What’s at stake?
Summer is upon us, and Fresno writers and booksellers have an array of summer reading recommendations for fellow book lovers in the area.
After the first 100-plus-degree stretch of days this year, it’s officially summer in Fresno – and officially summer reading season, too.
Or, in the words of California’s poet laureate: “Summer, among other things, is a time to explore and reconnect with our natural surroundings: oceans, lakes, rivers, mountains, trees, hiking paths, other beautiful places,” said Lee Herrick, who also teaches at Fresno City College.
“Poetry does this, too.”
Though the nearest stretch of ocean for a beach read may be hours away, your next great read is much closer within reach.
Fresnoland spoke with Herrick and other authors, as well as local booksellers and librarians, to ask them what books Fresnans should be reading this summer.
Here are just a few of the books that Fresno’s most avid readers think you should check out.
For readers looking for books by local authors
Soreath Hok, a former Fresno journalist now pursuing a Master of Fine Arts in creative writing at Fresno State, said she’s reading through memoirs and memoir-adjacent works while she writes about her experiences in her family-run donut shop.
“Not just traditional narrative memoirs,” she added, “but even poetry.”
That includes Fresno poet laureate Joseph Rios’ poetry collection “Shadowboxing.”
“He just has such a way of describing the Central Valley and the characteristics of our place, and how his story fits in around it,” she said. “Whether you’re somebody from the west side, or you live in the foothills or something, you can recognize pieces of the Central Valley in here.”
The Fresno County Public Library system has multiple copies of “Shadowboxing” checked in at branches across the city, according to their website.
In another memoir by a local writer, “Suddenly: A Widow’s Story of Unexpected Loss and Healing” Clovis author Danell teNyenhuis Black copes with the sudden death of her husband. The story comes recommended by Nathan Dotson of the San Joaquin Valley’s largest used bookstore, A Book Barn in Clovis.
“This book takes on a more interesting approach to grief as it avoids platitudes, and steps to heal,” he said in an email to Fresnoland. “It presents itself through journal/diary entries, and takes you with her as this part of life unfolds.”
The memoir is available for purchase at A Book Barn, located at 640 Clovis Ave.
For a portrait of the Valley from an agricultural perspective, the founders of pop-up Fresno bookstore Judging by the Cover recommend “Letters to the Valley: A Harvest of Memories” by Fresno County farmer David Mas Masumoto.
“David Mas Masumoto beautifully captures what it means to be from Fresno County,” said the bookstore’s married co-owners, Ashley Marie and Carlos Ian Mireles-Guerrero, in an email, “and why this place sticks with us even if we leave.”
“Letters to the Valley” is available for purchase from the Masumoto Family Farm’s website.
In a book that could double as a gift for children or recent grads, the Mireles-Guerrero couple also recommends “The Elote Man Goes to College” by local author Maia Gonzales with art by Chalome Gonzalez and Roald Tenorio.
They call it “a love story to our street vendors” and a reminder that it’s never too late to follow your dreams.
The book is available to purchase online directly from the author.
For young readers
If you’re raising young readers ages three through seven, Jean Fennacy, owner of Fresno’s longstanding children’s bookstore Petunia’s Place, recommends “Earnest Sandpiper’s Great Ascent” by author-illustrator Timothy Basil Ering.
The picture book is about a young bird who is afraid to learn to fly.
“It is a delightful book about facing one’s fears and staying open to new adventures,” Fennacy said in an email to Fresnoland. “And for families taking trips to the beach, the illustrations are reminders of our California coast not so far away.”
For slightly older readers ages six through nine, Fennacy said “All Around Fresno” from Fresno publishing company Bushel & Peck Books is an activity book that invites readers to explore Fresno landmarks – everything from the zoo to Petunia’s Place itself – and doodle their own observations.
Both books are available for purchase at Petunia’s Place, located at 6027 N. Palm Ave. in Fresno.
Joey Martinez, owner of Secret Identity Comics, also has tips for young adult and teenage readers.
Many of his younger customers read manga, or Japanese comics and graphic novels, Martinez said. One popular series for these manga fans is “Joker: One Operation Joker” by Satoshi Miyagawa with art by Keisuke Gotou.
