Beach Reads

If you’re looking for a book to take along to the beach, we have some suggestions for you to consider.

Best Enemies by Jane Heller [FIC HEL] - Fast-paced, funny read about lifelong best friends who become enemies over a man, but that’s just where the story begins.

Crazy in Alabama by Mark Childress [FIC CHI] - It’s 1965 in a small Southern town. Lucille kills her husband and drops off her six children at her mother’s house before setting out for Hollywood to become an actress. A rollicking tale of family dynamics, Civil Rights Movement unrest, and the difficulties of coming of age anywhere.

Double Shot by Diane Mott Davidson [MYS DAV, CD, LP] - Colorado-based caterer and amateur sleuth Goldy Bear Shulz offers fans another culinary, caffeinated romp. Goldy blames her ex-husband for recent attempts to discredit her catering business - until she finds his body. Recipes included!

Eleven on Top by Janet Evanovich [MYS EVA, CAS, CD, LP]- New Jersey-based bondswoman Stephanie Plum’s latest adventure is just as hilarious as those in the entire series.

Julie and Romeo Get Lucky by Jeanne Ray [FIC RAY, CAS, LP] - Julie Roseman and Romeo Cacciamani find love again in their sixties. Their warring families don’t make it easy, however. When Romeo hurts his back and becomes confined to Julie’s upstairs bedroom, comedy follows.

Life Skills by Katie Fforde [FIC FFO] - Julia Fairfax decides she needs to dramatically change her life course. She quits her job, leaves her fiancée and takes a job as a cook on a boat. A cast of eccentric characters and lots of mishaps make for a very entertaining read.

Maisie Dobbs by Jacqueline Winspear [MYS WIN] - At the end of WW I, Maisie Dobbs, having served as a nurse at the front, decides to try her skills as a private investigator. Maisie investigates a simple case of infidelity, but soon discovers secrets involving the war. Maisie is a wonderfully complex character. This is the first in a new series.

Marley and Me: Life and Love with the World’s Worst Dog by John Grogan [636.7 GRO, CD, LP] - Getting a puppy would be a taste of parenthood to come, so think newly married John Grogan and his wife. They choose a Lab, a breed known for its friendliness. This Lab, however, grows into a naughty, patience-testing dog. A funny read, especially for dog lovers.

The Men and the Girls by Joanna Trollope [FIC TRO] - Set in the University town of Oxford, the men are sixtyish and each married to “the girls,” thirtyish. Into the mix is thrown an elderly woman who was thrown from her bicycle. A comical exploration of age issues, gender issues, and general family dynamics, all handled with Trollope’s usual skill.

Never Change by Elizabeth Berg [FIC BER, CAS, LP] - Myra Lipinski has always felt like a lonely outsider. Now a nurse, her high school crush returns to town with a brain tumor. As she cares for him, their friendship turns romantic.

The Persian Pickle Club by Sandra Dallas [FIC DAL] - Members of the Persian Pickle Club, a quilting circle, offer each other some humor and respite during the Depression era in Kansas. Small town life with all its secrets makes for a great read.

The Summerhouse by Jude Deveraux [FIC DEV, LP] - If you could do it all again, what would you do differently? This is the question asked by friends during their stay at a summerhouse in Maine.

Til Death Do Us Part by Kate White [FIC WHI] - True crime reporter and amateur detective Bailey Wiggins looks in the deaths of two fellow bridesmaids following the wedding of the year. Light, yet suspenseful reading.

Previous Issues of Book Notes

September/October 2004
November/December2004
January/February 2005
March/April 2005
May/June 2005
July/August 2005
September/October2005
November/December2005
January/February 2006
March/April 2006
May/June 2006

Night Gardening by E.L. Swann [FIC SWA]
- Recovering from a serious illness, Maggie finds solace in the garden that she is lovingly restoring. She unexpectedly finds romance with a handsome architect who is secretly tending the exotic flowers in her garden by the light of the moon.

The Samurai’s Garden by Gail Tsukiyama [FIC TSU]
- A Chinese man is sent to his family’s summer home in Japan to recover from tuberculosis and encounters a gardener who teaches him about life.

The Walled Garden by Rosemary Enright [FIC ENR]
- After her husband is sent to jail for embezzlement, a woman moves to an English village and starts an organic food business.

Wild Designs by Katie Fforde [FIC FFO]
- An unemployed single mom hoping to become a professional gardener finds her plans disrupted by her new neighbor.

          Camping in Fiction

Even Steven by John Gilstrap [FIC GIL] - A couple that longs for a child of their own stumbles into an apparent kidnapping attempt while camping and suddenly finds themselves with custody of a young boy.

Firestorm by Nevada Barr [MYS BAR] - Park ranger Anna Pigeon is helping battle a forest fire when a firefighter ends up with a knife in his back. Part of a series.

In the Forest of Harm by Sallie Bissell [FIC BIS] - A district attorney and two friends take a hiking vacation that turns into a nightmare when a madman picks up their trail.

Bird Watching in Fiction

The Bird Artist by Howard Norman [FIC NOR] - A painter of birds who lives in a remote village on the coast of Newfoundland recounts why he murdered the lighthouse keeper.

Bird’s-Eye View by J.R. Freedman [FIC FRE] - A birdwatcher in the Chesapeake Bay area marshes captures a murder on film and finds himself and his loved ones in danger.

Murder with Puffins by Donna Andrews [LP FIC AND] - A couple planning a romantic getaway off the coast of Maine find the island overrun by birdwatchers, family members … and a corpse.

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
by Roald Dahl [FIC DAH]

Chocolate Bear Burglary
by JoAnna Carl [Paperback M 1505]

The Chocolate Chip Cookie Murder
by Joanne Fluke [MYS FLU]

Chocolate Quake: A Culinary Mystery with Recipes
by Nancy Fairbanks [MYS FAI]

Dying for Chocolate
by Diane Mott Davidson [MYS DAV, CAS]

Like Water for Chocolate
by Laura Esquivel [FIC ESQ]

Such Devoted Sisters
by Eileen Goudge [FIC GOU, CAS, LP]

Chocolat: A Novel
by Joanne Harris [FIC HAR]