Beach Reading Ahoy!

With the summer at hand, it is a good time to think about reading that may be different from what you usually select from library shelves. First of all, what is beach reading? “A good beach book is engaging and a quick enough read that you can finish most of it before your sunscreen wears off,” according to Bestsellers expert Erin Miller.

Mysteries & Action

Let’s start with an obvious beach pick. “Lifeguard” by James Patterson was the “beach novel of 2005.” Although “Lifeguard” was published 10 years ago, Patterson is always relevant and exciting. This is not an Alex Cross novel and can be finished without a continuing story line.

John Sandford is one of our popular novelists at the Grand Lodge Hall Library. “Gathering Prey” is the newest Lucas Davenport story. In this book, Letty, the Davenport’s adopted daughter, takes a major role in solving the crimes.

“Deadline” is another John Sanford novel featuring Detective Virgil Flowers. Virgil is on the hunt for dognappers and in the process uncovers a conspiracy of embezzlement and murder by the town’s school board members.

Mackenzie and Anabel Smith are faced with defending a patient accused of the murder of a psychiatrist in “Experiment in Murder” by Donald Bain. This book continues the Capital Crimes series begun by Margaret Truman who died in 2008. The action focuses on a rogue CIA mind control project.

Gardening & “Fowl Humor”

Not all of us are interested in or have access to a summer garden, but the subject still can be interesting in the right context. One of the favorite classics in children’s reading includes Frances Hodgson Burnett’s “Secret Garden,” which was originally published in 1911. This is a timeless story with appeal to adult readers for the first time, as well as to those who read and loved it as a youngster.

Another gardening book is “Merry Hall” by Beverley Nichols. Nichols is an Englishmen who has written wonderful accounts of restoring homes and gardens in England. “Merry Hall” was written in 1951, but was brought back into print in 1998. The dialogue and descriptions are lively and amusing and include more than just observations on gardening. His relationships with friends and neighbors are well presented. If you like this book, check out “Down the Garden Path” by Nichols.

“Rose Harbor in Bloom” by Debbie Macomber will appeal to his author’s faithful readers. Jo Marie Rose has returned to Cedar Cove in the springtime and is working on the beautiful rose garden she had designed in memory of her husband, Paul. Friendship and romance abound in this charming story.

If you like to read about how people obsess over their pets and the extent to which they will adjust their lives accordingly, then you may like the humor in “Fowl Weather” by Bob Tarte. His first book, “Enslaved by Ducks,” reaches a new peak with the action in “Fowl Weather.” This is a book you will either love and finish or lay aside and ask why anyone would recommend it.

Historical Fiction

When we think of early July, we look forward to Independence Day celebrations, but history buffs may think of the Battle of Gettysburg. “Meade’s Reprise” by John Duke Merriam is a story based on fact with a novel twist that departs from historical veracity. Meade goes after Lee’s retreating force, two slaves acting as spies provide Meade with Confederate plans, the armistice comes sooner, and a triumphant Meade is invited to join the president for an evening at Ford’s Theater.

Old Favorites Back in Print

D.E. Stevenson is a popular Scottish author of the 1930s-1940s era. Her books were difficult to find on the secondary market, but fortunately many of them have been republished: “Miss Buncle Married,” “The Young Clementina” and “The Two Mrs. Abbotts.” Stevenson is the author of over 40 books and lived from 1892-1973.

Some other books Masonic Village resident are reading as part of book clubs this summer: “The Yellow Crocus” by Laila Ibrahim, “Still Alice” by Lisa Genova, “Pledge of Silence” by Flora Solomon, “Breakfast at Sally’s” by Richard LeMieux, “Unbroken” by Laura Hillenbrand and “Change of Heart” by Jodi Picoult.

About the Author: Mary Ellen Tarman, Masonic Village at Elizabethtown resident.