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Turning the Page Into June

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Greetings lovers of summer. We are halfway through this year, can you believe it? Summer is upon us and many of you are looking ahead to some planned summer vacations. If you are a reader, you also consider what books to bring. I’ve got a suggested list of local authors to help you with that.

The Must-Read titles in the Annual Massachusetts Book Awards longlist were announced in early May.  You can view this year’s list here. The Massachusetts Book Awards recognize significant works of fiction, nonfiction, poetry, translated literature, and children’s/young adult literature written, illustrated, or translated by current Commonwealth of Massachusetts residents. Nominations are submitted each fall and close at the end of the calendar year. Check their website in early September for the final results. 

At this year’s Nantucket Book Festival, held in the middle of June every year, one of the noted writers and speakers attending was Erik Larson. He has recently published a new work of nonfiction “The Demon of Unrest: A Saga of Hubris, Heartbreak, and Heroism at the Dawn of the Civil War.” Here is a recent interview that Ken Burns conducted with Erik Larson.  

Locally, your whole family might consider checking out an adventure pass from our library for a short day trip. One recommendation is the Massachusetts State Parks (Department of Conservation and Recreation) pass. This entitles you to free parking at any of the parks of your choice in the Commonwealth.  There are over 50-day-use facilities in the Massachusetts state parks system that charge a parking fee. They include beaches, wooded parks, and reservoirs. Explore a beach or wooded park in a part of Massachusetts you have never visited for the day for a cool change of pace.

In conclusion, June is the month with the longest daylight hours of the year in the Northern Hemisphere. These longer hours and the beautiful summer weather might seem like the sun never sets. This month allows you the chance to enjoy outdoor cultural events and activities as well as the time to just be lazy and read, at the beach, on a porch overlooking a mountain vista, or in the comfort of a backyard hammock.