Good books not only present thrilling plots and relatable main characters, but they also provide readers something additional to consider. Books like Megan Goldin’s “Dark Corners” shine a light on the fake world of social media while engrossing us in a desperate attempt to stop a serial killer before he can kill again.
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The best way to educate young readers is to provide picture books that are so irresistible that kids feel a compulsion to pick them up and read them. Here are some educational picture books that appear to accomplish just that feat.
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While I really enjoyed “Sun Damage” by Sabine Durrant, the title doesn’t provide even a hint at what is really going on in this exciting, tension-filled novel. A better title, I think, would be a phrase used in the book, “Risky Games,” because those are, after all, exactly what Ali, the main character, is engaged in for much of the story.
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In “The Five-Star Weekend,” Elin Hilderbrand brings us what we have come to expect from her novels— an enjoyable beach read about lovely settings; women who seem to have it all; and, at the same time, an examination of weightier topics. For example, we present a curated version of ourselves to the world on social media while hiding our imperfections. We pretend we have perfect marriages, or lives, even if we do not. We take photographs carefully, hiding the unsightly elements and angling our bodies to look slimmer, instead of just allowing candid photos that show our enjoyment of life. We read about loss and love and second chances, and maybe after reading this novel, we will consider our own lives and what is most important to us.
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If combining a mass shooting with a romance seems an unlikely pairing, rest assured that Sandra Brown is quite capable of making this accomplishment work wonderfully well in her new romantic thriller, “Out of Nowhere.” She first introduces us to the shooter, who brags about being uncatchable and even brags about being impervious to the risk of becoming a suspect. And until the very clever ending, we don’t understand why that would be the case.
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Life on Santa Catalina Island seems idyllic and carefree, but in “What Never Happened,” Rachel Howzell Hall imagines the dark side of the serene, secluded, and supposedly safe vacation spot. Protagonist Colette, also known as Coco, is back on the island after a failed marriage which brought her close to a breakdown. Her aging aunt, who lives on the island, needs help. While they’ve never been close, her Auntie Gwen helped raise Coco, and she feels that she has to help Gwen now that it’s needed.
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In “The Better Half,” coauthors Alli Frank and Asha Youmans give their readers what we have come to expect: a novel with relatable main characters, humor, romance, and very honest talk about race. In this novel, main character Nina Morgan Clarke appears to have it all. She’s the first Black, female head of school at the tony Royal-Hawkins School in Pasadena, CA. She’s worked hard to get there, and with her daughter across the country at a private boarding school that’s close to her ex-husband, Nina can finally enjoy life and the fruits of her years of labor.
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Megan Collins’ new release, “Thicker Than Water,” is an unusual story in that the most important relationship in the story is between two women, the two women narrators, Sienna and Julia. They first became friends when Julia married Jason, Sienna’s brother. Although they hadn’t been dating long, Julia was pregnant, and Jason was eager to “do the right thing”; and Julia was so enamored with Sienna and their budding friendship that she agreed.
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It’s July and skies are blue (mostly, unless the Canadian smoke is overhead). This might be the best time of year to read about islands where the water is clear, the slender tanned wrists of the wealthy are covered in expensive watches, and the “townies” live to serve those who are able to summer on those beautiful, idyllic islands. In this sun-filled novel, “The Beach at Summerly,” Beatriz Williams sets her novel immediately after WWII, right at the start of the Cold War. The narrative is told concurrently in two timelines; one in 1946 right after the conclusion of the war, and one in 1954, years after the shocking event that changes the lives of those involved, the details of which Williams doesn’t share until almost the final act of this story.
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