Barefoot by Elin Hildebrand - Judging by their covers, pretty much all of Elin Hildebrand's books are set on beaches in the summer (except for what appears to be one series set in the winter instead). So presumably any of her books would make for good summer reading. However, I've only read a couple of her books even though I've always meant to get to her others. So, I'm going to recommend my favorite one so far - "Barefoot," which made my 2009 10 favorites list, about three women who come to Nantucket for the summer, each with their own issues/secrets.
A Hundred Summers by Beatriz Williams - This was the first book I read by Beatriz Williams, one of my favorite writers of dual time period historical fiction. It's set in the 1930s, toggling between when the protagonist is in her last year of college falling in love for the first time, and 7 years later when her former best friend is now married to her first love, as we slowly find out what happened in between. On the light and soapy side, almost verging on chick lit in a historical setting, but very enjoyable, and much of it is set in summer in a beachfront community on Rhode Island.
The Book of Summer by Michelle Gable - Michelle Gable is another one of my favorite writers of dual time period historical fiction. This novel is set in Nantucket in a grand house lived in by the same family for several generations. The book alternates between the viewpoints of a woman in the present day and her grandmother in the 1940s. Both are very appealing characters, and both stories are interesting, with real substance but not too heavy.
The Lake Season by Hannah McKinnon - Tough for me to pick a favorite book of Hannah McKinnon, who I mentioned in my chick lit post, so I'm going to go with her first book, "The Lake Season." In this novel, with her marriage crumbling, a woman leaves her kids in camp and goes back home for the summer to her parents' house/farm on a lake in New Hampshire, and deals with her complex relationship with her younger sister while figuring out what to do next. I also highly recommend her books "Mystic Summer" and "The Summer House" which you can tell from their titles are also summer-themed! (Though I mentioned her most recent book, "Sailing Lessons," in my post linked in the first paragraph above about books coming out in summer 2018, I'm sorry to say I found it a little disappointing compared to her other books.)
Summer Secrets by Jane Green - Another one set on Nantucket in the summer - what's the deal with that as so many of these authors' favorite summer locations? This one is a perfect beach read that gives you something to think about too, about a woman struggling with alcoholism and some family issues. So, some heavy topics but written with a light touch, and compulsively readable. Jane Green is another of my favorite chick lit authors, and this is one of my favorite of her books.
The Vacationers by Emma Straub - An enjoyable novel about a New York family and their friends spending 2 weeks in a vacation house in Mallorca, Spain. The characters were interestingly flawed and real-feeling.
The Summer We Read Gatsby by Danielle Panek - This is a novel about two half-sisters who spend the summer together living in the Hamptons house left to them by their recently deceased aunt. A bit of a chick lit vibe but with very unique and quirky characters.
No comments:
Post a Comment