The Summer Winds Came Blowing In…

I am pretty sure we all wanted this summer to come. With more snow than ever this winter, we are ready to enjoy the sunshine that summer brings. Beach days, green grass, fresh tomatoes and unscheduled time…Need I say more?

My list of what I want to read this summer is too long to be realistic. I have covered an old school legal pad with book titles and notes. My nightstand is ready for summer with books piled high. I am definitely getting excited!

In keeping with tradition, I am sharing “my list” with fellow readers. I hope you find one or two titles that you might want to dive into!

Happy Reading and most of all, Happy Summer!

Cherylann

Nonfiction:

The Angel in my Pocket by Sukey Forbes

This book was recommended to me by my friend Susan Broomhead. I started reading this gem on the train back from NY. Ten minutes into reading the book, I was sobbing. I don’t mean that my eyes watered, I mean I was seriously crying! This heartfelt book is written by the great-great-great granddaughter of Ralph Waldo Emerson. It is a moving story of a mother’s undying love for her child. Pack the tissues in your beach bag!

Dead Wake: The Last Crossing of the Lusitania by Erik Larson

I am putting this book on my list for all the serious readers who love history. The New Yorker says it best: “Larson vividly captures the disaster and the ship’s microcosm, in which the second class seems more appealing than the first.”

Where You Go is not Who You’ll Be: An Antidote to the College Admissions Mania by Frank Bruni

This is a must read for everyone getting sucked in by the college craziness! Run, not walk to get this book that puts it all in perspective. The interview with Condoleezza Rice is amazing. I wish she was running for president, just saying!

Fiction:

A Constellation of Vital Phenomenon by Anthony Marra

This book is the “pick” from my friend and book expert Kate Lentz. In the words of Kate: “This is the best book I've read in a very long time...brilliant writing, vivid characters...it's a masterpiece...but you have to be ready to go...to the hopelessness and heaviness of it all. It's the kind of book that stays with you.”  I plan to definitely take Kate’s suggestion and read this book.

We Are Not Ourselves by Matthew Thomas

I just finished reading this family saga. The New York Times Book Review says this book is: “A long, gorgeous, epic, full of love and caring…one of the best novels you’ll read this year.”

The Rocks by Peter Nichols

I can’t wait to read this page-turner that appears on many suggested summer reading lists. Even Oprah raves about this romantic book that is said to have romance, secrets, mystery and a seaside resort. I am definitely packing this one in my beach bag!

Luckiest Girl Alive by Jessica Knoll

This is another page-turner that I am packing in my beach bag. Reese Witherspoon says this book is a “huge” summer read… “One of those great stories you can’t put down!” I am predicting that this is the book we will talk about with our friends over a glass of pino.

Inside the O’Briens by Lisa Genova

This is another one of Kate Lentz’s “picks” for summer. She is planning to pack this gem in her beach bag. Lisa Genova is a wonderful writer and all her books touch the hearts of her readers. I can’t wait to read this powerful novel.

We Were Liars by E. Lockhart

Want to bond with your teen this summer over a book? Maybe even have rich discussions about a captivating novel that involves drama, class and family dynamics? If you have a student at Barrington High School, then this is the book that you should read. All BHS students have this as a book choice for summer reading. I am sure you will impress your teen by reading this gem! Leave it on the coffee table when you are finished reading and maybe your child will read it early in the summer. Maybe!

Providence Noir edited by Ann Hood

You know I can’t resist adding anything by Ann Hood to my book lists. This is a collection of short stories focusing on Providence. Ann Hood explains: "I've asked fourteen of my favorite writers to contribute short stories to Providence Noir. We have stories to make you shiver, stories to make you think, stories that will show you my beautiful, noirish city in a way it’s never been highlighted before."