What I Read this Summer

For the past eight years, my summers have been spent mostly editing and rewriting a novel. Not so much this year - the pandemic and everything else has me stymied, and the new novel I'd started in January has languished. Oh, it'll get done, eventually. So I read more than I usually do, which is also a good thing. Here's what I read this summer:

The Last Week of May by Roisin Meaney (2007). One of my favorite writers, Roisin Meaney will remind you of the late Maeve Binchy. Great character-driven stories set mostly in Ireland, The Last Week of May centers around May O'Callaghan and her neighbors in the village of Kilpatrick.

The Daughters of Erietown by Connie Schultz (2020). Pulitzer Prize-winning writer Connie Schultz wrote a novel, although it seems to be based in large part on her own family and life. Like another journalist-turned-novelist, Anna Quindlen, Schultz's writing style is crisp and uncluttered. Loved it.

Life Happens: And Other Unavoidable Truths by Connie Schultz (2006). This book is a compilation of Schultz's commentaries and columns. Fourteen years after its initial publication, many of the topics are even more timely today - single motherhood, race relations, voting (or not voting).

The Summer Country by Lauren Willig (2019). My husband gave me this book for Christmas, but I didn't get around to it until the summer (see first paragraph above). It's an epic tale about generations on the island of Barbados in the 1800s. Lots of characters, and it's a good idea to make notes about the relationships as you read (the author couldn't include a family tree because it would spoil the story). The writing is exquisite.

One Summer by Roisin Meaney (2012). I'm making my way through Meaney's books, a couple at a time. This one is about a young woman named Nell, who moves from Dublin to the island of Roone, off the west coast of Ireland (loosely based on the island of Valentia, off the Kerry coast). Again, a delightful and quirky mix of characters make for a most enjoyable read.

After the Wedding by Roisin Meaney (2014). This is a sequel to One Summer, so as soon as I'd finished reading One Summer, I downloaded this one. The reader is taken again to the island of Roone, to continue the stories set up in the first book. Meaney's books are best enjoyed with a cup of tea and a soft blanket (or pet) in your lap.

The Admissions by Meg Mitchell Moore (2015). Wow. This book hooked me right from the start, and the tension didn't let up! This is a great story about modern-day parents and kids under pressure to achieve. The Hawthornes may look like the perfect family, but underneath the veneer there's all kinds of angst and desperation, and secrets!

The Last Bathing Beauty by Amy Sue Nathan (2020). I read this one all the way through (because it takes a lot for me to give up on a book), and I liked it enough, but it did feel like there was way too much telling and not enough showing (Writing 101). At time it felt as though I was reading a screenplay.

Cleo McDougal Regrets Nothing by Allison Winn Scotch (2020). I'm glad I stayed with this book, because it was worth it. Cleo McDougal will annoy you - because she's flawed! But you'll find yourself totally invested, and rooting for her redemption. I loved it.

Stay by Catherine Ryan Hyde (2019). Another of my favorite authors, it feels as though she writes just for me. What a gift she has for telling a story. This one is set in the summer of 1969 and features a 14-year-old boy, Lucas Painter, at the center. Can I just say that Hyde captures the spirit of this teenaged boy perfectly?

The New Girl by Daniel Silva (2019). Both my husband and my cousin Becky are big fans of Daniel Silva. I had never read any of his books, but after my husband finished it, I decided it would be my next read. Okay, so now I'm a fan, too. I wasn't sure I'd take to this thriller, but Silva kept my attention through every twist and turn on the page. I will definitely be reading more.

Something in Common by Roisin Meaney (2013). Another by Meaney, this one between aspiring writer Sarah and hard-edged journalist Helen. Meaney doesn’t feel obligated to give us the cliched happy-ever-after. That’s the easy way. Instead, she tells a more realistic story that will challenge you at every turn. She’s brilliant. Full stop.

The Heartbreak Café by Melissa Hill (2011). I can't remember who recommended Melissa Hill to me. Maybe just as well. I tried, but I couldn't finish it. There were way too many grammatical errors and the plot was going nowhere. It's hard to quit a book, but I needed to move on from this.

28 Summers by Elin Hildebrand (2020). Inspired by the movie "Same Time, Next Year," Hilderbrand creates her own story based on , of course, her beloved Nantucket island. Hilderbrand is called the 'Queen of the Beach Read,' with good reason.

The Lost Letter by Jillian Cantor 2017).  I did enjoy reading this book. It felt like it was meticulously researched, and told a compelling story - something a bit different about the Resistance. But.....here’s my pet peeve. When an author uses a phrase or word too often, it settles in my mind and takes away from the enjoyment of reading. In this case, it was 'a little.’ There are 148 instances of 'a little’ in this book - too much! Her editor should have picked up on it. Smiled a little, shivered a little, laughed a little. Ugh.

