Article By: Cher Collins
Contributing Writer

Happy Summer, fellow readers! It’s time for guilty pleasure reading, all day, everyday! Take a
load off, grab a beverage of your choice and dig into those books that make us feel a little lighter
this time of year. If you’re not sure where to start, here are a few hot suggestions to kick off your
summer.
The Summer Pact by Emily Giffin is the perfect tale of a decades-long friendship among four
young college students. When Summer, the perfectionist student/athlete takes her own life
shortly before their college graduation; Tyson, Lainey and Hannah make a promise to always be
there for each other. Ten years later, the friends come together as their separate lives all seem
to have taken a detour and life plans haven’t worked out so well for any of them. True to the
Summer pact, the trio get together for a whirlwind summer trip where they each choose a
destination. The friends share their grief and hardships, but it also becomes a once-in-a-lifetime
vacation filled with hope, love and acceptance. For all three, their adventure becomes a
life-changing experience. Giffin fans will appreciate the well-drawn characters, as well as the
intimate aspects of friendship in her latest book. Humor and wit sprinkle 350+pages of
self-discovery and the bonds of lifelong friends. This is an easy and enjoyable read. Giffin will
gain new followers with this summer’s hit! The Summer Pact is out July 9th. Get your name on
the library hold list quickly! There is sure to be a wait!
If you’re interested in a tense, psychological thriller, look no further than God of the Woods by
Liz Moore. In August 1975, thirteen-year-old Barbara Van Laar went missing from her summer
camp bunk in the Adirondacks.The wealthy Van Laars own the camp and all the land
surrounding it, including an extravagant estate that serves as the family’s summer escape.
Shockingly, this isn’t the first time a Van Laar child has disappeared from the property. Barbara’s
older brother Bear vanished from their summer house 14 years earlier. Tension builds as the
investigation into Barbara’s disappearance begins. Moore blends two timelines seamlessly that
lead readers to believe two very real, but very different scenarios about what possibly happened
to the Van Laar children. As more complex layers are revealed, more questions surface about
the Van Laar family. Moore handles the 1970’s social nuances and family dysfunction without
being preachy or passing judgment. She also melds the mystery into the beautiful, natural
landscape of the Adirondacks. Just when the reader thinks they’ve solved the puzzle, more
twists keep us guessing until the last few pages. Intrigue, greed, and complicated family
dynamics round out this slow and sizzling suspense from Liz Moore. God of the Woods hits
shelves on July 2nd-just in time for the long weekend!
New York Times Bestselling Author Kate Quinn returns to the charts with The Briar Club.
Following the success of The Rose Code and The Alice Network, historical fiction fans will be
wowed by Quinn’s portrayal of female friendships and deadly secrets in a time where paranoia
and women’s struggles were signs of the times. In 1950’s Washington DC, the Briarwood House
is an all-female boarding house whose mysterious new resident is stirring things up. Mysterious
widow Grace March brings the residents together in a weekly dinner party when the matron of
the house is out for the evening. The dinners become a lifeline for the women and friendships
are formed as residents come and go. But loyalties are tested when a dead body is found at the
house and questions emerge about the secrets that lie behind the picket fence at Briarwood.The
cast of characters is large and well-developed; and the author does a good job of creating
strong women voices at a time when women’s voices were suppressed. The repression and
suspicion of the McCarthy Era is genuinely felt here, but it is not overdone. Quinn balances fear
and friendship in the Briar Club. And the result is a compulsively engrossing novel. This was my
first Kate Quinn book, but it certainly will not be the last.
Mega Author James Patterson waves his magic wand this month with four, yes four new
releases. Get ready for a new graphic novel series launch with Ali Cross. Geared towards
younger readers, the Ali Cross series will introduce children to the high action mystery writing
that has taken the world by storm. Book 2 in the Jane Smith series, Hard to Kill and Confessions
of the Dead are two new, sure-to-be blockbusters from Patterson and his talented team. And
Tiger,Tiger hits shelves July 15th. One of the biggest names in golf will forever be immortalized
by one of the biggest names in publishing-a perfect match!
Whatever you’re reading this month, take the time to enjoy it. Savor the page and bask in the
Sun!