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10-Year Nap

2014-09-10T20:14:35+00:00

The 10-Year Nap by Meg Wolitzer. "A light read about stay at home mom but written with very erudite voice – I seem to remember it had favorable NYTimes review couple wks ago. Highly recommend!"

Ahab's Wife: Or, the Star-Gazer

2014-09-08T00:01:34+00:00

Ahab's Wife: or, the Star-Gazer by Sena Jeter Naslund. “I didn’t see this on your list and it’s one of my favorite books!!” Amazon: From the opening line—"Captain Ahab was neither my first husband nor my last"—you will know that you are in the hands of a master storyteller and in the company of a fascinating woman hero. Inspired by a brief passage in Moby-Dick, Sena Jeter Naslund has created an enthralling and compellingly readable saga, spanning a rich, eventful, and dramatic life. At once a family drama, a romantic adventure, and a portrait of a real and loving marriage, Ahab's Wife gives new perspective on the American experience.

Color of Water: A Black Man's Tribute to his White Mother

2014-06-10T00:51:50+00:00

The Color of Water: A Black Man’s Tribute to his White Mother By James McBride.

Commonwealth

2017-06-16T00:44:19+00:00

Commonwealth by Ann Patchett. From the back cover: "One Sunday afternoon in Southern California, Bert Cousins shows up at Franny Keating’s christening party uninvited. Before evening falls, he has kissed Franny’s mother, Beverly—thus setting in motion the dissolution of their marriages and the joining of two families. Spanning five decades, Commonwealth explores how this chance encounter reverberates through the lives of the four parents and six children involved. Spending summers together in Virginia, the Keating and Cousins children forge a lasting bond based on a shared disillusionment with their parents and the strange and genuine affection that grows among them.When, in her twenties, Franny begins an affair with the legendary author Leon Posen and tells him about her family, the story of her siblings is no longer hers to control. Their childhood becomes the basis for his wildly successful book, ultimately forcing them to come to terms with their losses, their guilt, and the deeply loyal connection they feel for one another."

Cost

2014-09-06T22:52:48+00:00

Cost by Roxana Robinson "This carried my book club through two meetings. No one could put it down, and we couldn't stop talking about it. Problem is, if I tell you too much of what it's about, you won't want to read it. But here's the basic premise: a mother of two grown sons finds herself sandwiched between their tremendous problems and her aging parents' aches and dementia. The tension runs so high in this novel that after every page you want just one more... a little like what drug addiction must be. Very well done, and deeply interesting as it explores the bonds between parents and children, and how they're broken."

Crow Lake

2014-09-06T22:53:39+00:00

Crow Lake by Mary Lawson. "Four children living in northern Ontario struggle to stay together after their parents die in an auto accident in Lawson's fascinating debut, a compelling and lovely study of sibling rivalry and family dynamics in which the land literally becomes a character. Kate Morrison narrates the tale in flashback mode, starting with the fatal car accident that leaves seven-year-old Kate; her toddler sister, Bo; 19-year-old Luke; and 17-year-old Matt to fend for themselves. At first they are divided up among relatives, but the plan changes when Luke gives up his teaching college scholarship to get a job and try to keep them together."

Cutting for Stone

2014-09-01T00:12:55+00:00

Cutting for Stone (Vintage) by Abraham Verghese. I am not sure I know anyone who didn’t love this book. It’s about identical twins born to a beautiful Indian nun in Ethiopia. (Yes, really.) She dies in childbirth, leaving them to be raised by one of the most wonderful couples I’ve ever encountered in literature. I'm not going to say how long it is … read it on the Kindle, as I did, and find out AFTER you’ve finished it. Comments: "Gorgeous writing style and story." "The book opened so many windows -- allowing a rare glimpse into Ethiopia, into surgery (NEVER thought I'd want to read all of that!), then crossing the pond with our protagonist to his life at a hospital in the Bronx." "My goodness, I loved this book. Sweeping, yet intimate family saga of twin brothers born to a doctor and a nun-nurse and how their lives unfold. Stranger in a strange land, what is home, what is family -- all themes in this beautifully written book."

