The warms summer air on the Carolina coast, watching for sea turtle nests, and spending long lazy days soaking up the sun’s rays. Let’s take a trip down to the Carolina’s! The best part? With these reads available through the Livingston Public Virtual Library, you don’t even need to leave the comfort of your own home.
The Beach House by Mary Alice Monroe
This is one of my favorite summer reads. In this novel, Caretta Rutledge left the Lowcountry a long time ago, starting a successful life for herself in New York. But then, coupled with a request from her mother and the fact that things in New York aren’t as well as they once were, she decides to make the trip down south to her family beach house. This is more than a story about family and love, as it also teaches the reader facts about sea turtles making it a piece of environmental fiction as well. (It’s also part of a series!)
The Hurricane Sisters by Dorothea Benton Frank
Author Dorothea Benton Frank writes about the South Carolina Lowcountry, but for a really long time she actually lived in Montclair, NJ, and sometimes references to northern New Jersey can be found within her work. Unfortunately, Frank passed away in September of 2019. In this novel, Frank takes us to the lowcountry and introduces us to three generations of women who all have secrets- secrets that linger not only in the past, but also in the present.
The Weekenders by Mary Kay Andrews
Some people come to North Carolina and stay for the entire summer, while others come and go and are thus dubbed “the weekenders.” One day, Riley Griggs is looking forward to a relaxing vacation spent on the Carolina shore, and then the next minute she’s being served papers and her husband is nowhere to be found. She turns to her friends, but they also are hiding secrets, so Riley is left with her only choice- to investigate the secrets of not only her husband, but also of the island.
-Jessica, Adult Services & Acquisitions Librarian