Summer New Releases
I have been reading some fantastic recent releases. These books are perfect for the lake, the beach, or even reading inside with the air conditioning on. If you haven’t yet, join the Fergus Falls Public Library’s Adult Summer Reading Challenge on our website or while visiting the library. This challenge goes through the end of July and adults who complete 12 tasks get a free book and bookmark. These books make fantastic reads for the task “Read by the water.”
Summerland Cove by Ellen Baker
Arriving at her family’s summerhouse in Maine, Lindy is excited to spend two weeks with her parents and adult children. For months she’s been planning for three milestone celebrations. When her husband fails to show up for his own birthday party, her family starts to slowly unravel. This novel is told from three women’s perspectives, one in each generation. Each has a secret they are trying to protect their family from. I adored this family drama about a loving family just trying to do their best.
Whistler by Ann Patchett
English teacher Daphne is living happily with her husband outside of New York City when she stumbles across a man who recognizes her in the Metropolitan Museum of Art. It is her second of three fathers: Eddie. Eddie and her mother broke up when she was 9 years old, not long after he married into the family. Daphne and Eddie reconnect, rebuilding their relationship as Daphne looks back to her childhood. Patchett excels at describing everyday lives. Although not much happens in this quiet novel, I was swept up into Daphne’s life, falling in love with Eddie all over again along with her.
What I Made for Dinner by Kris Malcolm Belc
I ate up this foodie parenting memoir, written by Krys Belc about feeding his family during the pandemic and trying to decide if he wants to have a fourth child. Belc is a trans man who has given birth previously, and his partner has also carried two children. During the pandemic he becomes obsessed with the possibility of having another child, and stops taking testosterone in preparation for getting pregnant. Belc also becomes engrossed with the work of celebrity chefs and their food videos as a way to maintain his sanity during the pandemic. I loved following Belc as he learned about each chef, and I was just as interested in his journey considering a fourth child. This book is a treat that I stayed up way too late reading.
Natural Disaster by Lisa Owens
The narrator of this novel is determined to make her last day of maternity leave special. Single-parenting while her husband is away for work, her day goes completely off the hinges, in an absurd yet absolutely possible-with-kids fashion, culminating in a visit to the ER while she is wearing a full-body frog suit. Parents will delight in reading this, relieved that it is not them in these situations. This is a short novel to read in a sitting or two that brilliantly highlights many of the difficulties of parenting during early childhood. Laugh-out-loud hilarious and relatable.
Make Nice by Ryan Effgen (publishing July 14)
Three adult siblings go on vacation with their father on a fictionalized island similar to Mackinac Island. Each sibling is struggling in a different way. Pete is hoping to advance in his career as a snail scientist. Viv is attending with her teenage daughter but not her husband, whose relationship she is grappling with. In the zaniest plot, underachieving youngest child Corey has brought drugs to the island in hopes of selling them to the wealthy vacationers. This was a satisfying summer family drama that I will definitely pick up again to re-read. Come for the family drama, stay for the summer vacation vibes. I agree with the publisher’s recommendation of this book being good for fans of “The Wedding People,” although I was left with less takeaway messages.
Katelyn Boyer is the Adult Services Librarian at the Fergus Falls Public Library