2019 Reading Challenge for Adults February Relationships Family, friendships, romance, nature, and more... Looking for a fun goal to chew on throughout 2019? Join our year- long reading challenge for adults. You can earn monthly rewards and a chance to win the year-end raffle! It's easy - here's how to get started: Pick up a reading log at the Circulation or Reference Desk, and commit to reading one book related to the theme of the month. (Audiobooks & e-books count too!) When you've finished the book, visit us to get your log stamped and claim your reward for the month. Your challenge for February: Read any book about relationships: family, friendships, romance, nature & the world around us, and more. You've got this! W ish you'd started in January? No problem! For last month's theme, "As Told By...," read a biography, memoir, or collection of personal essays. When you're done, come get your log stamped and claim your reward! 2019 Reading Challenge for Adults Suggested Reading List* * This list is for ideas only. Chosen book should fit the theme, but no specific titles are required to February participate in the reading challenge. Please enjoy! Relationships Family, friendships, romance, nature, and more... Between the World and Me, by Ta-Nehisi Coates Told as a collection of letters to his son, Coates takes us on a journey of his reckoning with the history of race in America. Ten Ways to be Adored When Landing A Lord, by Sarah MacLean Destitute Lady Isabel attempts to run her estate and take care of everyone when a mysterious lord arrives... and starts asking questions she does not want to answer. Getting the Love You Want, by Harville Hendrix A marriage therapist and pastoral counselor explains that most of the feelings of receiving inadequate love that couples experience come from unresolved childhood conflicts, and describes how adults can learn to flourish as loving and loved people. The Golem and the Jinni, by Helene Wecker Chava, a golem brought to life by a disgraced rabbi, and Ahmad, a jinni made of fire, form an unlikely friendship on the streets of New York until a fateful choice changes everything. Annotations adapted from publisher, Amazon.com, BookRags.com, BN.com, Publisher's Weekly, & NY Times Book Review. The Hidden Life of Trees, by Peter Wohlleben Are trees social beings? Forester and author Peter Wohlleben makes the case that, yes, the forest is a social network. Trees are like human families: they live together with their children, communicate with them, support them as they grow, share nutrients with those who are sick or struggling, and even warn each other of impending dangers. How to Be a Good Creature, by Sy Montgomery A naturalist and adventurer discusses the personalities and quirks of thirteen animals who have profoundly affected her, exploring themes of learning to become empathetic, creating families, coping with loss, and the otherness and sameness of people and animals. Humans of New York: Stories, by Brandon Stanton In the summer of 2010, photographer Brandon Stanton began an ambitious project -- to single-handedly create a photographic census of New York City. In this volume, he expands on the stories behind the people's faces. The Kiss Quotient, by Helen Hoang Stella Lane thinks math is the only thing that unites the universe. She comes up with algorithms to predict customer purchases—a job that has given her more money than she knows what to do with, and way less experience in the dating department than the average thirty-year-old. Her conclusion: she needs lots of practice—with a professional. Kitchen Yarns, by Ann Hood In a collection of personal essays, each accompanied by a recipe (or two), Hood describes her Italian-American childhood, detailing how the kitchen became the heart of her own home. Tracking her lifelong journey in the kitchen, she spills tales of loss and starting from scratch, family love and feasts with friends, and how the perfect meal is one that tastes like home. My Family and Other Animals, by Gerald Durrell The inspiration for The Durrells in Corfu, a Masterpiece production on public television, this book is a naturalist's account of his childhood on the exotic Greek island after his family says "Hell no!" to English weather. Annotations adapted from publisher, Amazon.com, BookRags.com, BN.com, Publisher's Weekly, & NY Times Book Review. Obama: An Intimate Portrait, by Peter Souza During Barack Obama's two terms, Pete Souza was with the President during more crucial moments than anyone else—and he photographed them all. Souza captured nearly two million photographs of President Obama, in moments highly classified and disarmingly candid. Pride, by Ibi Zoboi A Pride and Prejudice Remix! Zuri Benitez has pride. But pride might not be enough to save her rapidly gentrifying neighborhood from becoming unrecognizable. When the wealthy Darcy family moves in across the street, Zuri wants nothing to do with them... The Proposal, by Jasmine Guillory What happens when your idiot boyfriend of just a few months does an elaborate public proposal? And suddenly your refusal is the online outrage of the day? Sisters First, by Jenna Bush Hager & Barbara Pierce Bush Born into a political dynasty, Jenna and Barbara Bush grew up in the public eye. They watched their grandfather become president; just twelve years later they stood by their father's side when he took the same oath. Their bond as sisters was crucial to navigating life in the spotlight. Tin Man, by Sarah Winman This is almost a love story. But it's not as simple as that. Ellis and Michael are twelve-year-old boys when they first become friends, and for a long time it is just the two of them. Fast-forward a decade or so, Michael is nowhere in sight. What happened in the years in-between? When Katie Met Cassidy, by Camille Perri Katie has it all—until her fiance dumps her. On a whim, she agrees to have a drink with Cassidy Price, a self-assured, sexually promiscuous woman she meets at work. The two form a newfound friendship, which soon brings into question everything Katie thought she knew about sex—and love. Annotations adapted from publisher, Amazon.com, BookRags.com, BN.com, Publisher's Weekly, & NY Times Book Review..