A good way to unwind in the shade is by picking up a new book, one that perhaps you may not have heard of. Despite all of the attention that certain nonfiction titles are getting at the moment, there are plenty of wonderful novels just waiting to mellow you during the last of the season simmering heat.
Let us begin with a debut novel, The Shortest Way Home by Miriam Parker,that has it's heroine making a sudden decision to change the course of her life. Hannah Greene had planned on taking up a plum job in New York upon graduating business school but while visiting a lovely Sonoma Valley winery with her boyfriend Elliot, she feels that her savvy marketing skills would be best served there.
Part of the reason for wanting to help the winery get back on it's financial feet is William, the son of owners Linda and Everett, who also wants to head to New York in pursuit of his musical dreams. However, Hannah is not just motivated by the prospect of new love. She feels drawn to the world of wine and grape growing, a heartfelt desire that would be enhanced by having a supportive partner by her side but not totally dependent on that factor.
Hannah's choice to stay in Sonoma influences many others, including Linda, who considers what might have been with the true love of her past life. Will Hannah be able to plant firmer roots or find that her impulse to transplant her future course trapped on rocky ground?
Back in my bookselling days, I did know Miriam as a book rep and she was one of the most gracious and charming people in her field. I'm happy to see that her literary dreams have come true and hope that her special vintage of story telling becomes a welcome classic:
Also, Louise Miller follows up her engaging novel, The City Baker's Guide to Country Living, with another tale of small town charm. The leading lady of The Late Bloomers' Club is Nora Huckleberry, who now runs the diner that her late parents owned and has taken care of all of the family responsibilities without the aid of younger sister Kit.
Kit is back in her life,however, thanks to an unexpected inheritance of land from a beloved neighbor, Peggy Johnson. Not long after Peggy's funeral, Nora receives an offer from a big box store chain that wants the property to build on,which Kit thinks is great but big sis is not too sure of.
To complicate matters, Nora finds herself falling for Elliot, the rep for the big box chain who returns her interest and there's a bit of mystery about Peggy's estate that needs looking into. In the midst of all of this, the local residents are divided between wanting a new business to shake things up and keeping to the old ways that made their town worth staying with.
Miller has a knack for quirkiness blended with solid character support and this book should give anyone who reads it that special Stars Hollow type of feeling indeed:
While father Hugh has recently married into the well established Schuyler family, daughter Isobel spends her time flirting with Joseph Vargas, the son of the local lighthouse keeper, while maintaining an engagement with Clayton Monk, a member of the upper class.
Before summer is done with, Hugh is murdered and Joseph is sent off to prison for the crime, which many grow to believe that he didn't commit. Years later, stepdaughter Miranda returns to the island to discover the truth of that summer with help from friends old and new.
Will her inquiries heal the long ago breaches for some or open fresh wounds for others?
Williams is a master of emotionally savvy historical novels that place you dead center within a world that is far in the past yet feels as current as present day. Even if you're not familiar with the set of stories about the Schuyler women that this book is connected to, this novel will be able to provide the reader with a good amount of page turning delights:
Summer reading is it's own unique reward and I hope that at least one of these books can take you right through to Labor Day weekend with a nice last of the season hurrah there. An extra bonus is in store if you discover a new author in the bargain-or at least, one that's new to you!:
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