June means summer and most people know that, for libraries, summer means Summer Reading Programs! Traditionally geared to children, these programs offer events and incentives to encourage kids to read over the summer. In Peabody, we do indeed offer some great Summer Reading Program opportunities for kids, but that’s not what this post is about. This post is about summer reading for grown-ups!

Each summer, the library offers a summer reading event for adults in the form of a literary discussion series. In response to demand for programs that offer the engagement and deep reading experience of college classes, these programs provide participants with opportunities to explore challenging works of literature in  group settings with the guidance of a college professor. Delving into titles such as Ulysses and Moby Dick, now in its eighth year, Peabody’s summer reading series for adults always draws enthusiastic audiences and generally meets four or five times during the months of June, July and August.

This year, the library is pleased to offer the community the opportunity to explore William Faulkner’s Light in August with Professor Theo Theoharis. This Southern Gothic novel offers unending ideas for discussion, so we hope you will join us for this special opportunity to experience a different kind of summer reading; the kind where you will dig deep, think hard, and share ideas with other people who will open your mind to new ones.

Would you like to join the discussion? Registration is now open and books are available on a first-come first-served basis at the Main Library. The first meeting will be on June 29th at 7:30 p.m. in the Sutton Room. Thanks to the generosity of the Peabody Institute Library Foundation, there is no charge for the class.

The following is a list of the books shared in summer discussion programs past. If you haven’t read them yet, there’s no time like the present. But if you want to make the most of them, make sure to share them with friends: