Tuesday, May 21, 2019
Meg's Picks: June 2019, part 1
I have to say, sometimes the length of time I have to hold back on these lists is crazy-making! I've had some of these titles on order for months, and I am so excited I finally get to share now that they're on the near horizon.
After the End, by Clare Mackintosh. Latest by Mackintosh (Let Me Lie, etc.) is an emotional page-turner about impossible choices, and the different paths that life can take. Based loosely on her own experiences, this departure from her normal mystery-thrillers follows the journey of couple Max and Pip Adams as they must make heart-rending decision regarding the care of their terminally ill son. Make sure you bring your tissues!
Recursion, by Blake Crouch. Crouch, author of Dark Matter and the Wayward Pines trilogy, follow Dark Matter's Barry Sutton as he investigates a technology that was originally created in order to preserve our most beloved memories, and which now is also being used to implant false memories, shredding reality and ruining lives. I'm recommending this for fans of Andy Weir (The Martian) and Michael Crichton.
The First Mistake, by Sandie Jones. Author of 2018 reader favorite The Other Woman, Jones brings readers a new novel of domestic suspense. Alice is happily remarried to Nathan after the death of her first husband, and grateful for her good friend Beth. But she's growing suspicious about Nathan's long stretches away on business. Then she starts to wonder about just how reliable Beth is, after all. Deftly paced suspense with a roller-coaster's worth of twists and turns--if it's not on your list, it should be!
The Islanders, by Meg Mitchell Moore. Moore (The Admissions, etc.) follows the lives of three strangers who connect one summer on Block Island. Anthony's second novel has been a flop, and he's retreated to house-sit and hopefully jump-start the work on his comeback novel. Island bakery owner Joy is trying to juggle keeping her small business solvent while single-parenting her teenage daughter. And Lu is supposed to be riding herd on her young sons, but is more and more absorbed by a side-project she's keeping a secret from everyone including her husband. Moore is a reliably engaging storyteller, so you won't want to miss this.
Thursday, May 16, 2019
Reading Ahead: June 2019, part 4
Reconnecting seems to be a popular theme with summer reads this year--as evidenced by these three titles, all coming out in just a few weeks!
Mrs. Everything, by Jennifer Weiner. Growing up as young girls in the 1950s, Jo and Bethie Kaufman may be sisters, but that's about all they have in common. Jo is a tomboy and Bethie is the "pretty one" who loves to dress up. When their father dies unexpectedly, the Kaufman women have to learn to take care of themselves and one another in a time when women had few options. As time moves forward, the sisters grow apart and together again as they find their way in a changing world. Inspiring and insightful reading material from Weiner for your summer reading.
The Summer of Sunshine and Margot, by Susan Mallery. Twin sisters Sunshine and Margot grew up with a mother who spent more time with her boyfriends than raising them. Different but very close, the two stumble along as they raise themselves and help each other through work disasters and heartbreaks. Their heart-tugging journeys toward happily-ever-after are helped along once Margot is hired by a Hollywood Golden Age star who treats the twins as though they were her own daughters. Light and fast, but lively and feel-good from reader favorite Mallery.
Lost and Found, by Danielle Steel. We all wonder what might have been, about the ones that got away. In Steel's latest, Maddie Allen sets off on a cross-country road trip to reconnect with three very different men, each of whom she might have married once and didn't, after a forced pause from her busy career gives her the opportunity to look back...and ahead.
Mrs. Everything, by Jennifer Weiner. Growing up as young girls in the 1950s, Jo and Bethie Kaufman may be sisters, but that's about all they have in common. Jo is a tomboy and Bethie is the "pretty one" who loves to dress up. When their father dies unexpectedly, the Kaufman women have to learn to take care of themselves and one another in a time when women had few options. As time moves forward, the sisters grow apart and together again as they find their way in a changing world. Inspiring and insightful reading material from Weiner for your summer reading.
