What I Read This Summer

I had to wait until I returned from vacation, but here is my list of the 16 books I managed to read since mid-June.

This story about a journey through the South involves Boop and her granddaughter, Eve. The middle part of this family is Eve's mother, Justine, who is Boop's daughter. Filled with Southern charm, author Mary Helen Sheriff writes with true emotion and tells a funny but poignant tale about relationships, misunderstandings, and, ultimately, redemption. The best kind of story!

This wonderful novel by the fabulous Jennifer Weiner is about girlfriends, past and present, all wrapped up in the complexities of living in these trying times. It's witty and moving. Weiner has the Midas touch when it comes to beach reads!

I am grateful to Lisa at Ink Fish Books for gifting me with a copy of this book. I spent many mornings at Colt State Park reading, and losing myself in the rich, gorgeous writing of author Maggie O'Farrell. If you don't know, Hamnet is a novel inspired by the real-life son of William Shakespeare, who died in 1596. It's absolutely brilliant and, in my opinion, a must-read for anyone who loves literature.

I was on a Jennifer Weiner roll this summer, as Good in Bed was the second of three Weiner novels I devoured. This was her debut novel, and it tells the story of an overweight Jewish female journalist, her love and work life, and her emotional abuse issues with her father. Apparently much of the novel reflects Weiner's own life, and I know she has struggled with weight issues for much of her life. It became a NYT bestseller, and I can see why. Five big stars.

I can't imagine a summer full of reading without at least one of Roisin Meaney's books on my table. In this one, three couples are set to spend a weekend at a house by the sea. Lily and Charlie, who had been married for over twenty-five years, but are now nearly divorced, show up, each with their own partner - Lily brings Joe, her new fiancé. Charlie brings his way-too-young girlfriend Chloe. And Lily and Charlie's grown children, daughter Poll and son Thomas. With her trademark charm and genius for telling a story, Roisin Meaney weaves a seamless tale about family, love, loss, and forgiveness. If you're a fan of Maeve Binchy books, you'll love everything Roisin Meaney writes.

I only recently become a Daniel Silva fan. This one did not disappoint! Fast-paced, well written, Silva takes the reader on a whirlwind journey through Venice, Vatican City, even my beloved Switzerland! Silva's intrepid character Gabriel Allon always is central to his stories, and this one brings up an important question about the crucifixion of Jesus Christ.

Marisa de los Santos! Definitely one of my favorite authors. She writes with beautiful prose and explores the emotions that we sometimes hide deep within our hearts. There are characters here that are in her earlier novels, but not to worry, you don't have to read her books in any order. This one shifts between the present day and the 1950s, and the author handles the changes effortlessly.

I love this cover, too. Yes, I went on a little Marisa de los Santos binge, reading three of her books in a row. Well worth your time. The way she uses words is genius, and she really does paint a picture with words. In I'd Give Anything, de los Santos brings the reader the most genuine of flawed human beings, and I hated to see this one end.

Then I read this one. So, I think this was Book 2 of her series, Blue Sky was Book 3, and I'd Give Anything was Book 4. I still have to read Book1! But it really doesn't matter. The characters in this book were so real, so well-drawn - Piper and Cornelia and Dev - Dev! - and Teo. You'll love them, too.

This was a really good book. The main character, Daisy, receives emails that are meant for someone else (email address off by a letter - that can happen!). Daisy is somewhat unsatisfied with her life and is intrigued by this other woman, based on the emails, thinking her life is more glamorous and exciting. When Daisy finally lets the other woman know about the mix-up, they meet and become friends. But perhaps the mix-up wasn't entirely accidental.

Here's an anthology for every James Taylor fan - and yes, that includes me! In fact, I was asked to contribute to this compendium, and my little story about one of JT's songs in included. Taylor's fans have recounted their lifelong long of his music and lyrics, and every one of the stories is impactful. Compiled by Rebecca Gold, a mega-fan, this one is a true pleasure to read.

Sometimes I ask myself why I'd ever want to revisit the awful trump years - I mean, they were horrible. This book focuses on the final year of his failed presidency, during the Coronavirus pandemic that engulfed the country. From his refusal to take the pandemic seriously to his denial of the election loss and his lies about election fraud, Carol Leonnig and Philip Rucker offer stunning detail about the final year of this dysfunctional presidency.

Elin Hilderbrand's novels are made for summer reading, and I've checked a few of them out of the library, to catch up. Vicki, Brenda, and Melanie head to Nantucket (of course!) to escape their own travails and forget about aspects of their troubled lives. A young man named Josh enters their worlds and everything is turned upside down. A great read!

Okay, maybe it's not correct to include this one, but I did read it! I had to, I was the editor! Actually, for the third year, I chaired the committee that solicited and accepted submissions of prose and poetry from members of the Association of Rhode Island Authors for its annual anthology. In this volume, with its theme of GREEN, the writers interpreted that theme in their own way and have provided a varied take on the theme, with compelling poems and short stories.

Oh, this book! My husband read it last year and kept telling me I needed to read it. Meanwhile, I had all these other books to read first, but finally, we had vacation and I made sure to bring The Great Alone with me. And I devoured it. Set in remote Alaska in the mid-1970s. it tells the story of teenager Leni and her dysfunctional parents, stuck in the wilds of Alaska when it was still remote and mostly off the grid. Leni's father, a Vietnam veteran plagued by PTSD and violent outbursts, dreads the onset of winter and darkness. And her mother has every reason to be concerned, as those violent outbursts are generally directed at her. You should read this one.

This one finished off the summer for me. Seemed like a good end-of-summer read, and The Beach Club was Hilderbrand's debut novel. Here we have Mack Petersen, who manages a hotel on Nantucket - he's been there for 12 years, since he was 18 and left the family farm in Iowa after the tragic death of his parents. Mack's girlfriend Maribel wants to get married, after being with Mack for six years, and she's growing impatient. Meanwhile, a mistimed encounter with one of the hotel guests leads the hotel's bellman, Vance (who's hated Mack for the past 12 years), to threaten him with violence. Mack's feeling the pressure! There are plenty of other characters in this story, and what I love about Hilderbrand is that even the most minor character can be memorable. A great summer read.

Okay, that's it! Summer's just about over, time to get back to work. What did you read this summer? What's in your To-Be-Read pile?