🥵 You won’t be able to put this down

It’s Tuesday, Boston

🗞️ Know a teen? The Boston Globe is dedicating an entire issue of their Ideas section to young voices this fall and want to hear from them. They can submit a piece of writing, illustration, or video exploring their hopes, dreams, and concerns (as long as it’s under 700 words). More details here.

🎉 And a big HBD to Jean Breval. His buddy Nora said he’s an avid B-Side reader, so for that, we thank you.

👀 What’s on tap today:

• Big biotech energy

• More dreary weather

• 50 Cent spotting

Up first...

LIFESTYLE

Your summer reading guide

Need to add some pad to your summer reading list? You’re in luck. The folks at Boston.com asked staff members at five local bookstores for their recs of standout new reads that will be out for summer 2023.

Here’s what they couldn’t put down:

BEACH READS

🏡 “Happy Place” by Emily Henry is “relatable” and “engrossing,” Trident Booksellers & Café manager Courtney Flynn said. The story follows a couple who broke up months ago and pretend to still be together for one last weekend away with friends at a beloved beach house. This one’s for you if you’ve ever been in an on-again, off-again relationship.

☄️ “Even If the Sky is Falling” edited by Taj McCoy is “spicy,” according to Clarrissa Cropper Egerton, co-owner of Frugal Bookstore. She loved this collection of interconnected and multicultural short stories infused with humor and “steamy heat.” It follows six couples that take shelter after an international warning siren accidentally goes off, and hilarity and romance ensue.

PAGE TURNERS

🧩 “The Puzzle Master” by Danielle Trussoni is an “addictive thriller,” said Ellen Jarrett, co-owner and adult buyer at Porter Square Books. The story follows a once-promising football star who gains extraordinary puzzle-solving skills after a traumatic brain injury. He’s then asked to help solve a puzzle drawn by a woman in prison who’s been mute since her arrest. And the belief is that the puzzle will explain her crime.

🏝️ “The Wager” by David Grann is a “delight to read.” It follows the true story of a shipwreck in the 1700s that results in the crew being abandoned on a desert island. And while the survivors eventually wash up on the coast of Brazil (with a wild story to tell), six months later, three more survivors emerge, contradicting their story.

THOUGHT PROVOKERS

👀 “Yellowface” by R. F. Kuang is one of “the biggest buzzed books of the season.” It follows two writers at different phases in their careers: Athena, who is Asian, is extremely successful, while June, who is white, has yet to get her big break. But after Athena’s death, June takes her unpublished manuscript and passes it off as her own. “There’s a lot of commentary about racism in publishing and the world at large,” Flynn said.

🐦 “Better Living Through Birding” by Christian Cooper is “beautifully written and inspiring.” You may remember Cooper’s name from 2020 headlines when a woman called the police on him in Central Park after he asked her to keep her dog on a lease. But Cooper was a writer and birder before the incident, which he explores in this read.

📝 Want the full list? You can see the other 18 recommendations here.

📚 Bonus: The BPL just launched their summer adult reading challenge where, if you fill up your summer reading bingo card, you’ll be eligible to win a prize. It’s like Pizza Hut’s Book It! program from when you were a kid, but for grownups.

TOGETHER WITH THE STAGE AT SUFFOLK DOWNS

Giveaway alert!

🎶 Heads up! The Stage at Suffolk Downs is opening next week, and we’re giving away two tickets to Re:SET, an all-new, artist-curated outdoor concert series, including headliners Steve Lacy and LCD Soundsystem. To be eligible, refer a friend below and have them accept your invite between June 6 and 8. If you’ve already referred a friend to B-Side (and they’ve accepted), you're eligible! Full details below*

CITY

Quick & dirty headlines

🔬 Boston is still investing in biotech. Mayor Wu announced a new workforce initiative on Monday to help 1,000 Boston residents get trained and hired into the industry by the end of 2025. An initial $4 million grant will support training programs to secure internships and hiring from local life sciences companies, train for in-demand industry positions, and support residents without four-year degrees (including those underrepresented in the industry). And there’s allegedly more to come, so stay tuned.

🌧️ The dreary weather continues … Although we’ll get a brief break from the rawness today with some early sunshine and temps in the 70s, keep a look out for isolated pockets of severe thunderstorms and downpours this afternoon. Then we’re back into the 60s with showers through Friday. That said, the weekend is looking warmer (and drier). If you’re feeling betrayed by this week’s weather after last week’s glorious sunshine, we think this video captures the pain.

🛳️ You can soon beat Boston traffic by boat. If you live on the North Shore, listen up! Lynn’s Economic Development and Industrial Corporation just voted to sign a lease with the MBTA allowing them to run a passenger ferry from Lynn’s pier to downtown Boston. While there’s no specific launch date, MBTA officials say ferry service could start in July with multiple 30-minute trips morning and night. Which would be good timing given the Sumner Tunnel closure this summer.

🎶 Boston’s newest concert venue opens next week. The Stage at Suffolk Downs, a massive new outdoor music venue that once was an old horse racetrack, will debut on June 16. Steve Lacy, LCD Soundsystem, and boygenius will headline the Re:SET concert series at the venue on opening weekend. As of now, the Stage has just one other big event planned for this year, a two-day electronic dance music festival called Breakaway in September. You can buy concert tix here (or sign up for our giveaway above).

QUICK QUESTION

🎹 What Boston landmark do you think would make a cool concert venue?

ONE LAST THING

50 Cent spotting

It’s not every day you see 50 Cent do an impromptu performance in the Seaport.

The rapper was paying Grace by Nia, the Seaport’s newest restaurant and music venue, a visit on Saturday night when he unexpectedly hopped on stage and performed his hit “In Da Club.”

And to no one’s surprise, the place went WILD. You can watch the video here.

One person in attendance commented on the IG post, “Last night was a movie,” while another said, “Reservations about to explode!”

So in addition to finding 50 Cent in the club, it’s safe to say you can also find him at Grace by Nia. You can learn more about the new supper club here.

😅 Thanks for reading! For better or for worse, I know all the lyrics to “Candy Shop.”

🐶 The results are in: Over 50% of respondents to yesterday’s poll said that Boston’s new dog-friendly patios are a dream come true. One person wrote: “My dog behaves better than most drunk people in this city!” Which is, unfortunately, a low bar.

💃 Keep up with us @BostonBSide on IG, TikTok, and Twitter. Send comments and suggestions to [email protected].