The Summer of Sunshine and Margot, by Susan Mallery. Twin sisters Sunshine and Margot grew up with a mother who spent more time with her boyfriends than raising them. Different but very close, the two stumble along as they raise themselves and help each other through work disasters and heartbreaks. Their heart-tugging journeys toward happily-ever-after are helped along once Margot is hired by a Hollywood Golden Age star who treats the twins as though they were her own daughters. Light and fast, but lively and feel-good from reader favorite Mallery.
Lost and Found, by Danielle Steel. We all wonder what might have been, about the ones that got away. In Steel's latest, Maddie Allen sets off on a cross-country road trip to reconnect with three very different men, each of whom she might have married once and didn't, after a forced pause from her busy career gives her the opportunity to look back...and ahead.
Tuesday, May 14, 2019
Reading Ahead: June 2019, part 3
There are certain authors that readers automatically associate with summer--characters we love, engaging story lines, settings that evoke all things summer. If that's right up your alley, here are a few titles to be on the lookout for this season.
The Bookshop on the Shore, by Jenny Colgan. Eager to escape the noisy crowds of London and provide a better life for her young son, single mum Zoe accepts help from a friend who finds her a job in a bookshop in the Scottish Highlands, where she'll be working for shop owner Nina (Colgan fans will remember Nina from The Bookshop on the Corner, 2016). A second job as an au pair for three motherless children will provide housing for Zoe and young Hari. While this all looks grand on paper, the reality is a bit more chaotic than Zoe had anticipated: the family's castle, while grand, is crumbling. The widower is in over his head after his three children have been kicked out of school, leaving them to run run wild and unsupervised. Is Zoe up to the challenge?
The Friends We Keep, by Jane Green. Evvie, Maggie, and Topher were the best of friends during their years at university, but time has dragged them apart over the decades that followed. Time also has a way of growing secrets, making them harder to hide, making the truth more painful once it comes to light. And when these three finally reunite at their 30th college reunion, they are hoping to reconnect after years of failing to keep in touch. The secrets that come out threaten to tear them apart all over again, making this a touching story of friendship and forgiveness.
Summer of '69, by Elin Hilderbrand. The four Levin siblings have spent every summer of their childhood at their grandmother's house on Nantucket, but 1969 is the year that everything changed: Blair, 24, is married and pregnant, and her husband Angus has requested she stay home in Boston with him this summer. Anti-war activist Kirby has been arrested twice during demonstrations and chooses friends and a job on Martha's Vineyard over family time on Nantucket this year. Tiger has been deployed to Vietnam, sending letters home to Jessie, 13 and alone on Nantucket with Nonny this summer. Hilderbrand has an excellent touch both with the cultural upheaval of the time, but also with the complications of family relationships.
The Bookshop on the Shore, by Jenny Colgan. Eager to escape the noisy crowds of London and provide a better life for her young son, single mum Zoe accepts help from a friend who finds her a job in a bookshop in the Scottish Highlands, where she'll be working for shop owner Nina (Colgan fans will remember Nina from The Bookshop on the Corner, 2016). A second job as an au pair for three motherless children will provide housing for Zoe and young Hari. While this all looks grand on paper, the reality is a bit more chaotic than Zoe had anticipated: the family's castle, while grand, is crumbling. The widower is in over his head after his three children have been kicked out of school, leaving them to run run wild and unsupervised. Is Zoe up to the challenge?
The Friends We Keep, by Jane Green. Evvie, Maggie, and Topher were the best of friends during their years at university, but time has dragged them apart over the decades that followed. Time also has a way of growing secrets, making them harder to hide, making the truth more painful once it comes to light. And when these three finally reunite at their 30th college reunion, they are hoping to reconnect after years of failing to keep in touch. The secrets that come out threaten to tear them apart all over again, making this a touching story of friendship and forgiveness.
