The summer of 2020 may be a season unlike any other, but the need for a good read may never be greater. We asked readers    to recommend books of all genres they found worthwhile, meaning you have a great selection to enjoy while spending time aboard

Mandy~

Enchanted Inc. by Shanna Swendson. It’s the first book in a series. Magic is real, but our heroine is immune to magic. Think Harry Potter meets Bridget Jones.

Aisha ~

My Dear Ellie is a thought-provoking YA novel of a timeless journey that asks what would you be willing to do for a very best friend.

 

Li~

No Filter, the Inside Story of Instagram by Sarah Frier. I love posting pictures, so this was a natural for me. If you think the best ideas are hatched in hot tubs and hate Mark Zuckerberg, you’ll like this non-fiction work.

Anne~

Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel. This historical fiction reads like a soap opera starring Henry VII and the pesky wives who just won’t die.

 

 

Erin~ 

How To Leave by Erin Clune. A light read and timely for people wanting to get out of cities. I tell stories of my own experiences leaving New York for my hometown in Wisconsin.

 

Here For It by R Eric Thomas.  It’s a funny and touching memoir.

 

 

 

Effie ~

I recommend very pleasant, small-town romances by Nina Bocci in the Hopeless Romantic Series.

On the Corner of Love and Hate. The first book revolves around a candidate for the upcoming mayoral election and the  current mayor’s daughter. They have a long history and a love/hate relationship that adds humor to the story, in addition to an amusing set of secondary characters.

 

The Ingredients of You and Me. The story of a young woman taking her out-of-control life in her own hands and making difficult decisions to find her passion. In the midst of it all, she gets involved in a project with the town’s ‘Golden Girls,’ a group of feisty senior citizens that could run circles around any millennial.

 

 

Meet Me on Love Lane was my favorite of the three books. This is a heart-tugging story of a young woman’s recollections of her young life, which are vague at best, much to the chagrin of her best friend — a boy who thought they had an unbreakable bond.

 

Nicey~

American Dirt by Jeanine Cummins. This engrossing novel is about a Mexican woman who had to leave behind her life and escape as an undocumented immigrant to the United States with her son. An excellent story.

 

The Storyteller’s Secret by Sejal Badani. Nothing prepares Jaya, a New York journalist, for the heartbreak of her third miscarriage and then the unraveling of her marriage. Desperate, she flees to India to uncover answers. Through her courageous grandmother’s arrestingly romantic and heart-wrenching story, Jaya discovers the legacy bequeathed to her and a strength that she never knew.

Amy ~

Broken Open, How Difficult Times Help Us Grow by Elizabeth Lesser. This book is inspiring and comforting, especially when read during a difficult time in life. It explores the human condition and topics like how people cope with uncertainty, grief, and pain.

 

Becoming by Michelle Obama. Reading this book filled me with renewed hope in the American dream and provides readers with wonderful behind the scenes look at the first lady’s personal journey.

 

WW~

Brave Enough by Cheryl Strayed. A short, fabulous gem of a book by an author who has triumphed over many tragic losses and used them all as fuel for her resilience. I find it inspiring and validating.

 

When Things Fall Apart by Pema Chödrön. A timely and practical guide to help cope with times of uncertainty and anxiety.

 

Susan ~

The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah. Set in occupied France during WWII, it’s the story of how two sisters handles the difficult challenges of occupation. One sister joins the Resistance while the other tries to coexist with the occupying soldiers. You need about three boxes of tissues to get through this book.

 

 

All Adults Here by Emma Straub. This book concerns three generations of a family dealing with long held secrets and grudges, which will soon be revealed when the widowed matriarch witnesses the untimely death of a neighbor and realizes… “If not now, then when?”

 

James~

Meals, Music, and Muses: Recipes From My African American Kitchen by Alexander Smalls and Veronica Chambers. This nostalgic and mouth-watering book was better than any fictional novel I’ve read recently. And the lemon pie recipe is now a family favorite.

 

Audrey~

True Colors by Kristin Hannah. A great novel about three sisters whose world comes apart when betrayal and jealousy enters in.

 

The Great Alone by Kristin Hannah. A Vietnam vet moves his family to Alaska to live off the grid. This novel deals with what happens when the vet’s haunting past seems present and his wife and their young daughter need to make it on their own.

 

Luisa~

St. Christopher on Pluto by Nancy McKinley. Who knew stories about two women who work at a mall could be such a great read? You’ll know after you read this book!

