Adult
Summer Reading
AGES 18+
JUNE 5 through JULY 29
- Explore Friendship, Kindness, and Unity at the Library this summer by reaching out and building bonds through your reading. Each time you complete a “circle of influence” by reading 1000 pages of your choice, bring your log into the Library for a small reward.
- You can earn extra page points by completing “bonding activities” of varying levels. Each activity may be used only once, but you can do any of them at any point along the way. In Beanstack, make sure you log the correct number of pages of reading under the “LOGGING” badge area for each additional activity you complete!
- Your final Reading Goal is 3000 pages with checkins at every 1000 pages.
- Digital books and audios are also allowed. Libby is available for free through your app store. Learn how to use it at https://www.madisonlib.org or come talk to a librarian.
- Any reading done before June 5th DOES NOT COUNT towards summer reading challenges.
- You must have your initialed paper log OR have logged your reading online to claim your prize.
- You must choose either paper or online for the duration of the program, you cannot go back and forth.
- Come to the Madison Library District lobby when you have made it to a Reading Goal (every 1000 pages) to receive a prize. You can collect a new prize every two weeks!
- If you successfully complete all Goals by reading 3000 pages before Saturday, July 29th, you’ll be entered into our final drawings and receive five $1 coupons to use towards any unfortunate future fine incidents that may occur.
Program may not be repeated! Only 1 set of prizes per person per summer.
NO PRIZES will be given after Saturday, July 29, 2023.
Prizes
You can read ahead of schedule, but prizes won’t be available until their release date. If you miss a week, you can collect it the next time.
For example, if you come in July 3, and haven’t gotten any prizes yet, you can pick up prize number 1 and 2. If you’ve read past that point, and are ready for prize 3, you’ll have to wait until July 17 to get that next prize.
Prizes will be available any time after their first availability date until July 29, while supplies last.
NO PRIZES AFTER JULY 29
Prize Schedule
- Weeks 1 & 2: June 5-17: Program sign-ups only; no prizes available yet
- Week 3 & 4: June 20-July 1: Prize 1 available starting June 20
- Week 5 & 6: July 3-15: Prize 2 available starting July 3
- Week 7 & 8: July 17-29: Prize 3 available starting July 17
- Last Day to Sign Up: July 22
- Last Day to Collect Prizes: July 29
Bonding Activities

Home

Community

World

Home
50 – Write a letter of appreciation to someone in your close circle.
50 – Spend an hour with some ice cream (or other treat) and your bestie.
50 – Read to a child.
50 – Attend a book club.
50 – Share a favorite recipe.
50 – Take a treat to a neighbor.
50 – Attend a block party. Give yourself an extra 50-page points if you host it.
50 – Invite someone into your home that you don’t usually associate with.
50 – Go on an outing with someone you don’t usually associate with.
50 – Perform a random act of kindness.
50 – Perform a random act of kindness. (Yes, you can do it again.)
50 – Perform a random act of kindness. (Our world needs it.)
100 – For a month, keep a journal noting acts of kindness you see being done around you.
100 – Read an anthology, a book that contains several different authors.

Community
50 – Read to someone infirm.
50 – Write a letter of appreciation to someone in your community.
50 – Give a stranger a compliment.
100 – Read a book by a person expressing different political views than your own.
100 – Read a book about a religion other than your own.
100 – Read a book written by someone of a different race or ethnic group than your own.
100 – Read a book about bridging gaps between groups.
100 – Read a book about someone you would/would have liked to be friends with.

World
50 – Learn a phrase in a different language and use it ten times.
50 – Write a letter of appreciation to someone outside your community.
50 – Cook a meal from a different culture.
100 – Read a book by a Middle Eastern author.
100 – Read a book by an Asian author.
100 – Read a book by a European author.
100 – Read a book by an African author.
100 – Read a book by a South American author.
100 – Read a book by a North American author outside of the U.S.
100 – Read a book by an author from an island nation such as New Zealand, the Philippines, Cuba, Iceland, etc.
100 – Read a book by or about a world leader who exemplifies friendship, kindness, and/or unity.
Summer Reading Events