Summer of '69, by Elin Hilderbrand. The four Levin siblings have spent every summer of their childhood at their grandmother's house on Nantucket, but 1969 is the year that everything changed: Blair, 24, is married and pregnant, and her husband Angus has requested she stay home in Boston with him this summer. Anti-war activist Kirby has been arrested twice during demonstrations and chooses friends and a job on Martha's Vineyard over family time on Nantucket this year. Tiger has been deployed to Vietnam, sending letters home to Jessie, 13 and alone on Nantucket with Nonny this summer. Hilderbrand has an excellent touch both with the cultural upheaval of the time, but also with the complications of family relationships.
Tuesday, May 7, 2019
Reading Ahead: June 2019, part 2
Suspense? Mysteries? Sure!
The Last House Guest, by Megan Miranda. Latest from the author of The Perfect Stranger (2017) and All the Missing Girls (2016). Avery Greer, resident of coastal Littleport, ME, is good friends with Sadie Loman. This is mostly unusual because locals like Avery don't normally mix much with the wealthy summer visitor set. After a decade of summers spent as BFFs, the friendship ends...but only because Sadie is found dead. The death, ruled a suicide, doesn't keep some folks (the local detective and Sadie's brother, for starters) from feeling like Avery might have been involved. It's up to Avery to prove her innocence once and for all. A gripping thriller with a strong female lead? Yes, please!
The Sentence is Death, by Anthony Horowitz. In 2018's meta-mystery, The Word is Murder, a defrocked Scotland Yard detective turned private investigator named Daniel Hawthorne got aid from a novelist named Anthony Horowitz. (No relation.) Now, the duo is back, this time investigating the untimely demise of celebrity divorce attorney Richard Price, clobbered in his home with a pricey bottle of wine.
The Last House Guest, by Megan Miranda. Latest from the author of The Perfect Stranger (2017) and All the Missing Girls (2016). Avery Greer, resident of coastal Littleport, ME, is good friends with Sadie Loman. This is mostly unusual because locals like Avery don't normally mix much with the wealthy summer visitor set. After a decade of summers spent as BFFs, the friendship ends...but only because Sadie is found dead. The death, ruled a suicide, doesn't keep some folks (the local detective and Sadie's brother, for starters) from feeling like Avery might have been involved. It's up to Avery to prove her innocence once and for all. A gripping thriller with a strong female lead? Yes, please!
The Sentence is Death, by Anthony Horowitz. In 2018's meta-mystery, The Word is Murder, a defrocked Scotland Yard detective turned private investigator named Daniel Hawthorne got aid from a novelist named Anthony Horowitz. (No relation.) Now, the duo is back, this time investigating the untimely demise of celebrity divorce attorney Richard Price, clobbered in his home with a pricey bottle of wine.
Thursday, May 2, 2019
Reading Ahead: June 2019, part 1
Summer always means truckloads of new fiction titles, and if you're the kind of reader that thrives on an embarrassment of choices, this is only the beginning!
Big Sky, by Kate Atkinson. Atkinson brings back former policeman-turned-PI Jackson Brodie (last seen in 2010's Started Early, Took My Dog), who is now living in Yorkshire and grappling with the mysteries of parenting. Brodie himself had a difficult childhood, making his journey through co-parenting a teenager a particular challenge. Add that to a case surveilling an adulterer and a chance encounter interrupting a suicide, and Brodie has himself quite a full plate. Series fans will not want to miss this. New to the series? Start with 2004's Case Histories.
Backlash, by Brad Thor. Scott Harvath, ex- Navy SEAL and current Secret Service agent, was last seen in 2018's Spymaster. Now, he finds himself far from home, surrounded by his enemies, and badly double-crossed. Worse still--no one is coming to help him. No one even knows where he is. His immediate goal? Survive. His ultimate goal? Revenge.
The Oracle, by Clive Cussler and Robin Burcell. Sam and Remi Fargo. Married couple. Professional treasure hunters. (Last seen in The Gray Ghost, 2018.) Now, they're chasing an ancient scroll which may or may not be cursed: When a long-lost kingdom fell centuries ago, the sacred scroll's location was lost, as well. The Fargo's most recent archaeological dig has produced some clues, though, send them on an adventure to find the scroll and lift the curse, though not without running afoul of bandits and kidnappers in the process. Some real Indiana-Jones-type stuff here for adventure fans.
