STORY AND PHOTO BY KAREN BOSSICK

“Exploring Our World’ will be the theme of the 2023 Adult Summer Reads for the Hailey Public Library, The Community Library and Bellevue Public library.

The theme, brought back for a third year, encourages adults to read across cultures, languages and borders in the summer reading program that starts Saturday, May 27, and runs through Tuesday, Sept. 5.

“Summer reading isn’t just for kids. We hope adults will enjoy the opportunity to learn something new, too!” said Kristin Marlar-Gearhart, Bellevue Public Library director.

Participants 18 and older can register in person or online at the library nearest to them. They’ll receive a passport in Spanish or English with guided activities and reading prompts.

Participants will get a page in their passport stamped at their home library and receive one ticket per page to be entered in drawings for prizes for each book read or activity completed. Two individuals from each library will be invited to enjoy dinner at the historic Ernest and Mary Hemingway House in Ketchum in September.

This year’s theme leaves a lot of room for discovery and creativity, whether it involves visiting an Idaho park or reading a novel set in a far-away place, said Pam Parker, circulation manager at The Community Library. "I always look forward to hearing about readers’ explorations when they drop into the library to get more summer reads and have their passports stamped.”

“Reading is fundamental to lifelong learning, and Adult Summer Reads is the perfect opportunity to explore near and far,” added Lyn Drewien, Hailey Public Library director. “Reading and exploration help us relax, learn, grow, and empathize with our environment. It’s the perfect complement to a fabulous Wood River Valley summer.”