Bookends and Beach Reads

By Kait Carson

Okay, anyone humming Simon and Garfunkel right now—you’re outed as being over ahem, a certain age. Not that I would know, mind you. Never heard of them myself—is that my nose that’s growing?

This is the time of the year when every newspaper, webpage, and magazine has a ‘top beach books of 2025’ list. Tables jam bookstore entrances touting best summer reads generally accompanied by poster featuring stylized beach scenes. Print ads offer popular books for your consideration. After a while, the ‘professional’ lists look alike.

The big publishing houses have the bucks and marketing staff to flog their offerings, but there are so many more books available that deserve recognition. It’s a long-held principle that the crying baby gets fed. So let’s make some noise for the little guy. Here’s my list, in no particular order, of the best five books I’ve read this summer.

Someone is Out There, by Kaye George. Darla Taylor is doing her best to  lead a quiet life and failing miserably. The only constants in her life are her dog, Moose, her best friend Gin, her career as a nurse, and her handicapped mother. Of those, only the dog can be relied on. 

The tension ratchets up with each turn of the page. It's the kind of book that keeps you awake nights and when you do manage to turn out the lights, haunts your sleep. George is known as a cozy writer, and this novel is her debut thriller. This book was a surprise, and I hope it's followed by more in the same genre. 

Demons and Ramen, by A.M. Loweecey. I hope this will be a series. As you may be able to tell from the title, it is laugh out loud funny, but it also explores serious issues. Yes, it's a book of exorcism and possession and a love story of sorts between a priest on hiatus and a thousand-year-old shapeshifter, but it's hysterical. And bittersweet. Denis Kaine, the priest exorcist, is on a quest to discover why his brother, Xavier, died. The Kaine twins were an unbeatable exorcist tag team. Now Denis is a solo act, and he needs to prove that Xavier didn't die by suicide, but that there was more to his death. Loweecey’s writing is clear and crisp. I didn’t want to put it down.

 

Shattered Sight, by Liz Milliron. This is the first of a new series by Milliron and it’s wonderful. Set in Niagara Falls, New York, the legendary tourist attraction does double duty as a backdrop and a character. As the book opens, Jackson Davis is returning to work as a detective following a lengthy medical leave. No sooner is he through the door than he’s presented with a rookie partner and a new case. The death of a woman with everything to live for but whose secrets swirl like the currents of the river that swallowed her. Is it murder or suicide? The higher ups at Niagara PD are on the fence. The clock is ticking. Jackson’s career may hang in the balance.

 Milliron deftly takes us on a deep dive into the psyche of a man struggling to overcome his own demons, reclaim his life, and do the right thing. It’s a compassionate and heartfelt book, and I’m looking forward to the second installment.

A Poisonous Palate, by Lucy Burdette. A beach read set at the beach. This is the fourteenth book in the Key West Food Critic mystery series. All the books are worth the read, but this one appealed to me on a personal level. The book alternates between Big Pine Key in 1978 and the current day. It also includes mention of two of my favorite lower Keys restaurants: No Name Pub, and The Square Grouper. Catherine Davitt approaches Haley to help solve the 1978 disappearance of her friend from a hippie camp. Catherine and Veronica had sought refuge from their Michigan lives in the laid-back Keys and joined a loosely organized commune. Veronica disappeared on the night before the authorities destroyed the commune. Almost fifty years later, many of the former members are still in the Keys. As Haley interviews the survivors, it becomes clear that someone doesn’t want the mystery solved. This was an ending I didn’t see coming and a villain I never would have guessed. A fun read, and a wonderful trip down memory lane. 

Always You and Me, by Dani Atkins. Romances are my secret pleasure and this one does not disappoint. Besides, they are always great beach reads. This friends to enemies to lovers second chance romance had me sobbing. Lili and Josh meet as pre-teen next-door neighbors. Josh carries the baggage of his past life as a badly treated foster child. When he and his foster family move away, the pair vow to keep in touch, but, well, life. Although they touch base from time to time, it’s always as friends. When Lili meets Adam, she falls hard. The relationship pushes Josh to declare his love on the eve of Lili and Adam’s wedding. Harsh words are involved and the two resolve never to speak again. Until Adam begs Lili on his deathbed to get in touch with Josh. That’s as far as I can go without the risk of spoilers, but I loved this book and am looking forward to reading more by this author.

