beach reading with a brain - Ridgefield Library

“Beach Reading with Brains and Bite” Adult Summer Reading Recommendations from the Ridgefield Library 2014 Edition

This apt phrase was used by Kirkus Reviews to describe The Last Resort, the 1998 novel by Alison Lurie, but it could well define an entire category of delightful books which are perfect for summer reading. For something less serious-minded than Oprah’s latest picks yet more intellectually satisfying than a formula thriller or romance, try one of the authors listed below. Stylish, sophisticated, often witty, sometimes sexy, these books offer a sharp yet affectionate look at the social and emotional fabric of contemporary life. Cecelia Ahern Steve Amick Mary Kay Andrews Carol Anshaw Sam Baker Muriel Barbery Tessa Barclay Melissa Bank Erica Bauermeister Elizabeth Berg Jessica Anya Blau Judy Blume Hilary Boyd Ann Brashares Jessica Brockmole Eleanor Brown Hester Browne Elizabeth Buchan Candace Bushnell Robert Olen Butler Julie Buxbaum Meg Cabot Katherine Center Rita Ciresi Bridie Clark Marcelle Clements Jennifer Close Paula Marantz Cohen Jenny Colgan James Collins Claire Cook Jennifer Crusie

The Book of Tomorrow and others Nothing But a Smile and others Ladies’ Night and others Lucky in the Corner Fashion Victim The Elegance of the Hedgehog Richer than Rubies and others The Wonder Spot Lost Art of Mixing and others Once Upon a Time There Was You and others The Wonder Bread Summer Summer Sisters Thursdays in the Park Sisterhood Everlasting and others Letters from Skye The Weird Sisters The Little Lady Agency and the Prince and others Separate Beds and others One Fifth Avenue and others A Small Hotel and others After You The Bride Wore Size 12 and others Get Lucky and others Sometimes I Dream in Italian Because She Can Midsummer Girls in White Dresses Suzanne Davis Gets a Life The Loveliest Chocolate Shop in Paris Beginner’s Greek Time Flies and others Maybe this Time and others

Meghan Daum Marissa De los Santos Erin Duffy Sarah Duncan Sarah Dunn Sabine Durrant Delia Ephron Jeffrey Eugenides Tim Farrington Ellen Feldman Joshua Ferris Katie Fforde Helen Fielding Jennie Fields Laura Florand Kathleen Flynn-hui Lauren Fox Debra Galant Danielle Ganek Mike Gayle Darien Gee Emily Giffin Elizabeth Gilbert Susan Jane Gilman Julia Glass Susan Gloss Olivia Goldsmith Mary Gordon Kristin Gore Laurie Graham Jane Green Lisa Grunwald Beth Gutcheon Michelle Haimoff Elizabeth Harbison Joanne Harris Jane Heller Elin Hilderbrand Wendy Holden Nick Hornby Laurie Horowitz Susan Isaacs Lisa Jewell Sarah Jio Diane Johnson Carrie Kabak Janice Kaplan

Quality of Life Report Falling Together and others The Bond Girl Adultery for Beginners Secrets to Happiness and others The Great Indoors and others The Lion is In The Marriage Plot The Monk Upstairs and others Next to Love and others Then We Came to the End Love Letters and others Olivia Joules and the Overactive Imagination and others The Middle Ages The Chocolate Heart Beyond the Blonde Friends Like Us and others Cars from a Marriage and others The Summer We Read Gatsby Turning 30 Avalon Ladies Scrapbooking Society and others Heart of the Matter and others The Signature of All Things The Ice Cream Queen of Orchard Street And the Dark Sacred Night and others Vintage Young Wives and others The Love of My Youth and others Sweet Jiminy and others The Great Husband Hunt Tempting Fate and others The Irresistible Henry House Gossip and others These Days Are Ours Chose the Wrong Guy, Gave Him the Wrong Finger and others Peaches for Father Francis and others Lucky Stars and others Beautiful Day and others Marrying Up and others Juliet Naked and others The Family Fortune As Husbands Go and others The Making of Us and others Goodnight June Lulu in Marrakech and others Cover the Butter The Men I Didn’t Marry and others

Jill Kargman Karen Karbo Marne Davis Kellogg Beth Kendrick Marian Keyes Sophie Kinsella Sally Koslow Anne Lamott Linda Francis Lee Valerie Ann Leff Sara Lewis Elinor Lipman Kate Long Alison Lurie Debbie Macomber Sue Margolis Merrill Markoe Carole Matthews Anna Maxted Peter Mayle Hannah McCouch Monica McInerney Emma McLaughlin Emma McLaughlin and Nicola Kraus Mameve Medwed Cheryl Mendelson Roland Merullo Lianne Moriarity JoJo Moyes Tarashea Nesbit Fiona Neill Elizabeth Noble Maggie O’Farrell Alison Pace Allison Pearson Marie Phillips Alexandra Potter Caroline Preston Anna Quindlen Karen Quinn Kris Radish Jeanne Ray Ruth Reichl Cathleen Schine Leslie Schnur Allison Winn Scotch Maria Semple Maggie Shipstead

Arm Candy and others Motherhood Made a Man Out of Me Friends in High Places and others Cure for the Common Breakup and others The Brightest Star in the Sky and others Wedding Night and others The Widow Waltz and others Blue Shoe and others Emily and Einstein and others Better Homes & Husbands The Answer Is Yes The View from Penthouse B and others The Bad Mother’s Handbook The Last Resort Starting Now and others A Catered Affair Walking in Circles before Lying Down and others The Chocolate Lovers’ Club and others Rich Again and others The Vintage Caper and others Girl Cook At Home with the Templetons and others Between You and Me and others The First Affair How Elizabeth Barrett Browning Saved My Life and others Morningside Heights Breakfast with Buddha The Husband’s Secret Me Before You and others The Wives of Los Alamos Slummy Mummy The Girl Next Door and others Instructions for a Heat Wave A Pug’s Tale and others I Think I Love You and others Gods Behaving Badly Me and Mr. Darcy Gatsby’s Girl Still Life with Bread Crumbs Ivy Chronicles Hearts on a String Calling Invisible Women Delicious! Fin & Lady and others The Dog Walker Time of My Life Where’d You Go Bernadette? Astonish Me

Graeme Simsion Curtis Sittenfeld Jane S. Smith J. Courtney Sullivan Ellen Sussman Plum Sykes Kathleen Tessaro Gemma Townley Nancy Thayer Adriana Trigiani Joanna Trollope Anne Tyler Salley Vickers Jennifer Weiner Lauren Weisberger Fay Weldon Beatriz Williams Valerie Wilson Wesley Lauren Willig Hilma Wolitzer Meg Wolitzer Isabel Wolff Gabrielle Zevin Laura Zigman

The Rosie Project Sisterland and others Fool’s Gold The Engagements and others French Lessons The Debutante Divorcee The Perfume Collector and others An Ideal Wife and others Island Girls and others The Supreme Macaroni Company and others The Soldier’s Wife and others The Beginner’s Goodbye and others Dancing Backwards The Next Best Thing and others Revenge Wears Prada and others The Spa and others A Hundred Summers Always True to You in My Fashion That Summer An Available Man and others The Interestings and others The Very Picture of You The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry Dating Big Bird