Kate Recommends Books for the Beach

   Summertime... and the reading is easy.

Be sure to sign-up for our Lake Forest Library summer reading program; prizes and raffles all add up to a summer of fun. 

Below are some of Kate’s favorite reads to start your summer.  Romance, thrillers and behind the scenes, all of these titles are available at the Lake Forest Library.  For details and more information visit www.lakeforestlibrary.org  

Big Summer by Jennifer Weiner

Daphne and Drue were best friends, until they weren’t; Daphne has moved on and created a great life for herself, a popular social media blogger she is comfortable with who she is.  Now Drue is back and wants Daphne to be in her wedding.  Does she want to risk being hurt again?  This book is a great story of friendship and compromise and loyalty.  It also holds some surprises, just as you think it is leading you one way, it morphs into a whole different read.  This is a perfect story for lounging by the lake.

The Jane Austen Society by Natalie Jenner

This cozy historical fiction is set in England just after World War II, where a group of villagers gather together to preserve Jane Austen’s legacy. Chawton was the final home of Austen and after the heir to the estate dies, the sale and disposal of her legacy is imminent. Can this group keep their eyes on their goal and save the legacy of Jane Austen for generations to come? Fun, romantic and a perfect book to read under a tree.  

Literature and Lattes by Katherine Reay

The author of The Printed Letter Bookshop sets her latest in the town of Winsome where romance, friendship and the support of the community make this a place where you want to spend some time.  Alyssa returns from Silicon Valley amidst a financial collapse and an investigation by the F.B.I.  Jeremy moves from Seattle to be near his daughter and to open the coffee shop of his dreams. They both have a lot of adjusting to do and with the help of friends new and old they learn some surprising things about themselves.  Quirky and complex, this is a perfect summer read.

If I had your Face by Frances Cha

This contemporary work of fiction set in Seoul, South Korea is a story of four young women making their way in a world defined by impossible standards of beauty. Living in the same building are Miho, an orphan artist recently returned from New York City, Ara, a non-verbal hairdresser to many clients in the entertainment industry, Wonna, a young, pregnant newlywed and Kyuri, a high class “salon girl” catering to wealthy men. Class structure, ruthless social hierarchies, K-pop mania offer a glimpse into life in the city of Seoul.

Sex and Vanity by Kevin Kwan

The latest book by Kevin Kwan, the author of Crazy Rich Asians is a captivating tale that begins on the Italian island of Capri.  Lucie Churchill is the daughter of a white father and an American-born Chinese mother, and she has not found her place in either world.  Moving between summer settings of wealth and high end real estate, descriptions of food and fashion, Sex and Vanity is a modern love story and a comedy of manners set between two cultures.

Searching for Sylvie Lee by Jean Kwok

A story of two sisters: Sylvie, much older and brought up by friends of her parents in the Netherlands, now a successful businesswoman. The other, much younger sister Amy lives in New York with her immigrant parents and struggles to find her place in life and to pay off her student loans.  When Sylvie disappears, Amy feels compelled to travel to Amsterdam search for her and in doing so discovers much about herself.  This title is the 2020 pick for this fall’s Lake Forest Reads Ragdale.

The Vanishing Half  by Brit Bennett

The author of The Mothers has set her second novel in the 1960’s where the reader follows the paths of Stella and Desiree Vignes, identical twins who leave their small Louisiana town at the age of 16. Ten years later, Desiree moves home with a baby girl, Stella disappears—and chooses to live as a white woman, her light skin allows her to pass for white. . A multi-generational epic, Bennett expertly captures the long-lasting ramifications Stella’s decision has on her sister, her daughter, her niece, and herself.  

White Like Her: My Family’s Story of Race and Racial Passing by Gail Lukasik  

This is not a new book but a very interesting read. Lukasik has spoken at the LF /LB Historical Society and the Lake Forest Library several times.  Her mother grew up in Louisiana and left home, moved north and passed as white.  When Gail was working on her family’s genealogy she discovered that her family was black, and that her mother had dropped contact with her family in the south.

Daisy Jones & the Six by Taylor Jenkins Reid.

This fun romp through the rock world of the 1970’s reads like a celebrity-tell-all of a band that rules the charts and who’s singers intrigue their fans.  Fashion, jealousies, the creative process, business managers, it’s all here: a behind-the-scenes fun summer read.

Night. Sleep. Death. The Stars. by Joyce Carol Oates
The death of patriarch John Earle McLaren brings his adult children together to honor the man they loved.  The way they cope, the lives they have made away from each other and their attitudes towards their mother each other play against each other in this epic tale of an American family.

Home Before Dark by Riley Sager

A classic summer chiller, a story of a haunted Victorian estate in the middle of nowhere Vermont; left to Maggie after her father’s death she moves in.  Maggie’s father, a best-selling author of horror and suspense had grabbed his family and ran away from this house in the middle of the night.  Now Maggie is back and we about to find out why they ran.

The Last Trial by Scott Turow
Eighty-five-year-old Sandy Stern agrees to defend his friend, a Nobel Prize-winning doctor accused of fraud, insider trading and murder.  This courtroom drama is rich in details, intrigue and suspense, all the best from the author that brought you Presumed Innocent.

Becoming Kim Jong Un by Jung H. Pak

When Kim Jong Un became the leader of North Korea following his father's death in 2011, the country was isolated, poor, and clinging to its nuclear program for legitimacy.  How did it grow into a country that gained the fear of some countries and the attention of all?  As a former C.I.A. analyst, the author gives us a look into the history, the personalities and the man who is firming this nation.

Uncanny Valley: A Memoir by Anna Weiner

Former Silicon Valley insider Anna Weiner leaves New York and travels to San Francisco to follow her dream of working for a data analytics startup. She discovers that the dream is a nightmare: male dominated, reckless, extravagant, and careless. Weiner looks at how tech giants have changed these cities and the lives of the people who live and work there. Riveting and page turning, this book offers a glimpse into the fascinating world of high stakes high tech.