are knots with many strands, and looking at those strands can make a problem seem different.” When seeing scary things on the news: “Look for the helpers. You will always find people who are helping.” “We speak with more than our mouths. We listen with more than our ears.” His understanding of violence and the many changes in our world today made me think of things differently.

Prizes are donated by the Bethlehem Area Public Library’s Friends of the Library.

There are still more exciting prizes. Have you entered yet? Rules and entry links for the Summer Reading Raffle and Writing Contest, along with Summer Reading Fun for the whole family, can be found here.

Sarah says:
“A must read for everyone. Seriously. Emily and Amelia Nagoski are sisters – one working in the field of health science, the other working as a choral conductor – teamed up to write this book based upon science and personal experiences. It reveals why women, in particular, face so many underlying stressors throughout their days and – most importantly – what can be done to make sure that their bodies and health are not negatively impacted by the constant bombardment of stress by completing the stress cycle. It’s based in science, but easily approached, and has the power to change lives.”

Burnout: The Secret to Unlocking the Stress Cycle is available in print from the main branch of the Bethlehem Area Public Library, or as a downloadable audiobook from our new e-book service, Cloud Library.

Congratulations also to our second randomly selected raffle winner, Amy G! Amy wins a gift card to Lorenzo’s Italian Restaurant, donated by the Bethlehem Area Public Library’s Friends of the Library.

Have you entered the Summer Reading Raffle yet? Rules and entry links for the Summer Reading Raffle and Writing Contest, along with Summer Reading Fun for the whole family, can be found here.

Our first week’s winner, Josie S., won a one year subscription to the Bethlehem Press newspaper.

Looking for your next book? Amy G. provided this review of While Justice Sleeps by Stacy Abrams:

“…a paging turning, political thriller with the fascinating backdrop of the Supreme Court. When Supreme Court Law Clerk Avery finds out that she’s her boss’s power of attorney after he falls into a coma. Her world is turned upside down and she is in imminent danger at every step. With the help of the Justice’s son and lawyer, Avery follows a set of clues laid out for her by the Justice that reveals the details of a political conspiracy.”

Rules and entry links for the Summer Reading Raffle and Writing Contest, along with Summer Reading Fun for the whole family, can be found here.

First Place

Joseph W.

“Breath Like Moths Against a Window”

I wake when the moths knock against my window,

pulling back and diving in confusedly to get close to the light—

that gentle thump of something unknowingly

wrong,

like curiously tapping a fishbowl or piling grains of sand in

a shallow hourglass.

Like them, I’m drawn to the window to peer out at the coming summer pooled in

the moonlight,

and I feel the world breathing again,

with that low April breeze and the foxes snickering and tumbling in the flowers,

with the sputter of traffic stopped up and left in driveways and along streets,

with the grass blades so green and the cherry blossoms so pink,

with the magnolia tree reflecting soft light into my room,

with the moths knocking against my window.

Then why is everything so still?

Why do the cornfields sit pale and cracked like thin-worn hands from too much

washing?

Where are the faraway trains’ click-clack and blaring horns?

Where is the crackle of roaring firepits and grills?

Who’s silenced the playground screams and bus stop chatter?

Who’s taken the jangle of distant festivals and concerts?

Who’s plucked the trudging airplanes from the sky?

Have all the church bells crumbled to the ground?

Could there even be a funeral?

Where are all the gregarious gatherings not tinged with

guilt?

Where are all the goodbye hugs not wrapped in a hush?

Where are all the goodnight kisses not laced with poison?

When will my folks not look so scared and unsure?

When will my brother emerge from his bedroom?

When will my friends and I meet again?

Where is that nightly purr we listen for when we can’t sleep, that reminds us that

we and the world still breathe?

Why is it all just moths knocking against the window?

And like their vision, this window is a contrast of colors and faces begging

me to choose.

What life is in this breath becomes a mirror, an artist, another:

a happy face with bleach on its lips,

an impression with rusted bumps on its skin,

an idle image with eyes bloodshot from blue light,

a squirming, squiggling me trapped in all the air bubbles and

glassy imperfections—

what I see when I get close enough,

with the familiar moths knocking against it.

But this Earth, these countries and states, this land—I still breathe with the

passing summer:

Drumming with millions of marchers in the wake of murder;

Pulsing with the stalwart hum of doctors, nurses, scientists, firemen and

paramedics, sanitation workers and custodians, teachers, shop owners, factory

and warehouse workers;

And writhing with these bare faces, pretty speeches, and acceptable losses

looking in on me from my window on an August night cooled by the remnants of a

tropical storm,

like those moths that would knock and wake me—

too soon to go back to sleep against

these crooked raindrops,

too soon to breathe like before when

we were close enough.

Second Place

Allie E.

