Summer Love: Noteworthy Love Stories of May and June 2020

Summer is the season of love, and the Abbot Public Library has over 25 new and upcoming titles to suit all of your summer romance needs! Whether you’re a fan of historical fiction, suspense, thriller, fantasy, humor, or a combination of it all, we have the best stories for you to fall in love with.

If you’re looking for a good laugh, the recently released title Not That Kind of Guy by Andie J. Christopher has plot elements from The Proposal and Crazy Rich Asians with a strong heroine. 

In Beach Read by Emily Henry, two polar opposites have only a few things in common: for the next three months, they’re living in neighboring beach houses, broke, and bogged down with writer’s block. 

In Alli Frank & Asha Youmans’ Tiny Imperfections, The Devil Wears Prada meets Class Mom in this novel of love, money, and misbehaving parents.

In Sajni Patel’s The Trouble with Hating You, a strong-willed and proudly single engineer walks out when her parents set her up with a lawyer — but when work brings them together again, she just might give love a second chance. 

Mary Alice Monroe is back with book 6 of her Beach House series. On Ocean Boulevard reunites the Rutledge family in Isle of Palms for love, tradition, and tragedy.

In Real Men Knit by Kwana Jackson, four brothers struggle to keep open the doors of their adoptive mother’s beloved Harlem knitting shop after she suddenly dies. Follow the heart-breaker son, Jesse, as he tries to prove to part-time shop employee, Kerry, that he can be her forever and always man. 

From the author of Pride, Prejudice, and Other Flavors, Sonali Dev brings her newest, Recipe for Persuasion – another clever, deeply layered, and heartwarming romantic comedy that follows in Jane Austen’s tradition.

We see even more romances coming this June!

500 Miles from You: A Novel by Jenny Colgan

Lissa is a nurse in a gritty, hectic London neighborhood who struggles with PTSD. Her supervisor quietly arranges for her to spend a few months doing a much less demanding job in the little town of Kirrinfeif in the Scottish Highlands, hoping that the change of scenery will help her heal. Lissa will be swapping places with Cormack, an Army veteran who’s Kirrinfeif’s easygoing nurse/paramedic/all-purpose medical man.

What will happen when Lissa and Cormack finally meet?

Always the Last to Know by Kristan Higgins

The Frosts are a typical American family. Barb and John, married almost fifty years, are testy and bored with each other…who could blame them after all this time? At least they have their daughters– Barb’s favorite, the perfect, brilliant Juliet; and John’s darling, the free-spirited Sadie. The girls themselves couldn’t be more different, but at least they got along, more or less. It was fine. It was enough.

Until the day John had a stroke, and their house of cards came tumbling down.

The Boyfriend Project by Farrah Rochon

Samiah Brooks never thought she would be “that” girl. But a live tweet of a horrific date just revealed the painful truth: she’s been catfished by a three-timing jerk of a boyfriend. Suddenly Samiah-along with his two other “girlfriends,” London and Taylor-have gone viral online. Now the three new besties are making a pact to spend the next six months investing in themselves. No men and no dating.

Then she meets the deliciously sexy Daniel Collins at work. What are the chances? But is Daniel really boyfriend material or is he maybe just a little too good to be true?

Dance Away with Me: A Novel by Susan Elizabeth Phillips

When life throws her one setback too many, midwife and young widow Tess Hartsong takes off for Runaway Mountain to outrun her heartbreak and find the solace she needs to heal. But instead of peace and quiet, she encounters an enigmatic artist with a craving for solitude, a fairy-tale sprite with too many secrets, a helpless infant, a passel of curious teens, and a town suspicious of outsiders, especially one as headstrong as Tess. Just as headstrong is Ian North, a difficult, gifted man with a tortured soul—a man who makes Tess question everything. 

In running away to this new life, Tess wonders— Has she lost herself… or has she found her future? 

Last Tang Standing by Lauren Ho

At thirty-three, Andrea Tang is living the dream: She has a successful career as a lawyer, a posh condo, and a clutch of fun-loving friends who are always in the know about Singapore’s hottest clubs. But – she’s about to become the lone unmarried member of her generation in the Tang clan. Andrea then decides to give the charming, wealthy entrepreneur Eric Deng a chance while her office rival, Suresh Aditparan, keeps throwing a wrench in her plans. Now Andrea can’t help but wonder: In the endless tug-of-war between pleasing others and pleasing herself, is there room for everyone to win?

