Summer Books, Part 1

Summer’s on the way and that can only mean one thing – a whole new crop of books to read!

Here are the ones I gobbled down during my blissful vacation at the Lake Austin Spa Resort:

RECONSTRUCTING AMELIA by Kimberly McCreight

Kimberly McCreight’s chilling debut novel is this year’s Gone Girl. Single mom/overworked lawyer Kate is called to pick up her teenage daughter at her exclusive Manhattan private school but when she gets there, she discovers Amelia has fallen off the roof in what has been declared a suicide. She later receives an anonymous text saying “Amelia didn’t jump,” which sets her off on a mission to learn the truth. This is a heartbreaking page-turner that will resonate with every mother. By going through Amelia’s emails, Facebook updates and texts, Kate discovers the mean girls, friendships and first love her daughter obsessed over – and about which she herself had no clue. This thriller is a cautionary tale which is so realistic, it could have been taken straight from the headlines. It’s likely to inspire deep conversations with your daughter – and endless hugs.

 

CHANEL BONFIRE by Wendy Lawless

This beautifully-written memoir literally kept me up at night, wondering how the author was able to survive her mother’s mental illness and create such an articulate, jaw-dropping and, at times, surprisingly hilarious piece of work. Wendy Lawless’ mom, Georgann, was glamorous, selfish and delusional, locking her daughters in the closet and flirting with their boyfriends. She made Joan Crawford look good, yet Wendy and her sister somehow found the strength to rise above the insanity. I was so relieved to read that Wendy now has a loving mother-in-law who will hopefully make up for the mother she didn’t have – and who will hopefully never be seen in a blue nightgown.

MARKET STREET by Anita Hughes

Anita Hughes writes empowering novels about women who have to overcome bad relationships in order to find themselves. The stories are fast-paced but you try to read slowly to savor the scrumptious details of fabulous food and fashion. Anita’s last book, Monarch Beach, was set in the beautiful resort in which her heroine lived (much like Anita herself!), and her new book is a love letter to San Francisco which will make you want to move there now. After Cassie Blake discovers her husband has had an affair with a student, she moves in to her best friend’s mansion and starts working at the upscale department store which her mother runs. This is a smart, satisfying beach read that will leave you wanting your own highly-coveted Fenton’s bag.

THE MYSTERY OF MERCY CLOSE and SAVED BY CAKE: OVER 80 WAYS TO BAKE YOURSELF HAPPY by Marian Keyes

I have long been a fan of Marian Keyes, whose writing is laugh-out-loud funny but also dead-on target. In her latest novel, Irish private investigator Helen is recruited by her old boyfriend to find the missing member of the popular boy band whose reunion concert he’s managing. Helen is a quirky yet charismatic character, and one I would love to see onscreen; she’s sassy, sarcastic and just trying to survive. The book’s humor belies the serious issue it addresses, as Helen suffers from depression – just like the author herself. Marian Keyes writes of her own living hell and suicidal thoughts in Saved by Cake: Over 80 Ways to Bake Yourself Happy, a candid cookbook featuring the recipes that get her through the day. “To be perfectly blunt about it, my choice sometimes is: I can kill myself or I can make a dozen cupcakes,” writes Marian. Thanks to her great talents, both of her books have the potential to vastly improve any reader’s day.

A WEEK IN WINTER by Maeve Binchy

Another Irish writer I adore is Maeve Binchy, whose books get passed between my mom, my sister and me within days. These warm stories filled with memorable characters and stunning settings have made me fall in love with Ireland, which I’ve now visited twice. Her new book takes place in one of her signature small towns, where Winnie decides to turn a dilapidated old house into a hotel. We get to meet her guests, neighbors and family, and learn their secrets through intimate and revealing portraits. Sadly, Maeve Binchy passed away shortly after finishing this book, giving readers one more reason to cherish it.

HEART LIKE MINE by Amy Hatvany

It’s a good thing Amy Hatvany is such a prolific writer because I pretty much devour her novels as fast as she can write them. Her last two books had me enthralled, and this one continued the tradition. Grace McAllister, a thirty-something career woman who never wanted to have children, is thrust into a completely foreign role when her fiance’s ex-wife suddenly dies, leaving him solely responsible for his two kids. Readers will easily relate to Grace, who is awkward and cautious in her new position, and has to re-think her priorities and make some tough choices.

HER by Christa Parravani

I was riveted from page one of this powerful memoir by Christa Parravani whose identical twin sister, Cara, died of a drug overdose at the age of twenty-eight. Although Cara died almost seven years ago, Christa’s pain still felt so raw, I cried through almost the entire book. Christa offers a rare and deeply personal look at the incomparable and unbreakable bond between identical twins, and it’s often devastating. Christa experiences Cara’s horrific rape as if it had happened to her, and after Cara’s death, she talks about planning “my” funeral. As Christa struggles to feel whole again, the book becomes a moving testament to love, identity and survival, and reminds us of the hard truth that, ultimately, each one of us has to go it alone.

BRIGHT BEFORE US by Katie Arnold-Ratliff

The plot is intriguing in itself – Francis, a second-grade teacher about to become a father but still emotionally stuck in a former relationship, takes his students on a field trip to the beach, where they discover a dead body – but it’s the writing that takes center stage in this stunning first novel. Katie uses language seemingly effortlessly, setting a dreamy, moody tone to the story which is set, appropriately, against the foggy, eerie backdrop of Northern California’s Bay Area. The characters aren’t particularly sympathetic but they’re so real in all their flaws, their desires, their disappointments that they stayed with me long after I finished the book.