The lazy days of summer will soon be upon us, and hopefully, we’ll have time to read something more substantial than the Sunday funnies. So what are this year’s hot books? Here’s some recommendations from our local librarians, along with some summer programs to get you in a literary mood.

Fiction: “Ernie’s Ark” by Monica Wood. A collection of short stories, set around an eight-month-long strike at a rural paper mill.

Self-help: “Cesar’s Way: The Natural, Everyday Guide to Understanding and Correcting Common Dog Problems” by Cesar Millan and Melissa Jo Peltier. Millan is the host of the National Geographic Channel’s “The Dog Whisperer with Cesar Millan” and here brings his philosophy to the page, teaching owners how to change undesirable behavior by better understanding their pets.

Summer reading program: “One Book, One Hudson” is a sort of community-wide book discussion group. Library personnel have chosen a book for each age group with a common theme — contests. The books are “The Prize Winner of Defiance, Ohio: How My Mother Raised 10 Kids on 25 Words or Less” by Terry Ryan for adults, “The Westing Game” by Ellen Raskin for young adults, “Beetles, Lightly Toasted” by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor for elementary school students and “The Bugliest Bug” by Carol Diggory Shields and illustrated by Scott Nash for preschoolers. There will be four adult book discussions, a discussion each about the elementary and young adult books and corresponding events. Please visit the library Web site at www.hudsonpubliclibrary.com for a full schedule.

Christine Flaherty

Nonfiction: “An Inconvenient Truth” by Al Gore. The former Vice President brings together scientific research and anecdotes and observations to document the scope of global warming.

Fiction: “Water for Elephants” by Sara Gruen. The story of Jacob Jankowski who, at the age of “ninety. Or ninety-three” reflects on the seven years he spent with the Benzini Brothers circus during the Great Depression.

Also recommended: New and recent books by Lillian Jackson Braun and M.C. Beaton and Andrew Vachss.

Summer reading program: This year’s theme is “Catch the Beat at Your Library.” Registration is from June 26 to July 2. This eight-week program is for children ages 2 and up and will feature weekly prizes and special events. For more information, call the library at 978-365-4160 or visit www.bigelowlibrary.org.

Patricia Campbell

Nonfiction: “Crashing Through: a True Story of Risk, Adventure and the Man Who Dared to See” by Robert Kurson. Mike May was blinded at 3, yet grew up to break downhill speed skiing records, work for the CIA and to become a successful inventor. His biggest challenge, however, was when doctors offered him the possibility of seeing again. 

Fiction: “Water for Elephants” by Sara Gruen. “This book has it all: fascinating characters; an unusual setting; and a darn good plot,” Campbell says.

Self-help: “You: On a Diet: The Owner’s Manual for Waist Management” by Mehmet C. Oz and Michael F. Roizen. The authors educate the reader on how the body’s fat-storing system works, show how your brain, stomach, hormones, muscles, heart, genetics and stress levels work together, and offer suggestion for living more healthfully .

Summer reading program: This year’s One Book, One Town novel is “The Orchard” by Adele Crockett Robertson. The summer reading program for all kids (birth through high school) will begin June 21 and feature weekly prizes. For more information, e-mail Danielle Mattei at dmattei@cwmars.org or call 978-422-6409.

Anne White

Nonfiction: “Better: A Surgeon’s Notes on Performance” by Atul Gawande. A collection of 12 essays adapted from the New England Journal of Medicine, discussing how we “erect barriers to seamless and thorough care.”

Fiction: “A Thousand Splendid Suns” by Khaled Hosseini. The novel covers three decades in the lives of two Afghan women: Mariam, forced at age 15 into marrying the 40-year-old Rasheed, and Laila, 14, another wife he takes 18 years later. Against the violent backdrop of their country, the women become allies against their abusive husband.

Self-help: “Grace (Eventually): Thoughts on Faith” by Anne Lamott. Like her earlier books for spiritual nonfiction, this is a collection of essays dealing with familiar topics — her family, illness, death, addiction, Jesus and Republicans.

Summer reading program: “Baskets of Reading” will run from June 26 to Aug. 21. For each book an adult patron reads, they will earn a chance for one for four gift baskets on display at the library. Drawing is Aug. 22.

For Young Adults

Susan Mello-Conroy

Thayer Memorial Library, Lancaster

Nonfiction: “Duh!: The Stupid History of the Human Race” by Bob Fenster. Everyone has their stupid moments. This book brings them all together.

Fiction: The Chrestomanci Series by Diana Wynne Jones. The adventures of Christopher, a nine-lived enchanter.

Self-help: “Glamour Gurlz: the Ultimate Step-by-step Guide to Great Makeup and Gurl Smarts” by Joanna Schlip. Nothing compares to feeling beautiful on the inside.

Summer reading program: The summer reading program will kick off at 1 p.m., Wednesday, June 27. There will be sign-ups for the program along with a performance by storyteller and musician John Porcino. The young adult book club will meet at 6:30 p.m. on July 11, Aug. 8 and Sept. 12, books to be announced. For more information, call the library at 978-368-8928.