 

 

Maddie~

Belle Canto by Ann Patchett. A richly unique smattering of people become trapped in an ambiguous South American country by a group of terrorists. You won’t put it down.

 

Chris~

Commander in Cheat: How Golf Explains Trump by Rick Reilly. This made me laugh.

 

Avi~

The Other Einstein by Marie Benedict. The story of Mitza Maric, a brilliant young physicist, who married Albert Einstein and is now emerging from his huge shadow.

 

Gene ~

Long Bright River by Liz Moore. She’s an excellent writer, although the story is a little rough.

 

 

 

The Last Pirate of New York by Rich Cohen. It’s a good nautical read.

 

Carlos~

Different Seasons by Stephen King. I don’t like scary novels, but my spouse assured me this wasn’t. I recognized the movies “Shawshank Redemption” and “Stand by Me” in this.

 

The Water Dancer by Ta-Nehisi Coates. What a superb book about a vile period of our history.  Hiram, one of the “tasked” (a slave) on a plantation, may have a supernatural ability that makes him invaluable to Harriet Tubman and other conductors of the Underground Railroad. But what if that ability to conduct others to freedom depends on repeatedly conjuring up the most traumatic experiences of his past?

Revenge at Sea by Brian O’Sullivan. The best time to read a thriller is when you’ve got a leisurely few hours to enjoy the twists and turns of an action-packed tale. That was my experience with this fast-moving and suspenseful novel featuring a news reporter you’ll root for whether he’s skirting a crime scene, decoding a clue from the grave, or tangling with a mobster. Did it help my enjoyment that the last gripping scene in Brian O’Sullivan’s dynamic story is on a yacht? Maybe a bit, but I was already riveted by the time the sea gets involved.

Love is What You Bake of It by Effie Kammenou. Though her main characters are people who may or may not be looking for relationships, Effie Kammenou definitely has a love affair with Port Jefferson, a waterside village on Long Island. The warmth of a café, the pride in a carefully crafted life, the almost-comedic (yet definitely old-world) prodding of a loving family, and a beloved canine companion — what other ingredients does a successful baker need after her heart is burnt to a crisp by the man she adored? Maybe she’ll mix in the cutest cop in the village… or perhaps just settle for scrumptious red velvet cupcakes. (Recipe included.)

 

 

Educated by Tara Westover. The author’s story of growing up in a family that had little use or time for education (or medicine) is riveting and thought-provoking.

 

 

Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens. A fictional tale of a child abandoned one by one by family until she is alone — except for nature — in the marshland. It’s a testament to overcoming a lack of learning, and yet it is about so much more than that.

 

 

Less by Andrew Sean Greer. The main character (surname Less) is a writer of some acclaim, but less than he’d like. He’s been the lover of some very interesting men, but gave or got less than he should have. He expects nothing more, yet he’s leading a noteworthy life.

 

 

The Editor by Steven Rowley. A work of fiction that almost every novelist (or wannabe) would like to have lived. Imagine what it must be like to have your work championed by Jackie Kennedy Onassis when your own mother doesn’t even want to read your book?

 

My Year of Rest and Relaxation by Otessa Moshfegh. The main character is unlike any other I’ve read in years — a tragedy wrapped in a comedy starring a roaring feminist. Or is she a neglected and needy orphan, a non-Houdiniesque escape artist, a beauty devoid of softness, a master manipulator, or just someone too weary to sleep without help?

 

 

The Alice Network by Kate Quinn. The author artfully weaves together two tales —  a WWI female spy network operating at great peril and a post WWII search for a beloved cousin that enlists one of those now-retired spies. There’s espionage, intrigue, revenge, and melancholy laced with happiness in this page turner.

 

 

Blowout by Rachel Maddow. This outstanding non-fiction work reveals the thread that runs between corruption and the earth’s energy resources. It’s eye opening and infuriating to read how and why people in oil-rich areas starve, shake from earthquakes, and see their harbors coated in toxic pollution.

 

Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman. This novel is a little quirky, a little baffling, and a highly satisfying story.

 

 

 

Catch and Kill by Ronan Farrow.  The machinations and intrigues employed by Harvey Weinstein and his enablers to silence accusers would make you think you’re reading fiction instead of a “ripped from the headlines” recounting. Spying and blackmailing and coercion: oh, my!