“Remember Covid, Remembering Me”

The world has been hushed

It’s early yet

The morning sky is about to burst

Today is no ordinary day

Today I will attempt to home school my daughter for the thirty-second day in a row

I am thirty-two years old

She is five

Most days end with both of us in tears and yelling

I tell myself that I can do hard things

I’ve been isolated long enough that I started to read again

I hold a book to my face and close my eyes

I run my thumb over the crisp pages and I inhale the fictional breeze

That smell

The smell of a new book

It takes me back to wandering shelves in Waldenbooks

I remember getting excited for book fairs at school

I can see myself sitting in my room or in the car

In a hotel or on an airplane

On the beach or in a tent

With a brand new adventure in my hands

Imagination gone wild

There are always people walking past the house now

Some wear masks

We don’t because we are walking the dog to get fresh air

To exercise and to get out from being in for so long

It is inevitable that my daughter has to come grocery shopping with me

We wear masks

She knows that there is a virus and that’s why we wear them

We have to keep ourselves safe and help keep others safe

She knows this

So when we’re in the coffee aisle and her mask slips off her ear she yells, “Oh no!”

Pure panic

Pure calm

I tell her, “It’s okay. We can fix it.”

She is so aware

She is lonely

She is sad and frustrated

She misses her teacher

She misses her friends

She wants to hug her Grandparents again

She wants to play at the park

I tell her that she can do hard things

It’s hot outside

We get ready to go into our new pool that is a mere two and half feet deep

My daughter loves it

Sunscreen

I could breathe in my daughter’s skin for hours after I put sunscreen on her

When I’m finished she closes her eyes, “Mm-mm, it smells like Summer.”

Yes

It smells like a day at the beach

It smells like building sand castles and diving into waves

It smells like a walk on the boardwalk

Water and salt

Sunscreen and sunshine

I had a dream a few weeks ago

There was this undeniable pressure on my chest

I couldn’t breathe I woke up gasping for air that could not reach my lungs quick enough

It was terrifying

Someone told me it sounded like I had a panic attack in my sleep

Awesome

Nothing is normal anymore

Maybe nothing was normal to begin with

I didn’t get much time to do a lot of soul searching during this pandemic

But as long as I have my daughter, my dog, a new book and some sunscreen

I am found

Third Place

I.F. Evans

“Apoppycockalypse”

Pundits and prognosticators, a plethora of prophecies—

pure poppycock.

The apocalypse happened.

We plodded on, pretending it didn’t.

Is it a testament to our resiliency

that we plowed right through,

or a testament to our stupidity

that we didn’t even pause to ponder

the precarious position in which we’ve been placed?

Famine, Pestilence, War, and Death.

The four horsemen arrived. We paid them no mind.

Famine was first, but nobody spoke up.

We produce so much product, but poverty’s the problem.

A preposterous percent of people in the most prosperous nations

struggle each day to put food on their plates.

When Pestilence appeared, it was more palpable—

the first wave of the virus being painfully pernicious.

What we didn’t account for, was it perhaps just the precursor?

More virulent viruses could soon come our way.

Produced, propagated, or new evolutions,

we’re at risk for more plagues as we limp along.

War popped up next, in a devious way.

The wars overseas—while appalling—were distractions

pulling perception away from the wars brewing

right under our noses.

Race. Sex. Gender. Religion. Beliefs.

Integral parts of who we all are,

and sadly, grounds for some people to hate.

That brings us to Death,

the last of the promised horsemen.

I hear the hooves of the pale horse now.

Is it too late to stop it? Are we as a whole predestined to perish?

What panacea can prevent our extinction?

Giving. Caring. Loving. Living.

The four horsemen of a new golden age.

Share what you can with poor neighbors in need.

Take care of others when they’re feeling peaked.

Love one another, as you want to be loved.

Live and help live; don’t be part of the problem.

Let’s turn the end times to party times, and pass into a new era.

______________________________

Thank you to all who participated!

Our Week 8 Raffle Winner Theresa O. won a $25 Gift Card to Pizza Village in Hanover Township.

We hope to see you next year for another summer packed with great prizes and even better reviews, Thank You!

Our Week 6 Raffle Winner Doreen S. won a $25 Gift Card to The Olive Branch in South Bethlehem.

Here is a sample review, Sheila A’s take on Mary Kubica’s  The other Mrs.

“This was good read. I love psychological thrillers and unreliable narrators and this book delivered! There are some great plot twists and just when you think you have it figured out, you don’t! The characters are well developed and you really won’t know who to trust. This is the second Kubica book I have read and thoroughly enjoyed. The book will soon be a Netflix original movie, so I’m happy to have read it before it comes out.”

More information about the reading program, including a link to a creative writing contest with fantastic prizes, can be found here.

