Is it because we New Englanders spend half the year commuting in the dark, swaddled in fleece with heat pouches in our mittens that we are imprinted with a deep appreciation for the longer, brighter, and less-encumbered months? You can easily identify lifetime residents of this area by spotting those dressed for Honolulu on Patriot’s Day.

This month, I wanted to explore some books that celebrate my favorite season here in beautiful New England, where we can especially appreciate its fleeting joys. Summer and nostalgia have always been inextricably linked— revered by those newly released from school and others still longing to recapture that unique sense of freedom.

Fiction:
Little MonstersLittle Monsters - Adrienne Brodeur

"Set in the fraught summer of 2016, and drawing on the biblical tale of Cain and Abel, Little Monsters is an absorbing, sharply observed family story by a writer who knows Cape Cod inside and out-its Edenic lushness and its snakes."

Murder on Cape CodMurder on Cape Cod - Maddie Day

"A Cape Cod shop owner and her book club must find a crafty killer in this charming new series."

Summer IslandSummer Island - Shelley Noble

"A heartwarming story of a mother-daughter road trip to the beach and self-discovery. A thought-provoking and life-affirming beach read that will stay with you long after the last tan of summer fades."

SummerlandSummerland - Elin Hilderbrand

"After a fatal car crash during a summer celebration on Nantucket island, four teenagers question if the roots of the accident lie further in the past than they seem..."

Tigers in Red WeatherTigers in Red Weather - Liza Klaussmann

"Sultry summer heat, sunbleached boat docks, and midnight gin parties on Martha's Vineyard in a glorious old family estate in the days following the end of the Second World War. Brilliantly told from five points of view, with a magical elegance and suspenseful dark longing."

The ArrivalsThe Arrivals - Meg Mitchell Moore

"Two empty nesters living a quiet life have their lives changed overnight as each of their children returns home to recover under the guidance of their parents in this story of relationships and familial connections."

That Old Cape MagicThat Old Cape Magic - Richard Russo

"A novel of deep introspection and every family feeling imaginable, with a middle-aged man confronting his parents and their failed marriage, his own troubled one, his daughter’s new life and, finally, what it was he thought he wanted and what in fact he has."

One Last SummerOne Last Summer - Kate Spencer

"A dreamy, laugh-out-loud summer romance that asks: What do you do when the life you've planned isn't what you've dreamed? This year (Clara) will join her friends on their annual summer vacation to their beloved childhood sleepover camp for a much-needed escape."

Looking Glass SoundLooking Glass Sound - Catriona Ward

"Wilder Harlow begins the last book he will ever write. It is the story of his childhood summer companions and the killer that stalked the small New England town."

The Summer PlaceThe Summer Place - Jennifer Weiner

"A love letter to the Outer Cape and the power of home, the way our lives are enriched by the people we call family, and the endless ways love can surprise us.

The Beach at SummerlyThe Beach at Summerly - Beatriz Williams

"A ravishing summer read, taking readers back to a mid-century New England rich with secrets and Cold War intrigue."

Nonfiction:
The Coast of SummerThe Coast of Summer - Anthony Bailey

"Interspersing his narrative with local history, geography, and biography, Bailey evokes curious legends and brings to life those rare, intriguing characters who are drawn to coastal life."

Painting Summer in New EnglandPainting Summer in New England - Trevor J. Fairbrother

"His lively book considers the ways in which painters have responded to the region’s summer beauty as well as to its social and cultural preoccupations and characteristics."

Free the BeachesFree the Beaches - Andrew W. Karhl

"Illuminates how our nation’s fragile coasts have not only become more exclusive in subsequent decades but also have suffered greater environmental destruction and erosion as a result of that private ownership."

VacationlandVacationland - John Hodgman

"Funny as usual, it is also a poignant and sincere account of one human facing his forties, those years when men in particular must stop pretending to be the children of bright potential they were and settle into the failing bodies of the wiser, weird dads that they are."

Summaries sourced from publishers' marketing materials

June's Featured Review

All This & MoreAll This & More - Peng Shepherd

"An inventive new novel about a woman who wins the chance to rewrite every mistake she’s ever made… and how far she’ll go to find her elusive “happily ever after.”

Hop on the Holds List

This is Why We Lied – Karin Slaughter

Somewhere Beyond the Sea – T.J. Klune

The Life Impossible – Matt Haig

We Solve Murders – Richard Osman

The Grey Wolf – Louise Penney

Quote of the Month:

"Summer has filled her veins with light and her heart is washed with noon." - C. Day Lewis

Bookish News and Links:

Want personalized recommendations? Fill out a questionnaire to get a customized list sent directly to your email

Love Lists? Try these:

LitHub has aggregated several summer reading lists to develop their "Ultimate Summer 2024 Reading List."

Goodreads has a 2024 summer list that has a staggering 6700+ entries!

WGBH asked some Boston-area librarians for their recommendations, reflecting what they see their patrons are excited about.

Adaptation News: Upcoming movies and shows based on books:

The Dark Manual by Colin O'Sullivan has inspired a new series entitled Sunny, available on Apple + July 10.

Lady in the Lake is based on the book by Laura Lippman and will begin streaming on Apple TV+ on July 19.

Netflix is airing its take on The Decameron (Giovanni Boccaccio) on July 25.

Recent Reads

I have recently finished reading The Midnight Feast by Lucy Foley and A Talent for Murder by Peter Swanson. I also just finished listening to The Rabbit Hutch by Tess Gunty

I am currently reading You Like It Darker, a new collection of stories by Stephen King, and Mania by Lionel Shriver. I am also listening to audiobook of The Eden Test by Adam Sternbergh on Hoopla.

Any plans for a "stay-cation" this summer, or a road trip through some of our neighboring states?: Tell me all about your plan! jnmegan@gpl.

Until next time: Be safe, be well, and be well-read!

Joelle


So, who am I, anyway? I am a resident of West Groton, with a husband, 3 children in college (and one at GDRHS) and a Samoyed that keeps my vacuum well-employed. I am currently working part time at the Groton Public Library and in a former life I was a Director or PR/Marketing at a high-tech consulting firm. My BA is in Psychology, but most of my time was spent in college earning a Concentration on the Novel. That is all to say that I make no claims at being an expert of any kind and my thoughts, opinions and mistakes are solely my own. I am just a person whose passion for books has continued to grow from the moment I was first able to grip and gnaw on them. I have been devouring them ever since.

Jul 01, 2024 / Joelle M Egan