Big Sky, by Kate Atkinson. Atkinson brings back former policeman-turned-PI Jackson Brodie (last seen in 2010's Started Early, Took My Dog), who is now living in Yorkshire and grappling with the mysteries of parenting. Brodie himself had a difficult childhood, making his journey through co-parenting a teenager a particular challenge. Add that to a case surveilling an adulterer and a chance encounter interrupting a suicide, and Brodie has himself quite a full plate. Series fans will not want to miss this. New to the series? Start with 2004's Case Histories.
Backlash, by Brad Thor. Scott Harvath, ex- Navy SEAL and current Secret Service agent, was last seen in 2018's Spymaster. Now, he finds himself far from home, surrounded by his enemies, and badly double-crossed. Worse still--no one is coming to help him. No one even knows where he is. His immediate goal? Survive. His ultimate goal? Revenge.
The Oracle, by Clive Cussler and Robin Burcell. Sam and Remi Fargo. Married couple. Professional treasure hunters. (Last seen in The Gray Ghost, 2018.) Now, they're chasing an ancient scroll which may or may not be cursed: When a long-lost kingdom fell centuries ago, the sacred scroll's location was lost, as well. The Fargo's most recent archaeological dig has produced some clues, though, send them on an adventure to find the scroll and lift the curse, though not without running afoul of bandits and kidnappers in the process. Some real Indiana-Jones-type stuff here for adventure fans.
Tuesday, April 30, 2019
Can't keep it to myself: Celeste Ng
Like many readers in the last year and a half, I had read Celeste Ng's celebrated novel Little Fires Everywhere. But recently, I went back and read her 2014 novel, Everything I Never Told You, which is my book club's pick for our May meeting. The story of a Chinese-American family living in 1970's small town Ohio, this delves into the years before and the months following a pivotal moment in the family's timeline.
From the moment Marilyn and James meet, they know that their relationship will be like no other. Born to Chinese parents, James has spent his life in America feeling distinctly "other", never quite fitting in, working toward the best education possible. Marilyn, raised by a single mother who teaches home ec, bucks against domesticity and wants desperately to be taken seriously as a student of math and science in a time when these are male dominated fields. These two outsiders find kindred spirits in one another, finally seen and accepted for who they are. Yet their own insecurities linger, causing tension and friction as they try to find their respective ways forward together as a couple and later as parents themselves. These long-held beliefs also will color how they parent their three children, Nathan, Lydia and Hannah, driving the family as a whole toward crisis. As the title suggests, communication, and the lack thereof, is one of the main themes in the novel. It's Ng's spare prose and beautifully drawn characters that made this almost impossible to put down.
Highly recommended.
From the moment Marilyn and James meet, they know that their relationship will be like no other. Born to Chinese parents, James has spent his life in America feeling distinctly "other", never quite fitting in, working toward the best education possible. Marilyn, raised by a single mother who teaches home ec, bucks against domesticity and wants desperately to be taken seriously as a student of math and science in a time when these are male dominated fields. These two outsiders find kindred spirits in one another, finally seen and accepted for who they are. Yet their own insecurities linger, causing tension and friction as they try to find their respective ways forward together as a couple and later as parents themselves. These long-held beliefs also will color how they parent their three children, Nathan, Lydia and Hannah, driving the family as a whole toward crisis. As the title suggests, communication, and the lack thereof, is one of the main themes in the novel. It's Ng's spare prose and beautifully drawn characters that made this almost impossible to put down.
Highly recommended.
Thursday, April 25, 2019
Meg's Picks: May 2019, part 3
Excellent historical novels and a new voice in contemporary fiction are just around the corner!