The Lost Diary of Venice: A Novel by Margaux DeRoux

In the wake of her father’s death, Rose Newlin finds solace in her work as a book restorer. Then, one rainy Connecticut afternoon, a struggling painter appears at her door. William Lomazzo brings with him a sixteenth-century treatise on art, which Rose quickly identifies as a palimpsest: a document written over a hidden diary that had purposely been scraped away. Yet the restoration sparks an unforeseen challenge when William—a married man—and Rose experience an instant, unspoken attraction.

Sisters and Secrets: A Novel by Jennifer Ryan

There’s nothing more complicated than the relationship among family, especially when the Silva Sisters are keeping secrets. As the secrets between Sierra, Amy, and Heather are revealed, each realizes that there is more to their family than meets the eye… and forgiveness may be the only way to move forward and reclaim true happiness at last.

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Jane Austen in Quarantine

There’s been a little flurry of Austen-flavored memes lately, like this one: and why not? From a modern perspective, affluent Regency men and women were probably past masters at social distancing and spent a good deal of time indoors (well, at least the women did). The recent, timely release of the latest Emma adaptation has gifted viewers with a bit of gentle escapism wrapped up in confectionary costumes and sparkling dialogue. So, Janeites, unite! Now is the time to brew a cuppa, pull up your chaise longue, and succumb to some therapeutic Austen-mania!

To start with, why not revisit the classic 1990’s adaptation of Emma starring Gwyneth Paltrow and Jeremy Northam? The heroine Jane thought “no one but myself will much like” has enjoyed perennial popularity. And there’s so much comfort to a story in which nothing worse than a few matchmaking mishaps and some snarky words at a picnic mar the sunny landscape.

For a bit of sly genre-bending fun, Northanger Abbey (starring the now-famous Felicity Jones) is just the ticket. Tickle your gothic funny bone and cheer on Catherine as she emerges from her novel-induced paranoia to find true love. Imagine being cooped up in a creepy (well, not so creepy, really) abbey with Henry Tilney. Life could be worse! Another house takes center stage in Mansfield Park, a sprightly adaptation that will make you fall in love with one of Jane’s less popular novels–and possibly with Jonny Lee Miller!

Jane herself was no stranger to domestic seclusion. Lucy Worsley invites us into Jane’s many and varied domiciles in her fascinating study Jane Austen at Home: A Biography. Expertly narrated by Ruth Redman, the book examines Austen’s legacy through the lens of her life indoors, from Steventon to Bath to Chawton. If you fancy a turn around the hedges–or are just feeling a bit claustrophobic–have a look at Austen Country: The Life and Times of Jane Austen and let images of the Hampshire countryside soothe your spirit.

It is a universally acknowledged truth that a stir-crazy Janeite in possession of hoopla access won’t be in want of suitable entertainment!

Discover Your Next Great Read With NoveList

Use NoveList Plus to Discover Your Next Great Read!

Did you know you can access many digital resources at home with your library card? One example is NoveList Plus, which makes it fun and easy to discover your next great read!

Once you log on, with your library card, you can begin searching by browsing fiction, nonfiction, genres, themes, or award-winning booklists. Don’t have a library card? Find out how you can register online!

The “Advanced search” section allows you to search by three different terms. You can scroll down and “Browse” to find preferred search terms by subject/appeals, author, title, series, and dewey number. 

And further down under “Search Modes and Expanders” you can set limits not only for books but for media mentions from TV and radio shows, and by document type for articles and lists within NoveList. You can also limit by year and for forthcoming books.

If you have an author you like, NoveList gives detailed information about that author, the books they have written, and all the series written by the author.

If you click on the title of a book, you can find reviews for it by literary journals. Under “More about this book,” find genres, themes, writing styles, and subject headings. To find similar books, scroll down further to check off several categories of interest relating to the book. 

If you are ready to move on, there is a list of Read-alikes to the right with similar titles or authors you might enjoy.

In addition, under the “Quick Links” tab at the top of the page, there are articles and resources for book discussion groups.

With so much to offer, you are bound to find your next great read with NoveList!

Read about more NoveList features here.