Melissa’s Picks
Summer is in full force here in Pawleys Island, as is evidenced by the crowded beaches, lines outside our delicious restaurants and the large number of dear customers at Litchfield Books! We are glad to see our loyal, local customers, as well as our many out of town guests who return to visit our little slice of Paradise! Summer calls for a good book in hand no matter where you are! Here are a few suggestions that I’ve recently enjoyed!
Revival Season by Monica West- A debut novel that I fell in love with from the first chapter. Having been raised in the South, I can vividly remember the tent revivals and healing services that were held throughout the summer. In this novel, fifteen-year-old Miriam Horton and her family pack into the family car as they tour the South for massive services where the highlight is her father’s miraculous healing of the sick. This particular summer, Miriam hopes that things will return to normal after a horrible healing gone wrong the previous year. This novel delves into issues of faith—not just religious, but in the people you think you know.
The Exiles by Christina Baker Kline- For those of you who prefer a paperback AND love historical fiction, you are in luck, The Exiles was just released in paper on July 6th! This was absolutely one of my favorite novels from last year. This story is based on the lives of three women convicted of petty theft in England who are shipped to the convict colony of Australia, never to return to their home country. Another interesting character is a young Aboriginal girl who weaves through the story like a phantom. I learned so much about the colonization of Australia that I never knew by reading this book! This is definitely a must-read for anyone who loves a beautifully written and exquisitely researched historical novel.
Reading Ahead…
No One Will Miss Her by Kat Rosenfield - Last, but not least, if you like a great mystery with a lot of twists and turns, you will love this book! I just finished this smart, fast-moving novel of psychological suspense in which a girl from a small town meets a gorgeous Instagram influencer from the big city, with a murderous twist that will shock even the savviest reader! I can honestly say that no matter how many mystery and suspense novels that you have read, you will NOT be able to figure out the ending beforehand! It is a quick, easy beach read that you will not want to put down until the end! Put this one on your list of books to read and watch for it in October!
(Pub Date October 2021)
Happy Reading!