Beach Reads
What a winter! I hope that by the time you are reading this, things are starting to warm up and spring has finally arrived. With the cold temperatures and the wind that never seemed to stop, I had a lot of time to read this winter. Thankfully, this winter was filled with tons of great new releases! Most of them I really had a hard time putting down. It was hard to narrow down the list, but here are my favorites. If you missed any of these titles over the winter, there’s still plenty of time to enjoy them!
“The Great Alone” by Kristin Hannah
Cora and Ernt have a complicated relationship. While there is no question of their love for each other, Ernt doesn’t always show it in the right way. When he returned home from Vietnam, things had changed. He had changed. The man who was once fun and lovable had become scary and unpredictable. Along with their 13-year-old daughter, Leni, the family is constantly moving, looking for something better. When an old war buddy dies, he leaves his land and cabin in Alaska to Ernt. The family leaves everything behind and heads to the great unknown because that is what will make Ernt happy. While Alaska is beautiful, life is rough and Leni finds herself handling situations and learning things that she had never imagined. Just when she finally finds a friend, Ernt’s moods and behavior start getting worse and Leni finds herself wondering if anyone will be able to protect them.
“The Woman in the Window” by A.J. Finn
This is one of those books that I just can’t wait for them to make into a movie. If you liked “Gone Girl” and “The Girl on the Train,” this is right up your alley! Anna Fox lives alone in her New York City home. A horrible accident left her broken mentally and she develops agoraphobia, a condition that keeps her from going outside. If she does, panic sets in and she has a total breakdown. She spends all of her time watching old movies, living in the past, spying on her neighbors and drinking wine – a lot of wine. Then the Russells move in across the street. What seems like the perfect family, in time proves to be anything but. One night Anna sees something she shouldn’t and she had so much to drink she questions if she even saw it at all. She needs to distinguish between what is real and what she is imagining before it’s too late!
“An American Marriage” by Tayari Jones
Celestial and Roy seem to have it all. They are newlyweds, both with exciting careers. They are living the American dream. But then everything goes horribly wrong. Roy is arrested and sent to prison for 12 years for something that his wife knows he didn’t do. Celestial finds that everything has changed and she leans on Andre, a lifetime friend for support. After five years, Roy’s conviction is finally overturned and he comes home, ready to resume his life. But Celestial finds herself unable to hold on to the love that has been her center. How can you just start again as if time hasn’t passed? How can you pretend that nothing has changed? “An American Marriage” is a story of love and the trials of life that bind us and tear us apart. Sometimes you have to deal with the past before you can move into the future.
“Only Child” by Rhiannon Navin
While this book hits too close to home these days, it’s still a must-read. First-grader Zach Taylor’s world changed forever when a gunman entered his school and killed 19 people. Zach hid in the closet with his classmates and teacher and listened to the sounds of the gunshots as they happened. In the aftermath, Zach’s mother sets out to find justice. She feels that the shooter’s parents should pay for what he has done. Zach doesn’t want to hear about any of it anymore and he loses himself in books, art and his secret hideout. Being just a child, Zach is filled with overwhelming love and forgiveness. He is determined to help the adults in his life find peace as well. Told from a 6-year-old child’s point of view, “Only Child” will bring out tears and warm your heart.
“How to Stop Time” by Matt Haig
Did you ever wonder what it would be like to live forever? That is exactly what Tom Hazard has been doing. He has a rare condition that causes him to look like a normal 41-year-old, but he’s actually been alive for hundreds of years. Tom has lived through some of the most incredible moments of history. He lived the life of an actor and performed with Shakespeare himself. He lived as a pirate and sailed the high seas with some of the most famous pirates ever known. This life might seem incredible, but Tom has had enough and just wants to settle down and live the life of an ordinary man. He moves home to London and becomes a high school history teacher. He becomes smitten with another teacher but knows that with his condition, the one most important thing he can never do is fall in love. Tom’s new life is threatened, but the one thing he was forced to stay away from all along could turn out to be the thing that saves him.
“The Perfect Nanny” by Leila Slimani
Anyone with children can admit that finding good childcare outside of the family isn’t always easy. Who can you trust with your children, your home, your husband, your life? Myriam is a lawyer, just returning to work after having a son and a daughter. In her search for a nanny to care for the children, she can’t believe her luck when she meets Louise. Louise is polite, quiet, loves the kids, cleans the apartment and never complains when she stays late. As time goes on, Myriam becomes more and more dependent on Louise. A once-happy home becomes filled with jealousy, resentment and suspicion at every turn. “The Perfect Nanny” will have you thinking that returning to work might not be worth it at all!