Distant Land of my Father

2014-09-08T02:33:19+00:00

The Distant Land of My Father by Bo Caldwell. “…Really great history of Shanghai and redemptive father-daughter story.”

Family Matters

2014-09-08T00:14:00+00:00

Family Matters by Rohiton Mistry. Tells the story of a multi-generational Parsi (small Indian minority) family in Bombay dealing with love lost, fortunes unrealized and death and changes. Really good, especially if you are interested in ethnic stories, India, etc.

Guest Book

2019-07-01T06:58:57+00:00

The Guest Book by Sarah Blake. "A story that spans several generations of a New York family who spend time every summer on the same small island in Maine. Great at evoking a sense of place, as well as exploring changing American society from World War II to the present day. A satisfying beach read."

Inheritance

2014-09-08T00:20:51+00:00

Inheritance by Natalie Danford. “Italy (Urbino, no doubt, was the draw for me, as it's an incredibly beautiful Tuscan village with masses of interesting history). World War II. It's a gem and a quick read.” One half of the story begins after the death of Luigi Bonocchio, an Italian immigrant whose daughter Olivia discovers a mysterious deed among his possessions. The deed is to a house in Urbino, Italy---the hometown he barely spoke of. Intrigued, Olivia travels there. At first she is charmed by the historic city, the relatives she’s not met before, and the young lawyer she’s hired to help her investigate the claim. But when Olivia tries to sort out the deed, she is met with a puzzling silence. Everyone in the town remembers her father, but they are not eager to tell his story. However, Luigi tells his part of the tale directly to the reader as the chapters alternate between Olivia’s search for the truth and Luigi’s account of his history. By the end of this skillfully constructed book, the reader understands both sides of a heartbreaking, yet ultimately satisfying love story.

Lark Shall Sing

2019-06-06T06:06:38+00:00

The Lark Shall Sing by Elizabeth Cadell. From Goodreads: “The six Waynes, with no parents to guide them, are six violent individualists ranging in age from nine to twenty-four. Head of the household is Lucille, red-headed, forceful, determined to make this family a going concern.”

Last Chinese Chef

2014-09-08T00:21:33+00:00

The Last Chinese Chefby Nicole Mones. “Reading it right now and really like it!” It’s about an American widow who goes to China to find out whether a child there was fathered by her late husband. When Maggie McElroy, a widowed American food writer, learns of a Chinese paternity claim against her late husband’s estate, she has to go immediately to Beijing. She asks her magazine for time off, but her editor counters with an assignment: to profile the rising culinary star Sam Liang.

Laura and Emma

2018-07-12T23:29:38+00:00

Laura and Emma by Kate Greathead. Single mother and daughter from a moneyed family on the Upper East Side. Sibling rivalry, family trusts, and NYC in the 80s and 90s. A two-afternoon read.

Little Fires Everywhere

2019-06-06T06:06:42+00:00

Little Fires Everywhere by Celeste Ng. "Best book I read in 2017, by far. Family structure craziness, adoption shenanigans, a free spirit, a troubled daughter … this book kept me up well past 3 a.m., turning page after page."; "This is a great suburban novel by an author who understands that readers like good writing, rich characters and interesting themes – but also like A GOOD STORY. It opens with this line: 'Everyone in Shaker Heights was talking about it that summer: how Isabelle, the last of the Richardson children, had finally gone around the bend and burned the house down.' Needless to say, that got me interested. What’s with this Isabelle? Why did she burn her own house down? The novel then goes back in time in order to answer those questions, through the stories of two families. Ng asks us sympathize with all her multidimensional characters, even those whom we might wish to wholly despise. Unlike so much of the suburban literary genre, it does not rely on adultery and dark pathologies, as if living in the suburbs must be a soul-sucking horror show. That said, the characters are flawed, and those flaws have consequences, such as a nice home burned to a cinder."

