I kept hearing about Rebecca by Daphne de Maurier and I thought that I should have read it before now. So, I grabbed it. And, boy am I glad I did. What a great book. For those of you who haven’t read it, pick it up – it’s a quick and enjoyable read, full of suspense and good twists and turns. It has a slow and somewhat confusing start, but stick with it. It’s worth it. In short, the narrator begins as a paid companion to a wealthy woman. While on holiday with her companion in Monte Carlo, the narrator meets Max de Winter whose first wife died a year earlier at their estate, Manderley. The narrator and Max marry hastily and return to Manderley, where she must take over the daily details of running the estate, which she is poorly equipped to do. Add Rebecca’s history and the mystery surrounding her death, and you have the makings of a great story.

I listened to Between the World and Me by Ta-Nehisi Coates on a new app, Libby. I highly recommend Libby – it’s a great way to get books on tape from the library. Coates, in this compelling narrative, speaks to his son about being black in America. It’s a wonderfully written and depressing book. While it was nice to have in audible format (so I could listen to it in the car and while exercising), I wish I had read it instead. I find my mind wandering too much when listening to books on tape and miss things that I don’t think I miss when I am reading. However, I am glad I heard this book and highly recommend it.

Looking for a completely fluffy, mindless, romantic summer read? The Wedding Date by Jasmine Guillory is it. Alexa, the chief of staff for the mayor of San Francisco and Drew, a pediatric surgeon in L.A are trapped in an elevator together. Drew needs a date for a wedding that weekend and Alexa agrees to go with him. Romance flourishes, but as time goes on, is fraught with challenges. The story isn’t too deep and it’s honestly more Harlequin Romance than I usually like to read. However, on the beach in the summer, this one would be a good choice. Accept that fact that it’s not going to change your world, just provide a little reading candy.

I had high hopes for The Ensemble by Aja Gabel. It’s about a quartet of musicians who move in and out of each others’ lives over decades both professionally and personally. But, I didn’t love this one. The storyline was fine and it wasn’t a challenging read, but it fell flat for me. I didn’t love the characters and I couldn’t get lost in the story. It was well-written and, if you know anything about music, you will like it more than I did.

If I were you, I would skip Not That I Could Tell by Jessica Strawser, even though the cover is amazing. The premise was promising, but it didn’t deliver – it was too predictable and not intense or alarming enough. It’s has been compared to Big Little Lies, but it’s not even close! From Amazon: “When a group of neighborhood women gathers, wine in hand, around a fire pit where their backyards meet one Saturday night, most of them are just ecstatic to have discovered that their baby monitors reach that far. It’s a rare kid-free night, and they’re giddy with it. They drink too much, and the conversation turns personal. By Monday morning, one of them is gone.” While I did finish it, I wish I hadn’t.

I’m a big fan of Isabel Allende and have read most of her books. I was lucky enough to find In the Midst of Winter on the shelf at the library. It was a good story, but not great. On a blizzard-y evening, Richard, hits a car driven by an illegal immigrant, Evelyn. He gives her his card so insurance can cover the damage. She comes to find him later that night to explain that she is in trouble because in the trunk of the car is the dead body of the physical therapist who helps the son of her abusive boss. Richard’s tenant also gets involved. In the midst of telling their story, we also learn the history of each character. It could have been shorter, particularly the history of each individual, but overall, it was enjoyable.

The Widows of Malabar Hill by Sujata Massey was another choice I keep reading about. And, while I liked it, I didn’t love it. I don’t know if my expectations were too high expectations. It was a good story with likable characters, but it was too long and the main character said a few things over and over that made you crazy (like I was the first female solicitor in India). I don’t normally read mysteries, so perhaps this was part of the problem as well. I wouldn’t discourage people from reading it, but I wouldn’t rush out and make this one a priority either. In a nutshell (from Amazon): “Perveen Mistry, Bombay’s first female lawyer, is investigating a suspicious will on behalf of three Muslim widows living in full purdah when the case takes a turn toward the murderous.” Add it to your summer list if you like mysteries, but don’t say I didn’t warn you.

Continuing to blast through summer reading recommendations, I chose i’ll be your blue sky by Marisa De Los Santos next. It’s a great summer choice. Clare meets elderly Edith on the weekend of Clare’s wedding. Clare’s cold feet become walking feet as she leaves her fiance and moves on with her life on Edith’s sage advice. While the story is a bit predictable, it was just surprising enough to keep one from being bored and had a unique and captivating sub-story. I would absolutely throw this one in your beach bag. It’s fast-paced and enjoyable (but nothing deep and earth-shattering).

Here’s my annual list of summer picks. I choose these from those I have read in the previous six months that have garnered 4.5 stars or more. Any of these would be a great pick for the beach. Happy summer, everyone!

Links to read my blog posts and/or buy each book are here:

The Great Alone
Educated
Still Me
Grist Mill Road
Beneath a Scarlett Sky
The Woman in the Window
An American Marriage
Lilli de Jong
An Untamed State
The Perfect Mother

2017’s summer books are listed here.

I don’t like short stories. Just when I get into the characters or the story, they end. I didn’t realize before I picked up Neel Mukherjee’s A State of Freedom that it was short stories: I thought the tales were interconnected. So, I kept waiting for them to get connected. And, though the connection came around in the end, overall, I was disappointed. Mukherjee’s writing was good and some of the stories were interesting, but overall, I would have given this one a pass.