The Farm, by Joanne Ramos. From a board member of The Moth, this debut novel is creating a lot of buzz! The surrogate mothers at Golden Oaks live a life of luxury. Except that they cannot leave the property. Or contact outsiders. Filipino immigrant Jane is desperate for the surrogacy fee, but she's starting to have serious worries about what she's gotten herself into.
A Bend in the Stars, by Rachel Barenbaum. This debut from Barenbaum is a must for fans of historical sagas like All the Light We Cannot See and The Women in the Castle. Set in 1914 Russia, two siblings struggle to build their lives amid the war looming on the horizon. Miri is a surgeon, but in a place and time where a female doctor is an anomaly, she's rebuffed often, even by patients--until she is summoned to care for the injured at the front lines. For brother Vanya, a scientist testing Einstein's as-yet-unpublished theory of relativity, he will risk capture in order to test his equation.
The Guest Book, by Sarah Blake. This latest from poet and novelist Blake (The Postmistress) brings readers the story of the Milton family, starting in 1935 New York when the privileged family of five is beset by tragedy. In order to help his wife, Kitty, heal, Ogden buys Crockett's Island off the coast of Maine, a place which will become the family's summer refuge over the years. In 1959, the guests invited by the now-grown Milton children will stretch family tensions to the breaking point, uncovering secrets that will resonate for generations. Blake's prose is absolutely enchanting, and I am definitely putting this one at the top of my to-read list.
The Farm, by Joanne Ramos. From a board member of The Moth, this debut novel is creating a lot of buzz! The surrogate mothers at Golden Oaks live a life of luxury. Except that they cannot leave the property. Or contact outsiders. Filipino immigrant Jane is desperate for the surrogacy fee, but she's starting to have serious worries about what she's gotten herself into.
A Bend in the Stars, by Rachel Barenbaum. This debut from Barenbaum is a must for fans of historical sagas like All the Light We Cannot See and The Women in the Castle. Set in 1914 Russia, two siblings struggle to build their lives amid the war looming on the horizon. Miri is a surgeon, but in a place and time where a female doctor is an anomaly, she's rebuffed often, even by patients--until she is summoned to care for the injured at the front lines. For brother Vanya, a scientist testing Einstein's as-yet-unpublished theory of relativity, he will risk capture in order to test his equation.
The Guest Book, by Sarah Blake. This latest from poet and novelist Blake (The Postmistress) brings readers the story of the Milton family, starting in 1935 New York when the privileged family of five is beset by tragedy. In order to help his wife, Kitty, heal, Ogden buys Crockett's Island off the coast of Maine, a place which will become the family's summer refuge over the years. In 1959, the guests invited by the now-grown Milton children will stretch family tensions to the breaking point, uncovering secrets that will resonate for generations. Blake's prose is absolutely enchanting, and I am definitely putting this one at the top of my to-read list.
Tuesday, April 23, 2019
Meg's Picks: May 2019, part 2
I read a LOT of debut novels, and am constantly on the lookout for new titles on the horizon that strike my fancy. Here are a couple of historical fiction debuts that I've got my eye on next month, both of which may be excellent book club picks, too.
The Seven or Eight Deaths of Stella Fortuna, by Juliet Grames. This richly imagined debut is based on the story of the author's own grandmother. Beautiful, smart and determined, Stella Fortuna grows up in a mountain village in early 20th-century Italy. Her father suspects her of being cursed, as she won't succumb to patriarchal expectations, and word travels quickly in their small village. When the family immigrates to Connecticut just before World War II, it's not the land of opportunity they'd imagined, and Stella continues to defy expectations and accidents alike in order to protect her younger sister. It's only as forced marriages separate the two that the close-knit sisters slowly lose touch. I'm recommending this particularly for fans of Kate Atkinson (Life After Life, etc.)
