Summer Beach Reads

A Hundred Summers
by Beatriz Williams

Memorial Day, 1938: Lily Dance has returned to Seaview, Rhode Island, where her family has summered for generations.  It’s an escape not only from New York’s social scene but from a heartbreak that still haunts her. But this summer is different.  Budgie and Nick Greenwald—Lily’s former best friend and former fiancé—have arrived, too, and Seaview’s elite are abuzz.  Under Budgie’s glamorous influence, Lily is seduced into a complicated web of renewed friendship and dangerous longing. As a cataclysmic hurricane churns north through the Atlantic, and uneasy secrets slowly reveal themselves, Lily and Nick must confront an emotional storm that will change their world forever…

"A true beach read. A Hundred Summers draws you in like a moth to a flame and leaves you wanting to know every detail of the lives that Lily and the residents of Seaview are living. From the socialites to the devastation, enjoy the immersion into the wold of Seaview in the summer."

Save the Date
by Mary Kay Andrews

Up-and-coming floral designer Cara Kryzik is about to score the wedding of a lifetime—one that will solidify her career as the go-to girl for Savannah society nuptials.  The only problem is life seems to be conspiring against her. On the morning that someone steals her dog, Cara’s refrigerator goes on the blink, turning 12,000 dollars worth of gorgeous blooms into road kill.  And if that’s not enough, the dognapper, Jack Finnerty, turns up at her latest wedding and then mysteriously leaves her stranded on the dance floor. All this turmoil will be over if Cara can pull off the lavish Trappnell-Strayhorn wedding. The payday will solve all her problems—even the looming one of a celebrated florist named Cullen Kane, who is moving into her turf from Charleston. In the end, for everyone, “Save the Date” has more meanings than one.  Told with Mary Kay Andrews’ trademark wit and keen eye for detail, Save the Date is one you won’t want to miss.

"A fun and easy read, Save the Date dives into Cara's life as it spirals out of control and takes you on a wild ride through the ups and downs of her daily life. Add in a handsome man and several mothers of the bride...and this book will have you turning page after page with anticipation of what could possibly come next."

I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings
by Maya Angelou

Sent by their mother to live with their devout, self-sufficient grandmother in a small Southern town, Maya and her brother, Bailey, endure the ache of abandonment and the prejudice of the local “powhitetrash.” At eight years old and back at her mother’s side in St. Louis, Maya is attacked by a man many times her age and has to live with the consequences for a lifetime. Years later, in San Francisco, Maya learns about love for herself and the kindness of others, her own strong spirit, and the ideas of great authors (“I met and fell in love with William Shakespeare”) which will allow her to be free instead of imprisoned. Poetic and powerful, I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings is a modern American classic that will touch hearts and change minds for as long as people read.

"With the recent passing of renown author Maya Angelou, it is a great time to revisit this wonderful classic. A heart-warming story that touches a new part of you each time you read it, this book leaves you feeling positive and inspired! "

The Summer Wind
by Mary Alice Monroe
Bestselling author Mary Alice Monroe draws readers back to the unspoiled beauty and unhurried pace of the Carolina lowcountry for this charming second story in an emotional trilogy about sisterhood, second chances and lifelong bonds. Half-sisters Dora, Carson and Harper, different in so many ways, raced along the shoreline of Sullivan's Island in their youth, but adult cares have long since overtaken those idyllic days, so Mamaw asks her granddaughters to share one last summer. Dora’s world is crumbling in the sultry July heat. Raised to believe that following the rules prescribed for Southern belles would assure the expected lifestyle, Dora is instead facing divorce, and her soon-to-be ex has no interest in their autistic son. Dora begins to rediscover the shining confidence of her youth, a brilliance that her first love—Devlin Cassell—has never forgotten.  There are other changes blowing in with the summer wind, however, and the women of Sullivan’s Island must hold tight and face them together.

"A sequel to Summer Girls (featured in Pink last summer), The Summer Wind takes you through a journey with Dora as she finds her real self among the sandy shores. With lots of laughs, Mary Alice Monroe, immerses you in the immense beauty of Sullivan's Island and leaves you falling in love with the family!"

The Time Between
by Karen White

Bestselling author Karen White delivers a novel of two generations of sisters and secrets set in the stunning South Carolina Lowcountry.

Eleanor Murray will always remember her childhood on Edisto Island, where her late father, a local shrimper, shared her passion for music.  Now her memories of him are all that tempers the guilt she feels over the accident that put her sister in a wheelchair—and the feelings she harbors for her sister’s husband.

To help support her sister, Eleanor works at a Charleston investment firm during the day, but she escapes into her music, playing piano at a neighborhood bar.  Until the night her enigmatic boss walks in and offers her a part-time job caring for his elderly aunt Helena back on Edisto.  For Eleanor, it’s a chance to revisit the place where she was her happiest—and to share her love of music with grieving Helena, whose sister recently died under mysterious circumstances.

An island lush with sweetgrass and salt marshes, Edisto has been a peaceful refuge for Helena, who escaped with her sister from war-torn Hungary in 1944.  The sisters were well-known on the island, where they volunteered in their church and community.  But now Eleanor will finally learn the truth about their past: secrets that will help heal her relationship with her own sister and set Eleanor free.

"The Time Between will take you on a roller coaster ride that will have you reading until 2 A.M. and trying your hardest to put the book down for a little sleep. With everything from laughs to tears, Karen White winds two unlikely women's lives together as they both suffer from long time guilt and through their stubborness find their way to happiness. This amazing book will have you loving every second."

The Hurricane Sisters
by Dorothea Benton Frank

Bestselling author Dorothea Benton Frank first enchanted readers with her tales of life in South Carolina with the publication of her first book in 2000. In her new novel, The Hurricane Sisters, Frank once again takes us deep in the heart of the magical Lowcountry—a sultry land of ancient magic, glorious sunsets and soothing coastal breezes, where three generations of strong women wrestle with the expectations of family, while struggling to understand their complicated relationships with each other.

Best friends since the first day of class at The College of Charleston, Ashley Anne Waters and Mary Beth Smythe, now 23 years old, live in Ashley’s parents’ beach house rent-free. Ashley is a gallery assistant who aspires to become an artist. Mary Beth, a gifted cook from Tennessee, works for a caterer while searching for a good teaching job. Though they both know what they want out of life, their parents barely support their dreams and worry for their precarious finances.

While they don’t make much money, the girls do have a million-dollar view that comes with living in that fabulous house on Sullivan’s Island. Sipping wine on the porch and watching a blood-red sunset, Ashley and Mary Beth hit on a brilliant and lucrative idea. With a new coat of paint, the first floor would be a perfect place for soirées for paying guests. Knowing her parents would be horrified at the idea of common strangers trampling through their home, Ashley won’t tell them. Besides, Clayton and Liz Waters have enough problems of their own.

For these Lowcountry women, an emotional hurricane is about to blow through their lives, wreaking havoc that will test them in unexpected ways, ultimately transforming the bonds they share.

"Dottie Franks thrills her readers with yet another fantastic Lowcountry tale.  With three generations of women buried in secrets, join in an unforgettable journey as four women face new challenges, schemes, and ultimately reveal the real truths about themselves."