Wildflower Hill, Summer Shift, and No One You Know. Great Books for a Day at the Beach!

I have been reading a lot of  books lately from the endless stacks next to my bed, overflowing from the bookcases and falling off the the shelves. I just feel like there is never enough down time this summer to read all of the books I have on my list. Oh well, I will just be grateful for the ones  I was lucky enough to finish and look forward to the ones still left to read.

These three books are great, easy summertime reading with a glass of lemonade or a glass of wine at the end of the day or while sitting on the beach. They are entertaining, amusing, mysterious and romantic. Something for everyone! Now, I will warn you, these are not going to be on your list of 1001 Books You Must Read Before You Die but they are still well written and as I mentioned entertaining.

Wildflower Hill by Kimberly Freeman

This book is right up my alley for a quick summer read, a little mystery, a little romance and a little travel.

The story of two women spanning three generations and half the world. The book begins with the story of Emma, a prima ballerina whose only joy in life comes from dancing; to the detriment of every other person and thing in her life. After an injury ends her career she returns home to Australia to find that her grandmother Beattie had died and left her a sheep station in rural Australia, named Wildflower Hill.

Woven between Emma’s story is Beatties story of an unplanned pregnancy with a married man. She is disowned by her parents and goes on to have the child and become a great success but not without some trials and tribulations along the way. This book is unconventional, inspiring and heartbreaking; I do not want to tell you anymore because it will give away the story.

Summer Shift by Lynn Kiele Bonasia

The story of 44 year old Mary who lives on Cape Code and owns a clam bar called Clambake. Mary is a a little cynical and a little clueless about her seasonal employees, but an accident involving one of her waitresses the first week of summer opens her eyes and dredges up some unresolved pain. Add to that a favorite aunt descending into the depths of Alzheimer’s, a long lost love, a quirky neighbor and the characters of the Cape and you have a wonderful, entertaining, summer read.

No One You Know by Michelle Richmond

” A novel about the stories and lies that strangers, lovers and families tell— and the secrets we keep even from ourselves. A work of astonishing depth, and beauty, at once heartbreaking, provocative, and impossible to put down.” a quote from the jacket of No One You Know.

This book is all of that and more, told by Ellie, this is the story of a life adrift after the murder of her sister 20 years before. Lila, was a mathematical genius and her death has changedand shaped Ellie’s life and relationships ever since.

Now a coffee buyer, Ellie encounters the man accused of killing her sister. He gives her a notebook filled with mathematical equations that Lila had carried everywhere. This sets in motion the quest for answers to what is in the notebook, as well as. the truth about the murder of Lila. In addition to the relationship Ellie has with the suspect, a significant part if the story explores Ellie’s relationship with Andrew Thorpe, a teacher, friend and what she thought was a shoulder to cry on in the aftermath of Lila’s death and the unraveling of her family. In fact, Andrew was using Ellie as his main source for a book he was writing on the murder of her sister, and launched his career from lowly professor to best selling true crime author. The book moves between the past and the present unraveling the relationships of Ellie, her sister Lila, her parents and her path in life.

Well, I have to run! I hope you have a great day and that you try one or two of these books. Also, thank you so much for all of the great comments on my post on La Porte Rouge, it is a magical blog and I hope you enjoyed your time there.