ON THE BEACH
Summer beach reads available at the library
Summer beach reads @ the Library.
Summer is finally here. That means getting out your beach gear and heading to one of our lovely Cape Breton beaches.
One of the most important items to include in your beach bag is a great summer book. Many people take time in the summer to catch up on books they have been meaning to read while others like to change to lighter reads that go along with the ease of summer. I asked Cape Breton Regional Library staff to share some books they have enjoyed.
The books below fit well under the theme of ‘beach reads.’ They will make you feel like you’ve really hit summer with most of them set near a warm, sandy beach. These include:
• Nancy Thayer (“Island Girls,” “Moon Shell Beach”)
• Dorothea Benton Frank (“Same Beach Next Year,” “Last Original Wife”)
• Jane Green (“Dune Road,” “Beach House”)
• Elin Hilderbrand (“Summer Affair,” “Barefoot,” “The Identicals”)
• Mary Kay Andrews (“The Weekenders,” “Beach Town,” “Summer Rental”)
• Emma Straub (“The Vacationers”).
True fans of psychological thrillers and mysteries know what they want to pack in their beach bag. One book that was recommended by two library staff was called “I’m Thinking of Ending Things,” a wonderfully intense debut novel by Iain Reid. This is a psychological thriller that asks some important questions of its narrator and the reader. Iain Reid, a native of Kingston, Ontario, was at the Cape Breton Regional Library recently to read from his book.
Another popular mystery writer is Clare MacKintosh. This British bestselling author and former police officer can tell a gripping story. Both, “I Let You Go” and “I See You” will have you guessing until the very end.
Horror fans are also ready to pack their beach bag. As one staff person says, “For me, horror is not just fun to read at night when it can scare the pants off you but sitting outside in the sun on a beautiful day when you are reading something scary and you just stop and look around you in the sunshine; it’s such a strange contrast and I love that feeling!” Their book choice for a summer read was “The Outsider” by Stephen King which blends crime fiction with the supernatural and a great cast of characters.
The summer is a great time to catch up on books about Cape Breton Island. One long-time favourite is “Memoirs of a Cape Breton Doctor” by Dr. C. Lamont MacMillan which recalls the 40 years, starting in 1928, that Dr. MacMillan ran his medical practice serving Baddeck and surrounding areas. Dr. MacMillan paints a picture of rural Cape Breton highlighting the problems with weather and road conditions that made traveling to see his patients in remote areas of the Island both difficult and dangerous. This is an entertaining read told with warmth and charm.
For your summer road trips, the library has a large selection of audiobooks, e-audiobooks and ebooks for you to borrow. This is a great way to get your reading in while traveling. The Cape Breton Regional Library books are available to borrow for free with your free library card. Just drop into your local library or visit us at cbrl.ca to sign up online. Happy reading!