Monday, July 2, 2012

Looking for a new book? Summer's best reads


Bury your feed in the sand and your head in a book as you kick back and relax this 4th of July weekend. If you've already made your way through Fifty Shades of Grey or found that it's not your thing, here are a few others that will grab your attention and keep you reading all summer long:


 Need comic relief? Girl Walks Into a Bar.

The debut book from the former Saturday Night Live cast member Rachel Dratch, is a hilarious midlife memoir about laugh out loud adventures, the unexpected joys of dating and becoming a mother when she least expected it at age 44. A look into how unpredictable and beautiful life can be.

Amazon reviews: 4.5/5 stars. 44 reviews.

Love compelling characters? The Chaperone.

In Laura Moriarty's historically based novel, you'll meet the irreverent Louise Brooks, who at age 15 - a few years before achieving fame as an actress - teaches her caregiver, Cora Carlisle, to live life to the fullest. The Chaperone is the enthralling story of two women  and how their unlikely relationship changed their lives. In this layered and inventive story, Moriarty raises profound questions about family, sexuality, history, and whether it is luck or will - or a sturdy combination of the two - that makes for a wonderful life.

Amazon reviews: 4.5/5 stars. 36 reviews.

Got a flair for the dramatic? Gone.

Lose yourself in Cathi Hanauer's tension filled tale of a woman who becomes a single mother when her husband vanishes after driving the babysitter home. Gone is an outstanding novel about change and about redefining, in middle age, everything from one’s marriage to one’s career to one’s role as a best friend, parent, and spouse. It is a novel about passion and forgiveness and knowing when to let something go and when to fight to hold on to it, about learning to say goodbye - but, if you’re lucky, not forever.

Amazon reviews: 3/5 stars. 10 reviews.


Want some perspective? Lots of Candles, Plenty of Cake.

Anna Quindlen, in her witty and irresistible memoir, looks back at - and celebrates - every stage of womanhood. From childhood memories to manic motherhood to middle age, Quindlen uses the events of her own life to illuminate our own. Along with the downsides of age, she says, can come wisdom, a perspective on life that makes it satisfying and even joyful. Candid, funny, moving, Lots of Candles, Plenty of Cake is filled with the sharp insights and revealing observations that have long confirmed Quindlen’s status as America’s laureate of real life.

Amazon reviews: 4/5 stars. 110 reviews.

None of these doing it for you? Check out Oprah's 2012 summer must read's HERE. There's a book to suit every mood.

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