The Reunion by Roisin Meaney (2016). Listen, Meaney's books are quick reads, that's why I could tear through them. Plus, I hated to put them down! Returning to a Roisin Meaney novel is one of the best things I can do for myself. I lose myself in her characters, people you wish you knew personally. I indulge in the plot, not cliched or predictable. I revel in the descriptions of places and food.

The Nanny Diaries by Emma Mclaughlin and Nicola Kraus (2002). I returned to this book for research purposes (my new novel is about a nanny). I remember grabbing it from the library nearly twenty years ago - what a delicious read! Still great, if a little dated.

The Matchmaker by Elin Hilderbrand (2014). Some of Hilderbrand's most fervent fans did not like this book. I loved it. Delving into uncomfortable topics is a good thing - I felt all of it, from Agnes’s relationship with CJ, to Dabney’s relationship with Box. All of it. If you can make the reader cry at the end, to me that’s success! Well done.

An Address in Amsterdam by Mary Dingee Fillmore (2016). It was clear the author did meticulous research for this book. Set in Amsterdam during the World War II years, it tells a story about Rachel, an 18-year-old Jewish girl who sees the atrocities happening to her Jewish friends and neighbors and gets involved in the Resistance. Excellent descriptions of the area (the author lived for a time in Amsterdam). There were a couple of graphic sexual references that just didn’t fit, but otherwise a must-read.

Have You Seen Luis Velez? by Catherine Ryan Hyde (2019). Unusual title, right? There's a line in the book that really stayed with me: "People judge you by your most controversial half." The central character, Raymond (17) is bi-racial and wondering where he belongs. His 92-year-old friend Millie was the daughter of a Jewish mother and non-Jewish father, which impacted her young life at the start of World War II. Together they find a way to reconcile their guilt and fear. This is a beautiful story, as always.

Love in the Present Tense by Catherine Ryan Hyde (2007). Early CRH! I found the pacing a bit slow, but I really liked the characters. It's about the bond between a five-year-old boy abandoned by his mother and the man who ends up raising him.

The Vanishing Half by Brit Bennett (2020). Well, this book kept me up all night recently. I could not put it down. Wasn't even sleepy. Yes, it's that good. Gorgeous, lyrical prose. Some say it's reminiscent of Toni Morrison's The Bluest Eye, which I now need to read.

The Castaways by Elin Hilderbrand (2009). Back when she was writing a Nantucket "series," this was the second book out of three. I didn't read her books in order, but it didn't matter. I liked this one a lot, because it brought out the characters so well.

Two Fridays in April by Roisin Meaney (2015). You can see that I read a lot of Meaney and Hilderbrand. Perhaps because they're both so well suited to summer reading. Every one of Roisin Meaney's books is a gem.

The Island by Elin Hilderbrand (2010). I picked this one from my library. While nearly all of Hilderbrand's novels take place on Nantucket, this one actually is set on Tuckernuck, a little spot of land just off Nantucket, owned by its summer residents and lacking paved roads and public utilities. Perfect spot for a mother to bring her two grown daughters and her widowed sister, where, without the distractions of modern-day life, the women are forced into introspection.

The Daisy Picker by Roisin Meaney (2004). This was Meaney's first novel, and it's a good one! Main character Lizzie, 41, is stuck in a rut, with a dead-end job and a reluctant fiancé. After seeing a magazine article about regrets, Lizzie decides to pack it in, leave her parents' home, and drive 80 miles away to start a new adventure. Bravo, Lizzie!

Rogue's Isles by Thomas Briody (1995). How did I not know about this book?? Thanks to Stillwater Books in Pawtucket, Rhode Island https://www.stillwaterbooksri.com/ I found Tom Briody's novel, loosely (very loosely) based on the credit union crisis and subsequent disappearance of the notorious Joseph Mollicone on the early 1990s. A great read!

Someday, Someday, Maybe by Lauren Graham (2013). I remember when this book was released, saying I wanted to read it. Well, seven years later, I got around to it. Graham is best known as Lorelei Gilmore on "The Gilmore Girls" and Sarah Braverman on "Parenthood." It seems to be semi-autobiographical, and is definitely in the voice of Graham/Gilmore/Braverman. Funny, light (mostly), and touching, it defines the hopefulness of a newcomer in New York City, hoping to make it big.

Modern Lovers by Emma Straub (2016). I had this book at the cottage last week, and spent many days by the pool. I stuck with it, but I did find myself turning pages rapidly, just to get through a chapter. The plot was somewhat compelling, and the characters were okay, but I don't think I'll remember much about this book.

Okay, I counted 29 books - I don't think I've read that much in a summer since I was eight years old. How about you? What did you read that you loved? Any recommendations?