If there’s one thing I love, it’s seeing all the trees and flowers in bloom this time of year. I run in Central Park a few times a week, and the transformation makes me want to just keep running around the reservoir a second time.
My second favorite thing is reading outdoors, which if you know me, you’ve heard me say before. If you think about it, nothing says summer like a tote bag full of books; for the beach, the pool, vacation or those long lines that are everywhere nowadays.
There are a lot of new books out right now – Some I’ve read, some I can’t wait to read. Keep scrolling!
“When I have a little money, I buy books; and if I have any left, I buy food and clothes.”
― Desiderius Erasmus Roterodamus
Ask Again, Yes by Mary Beth Kean
My thoughts: I love stories that embrace family, and also those that offer insight into the problems of flawed people. This story looks at mental health and addiction, and it’s about two families and how they deal with tragedy. I also loved “Little Fires Everywhere.” The jackets of these two books are really similar (almost identical actually), and they are being compared, so – a must-read.
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Park Avenue Summer by Renee Rosen
My Thoughts: This book is inspired by the TV series Mad Men – I couldn’t get enough of this show, and it’s set in New York City – home to me – so how could I resist? It’s about Helen Gurley Brown and her quest to save Cosmopolitan magazine. She really faced some strong opposition as she tried to change the opinion of everyone, especially men. In fact, even those who hired her to reinvent the magazine needed a lot of persuasion. Her vision may not seem outlandish now, but her thinking in the 1960s was considered ahead of her time, especially concerning the sexuality of women.
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Bride Test Helen Hoang
My thoughts: If you are a romance fan – this is a great book for you. Although not entirely believable, I love the concept of this book. A young man’s mother decides it’s time for him to marry and sets out on a mission to find a bride for him. She entices Esme, a young Vietnamese woman, to come to American and live with her son for the summer. If Esme doesn’t succeed in seducing him into marriage by summer’s end – she will be sent back home. Sounds like a fun read – and it is!
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the favorite daughter by Patti Callahan Henry
My thoughts: The book jacket promises wounded characters and major betrayal, which in turn means intense emotion and lots of duplicities. What’s not to like, right? It’s also about loss and forgiveness and a book that will make you think.
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The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek by Kim Michele Richardson
My thoughts: I love books that focus on delivering a message – books that stir up something deep within. This story does both. It takes place in 1936 and shows the intolerance of that time for anything different. Cussy has blue skin and suffers as a result. But, she doesn’t let this define her, instead she becomes a pack horse librarian, delivering second-hand books to the isolated people of the Appalachians during the depression.
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The Cactus by Sarah Haywood
My thoughts: Entertainment plus is what this book is all about. The lead character is a quirky control freak whose life suddenly goes off track when at age 45, fiercely independent and single, she unexpectedly gets pregnant. Her mom also dies, and the will is not exactly in her favor. All this sets the stage for a great weekend read.
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My Lovely Wife by Samantha Downing
My thoughts: This is a seriously dark and disturbing thriller. A couple, married for 15 years with two children, appear perfectly normal. You think they are like any other hard-working, family-minded people – until you discover what they like to do to keep the spark alive in their marriage. Most say you can’t put this one down.
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Happy Reading,
Linda