 What’s in your beach bag this summer?

 Kait Carson writes the Hayden Kent Mysteries set in the Fabulous Florida Keys and is at work on a new mystery set in her adopted state of Maine. Her short fiction has been nationally published in the Trues and Woman’s World magazines. Her short fiction has appeared in the Silver Falchion Award nominated Seventh Guppy Anthology Hook, Line, and Sinker and her nonfiction essay was included in the Agatha Award-winning book Writing the Cozy Mystery. She is a former President of the Guppy Chapter of Sisters in Crime, a member of Sisters in Crime, and Guppies. Visit her website at www.kaitcarson.com.

 

 

In Praise of Mrs. Pollifax

by Shari Randall

I’m traveling a lot this summer, packing my wooly socks and pashmina for the flight, my brand new Kindle, and one of my most delightful travel companions – Dorothy Gilman’s Mrs. Emily Pollifax.

I discovered the first Mrs. Pollifax book, The Unexpected Mrs. Pollifax, in an airport in Bermuda many years ago, before cell phones and Kindles made travel so easy for book lovers. The thin paperback was perfect for slipping into a beach bag or pocket. This was also before publishers decided that paperbacks had to be several pages longer. Have you noticed that? Perhaps vacations are longer today? A Mrs. Pollifax book was perfect for my long weekend.

Mrs. Pollifax is a senior citizen and widow from New Jersey. Her children are grown. She’s an intelligent woman who longs for more than garden club and charity teas. So, she decides to serve her country by joining the CIA.

What!

Great credit goes to author Dorothy Gilman who made this scenario work for 14 books. Mrs. Pollifax faces danger – and stubborn CIA bureaucrats – with aplomb, picking up karate, yoga, shadowy tails, and many devoted friends over the course of the series.

She’s definitely of the Miss Marple pattern – the lady of a certain age who hides a razor sharp mind under a sweet exterior. But Miss Marple never traveled too far from St. Mary Mead (there was a trip to the Caribbean, maybe?)

What sets Mrs. Pollifax apart is the exotic travel that is part of her job as a spy. Gilman wrote these books during the Cold War, so Mrs. Pollifax matches wits and karate moves with operatives with a decided Russian accent. But her itinerary – Mexico, Istanbul, communist China, a safari in Africa – take her around the globe.

Escapism? You bet. If you’re looking for a perfect summer read, take Mrs. Pollifax on vacation with you.

If you’d like to know more about the series, check out the fan page:

http://mrspollifax.com/blog/

Have you ever read a Mrs. Pollifax book? What book is your summer read this year?

Warning! Dangerous Reading Ahead

Boxes of yellow and green Crayola markers and other school supplies fill the shelves of our neighborhood grocery store. You know what that means. It’s back to school time! A time when joyful parents anticipate the end of summer vacation and high school kids scramble to complete their summer reading assignments.

We librarians on the front lines – the reference desk - are besieged by kids who have to write a report or do a project based on a class-assigned book selected by their teacher. And it’s due tomorrow! And all the copies are checked out! It’s a desperate time.

Back in the day – cue the black and white newsreel accompanied by old timey piano music – summer really was a vacation from school. Summer reading meant books of our own choosing, books taken musty and soft from the shelves in a lakeside cottage, or pulled from the hushed and dim recesses of a city library, or borrowed from a friend. We chose our own books.

Today’s kids, overscheduled with enrichment camps and sports leagues, now have math packets and civics assignments and book reports to complete in the break between the last and first days of school. They have assigned reading shouldering aside those last chances for a book of their own choice.

Here in the land of the helicopter parent, where every child is gifted (take that, Lake Wobegon), teachers assign a summer reading book carefully.

What’s new in this school-assigned summer reading?

Summer Reading Lists in my county now come with a warning:

“Please note that the books on this list may contain mature content and/or controversial material (i.e. offensive language, violence, and/or implied or explicit sexual situations). The resources listed below can be used to see book reviews and get more information about the books we will use in our class.”

