Summer Reading

As a high school student, these words struck fear into our hearts and translated into a daunting 8-12 book list of the classics we were to read over the summer as preparation for our honors' English class. Not an insurmountable task - had they been spread out over the 10 weeks of summer - but one that was typically crammed into the last week or two of summer...many days at the local library, running into fellow procrastinators, many nights reading into the wee hours.

As an adult - there's nothing I like better, since I'm the one choosing the books! Maybe as a result of those summers long ago, or maybe because of the high temperatures, I now generally choose lighter fare for my summer picks. A few chick lit titles, a few juicy, page-turning thrillers mixed in with a good police read or two - perfection!

Now that we've set the stage, here's an author I'd like to recommend for any ladies looking for a good beach read: Elin Hilderbrand. She's already written 5-8 books...many - if not all - are set in Nantucket/New England. I was introduced to this author last summer when I read "Barefoot" on a weekend getaway. The plot: three women arrive in Nantucket to spend the summer...two of the women are sisters (Vicki & Brenda) and the third, Melanie, is Vicki's friend from where she lives in Connecticut. Brenda is not thrilled by this third wheel addition of Melanie and each woman has baggage beyond her carry-on's that is weighing heavily on each of their minds. Their arrival to the island is not without notice, a young onlooker, Josh, who is a native of Nantucket and home from college for the summer, is immediately drawn to these thirtysomething women. Before too long, he is involved in the day-to-day fray of their lives and all of their stories begin to unfold. There is friendship, drama, romance and tears. Hilderbrand not only captures the essence of Nantucket beautifully, she truly and clearly defines each of her main characters and what they are going through.

As you can see, I quite enjoyed this book. Her most recent book is "Summer People" - which will be on MY summer reading list - and her new book, "The Castaways" is out July 7th....I suspect I will find room for that one as well.

Will keep you posted on other summer picks...