Chapter 23 - The Devil's Front Porch

So we are already hitting temps in the high 80's to mid 90's here at the beach. Add to that an inordinate amount of humidity over the last few weeks and it seems as if it will be a hot, hot summer. Of course, nothing really helps in the heat of the day except going to the beach or sitting inside and doing "quiet" work. In my vernacular "quiet work" means reading. For me this is the best way to manage living on "the devil's front porch" as our young air conditioning tech calls it. My summer reading always includes books which take place in the summertime but oddly enough these books usually don't reference how hot it gets here. Anyway here are some books which might help you to take your mind off the heat on your own front porch.

Summer At The Saint by Mary Kay Andrews - Mary Kay Andrews started her writing career of 24 books under the her real name of Kathy Trochek. From the start her books have a bit of mystery to them and her Southern characters are well defined. In the latest, Traci Eddings is trying to get her family's 5-star resort back into the black after the pandemic. Her staff is being hired away from her so she gets an assortment of interesting characters to help her out. All is going well until one of them is murdered. This book is a fast summertime read.

Just For The Summer by Abby Jimenez - It seems that every woman Justin dates leaves him and goes on to find her soulmate so when a woman with the same problem messages him they decide to date each other and then breakup. This , they feel, will break the curse. While it is supposed to be just a summer fling, things happen that show each of them what the other is made of. Maybe this match was just meant to be.

The Most Fun We Ever Had by Claire Lombardo - When Marilyn Connelly and David Sorenson fall in love in the 1970's they had no idea what awaited them. In 2016 with four daughters, all in places of some turmoil, the Sorenson's find that sometimes to face the future you have to reconcile with the past. This wonderful family saga just came out in paperback so it is perfect for a beach read.

The Last Carolina Girl by Megan Church - For fans of Where the Crawdads Sing and The Girls in the Stilt House, this southern gothic tale takes place in a Carolina coastal town in 1935, Leah Payne lives a happy, carefree life with her lumberjack dad until disaster strikes. When her father dies Leah is taken from her home and community and given to strangers to be a maid in their house. Of course, the house is full of secrets and an act of violence brings them to the forefront forcing Leah to fight for her life.

A Happier Life by Kristy Woodson Harvey - The latest by Harvey weaves a tale between present day and the 1970's (ancient history to some, I know). Keaton Smith is looking for a fresh start so when her mother asks her to clean out her grandparents home in Beaufort to put it on the market, she jumps at the chance. In 1976, Rebecca Saint James is known to be a wonderful hostess and locals and guests clamor to get invited to her annual summer suppers. But Becks has troubles of her own and faces a decision she never wanted to make. Of course, the two stories come together to make a wonderful summer read.

So what do you do when the devil's front porch is in your neighborhood? Let me know!