Oh, the joys of summer: cookouts and picnics, trips to the beach, long, lazy days lost in the pages of a good book. As you plan your summer vacation, whether you will be heading out or staying in, be sure to include a stop at the library. We have a fresh crop of titles that are perfect fare for a summer day. Here are just a few.
Nora Roberts can be counted on for her riveting romances, and her latest is up to her usual standards and out just in time for summer. In "The Search," Fiona Bristow begins to put the pieces of her life back together after losing her fiancé© to a serial killer who nearly killed her as well. As her heart begins to warm to someone new, a copycat killer emerges who is dead set on killing the one woman who escaped his predecessor. With enough thrills to keep the pages turning, this one is sure to ratchet up the heat on a summer's day.
Brad Thor's Scot Harvath series has provided plenty of adventure and page-flying reading for a number of years now, and his latest entry, "Foreign Influence," is certain to please. In this outing, the ex-Navy SEAL finds himself in Europe on the trail of terrorists attacking Americans abroad. An alternating story line introduces Vaughn, a Chicago investigator and ex-Marine, who has discovered a deadly plot to attack on home soil. Thor has yet again created an intricately woven plot that comes to an explosive conclusion. If you haven't met Scot Harvath yet, begin at the beginning with "The Lions of Lucerne."
Three sisters, each with their own unique voice, share the narration of Nancy Thayer's latest heart-wrenching read, "Beachcombers." After years of growing apart, Abbie, Emma and Lily find themselves in their childhood home on Nantucket during a life-changing summer. Renting a cottage near their house is Marina, a widow seeking a new start, who finds her heart awakening to the sisters' father. At each new challenge, these four women learn to face what their futures have in store for them.
The hilarious Stephanie Plum is back for another adventure in Janet Evanovich's latest, "Sizzling Sixteen." After her cousin Vinnie is kidnapped, the bounty hunter puts her luck and skills to the test as she tries to rescue him and raise the money to pay off his gambling debts. Love interests Ranger and Morelli are never far away as Stephanie dashes around Trenton in one raucously funny escapade after another. While Evanovich makes sure first-time readers of the series are brought up to snuff, you won't want to miss the madcap adventures that fill the first fifteen installments. Start with "One for the Money" for an introduction to the zaniest bail bondswoman you'll ever meet.
Readers will find Elin Hilderbrand's "The Island" to be yet another perfectly timed summer escape from this expert author. Isolated Tuckernuck Island provides the setting for this novel about two sets of sisters: Chess and Tate, and their mother, Birdie, and aunt, India. After Chess calls off her engagement and then suffers the loss of her ex-fiancé©, she escapes to the secluded family estate on a private island. There the four women spend a month together as each discovers the importance of family and learns to navigate the waters of the heart.
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Kendall Ann Koladish is the public services librarian at Leach Library, 276 Mammoth Road in Londonderry. For more information, call 432-1132 or visit londonderrynh.org/library/library.htm.
Upcoming events
Children's Room
The Make A Splash — Read Children's Summer Reading Program is in high gear! Drop by the Children's Room any time to register for the program and pick up a schedule of daily events. And don't miss our fantastic finale show with Todd Wellington, The King of Silly, on the Londonderry Town Common on Wednesday, Aug. 18, at 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. Every participant is invited to attend one of the performances, whichever is more convenient. Parking will be available at the Lions Hall, the Methodist Church and the Presbyterian Church. There is no parking allowed along Mammoth and Pillsbury Roads. In case of inclement weather, the performance will be moved to the Grange 44 Building.
Young Adults
The You Are Here Young Adult Summer Reading Program continues through Aug. 16. Turn in a raffle ticket for every book you read by 8 p.m. on Aug. 16 for a chance to win grand prizes that will be drawn at the Grand Finale Pizza Party and Raffle Draw on Tuesday, Aug. 17, at 6 p.m. Attendance at the pizza party is not required to win prizes.
Adult Program
Join us as University of New Hampshire professor Cheryl Smith presents "Tips for Growing Healthy Indoor Plants" on Thursday, Aug. 12 at 7 p.m. in the Leach Library Meeting Room. Smith has used her extensive experience as a specialist for plant health to create this program on how to identify plant problems and what to do to correct them. A gardening-themed door prize will be raffled off at the program. The event is free and open to the public. Light refreshments will be served.
