It was quite the mix of books this month. Unintentionally, I checked off two books for the Middle East & North Africa region of my Read Around the World challenge, both powerful but heavy reads. Fortunately, the other two books provided a welcome balance and some lighter reading in between.

Summer is here, and I’m excited for the return of the summer reading challenge at work. There are 24 prompts, and we can double- and triple-dip if we wish. The reading period is Memorial Day Weekend through Labor Day Weekend, so the first book is already included below. Timely prompts include reading a book related to the World Cup and a book about a period in USA’s history (to coincide with the country’s 250th anniversary). I will be planning my summer reading strategically to make books fit multiple prompts and my other reading challenges. That’s half the fun!

What have you been reading lately? Do you have a personal summer reading challenge or goal?

Minor Detail by Adania Shibli (2017)
Translated from the Arabic by Elisabeth Jaquette (2020)
Narrated by Siiri Scott 🎧

Minor Detail is a Palestinian story told in two parts. The first takes place in the summer of 1949, a year after the Arab–Israeli War that displaced thousands of Palestinians. It follows an Israeli platoon during a patrol in the Negev Desert that discovers and murders a group of unarmed nomadic Arabs. A young woman survived and was taken back to the base and later raped and killed. The second part takes place in contemporary times and follows a Palestinian woman from Ramallah who becomes obsessed with uncovering more details about this crime committed exactly 25 years before her birth, and risks her life on a road trip searching for answers. It was not an easy read, but the novel did an excellent job of transporting me to this region of the Middle East in both time periods and bringing to life the atrocities that happened. ⭐️⭐️⭐️(⭐️)

• Read Around the World: Middle East/North Africa (Palestine)
• Read My Own Shelf: Libro.fm audiobook

The First Time I Saw Him (Hannah Hall, #2) by Laura Dave (2026)
Narrated by Rebecca Lowman, Tessa Albertson, Colin Donnell, CJ Wilson 🎧

After finishing The Last Thing He Told Me a few years ago, I remember feeling a bit disappointed. It needed a sequel and I was not aware of any such plans. Finally, the sequel was here and what a satisfying end to Hannah and her stepdaughter’s ordeal with their husband/father who suddenly and mysteriously disappeared and has been out of their lives for a few years now during which time they were never able to live at ease. This is the story of their reunification, which of course was full of twists and turns. Bonus for me was that it took me to places in Paris and southern France that I recognized. Now I’m ready and eager to watch the adaptation! ⭐️⭐️⭐⭐

• Read My Own Shelf: BOTM Audio Selection

Meet the Newmans by Jennifer Niven (2026) 📖

This is a family drama set in the 1960s in Los Angeles that features the Newman family—traditional father, perfect housewife, dutiful older son, rock star younger son—who have been playing themselves on a TV show for two decades. The show has peaked and is now on the decline, as are their personal lives. I was very intrigued by the premise of the mother needing to take charge in all respects when the father is suddenly out of commission due to a car accident. Unfortunately, it fell short for me. I felt the story dragged and I was disappointed by the culmination. ⭐️⭐️

• Read My Own Shelf: LAT Festival of Books purchase

As Long as the Lemon Trees Grow by Zoulfa Katouh (2022)
Narrated by Rasha Zamamiri 🎧

Set in war-torn Homs, Syria, during the early years of the revolution (2011-2012), this was an eye-opening read about a conflict I knew little about beyond the massive refugee crisis it created. A young adult novel, it follows an 18-year-old girl torn between staying to help the wounded as a volunteer at the local hospital and fleeing to safety with her only remaining family member, her pregnant sister-in-law. The grief, fear, devastation, and constant threat of bombings and sniper attacks are heart breaking. Yet amid the tragedy, there is also hope as she experiences first love and begins to imagine a future beyond the war. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

• Read Around the World: Middle East/North Africa (Syria)
• Summer Reading Challenge: A book that gives you hope / An award winner or nominee (many!)

What have you been reading lately?

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