Book review: Grab a guilty pleasure or two for fun summer reading

Posted 8/7/15

By Lynda Rego

Summer reads can be a little lighter than those that tickle our fancy in the cold, winter months. This time of year, I turn to guilty pleasures as much as more serious reads and mix in some mysteries, ghost stories and romances. …

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Book review: Grab a guilty pleasure or two for fun summer reading

Posted

By Lynda Rego

Summer reads can be a little lighter than those that tickle our fancy in the cold, winter months. This time of year, I turn to guilty pleasures as much as more serious reads and mix in some mysteries, ghost stories and romances.

I can’t think of romances without remembering Ned Comstock, who was the librarian in Bristol when I first started going to the library there almost 40 years ago. He was hilarious and used to call them “hysterical romances” instead of historical romances.

“An Inquiry Into Love and Death” (2013) by Simone St. James. I so enjoyed her first ghost story that I pounced on her second offering. This one is just as much fun. In 1924 Oxford, Jillian Leigh has an unexpected visit from a solicitor. Her Uncle Toby, a renowned ghost hunter died in a fall off a cliff in the village of Rothewell. Her parents are abroad and she must identify the body and collect his belongings. Of course, it’s not that simple. Once she arrives at Barrow House, it’s obvious that something is wrong and the arrival of a Scotland Yard inspector indicates that maybe Toby didn’t fall after all. Ghosts, intrigue, romance, small-town English life — this tale has it all and more.

“Lone Wolf” (2012) by Jodi Picoult. What I love about Picoult’s books are how much you learn about a new subject in addition to getting a good read. This time, it’s about wolves and the pack and how it operates. As if that’s not fascinating enough, it’s the story of a family under pressure — as most of her books are. Wolf expert Luke Warren and his daughter, Cara, are in a car accident and rushed to the hospital where Luke is in critical condition. His ex-wife calls their son, Edward, who is estranged and has been living in Thailand for six years. He rushes home to find a sister who blames him for leaving her without a word and the dissolution of their parents’ marriage. But, the big bone of contention is who has the right to decide the fate of their father. Each chapter is told from a different person’s perspective, with chapters by Luke detailing his knowledge and interactions with wolves mixed in.

“Lost Lake” (2014) by Sarah Addison Allen is another charming offering from a writer who infuses her stories with a fairy tale touch. It’s the story of Eby and George Pim and how they came to Lost Lake in the 1960s and built a life renting out cabins. When Eby’s grieving great-niece Kate unearths a postcard reminding her of a summer spent at Lost Lake, she and daughter Devin head there on a whim — Kate feeling the need to escape from her demanding mother-in-law. However, once there, they join other guests who also found their way to Lost Lake because they are in need.

“The Elementals” (1981) by Michael McDowell is in the horror category. It was recommended by Stephen King, but I like King’s books a lot more. This one is very atmospheric, with most of the scary bits set at Beldame, a three-house compound on the Gulf Coast that becomes an island at high tide. It was scary, and I enjoyed it, but the characters didn’t draw me and fully engage me in the way King’s do. But, if you like this genre, it’s a good read.

“The Poison Tree” (1976) by Erin Kelly is a psychological thriller that jumps back and forth from the present to 10 years in the past and doles out the clues a few at a time to keep you guessing. But, I didn’t feel manipulated in a gotcha kind of way as I did with “Gone Girl.” Set in London, it’s the story of Karen, a university student who finds herself smitten with Biba, a young woman so unlike Karen in every way. The summer Karen spends living with Biba and her brother Rex will change her life in every way. And, highlights how far people will go for those they love.

“The House at Riverton” (2006) by Kate Morton. There are so many books these days that drift back and forth in time? I think they’re popular because they allow the author to create some suspense and build a story slowly. That’s the case in “The House at Riverton.” Grace is sent to be a housemaid at Riverton, a house where her mother once served before she became pregnant and was forced to leave. Grace is enamored with the Hartford daughters, Hannah and Emmeline, and their lives. Grace tells her story from a nursing home, recording for her grandson her memories of the Hartford family’s triumphs and tragedies through World Wars I and II. What dredged up the past is the making of a movie about the final tragedy that took place there in the summer of 1924, when a young poet who survived the war killed himself by the lake. It’s a story of secrets kept, family, service, loyalty, and the rapid changes brought about socially and for women after the wars. I loved her second book, too, “The Forgotten Garden.”

Visit Lynda Rego on Facebook at www.facebook.com/lynda.rego where she shares tips on cooking, books, gardening, genealogy and other topics. Click on Like and share ideas for upcoming stories.

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Mike Rego has worked at East Bay Newspapers since 2001, helping the company launch The Westport Shorelines. He soon after became a Sports Editor, spending the next 10-plus years in that role before taking over as editor of The East Providence Post in February of 2012. To contact Mike about The Post or to submit information, suggest story ideas or photo opportunities, etc. in East Providence, email mrego@eastbaymediagroup.com.