Sure, I want to roll my eyes. Does everything, even literature, have to come bubble wrapped with a safety warning? But part of me is also amused and more than a bit pleased. I know the schools are just trying to ward off outraged parents, but this is an affirmation of what I’ve believed for a long time: Reading can be a dangerous undertaking. Imagine all those new ideas and epiphanies lying in wait for Cayden and Sophia. Literature can change minds, wound hearts, scar psyches. I know this wasn’t the motivation for the warning, but I can’t help getting a kick out of this unintentional nod to the power of books.

Top Dog for Kids Summer Reading 2015

One of the best parts of my job is visiting schools to talk about my library’s summer reading program. In my county, by reading fifteen books, kids can earn a booklet full of prize coupons for things like free ice cream, two for one skate park admissions, and my favorite, a free Krispy Kreme donut. I know - no fair that adults can’t get in on this deal!

I always tell the kids that sure, winning prizes for reading is fun, but the best part is all the great books they get to read. I don’t mention the real reason their teachers want them to read over the summer. Warding off a slide in their reading skills is not at the top of most kids’ summer to-do lists.

Since fun is at the top of young readers’ lists, I was thrilled to discover that the author of one of my favorite adult mystery series has started a series for children. Spencer Quinn, author of the Chet and Bernie books, has written a book for kids age 8-12. Quinn’s fans will be happy to learn that Woof: A Bowser and Birdie Novel is Son of Chet and Bernie. The elements that make his adult series a hit make Woof a treat for young readers. Play fair mystery? Check. Adventure? Check. Hilarious, overly enthusiastic narration by fun-loving canine? As Bowser would say, check check check!

In Woof, our narrator is Bowser, a rescue dog adopted by eleven-year-old Birdie Gaux (pronounced “Go”). The Gaux Family Fish and Bait Company is run by Birdie’s Grammy, a tough lady who takes care of Birdie while her mother works on an oil rig off the shore of Angola. Birdie’s father was a police officer killed in the line of duty, so it’s just Grammy and Birdie running the family business selling bait and running boat tours of the Louisiana bayou.

When Grammy and Birdie get Bowser home from the animal shelter, they discover that Black Jack, a prize marlin that was mounted on the wall of their shop for years, has been stolen. Now Black Jack isn’t just any big fish. It’s been rumored for years that a treasure map was hidden behind Black Jack’s right eye. Is that the reason for the theft? The mystery deepens. Who is the mysterious man cruising up and down the bayou in a boat called Fun ‘n Games? Could a mysterious lady named Maybelline hold the answers?

Gum chewing gumshoe Birdie is a tough minded little girl who won’t take no for an answer. She’s devoted to her honest-as-the-day-is-long Grammy, but when she thinks the police aren’t doing enough to solve the theft, Birdie takes action. The action involves an attempted kidnapping and a gator attack but bad guys and gators are no match for a protective dog like Bowser. Quinn does a good job providing the thrill of danger while keeping the upsetting elements PG rated. 

Though the mystery and the bayou setting are fun, it’s Bowser’s narration that makes this book top dog. Seeing the world from the viewpoint of a loveable mutt with impulse control problems will keep kids laughing. When faced with an unattended sandwich, Bowser thinks “The ham sandwich was pretty much right in front of my face. No one was saying ‘Bowser, do not make a play for that ham sandwich.’ What else could that mean but Go get it, big guy!”

Or:

“One quick sniff and I knew that BLTs were in that basket. BLTs were an odd human invention, sandwiches filled with weird tasteless stuff no one in their right mind would be interested in -- except for the bacon. In case you missed that, I'll mention it again: bacon!”

Reviewers have compared Birdie to Scout of To Kill a Mockingbird and Alan Bradley’s Flavia deLuce – bright, inquisitive kids who take matters into their own hands. Luckily for Birdie – and us - she’s got loveable Bowser to help her sniff out clues.

My top mystery pick for summer reading fun? Woof by Spencer Quinn.

The Hottest Kids' Book of the Summer Is….

Librarians have a saying about books: For every book, a reader. For every reader, a book.

Our job is to help kids find that book – the book that makes him want to read more, the book that will keep her up past bedtime, reading with a flashlight under the covers.

This summer the Reading Under The Covers With A Flashlight Award goes to: The Screaming Staircase by Jonathan Stroud!

