This month's reading list includes Elin Hildebrand's latest beach read, a highly anticipated royal biography, thrillers, romance novels, memoirs and more. (Amazon)
We're not quite sure how it happened, but August is already here. Before you know it, summer 2020 will be over and done. It's all more the reason to get your read on right now, and if you're looking for a fantastic book, we've got you covered.
This month's reading list is a mix of picks from Patch staffers and Amazon editors. It's got Elin Hildebrand's latest beach read, a highly anticipated royal biography, thrillers, romance novels, memoirs and more. If you like to read, you're going to love these books.
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When Mallory Blessing's son Link receives instructions from his dying mother to call a number on a slip of paper, he's surprised when Jake McCloud answers the phone. It's the late spring of 2020, and Jake's wife, Ursula DeGournsey, is the frontrunner in the upcoming presidential election.
Link is confused how his mom could possibly know Jake, but it's no mistake. On Nantucket in the summer of 1993, Mallory and Jake formed a bond that lasted through marriages, kids and Ursula's political rise. They had a one-weekend-per-year affair, and until Mallory was dying, it remained a secret. "28 Summers" is a poignant novel that looks at how this relationship complicates and enriches Jake and Mallory's lives, and the lives of those they love.
Charlie Lewis is 38 years old and about to be married, but he can't stop thinking about the events of a summer 22 years ago. Back then, Charlie was a teenage boy dreading the future until a girl named Fran Fisher burst into his life. In order to spend time with Fran, 16-year-old Charlie has to join a theater troupe. All these years later, Charlie is still hung up on that summer with Fran, and he can't go to the altar until he's come to terms with his relationship with Fran and his former self.
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle made international headlines with their decision to step away from royal life. In this book, longtime royal reporters Omid Scobie and Carolyn Durand talk to those closest to the couple for an in-depth look at a couple unafraid of breaking with tradition. "Finding Freedom" features inside details about this forward-thinking couple's romance and determination to make a difference in the world on their own terms.
Rachel Krall's true-crime podcast turned her into a household name, but she's used to being recognized for her voice, not her face. That's why she's concerned when someone leaves a note on her car windshield begging for help. Rachel is in a small town covering the trial of a promising swimmer who has been accused of raping the police chief's granddaughter. Rachel throws herself into covering the case for season 3 of her podcast, but the mysterious letters continue to roll in. Someone won't stop following Rachel until they find out what happened to their sister 25 years ago. Rachel begins asking questions, unsettling the locals, and she begins to find troubling connections between the current rape trial and a case from years back that someone is desperate for her to solve.
Edie is living in New York and stumbling through her 20s when she meets Eric, a digital archivist with a family in New Jersey. Edie enters into an open relationship with Eric and his wife, but there are a complex set of rules to follow. When Edie loses her job in the city, she's invited by Eric's wife to move to the family home in the suburbs. Suddenly, Edie is a reluctant ally to Eric's wife and a de facto role model to his adopted daughter. Edie may be the only Black woman the young girl knows. In this sharp, daring novel, Edie navigates the shifting landscapes of contemporary sexual manners and racial politics with wit and heart.
Since debuting as the host of "Jeopardy!" in 1984, Alex Trebek has been a regular fixture in homes across the country. In 2019, he revealed he'd been diagnosed with stage four pancreatic cancer and was met with an outpouring of love and support from around the world. Up until recently, Trebek had shied away from the idea of writing a memoir, but he was so moved by all the goodwill that he decided it was time to share his story. This moving memoir covers Trebek's personal and professional life with candor and humor, and it's sure to leave you inspired.
Grant McAllister, a professor of mathematics, worked out the rules for a perfect murder mystery, and he wrote seven perfect detective stories to demonstrate. That was 30 years ago, and now, Grant lives quietly in seclusion with his writing days behind him. Then one day Julia Hart, an ambitious editor, knocks on Grant's door wanting to republish his book. In order to do this, though, Grant and Hart must revisit his murder mystery formula. But Hart quickly sees that some things in the stories don't add up. Are they clues? Hart soon finds herself trying to solve a new mystery about an author hiding from his past.
Two women have loved Mr. Ford, but only one is alive to tell the tale. In this glittery summer thriller set in the Hamptons, the reader gets an inside look into the lives of people who will do anything for love and money. The lines are blurred, and you're left guessing who will be the next to die.
After a messy public breakup, soap opera star Jasmine Lin Rodriguez is turned into a tabloid target. When she returns to New York City to star in a bilingual romantic comedy, she thinks her much-needed comeback is on track. But Jasmine's new "Leading Lady Plan" is thwarted when a casting shake-up pairs her with telenovela hunk Ashton Suárez. Ashton's telenovela character was killed off, and like Alexis, he needs this romantic comedy role to reboot his career. Not wanting to be seen as rebounding with a costar, Jasmine agrees to rehearse with Ashton in private. This quickly leads to an unintended off screen romance, and if the media gets wind of it, Jasmine's new image will be destroyed and Ashton's deepest secret revealed.
Between 1960 and 1970, 6 million Black Americans left their homes in the South for jobs in cities in the North, West and Midwest. The movement was known as The Great Migration. Author and acclaimed cultural critic Morgan Jenkins argues that while this event provided Black people with new economic opportunities, it also disconnected them from their roots and took away part of their identity. In this moving book, Jenkins traces her ancestors' journeys and seeks to understand their past and how it ties in to the present.