Creative Writing Club
Multiple Dates

Take a Break Book Club
Thursday, June 29, at 6:30 pm

Adult (and Teen!) Makers: Drawn Together
Friday, June 30, at 7:00 pm

Creative Writing Club
Meets on Wednesdays at 6:00 pm throughout the summer
Share your writing with other storytelling enthusiasts or join to make friends! Join the Creative Writers Club for ages 18+. We will share your favorite piece of writing and talk about why writing is our passion.
JUNE MEETING DATES
- June 14
- June 28
JULY MEETING DATES
- July 12
- July 26
Thursday, June 29, 2023, at 6:30 pm in the Community Room
Anxious People
by Fredrik Backman
Viewing an apartment normally doesn’t turn into a life-or-death situation, but this particular open house becomes just that when a failed bank robber bursts in and takes everyone in the apartment hostage. As the pressure mounts, the eight strangers begin slowly opening up to one another and reveal long-hidden truths.
First is Zara, a wealthy bank director who has been too busy to care about anyone else until tragedy changed her life. Now, she’s obsessed with visiting open houses to see how ordinary people live—and, perhaps, to set an old wrong to right. Then there’s Roger and Anna-Lena, an Ikea-addicted retired couple who are on a never-ending hunt for fixer-uppers to hide the fact that they don’t know how to fix their own failing marriage. Julia and Ro are a young lesbian couple and soon-to-be parents who are nervous about their chances for a successful life together since they can’t agree on anything. And there’s Estelle, an eighty-year-old woman who has lived long enough to be unimpressed by a masked bank robber waving a gun in her face. And despite the story she tells them all, Estelle hasn’t really come to the apartment to view it for her daughter, and her husband really isn’t outside parking the car.
As police surround the premises and television channels broadcast the hostage situation live, the tension mounts and even deeper secrets are slowly revealed. Before long, the robber must decide which is the more terrifying prospect: going out to face the police, or staying in the apartment with this group of impossible people.
Ratings and Reviews from the Librarians
Cathy rated it ★★★★★ and said “I’m developing a serious literary crush on Fredrik Backman. Some authors can make you laugh. Some authors can make you cry. Some authors can make you contemplate the nature of humanity. Some authors can make you delve into your own core. There are even some authors that have the skills for a combination of these. I know know no other author that can make you do them all simultaneously. Backman is a master! As stated in the opening paragraphs, this is a book about idiots. But it proves that we’re all idiots. And it shows that we’re all wonderful, lovable, messed up and brilliant idiots. It is a book full of anguish and hope and lots and lots of love.”
Bekka rated it ★★★★ and said “Another excellent read by Fredrik Backman! I enjoy his characters so much. They are realistic people with real problems placed in sometimes crazy situations. I enjoy seeing how each copes with their issues and how they come together to solve what look like unsolvable problems. Highly Recommended!”

Adult (and Teen!) Makers
Friday, June 30, at 7:00 pm
Drawn Together: Post-it-art creations!
Everyone will do a small piece and then discover what happens when we come together. Teens 12 and older are also welcome to participate!

Waffle Wednesday: Game Night!
Wednesday, June 29, at 6:00 pm
Come out and enjoy a night full of old and new games. Bring your favorites and we’ll all play together! Waffles for winners!

