I think everyone had an easy time picking a title for our last genre book discussion… We discussed what we might read on the beach or on the porch during the lazy days of summer. Unsurprisingly, everyone liked the book they read! And now maybe you’ll be able to find just the right thing to read while you sit in the sun -or shade!

Maureen: Kimberly McCreight’s new novel Where They Found Her opens with the shocking discovery of an unidentified dead newborn in a creek in the well-to-do university town of Ridgedale, New Jersey. Who does the baby belong to? Why would someone do something so unspeakable? New Ridgedale transplant and fledgling local reporter Molly Sanderson uncovers there is much more to the story than anyone previously imagined when she discovers the creek site was also the scene of another mysterious accident several decades ago. Complicating matters further is the fact that Molly herself lost a baby to miscarriage not long ago, causing her doting husband to want her off the story. With a few other characters and plotlines woven in and told in alternating chapters covering their different lives using flashbacks to build the suspense, this is a well-written, compelling novel full of twists!

Beth: In Jeff Lindsay’s Dexter is Dead, Dexter Morgan, full-time forensics investigator for the Miami PD, part-time vigilante serial killer, has his last hoorah in the eighth novel of the Dexter series. As a follow up to a crime scene in Dexter’s Final Cut, the Miami PD is desperate to explain and cover up a messy situation that happened on their clock, pinning blame on Morgan. With the reemergence of a former character, Dexter finds himself fighting for his freedom, and taking on a whole new deadly monster in order to save his remaining family members. You might become infatuated with the monster who is Dexter Morgan in the first few Dexter novels. The series is darkly humors and thoroughly entertaining. Lindsay does a great job wrapping up the series the best way he possibly could.

Carol: Summerlong by Dean Bakopoulos takes place during one hot, steamy summer in the small college town of Grinnell, Iowa where big-city girl Claire attended grad school, but never imagined eventually living and working there as writer in residence, married to Don Lowry, a local boy turned real estate agent. Now 38 and mother to their two children, Claire is dissatisfied with how her life, her career and her marriage have turned out. Both partners begin to stray and things combust in group vacation (including their lovers) at a vacation in northern Minnesota, where all players contemplate their morality and mortality. This family drama novel is complicated and messy but rewarding and magical–just like real life.

Chris: The Book of Joan: Tales of Mirth, Mischief and Manipulation by Melissa Rivers is a fast, fun read. Melissa opens up about her special mother-daughter relationship with stories and life lessons learned from Mom Joan. Melissa also has a good sense of humor and as she relays Joan’s antics and quotes her lines, it kind of takes the edge off of some of those caustic remarks. Finding out more about Joan made me like her more. She knew what was important: education, and so, in the book, you’ll see her grade school and high school report cards. Work was very important to her, too, so you’ll see her first resume which states “Blonde-5’ 3” directly after her name and address. And you’ll see lots of family photos including one with Joan at the age of two with the caption “Even then she tried to pass herself off as one and a half.” I really enjoyed it.

Steve: Pete Rose: An American Dilemma, by Kostya Kennedy, is the story of Rose’s life, with a focus on his career and banishment from baseball. This an excellent book, is well written and gives an even view of Rose. Kennedy makes the case that, in light of steroid users in baseball, who have been given a chance to be on the HOF ballot, Rose’s request for reinstatement should be re-examined.

Lauren: Bonjour Tristesse was written by Francoise Sagan and published in 1954 when she was just 18—it was an instant hit. The short novel is from the perspective of 17-year-old Cécile, summering at a beach house with her widower father on the coast of France. Cécile has become used to her father’s playboy ways and the women who come and go in his life (this summer his companion is a young redhead named Elsa) and enjoys reciprocal freedom to spend her days however she wants, even if they are spent in the company of her lover Cyril or ignoring her studies. Her world is disrupted when they are joined by Anne, who was once a friend of Cécile’s mother, with whom her father falls quickly and seriously in love.

Megan: Armada by Ernest Cline is the book equivalent of the summer blockbuster movie and the perfect page-turner for the beach. Armada is the story of Zack Lightwood, a high school senior who has grown up on a heavy diet of science fiction films, books, and video games. One day reality and fantasy collide when a spaceship appears over Zack’s school. The ship looks exactly like the ones in his favorite video game and it has arrived to take Zack. Because of his gaming skills he has been recruited by a top-secret government agency to help save the world from an imminent alien invasion. This fun alien invasion adventure well-known sci-fi tropes and turns them upside down. Pop culture references to cult classics will please the most enthusiastic fans and the surprise twist will leave readers with plenty to think about long after the adventure has ended.

Dori: Ana of California by Andi Teran is a retelling of Anne of Green Gables set in modern day California. Bright and artistic Ana is in foster care in Los Angeles and her big mouth has made it difficult to place her, but one last option is to stay with two siblings, Abby and Emmett Garber, and work on their farm in Northern California. The experience is eye opening and Ana begins to love the farm and the Garbers, and they her, but will a misunderstanding send her back to danger in L.A.? A great summer read, with romance, cooking, and a charming title character that you’ll be rooting for.

Emma: The Love Song of Miss Queenie Hennessy by Rachel Joyce is the story of Queenie, a patient at St. Bernadine’s Hospice. She learns that her former brewery coworker Harold Fry is coming to visit and she should wait for him. He plans to walk the entire length of England, 600 miles, to come see her. Harold sends postcards along the way so Queenie can track his progress. Eventually the other hospice patients are excited about Harold’s journey and also follow his progress. Unable to speak, Queenie relives their shared past through letters which are never sent. The complement to The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry is a sweet simple story.

Stacey: The Lure of the Moonflower by Lauren Willig is the perfect kind of summertime reading. There’s a little bit of history (learning!) and a mystery (a puzzle for your brain!) plus a light romance (to make your heart go pit-a-pat!) all in an easy to carry softcover book! The only downside is that it’s the very last of a fabulous series, but the upside is that the author is writing plenty of other fabulous books -phew!

Our next genre will be religious fiction! If you want to join us, you will also want to look for a story that has religiously-based attitudes, values or actions at it’s core. It can be any religion and it can be sweet or salty -like a thriller– it’s up to you!

As always -enjoy!
Stacey