Little Way of Ruthie Leming

2014-06-04T07:41:50+00:00

The Little Way of Ruthie Leming: A Southern Girl, a Small Town, and the Secret of a Good LifeBy Rod Dreher. “It's a wonderful book--just released and debuted on the NYT bestseller list. A story of family, community, small town America, illness, and a meaningful life. Ruthie Leming – the author's sister and a non-smoker – is diagnosed with a rare form of lung cancer in her early 40s. Little Way tells the tale of what happens in the wake of her diagnosis. The ways in which a community rallies around the Leming family and the ways in which it profoundly changes her brother Rod, the author. It's a beautiful book and I highly recommend it to you readers. I couldn't put it down and--despite crying several times during the book. I felt happy and uplifted after reading it. Little Way is a rare book and I hope you and the beach books list will give it a whirl.”

Lords of Discipline

2014-09-05T00:52:49+00:00

The Lords of Discipline by Pat Conroy. "I LOVED this book and read it so fast at the beach that I had to force myself to put it down to make it last longer. It's about the Citadel military life and insight into that world is fascinating. But there is also a lot of story and character about fathers and friendships and families."

Love Medicine

2014-09-05T00:53:51+00:00

Love Medicine by Louise Erdrich. "Beautifully written, enchanting stories that all intertwine into a messy, gripping, epic tale about one crazy and lovable family... An older book that my book club just read this year and really loved."

Making Toast: A Family Story

2014-09-06T19:46:28+00:00

Making Toast: A Family Story by Roger Rosenblatt. (From Amazon) "Family tragedy is healed by domestic routine in this quiet, tender memoir. When his daughter Amy died suddenly at the age of 38 from an asymptomatic heart condition, journalist and novelist Rosen-blatt (Lapham Rising) and his wife moved into her house to help her husband care for their three young children ... Rosenblatt draws sharply etched portraits of his grandchildren; his stoic, gentle son-in-law; his wife, who feels slightly guilty that she is living her daughter's life; and Amy emerges as a smart, prickly, selfless figure whose significance the author never registered until her death."

Mango Season

2014-09-08T00:23:44+00:00

Mango Seasonby Amulya Malladi "India. Arranged marriages. Culture clash. Coming of Age. An Indian woman I met at a party recommended this book to me after we had a long discussion about arranged marriages in different cultures (fyi, she claims India has the highest success rate....)."

Now You See Him

2014-09-08T00:28:47+00:00

Now You See Him by Eli Gottleib. From Publisher’s Weekly: "A mesmerizing blend of suspense and long-buried family secrets, Gottlieb's second novel (after 1997's The Boy Who Went Away) culminates in shocking revelations that rock a quiet upstate New York town. Nick Framingham is still reeling from the recent death of his childhood best friend, the writer Rob Castor, who committed suicide after killing his ex-girlfriend in Manhattan. Nick's own marriage to his college sweetheart, Lucy, begins to unravel as he struggles to understand what drove Rob to murder. Rekindling an old relationship with his first love, Belinda, Rob's volatile and beautiful sister, Nick begins to retrace not only Rob's last days but also their shared childhood, looking for clues to explain his friend's actions."

Orchard House

2015-06-07T22:18:45+00:00

The Orchard House by Tara Austen Weaver. “A woman and her mother, estranged along with other family struggles, by a decrepit old cottage and garden property together in an effort to heal decades-old wounds, and try to build a stable family foundation for nieces, nephews, and grandchildren. A sweet memoir that will sometimes punch you in the gut and make you wanna call your own siblings.”

Range of Motion

2014-07-07T00:16:02+00:00

Range of Motion by Elizabeth Berg. "If you haven’t read any Elizabeth Berg, I’d suggest checking one of her books out of the library to see what you think. This is one of my favorites, about a woman, Laieny, whose husband is in a coma after he was hit on the head by ice falling from a building. Lainey has great faith that he will recover, and tries everything to coax him back to consciousness. It could be treacly, but somehow it's not. Very beach booky, I think, though her writing has a certain elegance."

Run

2014-09-08T00:37:06+00:00

Run by Ann Patchett. “It's a story about family -- who's in a family? Why? What are the boundaries and edges of what makes up a family? Stunning.”

