Beach Reads
The promise of an endless summer is what helps get me through what the locals consider the hectic summer months and the vacationers call the dog days of summer. Either way, what an incredible and fun summer it was! School is back in session and life is returning to a more structured schedule and pace. I have to admit September is my favorite month at the shore. The town is quieter but the weather is perfect! It’s the best time to grab a book and hit the beach. Here are a few popular titles you might have missed over the summer. Take time out to enjoy everything that the endless summer brings!
“Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine” by Gail Honeyman
We all have that one friend who doesn’t have a speed bump between their brain and their mouth. That is Eleanor Oliphant. She struggles with social interaction and has no problem saying exactly what is on her mind. Eleanor spends her weekends locked inside her home where she doesn’t have to see or talk to anyone. Then she meets Raymond, the IT guy from her office. Together, they save Sammy, an elderly man who fell outside on the sidewalk. The threesome become fast friends who rescue each other from their lonely lives and help each other heal the pieces of their broken hearts.
“When Life Gives You Lululemons” by Lauren Weisberger
If you are looking for an easy, entertaining beach read, this is it! Emily Charlton works in Hollywood as an image consultant to the rich and famous. Lately, she’s been losing clients and needs to find a big comeback, and fast! Karolina Hartwell is a gorgeous supermodel who was just charged with drunken driving. In a blink, she loses her husband, her “friends” and her career. Karolina is just the person Emily needs to get her career back on track. This means traveling to the suburbs of Greenwich, Conn., where everyone and everything appears to be just perfect and no one is fond of their neighbor Karolina. Emily learns fast that she is a long way from Hollywood. If she is going to save Karolina’s reputation, she is going to need help and a lot of it.
“Ghosted” by Rosie Walsh
Sarah has dealt with her share of tragedy. After a horrible accident when she was a teenager, she moves from her childhood home in London to California so she can start over. After years of being away, she returns to help her parents while they tend to her sick grandfather. It is here she meets Eddie; it seems as if they have known each other forever and were just meant to be. It’s obvious Eddie feels the same way. Sarah is bummed to see Eddie leave on a vacation he had planned long before he met her and has no reason to doubt any of the promises he made. Except, this is when everything changes. Eddie has disappeared. Her texts and social-media efforts to find him have done nothing but add more mystery. Eddie has vanished into thin air. Her friends want her to walk away because he obviously didn’t feel the same way about their relationship, but Sarah knows that isn’t true. She knows there is something more to it and a reason behind his disappearance. What will happen when she finds out the truth? Sometimes it takes a heart being broken before it can truly heal.
“You Me Everything” by Catherine Isaac
Jess and her 10-year-old son, William, make plans to spend the summer with Adam, her ex-boyfriend and William’s father. Adam runs a prestigious hotel in a restored castle named Chateau de Roussignol. They are both nervous and excited about this adventure. Although Jess is amazed by what Adam has accomplished, she has bigger things to worry about. With a secret that is tormenting her, she has one goal this summer and that is to make Adam fall in love with his son. William is immediately smitten by Adam. But with a new girlfriend and old habits that won’t go away, Adam will need some more convincing. Jess can’t afford to let William down and is determined to get her family together again.
“Tangerine” by Christine Mangan
Lucy Mason and Alice Shipley were the best of friends at one time. They lived together in school and were inseparable. After a horrible accident at school, everything changed, including their friendship. When Lucy arrives in Tangier with her husband, she was the last person Alice expected to see. Lucy tries to make things right with Alice and together they explore the country. Then Alice’s husband John goes missing, and Alice is once again questioning every relationship in her life.
“Tailspin” by Sandra Brown
Rye Mallett is a fearless pilot, known to fly under the worst conditions and circumstances. He always delivers his cargo to its destination, on time. When he is hired to fly a mysterious black box to a Georgia town covered in fog, he isn’t suspicious as this is a typical assignment for him. Before he can land, there is a sabotage attempt on the plane and he is forced to crash. Then a Dr. Brynn O’Neal comes and claims she is supposed to pick up the box. Rye has made it his policy to not get involved with his shipments, but there is something about the mysterious box and Brynn that makes him want to know more. Suddenly, Rye and Brynn are on the mission of their lives to protect the box from the people who would obviously kill for it. They have no one to trust but each other.
