Reading Ahead: May 2016, part 3

You know how I know that summer is just around the corner, temperatures notwithstanding? It's the sorts of books slated for publication, like the three below. Easy-reading novels perfect for packing in your beach-bag, stories of love and friendship, often set in balmy locales. If that sounds like the perfect way to celebrate the change of seasons, read on!

The Apartment, by Danielle Steel. They come together by chance in the heart of New York City, four young women at turning points in their lives. Claire Kelly finds the walk-up apartment—a spacious loft in Hell’s Kitchen. But the aspiring shoe designer needs at least one roommate to manage it. She meets Abby Williams, a writer trying to make it on her own, far away from her successful family in L.A. Four years later, Morgan Shelby joins them. She’s ambitious, with a serious finance job on Wall Street. Then Sasha Hartman, a medical student whose identical twin sister is a headline-grabbing supermodel. And so the sprawling space, with its exposed brick and rich natural light, becomes a home to friends about to embark on new, exhilarating adventures. A novel that celebrates the city and the wonders of friendship.

All Summer Long, by Dorothea Benton Frank. Olivia and Nicholas promised each other that when they retired, they'd leave behind the breakneck pace of New York City for the slower, easier pace of the South, where Nicholas grew up. Now that the move is upon them, Nicholas is eager to move. Olivia, not so much. She's worried about everything, from downsizing, to leaving her beloved city behind, to the fixer-upper home they're moving to, to their finances, which are not what she'd hoped they'd be at the point of this transition. A story of the leaps of faith we make for love.

The Island House, by Nancy Thayer. Courtney Hendricks will never forget the magical summers she spent on Nantucket with her college roommate, Robin Vickerey, and Robin’s charismatic, turbulent, larger-than-life family, in their gorgeous island house. Now a college English professor in Kansas City, Courtney is determined to experience one more summer in this sun-swept paradise. Her reason for going is personal: Courtney needs to know whether Robin’s brother James shares the feelings she’s secretly had for him. While each of the family members has their own particular obstacle to overcome over the course of their summer, as the summer unfolds, crisis escalates and truths are revealed. Sure to be a great companion on your summer vacation.