The Confessions of Frannie Langton, by Sara Collins. Collins's debut is a historical murder mystery the likes of which I've yet to run across (though it does remind me a bit of Margaret Atwood's Alias Grace). After growing up in Jamaica in the early 1800s as the slave of John Langton, Frannie accompanies John to London after his plantation harvest burns. There she is gifted to John's fellow scientist, George Benham and his wife Meg. George asks Frannie to spy on Meg, but Frannie and Meg soon wind up with a very different relationship. After the Benham's turn up dead, Frannie is immediately held as a suspect, but was she actually involved?
The Seven or Eight Deaths of Stella Fortuna, by Juliet Grames. This richly imagined debut is based on the story of the author's own grandmother. Beautiful, smart and determined, Stella Fortuna grows up in a mountain village in early 20th-century Italy. Her father suspects her of being cursed, as she won't succumb to patriarchal expectations, and word travels quickly in their small village. When the family immigrates to Connecticut just before World War II, it's not the land of opportunity they'd imagined, and Stella continues to defy expectations and accidents alike in order to protect her younger sister. It's only as forced marriages separate the two that the close-knit sisters slowly lose touch. I'm recommending this particularly for fans of Kate Atkinson (Life After Life, etc.)
The Confessions of Frannie Langton, by Sara Collins. Collins's debut is a historical murder mystery the likes of which I've yet to run across (though it does remind me a bit of Margaret Atwood's Alias Grace). After growing up in Jamaica in the early 1800s as the slave of John Langton, Frannie accompanies John to London after his plantation harvest burns. There she is gifted to John's fellow scientist, George Benham and his wife Meg. George asks Frannie to spy on Meg, but Frannie and Meg soon wind up with a very different relationship. After the Benham's turn up dead, Frannie is immediately held as a suspect, but was she actually involved?
Thursday, April 18, 2019
Meg's Picks: May 2019, part 1
Reader's block or no, there are still books I am excited about! Here are a few, coming to library shelves next month!
The Light From Other Stars, by Erika Swyler. I absolutely adored Swyler's 2015 debut novel, The Book of Speculation, so I am eagerly awaiting her sophomore effort. It's Florida in 1986 and while 11-year-old Nedda dreams of being an astronaut, her current reality is her grief-stricken father and his eccentric experiments. The explosion of the Challenger, just 10 miles away, changes everything for both of them. I'm recommending this not just for fans of Swyler's first novel, but also for readers of speculative fiction like that of Audrey Niffenegger (The Time Traveler's Wife, etc.) and Margaret Atwood (The Handmaid's Tale, etc.).
The Flight Portfolio, by Julie Orringer. Another long-awaited new work from an author who has wowed readers (in this case, with The Invisible Bridge, 2010). Here, Orringer draws on the true story of American journalist Varian Fry, who left his wife and and job behind in New York in order to help Jewish artists flee occupied Europe during the Holocaust. Orringer is another novelist I love for the sheer magnificence of her prose--you won't want to miss this.
How Not to Die Alone, by Richard Roper. For readers looking for a novel that feels like that of Maria Semple (Where'd You Go, Bernadette?, etc.) or Gail Honeyman (Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine), Roper's debut is the way to go. Andrew, 42 and single, accidentally created a second life with a white lie when interviewing for a job. Now everyone in his office believes he's married, with two children. In reality, his only family is an estranged sister and his friends are members of an online model train forum. It's only after he begins to train coworker Peggy that he begins to see that he might not have to live in his stifling comfort zone forever...but what will the truth cost him?
The Light From Other Stars, by Erika Swyler. I absolutely adored Swyler's 2015 debut novel, The Book of Speculation, so I am eagerly awaiting her sophomore effort. It's Florida in 1986 and while 11-year-old Nedda dreams of being an astronaut, her current reality is her grief-stricken father and his eccentric experiments. The explosion of the Challenger, just 10 miles away, changes everything for both of them. I'm recommending this not just for fans of Swyler's first novel, but also for readers of speculative fiction like that of Audrey Niffenegger (The Time Traveler's Wife, etc.) and Margaret Atwood (The Handmaid's Tale, etc.).
