Light summer reads, warm-weather cookbooks

By DONNA HINE

So here we are – summer at last! This month, I looked at light summer reads and helpful warm-weather cookbooks, and I also threw in a couple of wild-card books – all will keep that summer feeling year-round.

How could it be summer without a new Mary Higgins Clark book? “The Memory Lingers On” (CLA) is a classic Clark thriller – romance and mystery in equal shares. Interior designer Lane travels to Parker Bennett’s home to choose furniture for the family to downsize with. Bennett absconded two years ago – along with the $5 million investment fund he controlled. The family is moving to smaller quarters, and Bennett is either dead or has staged his disappearance. Were his wife and son involved? You’ll have to read to uncover the answers …

Robyn Carr is a very popular author, especially at this time of year. Known for her light romances, Carr continues her “Thunder Point” series in “A New Hope” (CAR). A grieving Ginger moves to Thunder Point and starts fresh in her new job at a flower shop. Her first big assignment is the Lacoumette wedding where the bride’s brother Matt makes a drunken pass at her. Intent on making amends, he comes to the flower shop, and a lasting friendship (and possibly something deeper) begins. Can he get over his divorce? Can she look forward to the future? Light fluff, but just what you want to read on the beach!

I am looking forward to reading “Saint Mazie” (ATT) by Jami Attenberg. A historical fiction, the book is based on the life of Mazie Phillips Gordon, who spent her life selling tickets at the Venice, a movie theater in New York City. Her private life, however, was dedicated to helping the homeless, and she roamed the city from the Lower East Side to Coney Island feeding them, aiding the injured and giving away her own money to them. Attenberg sets her story in diary form, with excerpts from people who knew Mazie writing about how she influenced their lives.

There is no more terrific escapist writer than Janet Evanovich – and only her Stephanie Plum series rivals the Lizzy and Diesel series! Evanovich brings back Lizzy and Diesel in a wild and crazy treasure hunt on the New England coast in “Wicked Charms” (EVA). Wulf, Diesel’s evil cousin, also is after the treasure – and after Lizzy. Think a touch of magic, romance and slightly kooky adventure story and you will surely be reading a “wicked” tale!

“Primates of Park Avenue” (974.7 MAR) by Wednesday Martin is one woman’s journey from downtown to the Upper East Side of New York City. Using her background in anthropology, she analyzes this new species of stylin’, cutthroat women all fighting for the best for their children, husbands and themselves. After a few months, it is no longer an effort to fit in and she finds herself one of them. When personal tragedy strikes, she also finds they are not quite as shallow as she initially imagined.
OK, now I am being indulgent and extravagant. The next three choices are all cookbooks – but cookbooks you will want to use in the summer, so they are timely as well as fun. Enjoy …

First up is your basic “Barbecue Lover’s Big Book of BBQ Sauces” (641.7 JAM) by Cheryl and Bill Jamison. This is not just about making barbecue sauces but also making flavored salts and rubs, relishes, salads, marinades, and much more. If you can’t find something to slather your next t-bone with in this book, you really are being picky! Red chile honey butter for fish, cilantro-mint chutney, balsamic jelly … wow! Foodies alert! My only question is what is a mop? Some kind of sauce, but why call it a mop?

Now, what about “Pizza on the Grill” (641.82 KAR) by Elizabeth Karmel and Bob Blumer? If you have never cooked pizza on the grill, you are in for a big, big flavor treat. The crust is crispy and yummy, and you can add any toppings – they have many suggestions from a simple pesto pizza to a BLT pizza to a dessert pizza with bananas and nuts (called funky monkey). Even though the ingredients are super, not sure I would try the Maine event lobster and corn pizza, but who knows? Someday it might be cooking on our grill!

Finally, Katie Lee writes an “Endless Summer Cookbook” (641.6 LEE). She had me from the very first recipe: nectarine and cream cheese French toast sandwiches. ’Nuf said. Or how about grilled doughnuts with melted Nutella? And those are just her breakfast recipes! This is a seriously delish cookbook – salads (bourbon bacon slaw), sides (green goddess corn on the cob), tacos, burgers, specialty drinks (watermelon rum punch) and finally, cherry chocolate chunk cookie and cherry ice cream sandwiches. I can’t wait to start cooking!!

Middlebury Public Library Adult Services Librarian Donna Hine writes Library Lines. If you have a topic you’d like her to cover, contact her at the library at 203-758-2634.