Hey everyone,

It’s August 1st!

We’re halfway through the summer, if you can believe it. And a fresh month means it’s time for some fresh book recommendations!

To me, August has always been a time of travel (at least for the first five or so years of my 30’s). So, I want to read books that feel like a European vacation and/or a lazy summer day by the pool. And in all the reading I have done this summer, I have found some books that fit the bill.

What are they? So glad you asked.

Non-Fiction

Bella Tuscany by Frances Mayes

*For lovers of vivid descriptions of Tuscan hillsides, travels through Italy, and delicious food.

Like Under the Tuscan Sun, Bella Tuscany follows Mayes and her husband as they return to their villa in Tuscany, Bramasole. They travel. They eat. And Mayes’ descriptions make you feel like you’re right there with her, toiling in her garden, picking vegetables at the weekly market, and strolling through Roman ruins in Sicily, but without the expensive plane ticket and long-haul flight. (For me at least, since I live in New Jersey.)

Historical Fiction

*For lovers of romance, the New England coastline, and happy endings.

I bought this book (along with the second book in the Fortune’s Rocks Quartet, Sea Glass) back in 2006 during a Barnes and Noble sale. 3 hardcover books for $9.99. What a deal. And it has taken me almost 20 years to read this. I am kicking myself that I didn’t read it sooner. The story is about the affair between 15 year-old, Olympia, and her father’s married friend, Dr. Haskell, during the summer of 1899 in the shore town of Fortune’s Rocks New Hampshire. There’s ups. There’s downs. But Shreve’s writing is so beautiful and quiet (if that makes any sense) that I found myself thinking about this book long after I had finished reading it. And, in fact, picked up more of her books because I loved her style.

Love and Saffron by Kim Fay

*For lovers of epistolary novels, the Pacific Northwest, and food.

This is the kind of book you can read in one sitting on a Sunday afternoon. It’s the story of Joan and Imogen who find friendship through the letters they write to one another. Throughout the 1960’s when the book is set, both women celebrate life, relationships, and food, as well as the changes that come whether we want them to or not. A beautiful story, richly told that will leave your heart feeling full.

Thriller

Reckless Girls by Rachel Hawkins

*For lovers of remote, tropical islands, dark secrets, and hidden pasts.

I don’t know what Rachel Hawkins puts in her books, but I devour them. At first, I thought this was going to be another run of the mill thriller. And in some ways it was. However, I think what sets it apart from other thrillers is the setting. Lux and her boyfriend, Nico, want to sail around the world. But they’ve spent the last six months in Hawaii because they need to fix their boat. When Nico meets two women at a bar who offer him $50,000 to take them to a remote (and possibly haunted) island, it’s an offer Nico can’t refuse. It’s once they get to the island that Lux realizes that maybe this adventure is going to be more trouble than it’s worth. This book was like the candy equivalent of storytelling in the best way possible.

Cozy Mystery

Murder at Rough Point by Alyssa Maxwell

*For lovers of dark and stormy nights, Newport Rhode Island, and whodunits.

I’ve talked about the Gilded Newport Series on here before, and I have to say that this is probably my favorite book of the series. Maxwell is coming out with her next book, Murder at the Elms, later this month. However, Murder at Rough Point is the story of reporter, Emma Cross, who has been invited by her parents to report on the artist’s retreat they are hosting at Fredrick Vanderbilt’s Rough Point “cottage”. When people start dying, Emma is on the case to find out who the murderer is. What I love about this book is the stormy atmosphere. And if you’ve ever been to Rough Point or seen pictures of the grounds, you know that the house itself is a character with a foreboding presence. Definitely good for those of us who are ready to welcome autumn.

Final Thoughts

That’s it for now, friends!

Please let me know in the comments what you’re reading or your thoughts on any of the books above if you’ve read any of them. I’m always looking for recommendations. So please share!!

Until next time. Happy reading!