All in Beach Reads
I kicked off my beach reads a little early this year and devoured this book during an amazing weekend away for a friend’s wedding. A swirling mix of suspense, psychological mystery, romance and coming of age, there was nothing I didn’t love about The House in the Pines. Except maybe how stressed I got reading the last 75 pages!
I don’t think I have ever read a pick from Reece Witherspoon’s book club that I haven’t enjoyed, and The Paper Palace is no exception. It almost feels like a darker version of Every Summer After, which I reviewed last month (read review here). So if you like your beach reads with a bit of trauma, this one is for you.
I absolutely love when I end up reading the right book at the right time, and Every Summer After lined up perfectly with the first warm days of spring in Toronto. This is a true beach read and a very enjoyable one.
Elin Hilderbrand has perfected her trademark Nantucket summer story in this gem of a book. There are many reasons why it sat in the number one spot for weeks on The New York Times Fiction Bestseller list. The Hotel Nantucket follows protagonist, Lizbet Keaton, after she breaks up with her longtime boyfriend and leaves the restaurant where they both worked.
To borrow a phrase from my favorite chef/influencer Serena Wolf, this is the perfect “medium-trashy” read for those looking to get sucked into some small-town drama.
Sometimes when I’m choosing what to read next, I just want a really good story, a book that’s fun to read. Elin Hilderbrand is one of my go-to authors for that kind of book. She has written 19 books set on Nantucket in the summertime, each of them chock full of memorable characters and stories of family, romance and drama.
Maybe you know Liane Moriarity as the author of the book on which the amazing mini-series BIG LITTLE LIES was based – with a cast that included Nicole Kidman, Reese Witherspoon, Shailene Woodley and Laura Dern. But Moriarity has written seven other novels as well, including her latest,Nine Perfect Strangers. Moriarity is a gifted storyteller, drawing readers in with realistic characters, spot-on dialogue and engaging story lines. Just when you think you know what will happen next, the author deftly throws a curveball and sends you some place unexpected.
I don’t read a ton of memoirs, but this one is GREAT! I devoured it, staying up way too late several nights in a row. Not only is the story completely hypnotic, the book is structured to keep you turning pages.
I first heard the term “child peril lit” many years ago when my Jodi Picoult obsession was at its peak. It so perfectly describes the genre that it suggests why someone might be drawn to it. You know: that feeling that reading about it somehow protects you and your family. Now that I have a daughter, I’m not sure that psychology is so useful for me anymore. In fact it seems to lessen my enjoyment of a book, taking me out because I can’t allow myself to get as emotionally involved out of self-protection.
If you’re an Elin Hilderbrand fan like I am, then you know that all of her 20 previous novels have been set on Nantucket. The Perfect Couple is no exception. What sets this 21st novel apart is that Hilderbrand has written a murder mystery. Not being a particular fan of that genre, I was dubious that her new book would live up to her previous offerings – which I eagerly devour as soon as they’re published. I’m happy to report that this new novel is right up there with her best.
It wasn’t until I got to the end of this book that I realized how it came to be. My assumption was that Goodwin wrote the novel and then was asked to turn it into a mini-series. Come to find out, she was writing the mini-series when someone suggested to her that she should novelize her scripts and sell that too. I mention this because, if you have seen the BBC/PBS mini-series, you probably don’t need to bother reading the book.
Full Disclosure: This is the first Dave Eggers book I’ve ever read, so that fact that it is essentially a beach read is probably weird. The book opens with protagonist Mae Holland heading to The Circle for her first day at a new job. She is thrilled because this is the most important and respected company in the country, and probably the world.
