Three on Thursday: Warm Weather Wishes

I know that spring isn't too far off now, but I'm feeling rather caught in the winter doldrums. The weather is cold and dreary, we're still recuperating from the blizzard last week, and we are all, I think, more than a little tired of snow and winter.  If you're reading along and nodding your head, then keep reading. 

I'm a strong believer in reading as entertainment, especially reading as a form of escape or travel for your mind.  Sure, it's cloudy and chilly outside, but open a book, and you can be anywhere you like.  Recently, talk at the library has been about winter fatigue, so what better way to entertain yourself with than a novel taking place in warmer climes?

 Autobiography of Us, by Aria Beth Sloss.  This one is a bit of a sleeper hit among recent titles here at the library.  The 1960s was a decade caught between repression and rebellion.  In Pasadena, California, friends Rebecca and Alex bond as they dream of lives beyond their mothers' expectations.  Until, that is, the ultimate betrayal comes between them one sultry summer evening before their last year at college.  Beautiful and gripping, sure to warm the soul.

The Summer House, by Marcia Willett.  Part mystery, part family saga.  Matt's mother has always kept his childhood memories in a wooden box.  But why can't he remember the toys or the clothes, and why is his sister Imogen missing from all of the pictures?  Long in love with a cottage on a grand old estate, Summer House, Imogen leaps at the chance to buy it when it comes on the market, but her husband refuses to move.  Imogen is left questioning the life she's built for herself, even as Matt seeks answers to his own existence.  Could the Summer House hold the answers for both of them?  As full of summer at the English seaside as it is overflowing with mystery.

Burnt Mountain, by Anne Rivers Siddons.  As a young tomboy, Thayer found that the place which felt most like home was summer camp.  Friends, first love...  Years later, Thayer's husband is growing distant and Thayer's carefully constructed life begins to crack.  Finally, it's time to look at why those summers away from home were so idyllic, and the secrets Thayer uncovers about herself, her parents, and now her husband are truly startling. 

Do you have a favorite novel with a summer setting?  I'd love to know what it is!

I'm back next week with what I've been reading (and what got me through the blizzard!).  Happy reading!