Star Party!
Friday, July 8, at 9:00 pm in the Community Room Parking Lot
EVENT CANCELLED DUE TO CIRCUMSTANCES BEYOND OUR CONTROL
Come out and gaze at the stars! We’ll have our big telescope set up, and Cathy Stanton, former Star Ranger, will be there to take you on a guided tour through the universe.
Don’t miss it!
Recommended Reading
Don't Forget Our Free
Family Friendly Films
Every Wednesday at 1:00 pm in the Community Room
- June 14: Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone (PG)
- June 21: My Neighbor Totoro (G)
- June 28: Wreck-It Ralph (PG)
Parents, please pre-screen movies for appropriateness for your family.
Children under 12 MUST be accompanied by someone age 14 or older.
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African Authors
- Zakes Mda such as The Madonna of Excelsior
- Leila Aboulela such as Lyrics Alley
- Tendai (T.L.) Huchu such as The Library of the Dead
- Chinua Achebe such as Things Fall Apart
- J. M. Coetzee such as Diary of a Bad Year
- Alan Paton such as Cry, the Beloved Country
- Oyinkan Braithwaite such as My Sister, the Serial Killer
- Nadine Gordimer such as A Sport of Nature
- Ayọ̀bámi Adébáyọ̀ such as Stay with Me
- Akwaeke Emezi such as You Made a Fool of Death with Your Beauty
Anthologies
- Mirror of America: Literary Encounters with the National Parks
- Let’s Talk About Your Wall: Mexican Writers Respond to the Immigration Crisis by Carmen Boullosa
- The Granta Book of the African Short Story by Helon Habila
- Maus Now: Selected Writing by Hillary L. Chute
- Oxford Book of Comic Verse
- The Seagull Reader: Plays edited by Joseph Kelly
- Great Westerns from the Saturday Evening Post by Julie Eisenhower
- How to Love the World: Poems of Gratitude and Hope edited by James Crews
- Modern Poetry of Pakistan by Iftik̲h̲ār ʻĀrif
- Best American Short Stories
- 50 Great Horror Stories edited by John Canning
- Classic Ghost Stories by Stefan Dziemianowicz
- Usual Santas: A Collection of Soho Crime Christmas Capers by Helene Turston
Asian Authors
- Aravind Adiga such as Selection Day
- Ha Jin such as The Boat Rocker
- R. F. Kauang such as The Poppy War
- Mohsin Hamid such as The Reluctant Fundamentalist
- Kamila Shamsie such as Home Fire
- Nadeem Aslam such as The Wasted Vigil
- Malala Yousafzai such as I am Malala
- Arundhati Roy such as The God of Small Things
- Vikram Seth such as An Equal Music
- Amitav Ghosh such as Gun Island
- Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni such as The Mistress of Spices
Australian Authors
- Nicholas Drayson such as A Guide to the Birds of East Africa
- Kate Grenville such as The Secret River
- Richard Flanagan such as The Narrow Road to the Deep North
- Graeme Simsion such as The Rosie Project
- James Clavell such as Shōgun
- Kate Morton such as The Forgotten Garden
- Markus Zusak such as Bridge of Clay
- Matthew Reilly such as Ice Station
- Colleen McCullough such as The Thornbirds
- Bryce Courtenay such as The Power of One
- Melina Marchetta such as Jellicoe Road
- Tim Winton such as Dirt Music
Bridging Gaps
- I Think You’re Wrong (But I’m Listening): A guide to Grace-filled Political Conversations by Sarah Stewart Holland and Beth Silvers
- Thank You, I’m Sorry, Tell Me More: How to Change the World with 3 Sacred Sayings by Rod Wilson
- Trust: America’s Best Chance by Pete Buttigieg
- Conversations with People Who Hate Me by Dylan Marron
- Love Your Enemies: How Decent People Can Save America From Our Culture of Contempt by Arthur C. Brooks
- Letters to My Palestinian Neighbor by Yossi Klein Halevi
- Find Your People by Jennie Allen
- A History of Love and Hate in 21 Statues by Peter Hughes
- I See You: How Compassion and Connection Save Lives by Julie Lee
- If God Is Love, Don’t Be a Jerk: Finding a Faith That Makes Us Better Humans by John Pavlovitz
- Robert E Lee and Me: A Southerner’s Reckoning with the Myth of the Lost Cause by Ty Seidule
- Let Love Have the Last Word by Common
- I See You: How Love Opens Our Eyes to Invisible People by Terence Lester
- Unified: How Our Unlikely Friendship Give Us Hope for a Divided Country by Tim Scott and Trey Gowdy
European Authors
- Fredrik Backman such as Anxious People
- Helene Tursten such as An Elderly Lady is Up to No Good
- Carlos Ruiz Zafon such as The Shadow of the Wind
- Umberto Eco such as The Name of the Rose
- Anne Holt such as What is Mine
- Victor Hugo such as The Hunchback of Notre Dame
- Alexandre Dumas such as The Man in the Iron Mask
- Federico Garcia-Lorca such as Collected Poems
- Leo Tolstoy such as War and Peace
- Bertolt Brecht such as The Resistible Rise of Arturo Ui
Island Authors
- Ragnar Jonasson such as The Darkness
- Ólafur Jóhann Ólafsson such as Touch
- Richard Roper such as How Not to Die Alone
- Jason Goodwin such as The Janissary Tree
- Witi Tame Ihimaera such as The Whale Rider
- Andrea Carter such as Death at Whitewater Church
- Brian Friel such as Selected Plays
- Haruki Murakami such as Kafka on the Shore
- Hiro Arikawa such as The Travelling Cat Chronicles
- Kazuo Ishiguro such as Never Let Me Go
- Edwidge Danticat such as The Dew Breaker