Saints for all Occasions

2017-06-14T08:50:45+00:00

Saints for All Occasions by Courtney J. Sullivan. “At its simplest, it is an engrossing story about family, secrets, faith, the immigrant experience (Irish) and living with the choices we make. But it is also wise, funny, perceptive and at times deeply moving. The characters are multi-dimensional and feel real -- and I find myself thinking about them when I am not reading. A great summer read!” Sullivan also wrote Maine, which came out a couple of years ago.

Shelter of Each Other

2014-09-06T20:07:53+00:00

The Shelter of Each Other by Mary Pipher (author of reviving Ophelia). From Amazon: "As she tells stories of families, her own and others, therapist Pipher focuses on small victories in what she calls 'the current family-hurting culture.' Distancing herself from therapies that pathologize families, Pipher claims to have experienced the power of hope that can be stimulated through carefully chosen family stories. In even the most dysfunctional families, she discerns threads of connectedness that have led to empowerment of her clients as they became more capable of handling their own lives."

Silver Bay

2015-06-09T19:04:40+00:00

Silver Bay by JoJo Moyes. From Amazon: “Liza McCullen will never fully escape her past. But the unspoiled beaches and tight-knit community of Silver Bay offer the freedom and safety she craves—if not for herself, then for her young daughter, Hannah. That is, until Mike Dormer arrives as a guest in her aunt’s hotel. The mild-mannered Englishman with his too-smart clothes and distracting eyes could destroy everything Liza has worked so hard to protect: not only the family business and the bay that harbors her beloved whales, but also her conviction that she will never love—never deserve to love—again.”

Sisters: The Saga of the Mitford Family

2014-06-10T02:28:40+00:00

The Sisters: the Saga of the Mitford Family: By Mary S. Lovell. This was a fantastic book about an absolutely astonishing family. The parents were middling British aristocracy. The daughters, however, include Nancy Mitford, a best-selling novelist; Diana Mitford, the great beauty who left her prominent husband for the head of the brownshirts (Fascists) and was a friend of Hitler’s; Unity, who also became a great friend of Hitler’s; and Jessica who eloped at 18, became a Communist, moved to America and also became a best-selling author. The youngest married a man who became Duke of Devonshire. Don’t bring it on a plane, as they would probably make you count it as a carry-on.

Standard Deviation

2017-06-19T22:58:31+00:00

Standard Deviation by Katherine Heiny. This is a "stop the presses" addition to the 2017 top picks list. This novel features my new favorite character in fiction, the pathologically uncensored Audra. It's a wonderfully readable story, tailor-made for the GreatBeachBooks.com crowd. I read most of it on a long flight, and I laughed out loud more times than I can count. Everyone must read it, then we can all get together and talk about who among our mutual acquaintances have strains of Audra running through them. If you want to learn more, read this Washington Post review, which does a good job enumerating the book's virtues.

Sunshine Sisters

2019-06-06T06:06:42+00:00

The Sunshine Sisters by Jane Green. Mother-daughter, sister-sister relationships … typical Jane Green “drama” and a breezy, easy read.

The Middle Place

2014-09-05T00:54:57+00:00

The Middle Place by Kelly Corrigan "A wonderful, heart-warming memoir about Corrigan’s breast cancer treatment and her relationship with her incredible family." "It's a beautiful book, made me cry so hard."

Unaccustomed Earth

2014-07-24T21:27:45+00:00

Unaccustomed Earth by Jhumpa Lahiri.“BEAUTIFULLY written, loved this book, although a bit tragic/dark like her other books.” "Almost as good as her first book of short stories.” “subtle prose masks rich, intricate family relations.”

Unseen World

2019-06-06T06:06:42+00:00

The Unseen World by Liz Moore. This book shook me to the core. It’s a long read. I took a break in the middle of it to absorb a major twist, and came back to it a few days later to finish. Its story is detailed, delicate, prodigious, thoughtful, and careful in its telling. Secret identities, mental illness, academia, family history, science/math/tech, and longing for truth and family.

Waiting for Snow in Havana

2014-06-16T21:45:57+00:00

Waiting for Snow in Havana By Carolos Eire. “This isn’t bad for the non-fiction types. It’s about a Cuban boy who is one of 14000 children who were flown out of Havana w/o their parents during the first years of the Castro regime.”