Dun-dun…dun-dun…dundundundundun – if it’s July, it’s time for sharks! Every July since 1988, cable television’s Discovery Channel has aired Shark Week. Filled with shark-themed programming, Shark Week is a popular and much anticipated television event. While it has been criticized for including fictional programming along with the educational episodes intended to increase knowledge of and correct misconceptions about sharks, it remains a favorite among television viewers.
Several new books about sharks are out this year, and I am looking forward to reading them. I know I’m not alone in saying that sharks terrify and fascinate me at the same time. I’ve dipped my toes, so to speak, into shark literature, and what I’ve learned so far has greatly expanded my respect for these top predators. I always thought they were solitary hunters, but many species are quite social and have been observed to have distinct personalities. Unlike the fictional shark in the film “Jaws,” they aren’t single-minded killing machines, fixated on destroying man and boat. Researchers have also observed behavior that resembles play and a sense of curiosity. I’m not ready to go swimming with the sharks anytime soon, but I appreciate their role in nature and support shark conservation.
My advice for readers? Dive right in and check out the library’s selection of shark-related materials. To get you started, today’s reading list offers a sample of titles for adults and kids. And if you’re feeling nostalgic about the first time you watched Jaws and Jaws 2, these films, along with the unforgettable cinematic wonders The Meg and Meg 2: The Trench, are also available to check out.
Adults
- Chasing Shadows: My Life Tracking the Great White Shark by Gregory Skomal
- The Secret History of Sharks: The Rise of the Ocean’s Most Fearsome Predators by John Long
- Sharks Don’t Sink: Adventures of a Rogue Shark Scientist by Jasmin Graham
Children
- Are You Smarter Than a Shark? written by David G. Gordon, illustrated by Josh Lynch
- Can’t Get Enough Shark Stuff: Fun Facts, Awesome Info, Cool Games, Silly Jokes, and More! by Kelly Hargrave and Andrea Silen
- Sharks: What Do Great Whites, Hammerheads, and Whale Sharks Get Up to All Day? written by Carlee Jackson, illustrated by Chaaya Prabhat
New at the Library
Fiction
- Blood in the Cut by Alejandro Nodarse
- A Novel Love Story by Ashley Poston
- Winter Lost by Patricia Briggs
Nonfiction
- The Authentic Ukrainian Kitchen: Recipes from a Native Chef by Yevhen Klopoten
- Fifty-three Days on Starvation Island: The World War II Battle that Saved Marine Corps Aviation by John R. Bruning
- Mind Your Manners: How to Be Your Best Self in Any Situation by Sara Jane Ho
Children
- The Perilous Performance at Milkweed Meadow written by Elaine Dimopoulos, illustrated by Doug Salati
- Tiger: A First Field Guide to the Big Cat with the Stripes written by Samantha Helle, illustrated by Sally Agar
- What the Garden Tells Me written and illustrated by Monica Mikai
This is just a small sampling of the many new titles added each week to the Fort Vancouver Regional Library District collection. Visit the district’s 15 locations, our website at www.fvrl.org, or call (360) 906-5000 to reserve titles or find additional listings.
You can email Jan at readingforfun@fvrl.org.