- Ayanna Lloyd Banwo such as When We Were Birds
- Arnaldur Indridason such as Operation Napoleon
Middle Eastern Authors
- Maulana Jalal ad-Din Rumi such as Rumi: Selected Poems
- Khaled Hosseini such as A Thousand Splendid Suns
- Rosina-Fawzia Al-Rawi such as Grandmother’s Secrets: The ancient Rituals and Healing Power of Belly Dancing
- Kahlil Gibran such as The Prophet
- Orhan Pamuk such as My Name is Red
- Marjane Satrapi such as Persepolis
- Najīb Mahfouz such as The Thief and the Dogs
- Ahdaf Soueif such as The Map of Love
- Elif Shafak such as The Bastard of Istanbul
North American Authors
Outside the United States
- Emily St. John Mandel such as Station Eleven
- Margaret Atwood such as Lady Oracle
- Lucy Maud Montgomery such as Blue Castle
- Yann Martel such as The High Mountains of Portugal
- Alice Munro such as Runaway: Stories
- Louise Penny such as Still Life
- Rudolfo Anaya such as Bless Me, Ultima
- Laura Esquivel such as Like Water for Chocolate
- Erika L. Sánchez such as I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter
- Sandra Cisneros such as The House on Mango Street
- Valeria Luiselli such as Lost Children Archive
- Silvia Moreno-Garcia such as Mexican Gothic
Political Views
- Mitt Romney such as No Apology
- Barack Obama such as Dreams from my Father
- George W. Bush such as Decision Points
- John F. Kennedy such as Profiles in Courage
- Pete Buttigieg such as Shortest Way Home: One Mayor’s Challenge and a Model for America’s Future
- Hillary Clinton such as Hard Choices
- Bill Clinton such as My Life
- Sarah Palin such as Going Rogue
- Albert Gore such as An Inconvenient Truth
- Kamala Harris such as The Truths We Hold
Religious Views
- The Koran
- Tao Te Ching by Lao Tsu
- Why I am a Hindu by Shashi Tharoor
- The Light We Give: How Sikh wisdom Can Transform Your Life by Simran Jeet Singh
- The Heart of the Buddha’s Teaching: Transforming Suffering Into Peace, Joy & Liberation by Thich Nhat Hanh
- In Search of Zarathustra: Across Iran and Central Asia to Find the World’s First Prophet by Paul Kriwaczek
- What I Wish My Christian Friends Knew About Judaism by Paul Schoen
- God Is Red by Vine Deloria
- Things Everyone Should Know About Catholicism by Helen Keeler
- A History of the Amish by Steven M. Nolt
- The Orthodox Church: An Introduction to Eastern Christianity by Timothy Ware
- The Waldensian Way to God: Following the Light Through Eight Centuries of Darkness and Discord by Joseph Visconti, Jr.
South American Authors
- Isabel Allende such as Portrait in Sepia
- Pablo Neruda such as Twenty Love Poems and a Song of Despair
- Jose Hernandez such as Martin Fierro
- Roberto Bolano such as 2666
- Jorge Luis Borges such as The Book of Imaginary Things
- Gabriel Garcia Marquez such as One Hundred Years of Solitude
- Paulo Coelho such as The Winner Stands Alone
- Junot Diaz such as The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao
- Zoraida Cordova such as The Inheritance of Orquidea Divina
- Pope Francis such as The Name of God is Mercy
- Jose Saramago such as Blindness
World Leaders
- Everybody Matters: My Life Giving Voice by Mary Robinson
- Daughter of Destiny: An Autobiography by Benazir Bhutto
- Long walk to Freedom: The Autobiography of Nelson Mandela
- The Dalai Lama: An Extraordinary Life by Alexander Norman
- Suffering into Joy: What Mother Teresa Teaches About True Joy by Eileen Egan
- Gandhi: The Years That Changed the World 1914-1948 by Guha Ramachandra
- The Autobiography of Martin Luther King
- Zen and the Art of Saving the Planet by Thich Nhat Hanh
- God is Young: A Conversation with Thomas Leoncini by Pope Francis
- Amazing Grace: William Wilberforce and the Heroic Campaign to End Slavery by Eric Metaxas
- Eleanor (Eleanor Roosevelt) by David Michaelis
- What Is at Stake Now: My Appeal for Peace and Freedom by Mikhail Gorbachev
Thank You to Our Summer Reading Sponsors
These amazing businesses and organizations donated over $60,000 to make our 2023 Summer Reading possible. We appreciate their support of literacy in our community!
New Temporary Hours of Operation
Due to staffing shortages and until further notice our temporary hours will be:
- Monday: 9:00 am – 6:00 pm
- Tuesday - Wednesday: 9:00 am – 8:00 pm
- Thursday: 11:00 am – 8:00 pm
- Friday: 10:00 am – 6:00 pm
- Saturday: 10:00 am – 2:00 pm
- Sunday: CLOSED
Closures in 2023
- January 2 – New Year’s
- January 16 – Martin Luther King, Jr., Day
- February 20 – President’s Day
- March 24 – Staff Development Day
- April 1 – Closed for Maintenance
- May 27-29 – Memorial Day
- June 19 – Juneteenth
- July 4 – Independence Day
- September 2-4 – Labor Day
- September 28 - Library Conference (LCEI)
- October 7 – Closed for Maintenance
- November 10-11 – Veteran’s Day
- November 22 – Closing at 5:00 pm
- November 23-25 – Thanksgiving
- December 23-26 – Christmas
- December 30-31, 2023 – New Year’s
- January 1, 2024 – New Year’s Day
Address
73 North Center
Rexburg, Idaho 83440
We are located on Center Street, just north of Main Street, by the Historic Rexburg Tabernacle.
Contact Us
(208) 356-3461
24 Hour Phone Renewal: (208) 356-6658
askmadisonlibrary@madisonlib.org