Summer Reads

On the surface, a British poet, an UberEats courier in Pittsburgh, an Indian doctor, and a Chinese activist in exile have nothing in common. But they are in fact linked by a profound common experience - unexpected encounters with artificial intelligence. "Code Dependent" explores the impact of a set of powerful, flawed, and often-exploitative technologies on individuals, communities, and our wider society. Journalist Madhumita Murgia exposes how AI can strip away our collective and individual sense of agency, and shatter our illusion of free will - and what could happen if we fail to reclaim our humanity.

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Daphne always loved the way Peter told their story. How they met, fell in love, and moved back to his lakeside hometown to begin their life together. Too bad it turned out to be more of a prequel, a complication to Peter's actual love story, the one that ends with him dumping Daphne before their wedding to begin a relationship with his lifelong best friend, Petra. Scruffy and chaotic, Miles is entirely the opposite of buttoned-up Daphne, and they mainly avoid one another until one night, while drowning their sorrows, they form a tenuous friendship. Miles decides he will convince Daphne to give Waning Bay a real shot. Miles believes Daphne deserves the chance to build a life here, her own life. As she begins to fall for the town, Daphne wonders what this summer is supposed to mean.

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Before it made global headlines as the small town that burned down during a record-breaking heat wave in June 2021, Lytton, British Columbia, had a curious past. This book is the story of Lytton, told from a shared perspective, of an Indigenous playwright and the journalist son of a settler doctor. Portrayed with all the warmth, humour and sincerity of small-town life, the colourful little town that burned to the ground could be every town's warning if we don't take seriously what this unique place has to teach us.

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One of us is a liar. One of us is a stranger. One of us is a cheater. But who could be a killer? The six of us arrived on the beautiful, sunbaked island of Aegos to leave it all behind, our suitcases packed with flip flops and beach towels, our heads full of dreams for the perfect weekend away with friends... On the first night, we laughed and danced under the stars. On the second night we went skinny dipping in the warm, summer sea. On the third night the wine loosened our tongues, the lies spilling and the masks starting to slip. And on the final night it all ignited as we celebrated around the beach fire - for someone, the holiday in Greece would be their last...

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Anna Green thought she was marrying Liam "West" Weston for access to subsidized family housing while at UCLA. Three years later, Anna is a starving artist living paycheck to paycheck while West is a Stanford professor. Due to an antiquated clause in his grandfather's will, Liam won't see a penny of his inheritance until he's been happily married for five years. Just when Liam thinks he's in the home stretch, pressure mounts from his family to see this mysterious spouse. Liam will have to ask himself if the price tag on his flimsy cover story is worth losing true love that sprouted from a lie.

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Alex is quiet, studious, and destined for a future in academia. Poppy is a wild child who only came to U of Chicago to escape small-town life. But after sharing a ride home for the summer, the two form a surprising friendship. After all, who better to confide in than someone you could never, ever date? Over the years, Alex and Poppy's lives take them in different directions, but every summer the two find their way back to each other for a magical weeklong vacation. Until one trip goes awry, and in the fallout, they lose touch. Now, two years later, Poppy's in a rut. Her dream job, her relationships, her life--none of it is making her happy. In fact, the last time she remembers feeling truly happy was on that final, ill-fated SummerTrip. The answer to all her problems is obvious: She needs one last vacation to win back her best friend.

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Representing famous NFL tight end Derek Pender, her college ex-boyfriend, agent Nora MacKenzie, when he tries to make her life miserable, sets in motion a scheme of her own, but when a wild night in Vegas leads to marriage, their rule book goes out the window.

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Chief of Police Ed Kapenash is about to retire. Blond Sharon is going through a divorce. But when a 22-million-dollar summer home is purchased by the mysterious Richardsons, Ed, Sharon, and everyone in the community are swept up in high drama. When the Richardsons' house burns to the ground and their most essential employee goes missing, the entire island is up in arms.

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Lucy is the tourist vacationing at a beach house on Prince Edward Island. Felix is the local who shows her a very good time. The only problem: Lucy doesn't know he's, her best friend, Bridget's younger brother. Lucy and Felix's chemistry is unreal, but the list of reasons why they need to stay away from each other is long, and they vow to never repeat that electric night again. It's easier said than done. When Bridget suddenly flees Toronto a week before her wedding, Lucy drops everything to follow her to the island. Her mission is to help Bridget through her crisis and resist the one man she's never been able to. But Felix's sparkling eyes and flirty quips have been replaced with something new, and Lucy's beginning to wonder just how safe her heart truly is.

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"Women can be heroes." When twenty-year-old nursing student Frances "Frankie" McGrath hears these unexpected words, it is a revelation. Raised on idyllic Coronado Island and sheltered by her conservative parents, she has always prided herself on doing the right thing, being a good girl. But in 1965 the world is changing, and she suddenly imagines a different choice for her life. When her brother ships out to serve in Vietnam, she impulsively joins the Army Nurse Corps and follows his path. As green and inexperienced as the men sent to Vietnam to fight, Frankie is overwhelmed by the chaos and destruction of war, as well as the unexpected trauma of coming home to a changed and politically divided America.

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