The Flight Portfolio, by Julie Orringer. Another long-awaited new work from an author who has wowed readers (in this case, with The Invisible Bridge, 2010). Here, Orringer draws on the true story of American journalist Varian Fry, who left his wife and and job behind in New York in order to help Jewish artists flee occupied Europe during the Holocaust. Orringer is another novelist I love for the sheer magnificence of her prose--you won't want to miss this.
How Not to Die Alone, by Richard Roper. For readers looking for a novel that feels like that of Maria Semple (Where'd You Go, Bernadette?, etc.) or Gail Honeyman (Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine), Roper's debut is the way to go. Andrew, 42 and single, accidentally created a second life with a white lie when interviewing for a job. Now everyone in his office believes he's married, with two children. In reality, his only family is an estranged sister and his friends are members of an online model train forum. It's only after he begins to train coworker Peggy that he begins to see that he might not have to live in his stifling comfort zone forever...but what will the truth cost him?
Tuesday, April 16, 2019
Reading Ahead: May 2019, part 3
Summer is not far off, no matter what the temperatures outside may be like. Just look at the books on the horizon!
The Rosie Result, by Graeme Simsion. This third installment in Simsion's extremely popular Don Tillman trilogy (after The Rosie Project and The Rosie Effect) finds Don and Rosie up against a new challenge: their eleven-year-old son, Hudson, who is having issues at school. Don's very familiar with being socially awkward, and figures he's the best person to help Hudson learn to fit in better. Of course, that may not go quite as smoothly as Don might have planned...
Sunset Beach, by Mary Kay Andrews. Drue Campbell isn't doing so well, adrift without a job, but insult is added to injury when her estranged father reappears in her life after a twenty year absence. And that reappearance? Is at her mother's funeral. Oh, and he's now married to Drue's arch-nemesis from middle school, and they're offering her a job. Out of options, she begrudgingly takes the position, only to find herself unwittingly investigating a possible case of corruption in her father's law firm. Andrews is great for a fast page-turner that will make you laugh--perfect for an early summer read.
Queen Bee, by Dorothea Benton Frank. Frank is another author that readers automatically associate with summer books, and they won't be disappointed here. Beekeeper Holly lives a quiet life on Sullivan's Island, tending her hives and working at the library. Holly calls her demanding hypochondriac mother The Queen Bee--Holly's sister Leslie married and moved away just to be free of the family drama. But when Leslie's marriage implodes and she moves back to the island, Holly's quiet life is upended and chaos reigns on all sides. Will she ever find a way back to peace?
The Rosie Result, by Graeme Simsion. This third installment in Simsion's extremely popular Don Tillman trilogy (after The Rosie Project and The Rosie Effect) finds Don and Rosie up against a new challenge: their eleven-year-old son, Hudson, who is having issues at school. Don's very familiar with being socially awkward, and figures he's the best person to help Hudson learn to fit in better. Of course, that may not go quite as smoothly as Don might have planned...
Sunset Beach, by Mary Kay Andrews. Drue Campbell isn't doing so well, adrift without a job, but insult is added to injury when her estranged father reappears in her life after a twenty year absence. And that reappearance? Is at her mother's funeral. Oh, and he's now married to Drue's arch-nemesis from middle school, and they're offering her a job. Out of options, she begrudgingly takes the position, only to find herself unwittingly investigating a possible case of corruption in her father's law firm. Andrews is great for a fast page-turner that will make you laugh--perfect for an early summer read.
Queen Bee, by Dorothea Benton Frank. Frank is another author that readers automatically associate with summer books, and they won't be disappointed here. Beekeeper Holly lives a quiet life on Sullivan's Island, tending her hives and working at the library. Holly calls her demanding hypochondriac mother The Queen Bee--Holly's sister Leslie married and moved away just to be free of the family drama. But when Leslie's marriage implodes and she moves back to the island, Holly's quiet life is upended and chaos reigns on all sides. Will she ever find a way back to peace?
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)