Summer has arrived!  In my opinion, summer reading is some of the best reading—there are lots of great titles being released, reading by the pool or ocean is magical, and hot days are perfect for lounging with a book.  There’s also something to be said about books that are set during the summer season, like the ones in our “Same Season, Different Time” display.  These are all books that take place during the summer months in years different than the one we’re currently in–some set many years ago, some set just a few years ago.  Here are some highlights:

“Malibu Rising” by Taylor Jenkins Reid takes place on August 27, 1983 in Malibu, California.  On this fateful day, four famous siblings throw their epic annual end-of-summer party, but when Malibu catches on fire, the party falls apart, along with the sibling’s carefully crafted lives.

“Our Last Days in Barcelona” by Chanel Cleeton is set in Barcelona in 1936.   “Alicia Perez arrives in Barcelona after a difficult voyage from Cuba, her marriage in jeopardy and her young daughter Isabel in tow.  Violence brews in Spain, the country on the brink of civil war, the rise of fascism threatening the world.  When Cubans journey to Spain to join the International Brigades, Alicia’s past comes back to haunt her as she is unexpectedly reunited with the man who once held her heart.  Alicia’s and Isabel’s lives intertwine, and the past and present collide, as a mother and daughter are forced to choose between their family’s expectations and following their hearts.”

Travel to 1960s NYC in “Park Avenue Summer” by Renee Rosen.  “It’s 1965 in New York City and Helen Gurley Brown, the new editor-in-chief of Cosmopolitan, shocks America and saves a dying publication by daring to talk to women about everything off-limits. Alice Weiss is a single girl from a small midwestern town who unexpectedly lands a job at Cosmo, a job nothing could have prepared her for. When someone tries to pull Alice into a scene to sabotage her boss, she is more determined than ever to help Helen succeed. As pressure mounts and Alice struggles to make her way in New York, she quickly learns that in Helen’s world, a woman can demand to have it all.”

In “Hotel Laguna,” Nicola Harrison transports us from “the female-staffed factories of World War II to the sun-splashed beaches of southern California, plunging into one woman’s daring journey to demand more for herself.  With rich period detail and skillful consideration of a postwar society in flux, Harrison spins a tale of love, identity, and the hidden secrets of the art world.  Nicola Harrison has a gift for crafting leading ladies full of heart and moxie, and readers will fall in love with Hazel.”

You’ll find these titles and lots more in our “Same Season, Different Time” display.  For additional title suggestions, see the lists below: