Summer Beach Reads

There is nothing more enjoyable to lift your spirts than summer.  Stop in the library to check out these titles about beaches to warm up your day no matter what the temperature.

Andrews, Mary Kay.  Beach Town.  2015.  The main character, Greer, when looking for a fresh start from several flopped movie projects finds a sleepy little town in Florida with miles of beautiful beach front that will make the perfect movie spot. She never thought the stakes for control would be so high. The mayor of the community is not easily sold on the project and Greer finds herself in a battle for wills between her heart and head.  A romance quickly develops between Greer and the Mayor of the community.  Andrews’s masterfully weaves secondary characters and subplots to the story which provided great entertainment.  

Shishak, Lei. Beach House Baking: an endless summer of delicious desserts.  2014.  641.86 Sh.  What is summer without food that satisfies your appetite?  Lei Shishak is a professional pastry chef who has worked in New York and California. There are recipes for heart healthy, vegan, gluten free, and my favorite, picnics on the beach.  Try Blackberry Mascarpone Mousse cupcakes or the Lemon Ricotta Cracked Cheesecake.  Both are extremely rich and divine in taste. 

Roberts, Nora.  Whiskey Beach.  2013.  Roberts is well known for her ability to master romantic suspense novels.  The story contains all the things that devoted fans have come to expect from her novels; gal pals, romance,  and close knit family all intertwined within a cozy mystery. The story occurs around an individual Eli who is suspected for the murder of his wife.  As the mystery intensifies, Eli takes up residence at his grandmother’s historical residence, the Bluff House to assist in her recovery from a fall and begins writing as a way to keep his mind busy. Throughout the story Eli uses his legal knowledge, wits and skill to identify the murder of his wife while falling in love with Abra Walsh, his grandmother’s aide.

Wax, Wendy.  Ocean Beach.  2012.  Wendy Wax is well known for her use of contemporary fiction to write and explore friendship, loyalty and self-discovery.  Following on Ten Beach Road, the novel describes the continuing exploits of a tight-knit group of girlfriends, Madeline, Avery and Nicole, who have turned to home renovation and flipping as a way of getting back on their feet after a series of financial mishaps. The house flipping footage of the main characters has turned them into a YouTube sensation and they are courted by a TV network to participate in a home makeover reality series.  After renovation work begins on the estate  it becomes very apparent to the girls that they reality series is more focused on them and their private life than that of the property being overhauled.  The end result is a light story in which the main characters engage in personal growth as they go through the renovation project.

--Diana Menhennick, Reference Department