During a battle with the Joker, Batman falls into a vat of chemicals that de-age him into a baby. Joker then takes on the role of raising him to be the same, morally upstanding nemesis he loves to fight.
For teenagers and up, Martinez recommends “Paper Girls,” a graphic novel series written by Brian K. Vaughan with art by Cliff Chiang and Matt Wilson.
In a premise reminiscent of Netflix’s “Stranger Things” (though “Paper Girls” came out first), four 12-year-old girls who work the same paper route in the ’80s reckon with supernatural forces to save their town, Martinez said.
“I think a lot of people assume that comics are all just superheroes, and superheroes beating the crap out of each other,” he said, “but there’s so many stories.”
You can purchase both at Secret Identity Comics, 7450 N. Fresno St.
For young adult readers, the owners of Judging by the Cover also recommend the 2024 release “A Different Kind of Brave” by Lee Wind.
The story centers on a queer James Bond-like character who escapes a “gay reprogramming institute” and rescues others from it.
The Mireles-Guerrero couple said the book is perfect for folks “looking for a Queer love story, fans of James Bond, or anyone looking for a fun YA read.”
The book is available for purchase on Bookshop.org and is 15% off during Pride Month, according to the website.
For new books
Looking for something new?
Hok of the Fresno State MFA program recommends “The Hungry Season” by Lisa Hamilton, which published this year.
Hamilton, a journalist, tells the story of Hmong refugee Ia Moua, who became a rice farmer in the Fresno area after emigrating from a refugee camp in Thailand.
“Typically, when we read about that kind of character, they’re very one-dimensional and kind of become painted as part of victimhood,” Hok said. “But the way that (Hamilton) reported it, it just became this very full and vibrant portrait.”
The San Joaquin Valley Library System has multiple copies of “The Hungry Season” available to check out.
Another recommended 2024 release is “You Are Here: Poetry in the Natural World,” a poetry anthology compiled by U.S. poet laureate Ada Limón.
Herrick, California’s poet laureate, urges readers to check out the collection he considers “an exploration of its own.”
“The book features new poems by 50 contemporary poets, including several California poets such as Dorianne Laux, Victoria Chang, and Kazim Ali,” he said in a text to Fresnoland.
The collection is available for purchase at Bookshop.org.
Susan Renfro, spokesperson for the Fresno County Library, recommended the 2022 release “Remarkably Bright Creatures” by Shelby Van Pelt in an email to Fresnoland.
The novel follows the bond that forms between a widowed woman and a giant Pacific octopus living in the aquarium where she works after her husband’s death.
The San Joaquin Valley Library System has multiple copies of the novel in circulation, though most of them are checked out as of June 18. Library card-holders can place a hold to get in line for when these copies become available.
Where to buy your summer readings books in Fresno
Many of Fresno’s local bookstores have these recommended titles available on their shelves.
These stores include:
- A Book Barn: 640 Clovis Ave, Clovis
- Bookish: 520 W. Olive Ave, Fresno
- Book Nook: 7721 N. First St, Fresno
- Hart’s Haven: 950 N. Van Ness Ave, Fresno
- Petunia’s Place: 6027 N. Palm, Fresno
Judging by the Cover doesn’t have a brick-and-mortar location yet but hosts several pop-up events around Fresno and sells books online.
Fresno has a Barnes and Noble location as well in the River Park Shopping area, located at 7849 N. Blackstone Ave.
Fresno is also home to several comic book stores, including:
- Collector’s Paradise: 1075 E Bullard Ave, Suite 104, Fresno
- Legends Comics and Games: 5412 N. Blackstone Ave, Fresno and 1752 Clovis Ave, Clovis
- Secret Identity Comics: 7450 N. Fresno St, Fresno
- Wonderland Comics: 1409 N. Van Ness Ave, Fresno
How to get a library card in Fresno
Several of these titles are also available through the San Joaquin Valley Library System.
Fresno County residents can get a library card for free at any branch. Applicants must provide photo ID, valid examples of which are listed on the Fresno County library website.
