Coshocton Library launches adult summer challenge

“Unearth A Story” with the library this summer as we dig into the past and celebrate the power of stories throughout the years.

If you think summer reading is just for kids, think again. The fossils are older, but the stories are just as fresh. Adults are invited to participate in the summer checkout challenge, running through July 23. Discover a new genre, tackle that “TBR” pile and earn chances to win prizes. To get started, pick up a checkout tracker at the Coshocton County District Library, West Lafayette Branch Library or on the bookmobile or log your checkout activity on the Beanstack app.

Thanks to the incredible support and generosity from local sponsors, prizes for adults this year include $50 gift cards to 52 local businesses and restaurants. Check out the list of gift cards and sponsors at www.coshoctonlibrary.org/summer.

For inspiration to start the challenge, check out a book complementing our “Unearth A Story” theme featuring archaeology, historical explorations or nature. Each title is available to borrow through the Coshocton County Library System or Libby app.

Fiction

—“The Secrets Beneath” by Kimberley Woodhouse. Anna Lakeman has spent her life working alongside her paleontologist father, drawing intricate sketches at every dig. When they find dinosaur bones near their home in Wyoming Territory, they’re given the opportunity of a lifetime and are swiftly caught up in the competitive era of the Bone Wars.

—“Dragon Teeth” by Michael Crichton. The best-selling author of "Jurassic Park" returns to the world of paleontology in this thrilling adventure set in the Wild West during the golden age of fossil hunting.

—“The Antiquity Affair” by Lee Kelly and Jennifer Thorne. This women-centered nod to the beloved "Indiana Jones" stories includes the excitement and romance of classic adventure novels and a poignant story of sisterhood.

—“Extinction” by Douglas Preston. This page-thriller explores the possible and unintended dangers of the very real efforts to resurrect the woolly mammoth and other long-extinct animals.

Nonfiction

—“Centennial Revisited” by Perry Hibner. Explore the history of the epic television miniseries “Centennial” (1978), filmed right here in Historic Roscoe Village, plus get a chance to meet the author. Hibner will give an author talk at the Coshocton County District Library at 11 a.m. Monday, June 8. Register at www.coshoctonlibrary.org or call 740-622-0956.

—“The Last Days of the Dinosaurs” by Riley Black. Learn what happened in the days, the years, the centuries and the million years after the impact of the asteroid disaster, tracking the sweeping disruptions that overtook this one spot and imagining what might have been happening elsewhere on the globe.

—“Dinner with King Tut” by Sam Kean. From tropical Polynesian islands to forbidding arctic ice floes and everywhere in between, go on an archaeological journey through the entire history of humankind — and through all five senses.

—“Create Naturally: Go Outside and Rediscover Nature with 15 Makers” by Marcia Young. From nature journaling to basketry, clothing and more, discover the stories of how nature inspired and enhanced the creativity of 15 makers.

To find book recommendations for all ages, visit www.coshoctonlibrary.org/srp2026.