Jessie: Sitting in a salty breeze on the coast of Maine.
It finally feels like summer here at the seaside. The roses are blooming, as is the lavendar. The smell of charcoal from nearby grills floats on the wind accompanied by the melody from ice cream trucks passing through the neighborhood.
And what is more emblematic of summer than a great beach read? I’ve been enjoying a bunch of them myself lately and thought I’d give a shout out to a few.
I’ve just finished up Death Comes to Kurland Hall, the third in the Kurland St. Mary series by Catherine Lloyd. I’ve read the other two and found this one to be worth the wait. The setting and the cast of characters make me feel as though I’ve taken a trip back in time to an idyllic village in England.
I also devoured the first Veronica Speedwell mystery, A Curious Beginning, by Deanna Raybourn that I bought at Malice Domestic in May. Her self-sufficient heroine and her search for her roots made for a rollicking adventure just right for taking to the beach.
Night Shift,the third in the Midnight Texas series, by Charlaine Harris read like a visit with old friends. That is if your old friends have paranormal abilities and are inclined to have trouble seek them out.
And lastly, Shoot the Moon, by Billie Letts was a joy. Filled with secrets, families torn apart and join anew, small town life and big hearts, it made for a perfect companion whilst sitting on the sand.
Currently I am enjoying Black Irish by Stephan Talty. I plan to travel later in the summer to the Buffalo area and his setting there feels timely for me. Next up on my list is Tishomingo Blues by Elmore Leonard.
So readers, do you have anything you’d recommend tucked into your beach bag? Any books you read every summer? Any that remind you of summer in the depths of winter? I’d love to hear your list!
Lost on Tilghman Island Chesapeake Bay
Sound like a perfect beach read!
Great picks, Jessie. I just finished (too late last night) Annette Dashfy’s With a Vengeance. Her best Zoe Chambers yet! Next up is our accomplice Sheila Connolly’s Dead End Street, and I’m looking forward to Julie Hyzy’s latest Grace book. And to getting to the beach!
Thank you so much, Edith! *Big Hugs!*
I’ve been sorting through my stacks of “books waiting to be read,” which is mainly non-fiction (I have good intentions but a lot of the time I’m just not in the mood). Some happy surprises, among those that got buried at the bottom of the pile: Ellen Byron’s Plantation Shudders (sorry, I came late to the party); Lori Roy’s Let Me Die in His Footsteps, which was recommended by more than one person; and I loved Elly Griffith’s The Woman in Blue (as I have loved all her books). And Julie Hyzy’s new book will be here any minute now! (Note: the piles are still several feet high.)
I love Elly Griffiths! The Woman in Blue is on my list of upcoming indulgences!
This summer I am reading the books I remember my mom reading when I was a child. I have finished Rosemary’s Baby and am now in the midst of Valley of the Dolls. Not sure what my next selection will be, but I’m sure there’s a blog post in this somewhere!
What a charming idea! It would make a great post!
I just started The Woman in Blue. I do enjoy this series.
Another Elly Griffiths fan! We are in good company!
Thanks for the reading lists! My recent reads: Hank Phillipi Ryan’s What You See and John Sanford’s Gathering Prey. A book I’ve read before but will read again soon is Sara J. Henry’s Learning to Swim.
Hank and John Sanford! What great suggestions. I’m a re-reader myself and I always love to encounter others! Learnign to Swim sounds like a perfect beach read title!
I loved Learning to Swim. It’s pretty dark.
Oh, good more books to read! I’ve been reading JB Lynn’s hitwoman series about a woman that is forced to become a hitwoman for a mobster. And i just finished Micheal Connolly’s The Crossing.
The hitwman series sounds like fun! I’ll add it to my own list!
I’ve just finished the first of Shawn Reilly Simmons books and The Pursuit by Janet Evanovich and Lee Goldberg. Now I’m working on Murder Under the Covered Bridge by Elizabeth Perona. I loved the first in this series (Murder on the Bucket List) and so far am enjoying this one as well.
More great suggestions! Thanks, Mark!
We’re having the whole family here this weekend, but nonetheless, I’m guessing the schedule will include some porch sitting and reading. I’m just finishing Kate Carlisle’s Birds of a Feather. Then it’s on to Maureen Milliken’s No News Is Bad News. That will take me to Books in Boothbay, where I’ll purchase Paul Doiron’s latest, The Widowmaker. I think I’m going to have a good July.
It sounds like you will! I am counting on the Books in Boothbay event to stock up on some new books myself!
I am enjoying rereading a Dorothy Sayers novel Have His Carcase.
Dorothy Sayers is one of my favorites! Thanks for mentioning her!
Please no “boos” or “hisses” I decided to pull out my Clive Barker BOOKS OF BLOOD this Summer. I remember when they came out I was just into college and I remeber baking out in the sun by the pool with the A.M. radio playing, glued to them. So, I decided to revisit them this Summer; and they are still thrilling.
Nothing goes with summer like nostalgia! Congrats on enjoying them a second time through!
Great list, Jessie. I just finished “The Husband’s Secret” by Liane Moriarty. I can only think of one word – awesome! I’ve just started a beautiful story by Adriana Trigiani, “The Shoemaker’s Wife.”