We are very close to Memorial Day weekend which, to many, is the official start of the summer season and signs are good for having a much better time outdoors and inside than last year.
With the announcement of rules being relaxed for the fully vaccinated (I am in that category but still keeping it cautious for now), more folks are making big vacation plans and the one thing that you need whether you are going to the beach or staying home in the shade is a good book.
So, this trio of new/upcoming releases might help you out in that department. Pair one or more of these novels with the cold drink of your choice and prepare to be properly entertained:
DIAL A FOR AUNTIES: Jesse Q. Sutanto's screwball romcom novel begins with Meddy(short for Meddelin) Chan dealing with the fact that her loving but overbearing mother has set up a blind date for her via a dating app.
Meddy is used to giving into to her mom and her mother's quartet of formidable sisters, even to the point of becoming the photographer for their mutual event planning business.Yet,this latest arrangement is way too much but when told that the man in question is running the hotel where the family business has been hired for a major league wedding, she once again gives in.
As the date winds down, Meddy not only finds the guy obnoxious , she soon learns that his expectations for the evening are totally different than hers. Fighting him off in the car, an accident occurs and Meddy is shocked to see that he's dead!
Going home for help, Meddy is both relieved and anxious than her mom and assembled aunts are very willing to help her get rid of the body, as long as it doesn't interfere too much with the wedding plans for the next day. Juggling both the big celebration and the need to stash the corpse before it's discovered in one of the coolers mistakenly brought to the hotel, Meddy runs into Nathan, a former love who is in charge of the event.
Can Meddy rekindle an old flame while discretely dispatching a dead man and making sure that the wedding of the year goes off without a hitch? Well, I'm the midst of this book right now and it's a pure page turning delight. Suranto gives this modern day story a classic fictional flair with dark comedy in the style of films like Arsenic and Old Lace as well as Clue. A perfect comedy cocktail flavored with family love and laughter:
THE SUMMER JOB: In this debut novel by Lizzy Dent, our leading lady is Birdy, who agrees to give notice for the title occupation on the behalf of her best friend Heather.
However, once she arrives at the Scottish inn where Heather was to be a sommelier, Birdy can't see why she shouldn't take this golden opportunity and simply be Heather for the summer. Granted, she has no experience with wine pairing but the place looks to be a simply set-up vacation spot that won't give her too much trouble.
When Birdy arrives, it turns out that the inn has had a major upgrade and a renowned chef named James is at the culinary helm who expects her to know her vino. Can Birdy manage to be a suitable sommelier and a possible partner in love with James or will more than one summer be ruined?
This does sound like fizzy foodie fun, with a nice mix of romantic comedy. No doubt you can pair this summer themed story with a great vintage or a savory season of Top Chef:
LOVE SCENES: This behind the scenes story from Bridget Morrissey stars Sloane Ford, an actress who just lost her steady role on a TV show and her boyfriend to boot.
With a family legacy to live up to, Sloane reluctantly agrees to be a producer for a WWII drama that has her mother as a supporting member of the cast. In addition to that, her dad and stepsister are tag teaming as director and to top it all off, Joseph Donovan, a major star who undermined Sloane during a past project, is the leading man!
To make matters worse, her mother insists that Sloane be Joseph's acting coach, a task that she dutifully performs while expecting very little for her pains there. Surprisingly, Joseph seems to have turned a new leaf and is starting to make amends for his past behavior.
When the lead actress leaves the film in midstream, Sloane is eager to step into the role yet her onscreen chemistry with Joseph is not enough to make their potential relationship work in real life. Will Sloane be the star of her own life or keep playing second banana to others, including Joseph?
I do love a Hollywood themed tale and this one has plenty of popcorn passion on deck. While movie watching in theaters is still a bit uncertain, Morrissey offers us some movie magic between the covers of this engaging read. After all, a book like this certainly could be the literary equivalent of Netflix and chill this summer indeed:
There is still a good amount of time to make your summer holiday plans and while you stay safe and travel wisely, picking the right reads are just as essential as choosing the right brand of sunscreen lotion.
Even if you keep closer to home, setting the right mood for your book reading is not impossible. A good chair, some excellent lighting and some snacks can make all the difference when it comes to enjoying the summer breeze with a breezy new book:
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