I’ve been a fan of Stroud’s ever since his Bartimaeus trilogy. The Amulet of Samarkand was what Harry Potter would have been if Harry had a darker heart and a snarky, million-year-old genie. Stroud is a master at weaving thrills, chills, and humor.

His new book, The Screaming Staircase, is the first in the Lockwood and Company series. (A series! Hallelujah!)

No worries about the summer heat with this book. The Screaming Staircase will give a kid plenty of shivers – which is why I recommend it for older kids, fifth grade and up. The first chapters had me locking the doors and looking over my shoulder. The last chapters – Why does the staircase scream, Mrs. Randall? – are definitely PG-13.

What’s The Screaming Staircase about? Glad you asked. Here is the book talk (librarian speak for a synopsis/sales pitch presented to kids) for the chilliest book of the summer.

As you know, we have a Problem. It’s an epidemic. Not an epidemic like the measles, or the chicken pox, or the flu. Oh, no. Nothing that easy to fix.

The sun goes down, the ghosts come out.

We’ve got an epidemic of ghosts.

Now this would not be such a problem if these were your garden variety ghosts that hang around the graveyard moaning and sighing and rattling a few chains. The type that go pouf! with a flick of your iron tipped sword.

Oh, no. We’ve got the bad ones. The Specters. The Ghouls. The ones that want to harm the living, reaching out with their tattered fingers to give the Ghost Touch. And you know what happens if you get Ghost Touched. You turn blue and could die in two days if you don’t get to a hospital.

Of course the government is fighting it. Tons of companies have sprung up to fight the ghost epidemic. And this means lots of opportunities for kids like you. Of course! Kids are the only ones who can see ghosts. Humans lose the ability to see ghosts by the time they are about, oh, twenty or so. Because you can’t fight what you can’t see, right? So every night companies of children take to the streets along with their adult bosses to fight the ghosts.

Most companies are owned by adults, except for one small company called Lockwood and Company. It’s owned by a teenage boy named Anthony Lockwood. He has two employees: Lucy Carstairs, who is not only a savvy ghost fighter, she can also communicate with ghosts. A very dangerous gift, indeed. The team is rounded out by George Cubbins, who is the researcher. A very important job, researching the ghosts, because you can fight them better if you can understand who they used to be and what they might want. George is also in charge of making the sandwiches.

He’s not crazy about having to make the sandwiches.

And what’s the Screaming Staircase? It’s just the most haunted object in the most haunted house in all of England. Why has Lockwood and Company been hired to rid the staircase of ghosts when so many bigger companies have failed? That’s just one mystery among many in this terrific summer read.

Good Bye, Summer Reading

A proud reader

For some, the first day of school means the end of summer. At libraries, it means the end of summer reading. Close to one thousand children participated in the summer reading program at my county library. The finishers, who had to read fifteen books over the summer, earned a coupon book of prizes and the right to put their names on paper cut outs we display in the branch. Many children proudly visit their cut outs, so we leave them up for a few weeks into the school year. But the gears shift; the reading lists change.

Gone are the lighter, funnier, summer reads. In September, the school reading lists bristle with classics and serious novels. The Great Gatsby steps in as Bridget Jones makes her exit.

Many adults make the same shift. Instead of the brightly colored book displays of beach reads, bristling with bikinis, sand castles, and sailboats, the library book display this month features biographies, serious and suitable for September, the back to school month. Many of these books may have bikinis, sandcastles, and sailboats in the story, but these frivolous elements are hidden behind serious head shots and no nonsense titles: Fearless. Unbreakable. No Easy Day. Lean In.

As we move into the autumn, we'll display books appropriate for those lengthening hours of darkness. Autumn is the time to recommend the darker favorites, Justin Cronin's The Passage, or Alden Bell's The Reapers Are the Angels, a zombie apocalypse/Flannery O'Connor mash up. Leigh Perry's A Skeleton in the Family, about a mystery-solving skeleton, might appeal to those who want some laughs with their shivers.

I realized as I watched this transition in reading material that I had unconsciously set my work in progress in a beach town in September. The tourists are gone, the crowds have left the beach, the leaves are shading into gold and orange. The transition of the seasons underscores the transitions being made by the characters. The sun is losing its warmth. The cold days are coming. Change is literally in the air.

What was your favorite “beach read” this summer?

Writers, does the season of the year play a part in your story?