Summer Reading!

Summer reading…. Hmmm… relaxing pool side or traveling anywhere, selecting must reads for summer used to be so easy.  Either you read a mystery or a thriller; maybe you enjoyed a memoir or were whisked away by a beautiful romance.

Today not so simple, there are a multitude of genres and titles to choose from, you have vampires and multimillion dollar moguls romancing and tying up beautiful, innocent young women (Fifty Shades Trilogy by E.L. James), you have triumphant memoirs (Wild by Cheryl Strayed) and iconic biographies (Imperfect by Jim Abbott); there are countless historical fictions titles to read (Home by Toni Morrison) and an numerous terrifyingly grim mystery thrillers (Defending Jacob by William Landay).  Oh, and don’t forget those ever popular lighter, chick lit reads (Another Piece of My Heart by Jane Green) and all the wonderful literary fiction (Red House by Mark Haddon).  There are all of these books and so many more; where do you begin to pick and choose what to read?  You may have to make an A and B list or have more than one pile on your night stand; this year there are just too many good titles to pick from.

To help you pick and choose I’ve compiled a shorter listing of great book in a number of genres for your summer reading enjoyment.

Happy Reading!


Mysteries

Piccadilly Plot, The by Susanna Gregory

Devil’s Elixer, The by Raymond Khoury

Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn

Fallen Angel, The by Daniel Silva

Broken Harbor by Tana French

Criminal by Karin Slaughter

Mission to Paris by Alan Furst

500, The by Matthew Quirk

As the Crow Flies by Craig Johnson

Stonecutter, The by Camilla Lackberg

Third Gate, The by Lincoln Child

Innocent, The by David Baldacci

Girl Next Door, The by Brad Parks

Defending Jacob by William Landay



Biographies & Memoirs

Mrs. Kennedy & Me by Clint Hill

Most Talkative: Stories from the Front Lines of Pop Culture by Andy Cohen

Apron Anxiety: My Messy Affairs in & Out of the Kitchen by Alyssa Shekasky

Natural Woman, A by Carole King

This is How: Proven Aid in Overcoming Shyness, Molestation, Fatness, Spinsterhood, Grief, Disease, Lushery, Decrepitude & More. For Young and Old Alike by Augusten Burroughs

Starboard Sea, The by Amber Dermont

Some Assembly Required by Anne Lemott

Thinking, Fast & Slow by Daniel Kahneman

Lots of Candles, Plenty of Cake by Anna Quindlen

Unorthodox: The Scandalous Rejection of My Hasidic Roots by Deborah Feldman

Mark Inside, The: A Perfect Swindle, a Cunning Revenge, and a Small History of the Big Con by Amy Reading

No Higher Honor by Condoleezza Rice

Restaurant Man by Joe Bastianich



Historical Fiction

Home by Toni Morrison

Little Bones by Janette Jenkins

Spartacus: The Gladiator by Ben Kane

Abduction by Juliet Nicolson

Istanbul Passage by Joseph Kanon

Dove Keeper’s, The by Alice Hoffman

Last Storyteller, The by Frank Dalaney

Rebel Wife, The by Taylor Polites

Widow’s Daughter, The by Nicholas Edlin

Secret Life of William Shakespeare, The by Jude Morgan



Literary Fiction

Chemistry of Tears, The by Peter Carey

Red House by Mark Haddon

All Women & Springtime by Brandon Jones

Age of Miracles, The by Karen Thompson Walker

Good Father, The by Noah Hawley

In One Person by John Irving

Gilly Salt Sisters, The by Tiffany Baker

I Am Forbidden by Anouk Markovits

Newlyweds, The by Nell Freudenberger

Vanishers, The by Heidi Julavits

Pretty Girl, The by Debra Spark

House I Loved, The by Tatiana de Rosnay

Good American, The by Alex George

Flight of Gemma Hardy, The by Margot Livesey

Mudwoman by Joyce Carol Oats



Chick Lit

More Like Her by Liza Palmer

Bond Girl by Erin Duffy

Me Before You by Jojo Mayes

Underside of Joy, The by Sere Prince Halverson

Outside the Lines by Amy Hatvany

I’ve Got Your Number by Sophie Kinsella

Another Piece of My Heart by Jane Green

Head Over Heels by Rain Mitchell

Alice Brown’s Lessons in the Curious Art of Dating by Eleanor Prescott

These Girls by Sarah Pekkanen

Objects of My Affections by Jill Smolinski

Wife 22 by Melanie Gideon

Where We Belong by Emily Griffin

Size 12 and Ready to Rock by Meg Cabot



Popular Fiction

Canada by Richard Ford

Fifty Shades of Grey by E.L. James

Calico Joe by John Grisham

Road to Grace, The by Richard Paul Evens

Shoemaker’s Wife, The by Adriana Trigiani

Beginner’s Goodbye, The by Barbara Taylor Bradford

Sacre Blue by Christopher Moore

Come Home by Lisa Scottoline

Lone Wolf by Jodi Picoult

Lifeboat, The by Charlotte Rogan

Cove, The by Ron Rash

Coldest Night, The by Robert Olmstead

Unexpected Guest, An by Anne Korkeakivi

Red Book, The by Deborah Copaken Kogan

Innocents, The by Francesca Segal

Chaperone, The by Laura Moriarty

Great Debut Novel: The Language of Flowers

Did you know that flowers have a lot more to share with us other than their ever intoxicating fragrances and beautiful colors?  Flowers have a language all their own and each flower represents specific meanings.   Bet you didn’t know how much flowers can truly say.

Vanessa Diffenbaugh’s, debut novel, The Language of Flowers gracefully weaves together an exceptional, poignant fairytale-esque story about an unforgettable character, her gift for understanding flowers and her struggle to overcome her past.

Victoria Jones is an 18-year-old girl whose history and future are quickly colliding.  Old enough to be emancipated from the foster-care system and officially left alone, Victoria has nowhere to go.  She sleeps in a public park, where she plants and nurtures a small flower garden.  Before long a local florist notices her and the small garden she has planted.  After a childhood of being shuffled in and out of foster homes, she is incapable of making any close relationships with anybody, and her sole link to the world around her is through flowers and their meanings.  Cultivating her flowers, listening to them, has become more essential than confronting her own anguish, doubt and loneliness.  As Victoria begins to slowly grow and open up, like so many of the young buds she cares for; a mysterious vendor at the market causes her to question what is missing in her life.  When it seems all is beginning to fall into place Victoria is forced to cope with a painful secret from her past.   She must quickly choose if it’s worth jeopardizing everything that she has for another chance at happiness.

With a dreamy almost magical realism feel, The Language of Flowers is written beautifully without being too flowery (apologies for the play on words).  Diffenbaugh’s elegantly worded novel used the Victorian language of flowers and their descriptions to richly express gestures and feelings of romance; like honeysuckle for devotion, asters for patience, and red roses for love…  The Language of Flowers furthermore evokes a need for social justice through its vivid portrayal of the foster-care system.  You love the characters, even when you hate them and by way of a tightly-crafter novel, you are inspired to follow Victoria through her painfully true journey.

Noted Additions

Dearest WellRead Readers,

I am pleased to share with you a few updates to our WellRead reader's advisory blog.  As you can see there are several new tabs located under the WellRead title.  These tabs are to help you find the information you are looking for, to share with you many recommendations and to help you plan what to read next. 

Please note since the tabs are new that not all the information I'd like them to share with you has been added.  I'll be working on that as quickly as possible.

As always, if you have any questions please feel free to contact me via email at wellread@westhamptonlibrary.net

Happy Reading!