Our Week 5 Raffle Winner Lois P. won a $25 Gift Card to Nawab Indian Restaurant in South Bethlehem.

Here is an excerpt from Barbara’s great review of Nick Hornby’s Funny Girl.

“Hornby’s Funny Girl is about a fictional ‘60s Britcom and its creators. It’s about the story of a fictional Britcom called Barbara (and Jim). It’s also the story of Sophie Straw who decides not to be Miss Blackpool and leaves Northern England to move to London to be famous. What would the Dick Van Dyke Show look like if it was British and there were more class issues? What would the writers of the show be like if one of them really wanted to be writing more experimental novels? …..It does address issues of sexuality, class and age. And Brit language and swearing. You’re either going to like this sort of thing or it may not be remotely your sort of thing. ….And Hornby fleshes out his characters and ages them in interesting ways. I very much enjoyed it, but it could not be your sort of thing.”

More information about the reading program can be found here.

Our Week 4 Raffle Winner Aaron G. won a $25 Gift Card to Lorenzo’s Pizzeria in Bethlehem.

Here is an excerpt from Aaron’s great review of Randy Alcorn‘s If God is good- : faith in the midst of suffering and evil.

“Randy Alcorn mentions that his Afterword had originally been intended as an introduction, and it’s definitely interesting to read it after having encountered all the book’s oddities already, because its glimpses into the author’s mind and intentions do feel like they provide the last “puzzle piece” for some of the choices he made that left me confused throughout . . . they don’t necessarily HELP much, but they are interesting. He was obviously aware that he was writing (well, *trying* to write) a 21st-century Screwtape Letters, and it turns out that most of his deviations that made me say “Why would he add/change that? It was definitely better in The Screwtape Letters” were deliberate choices to accomplish an effect. But, well . . . it was definitely better in The Screwtape Letters.”

More information about the reading program can be found here.

Our Week 3 Raffle Winner Ashli N. won a $25 Gift Card to Jenny’s Kuali in Bethlehem.

Sarah B. also provided this great review of So You Want to Talk About Race:

“Ijeoma Oluo writes a clear, thoughtful, accessible, and well-organized introduction to the concept of discussing race and racially sensitive topics with self-awareness and openness. The book is more appropriate for non-minority readers, as it provides some support and answers to questions and concerns that might arise with the thought of discussing topics of race. There are some helpful pieces of advice, as well as some direct statements addressing misconceptions or beliefs the reader might hold that will prevent them from having meaningful, productive conversations.

While the majority of the focus is on Black and Native-related topics, the book on the whole is a great introduction to all conversations involving race – many more conversations that may appear that way at the first glance. If recent news has inspired you to take a look within, or do work with others, this book is the perfect place to start.”

More information about the reading program can be found here.

Our Week 2 Raffle Winner Amy G. won a $25 Gift Card to Geakers Tacos in Bethlehem Township.

Theresa O. also provided this great review of Indian Summer:

“It’s like the Love, Actually of the 1880s. William Dean Howells, probably best known as Mark Twain’s friend and biographer, was also a novelist, and Indian Summer is the best example of his amusing and heart-touching work. It’s like Henry James without any of the pretension or repression. A man returns to the scene of an earlier heartbreak, where he meets an old friend (who has aged very well) and her young protegee. As the writer of the introduction says, “You don’t get any points for guessing which one he falls in love with,” but you might be surprised by the turns the story takes, and you’ll doubtless appreciate the wit and thoughtfulness of the characters. A great summer read that isn’t mindless.”

More information about the reading program can be found here.

Our Week 1 Raffle Winner Lauren B. won a $25 Gift Card to The Cup in Bethlehem.

Amy G. also provided this great review of The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo:

“The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid is a fascinating novel full of old Hollywood glamor, secret love and a hint of mystery. When magazine writer Monique Grant is invited to interview aging Hollywood superstar, (think Elizabeth Taylor) she is drawn in the woman’s fascinating story of seven husbands, one true lifelong love and a secret that will change Monique’s life forever. 5 stars – this was a great read.”

More information about the reading program can be found here.

Main Branch Week Four prize recipient, Ruth G., won a $25 gift card to Bethlehem Dairy Store (AKA The Cup).

South Side Branch Week Four prize recipient, Bonnie S., won a $20.00 gift card to Domaci Home Store. 

Our Adult Summer Reading Program continues this week with a $25 gift card to the Backdoor Bakeshop at Main Branch and a $15.00 Gift Card for Carlos’ Bakery at the South Side Branch. To enter at the Main Branch, simply write a book or audiobook review and submit it to the reference desk at the Main Branch. To enter at South Side Branch write a book review and submit it to the front desk, complete one of our universe-themed activities, or come to any of our programs for adults at the South Side Branch.

Hope to see you soon!