“It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair, we had everything before us, we had nothing before us, we were all going direct to Heaven,
Summer usually means time at the beach or in the pool. Usually. But though many of us aren’t able to swim right now, that doesn’t mean we can’t dive into a good book about the topic! What follows are our picks for nonfiction, novels, young adult and children’s titles that all share a connection to swimming. Essays about what draws us to water, the history of swimming, novels that feature the sea. Dip your toe into one of these great summer reads for now —
We’re posting a new or classic book recommendation each day to boost your book intake, with absorbing reads to occupy and entertain. Some of our Book a Day selections also feature Facebook Live events with authors. See our July recommendations below!
Even though your book groups might not be meeting right now, we are lucky to still have ways to communicate. Share the news and follow us on Facebook and Twitter to never miss a dose…
For her interview with Reading Group Choices, Tsui talks about lost water arts, equal access to pools, and her dream swimming destination…
Reading Group Choices: There is so much interesting research in this book. What was your research process like?
Bonnie Tsui: Incredibly varied. I dug into historical archives, interviewed paleontologists at their labs, traveled to Japan, Iceland, and elsewhere. I loved every minute of it.
RGC: There are a few central characters and settings: Gudlaugur Fridporsson,
For her interview with Reading Group Choices, Graudin talks about the symbolism of wolves, championing the female “Hero’s Quest”, and what history teaches us about racism and injustice…
Reading Group Choices: Did you know from the outset that Wolf by Wolf would have a sequel? If so, why did you know you wanted it to be two books instead of one? And do you have plans to revisit the characters in a third volume?
Reading Group Choices works to recommend a wide variety of books across culture and race as well as genre and subject matter. We are proud of our work in this area and are committed to doing more. We believe Black Lives Matter, and embrace the responsibility to use our reach to draw attention to books by Black authors for readers of all ages.
Books are a place to begin a conversation, expand the way we see ourselves and others, and take action to improve our communities and world.
Find our reading list of work by Black authors below,
