Tuesday, July 11, 2017

SurfWriter Girls Best Beach Books 2017



Book Your Summer Escape!

Written by SurfWriter Girls Sunny Magdaug and Patti Kishel


Now that the long, lazy days of summer are here it's time to book your escape – not just to the beach, but to the adventure, mystery and romance that can only be found in a great beach book.

SurfWriter Girl Patti remembers tenth-grade summer days going to Santa Monica Beach with a paperback copy of James Michener's bestselling novel Hawaii stuffed into her beach bag.


The book was big and the print was small, but it easily drew her into the tropical mysteries of Hawaii's epic story and kept her turning the pages.
To experience your own summer escape, take a look at these page-turners SurfWriter Girls Sunny Magdaug and Patti Kishel found for you:  

Celine, by Peter Heller, National Geographic Adventure writer and author of the surfing autobiography Kook, spins a compelling mystery, taking readers on the hunt for a missing photographer, allegedly killed by a grizzly bear, but whose body was never found. Celine, Heller's unlikely detective, is an elegant woman in her sixties with a sharpshooter's eye and a tracker's skills. With her husband at her side and government agents trying to stop her, she is both charming and resourceful. 

Sunny with Peter Heller and surfing instructor Michael Pless

 
Into the Water, by Paula Hawkins, author of the mega-hit novel/movie The Girl on the Train, will keep you reading into the late hours. USA Today compares it to Alfred Hitchcock: "a noirish beach read that might make you think twice about dipping a toe into those dark, chilly waters." When a woman turns up dead at the bottom of the river that runs through town this is just the beginning of a twisting, psychological thriller forcing the heroine Jules Abbott to confront her fears and the past. 


Fallout, by Sara Paretsky, mystery writer extraordinaire, is her 18th novel featuring Chicago-based, tough gal detective V.I. Warshawski, who can trade punches with bad guys and cops alike. Hired to track down a young filmmaker and an aging movie star from the '80s, Warshawski is forced to leave her Chicago comfort zone and head to Kansas where the missing duo have disappeared. Look for twists and turns along the way and a clever plot that will keep you guessing.

Burning Bright, by Nick Petrie, is an action novel that starts strong and doesn't stop. Author Lee Child says about the hero: "Lots of characters get compared to my own Jack Reacher, but Peter Ash is the real deal." Hoping to get some peace and quiet among California's redwoods, Peter encounters investigative reporter June Cassidy in the woods, running from pursuers. Together, Peter and June must stay ahead of them and find out why they are after her.  

The Dollhouse, by Fiona Davis, draws readers inside New York City's famed Barbizon Hotel, circa 1950s, where young women stayed while seeking fame and fortune in the Big Apple as models, secretaries and editors. An intriguing mystery novel that jumps back-and-forth between the past and the present, it cleverly links the two eras and the futures of two women as it uncovers a dark secret that has been buried for over half a century. 
 
The Hating Game, by Sally Thorne, takes the battle of the sexes into the workplace as the executive assistants to co-CEOs at a publishing company compete for a dream job. Proving that opposites do attract, this hilarious debut novel shows there is a thin line between hate and love. A fun and sexy read, the Washington Post calls it "A wicked, witty romance that will capture readers' hearts."

All By Myself Alone, by Mary Higgins Clark and Jan Maxwell, finds Higgins Clark at the top of her game and reaffirms why she is the Queen of Suspense. Set on a luxury cruise ship three days out to sea, gems and jewelry expert Celia Kilbride finds herself in the middle of a murder and the theft of a priceless emerald necklace. Surrounded by suspects and with her own life in danger, it's up to Celia to solve the case.  
 
Sweetbitter, by Stephanie Danler, who grew up in Seal Beach, CA, and moved to New York, is a coming-of-age novel set in Manhattan's hip restaurant scene. An ode to food and the big city, this debut novel is "brilliantly written...The Kitchen Confidential of our time," says The New York TImes Book Review. Tess, the 22-year-old heroine, lands a waitress job in a trendy restaurant and learns about food, wine, love and self-discovery. Definitely a tasty treat!    

Truly, Madly Greekly, by Mandy Baggot, whisks readers away to the beautiful Greek island of Corfu where the heroine Ellen has gone to recover after simultaneously losing her dream job and boyfriend. Adding to the chaos is the fact that she's on the island to help her sister prepare for her own big, fat Greek wedding. Baggot, winner of the UK's Innovation in Romantic Fiction prize, doesn't disappoint as Ellen finds a new romantic interest to occupy her thoughts. 

Eddie Would Go, by Stuart Coleman, tells the compelling story of legendary Hawaiian surfer Eddie Aikau. A North Shore lifeguard who saved over 500 lives, Aikau died in 1978 trying to save his fellow sailors on the canoe Hokule'a, which was retracing the ancient migration route of the Polynesians to Hawaii. Winner of the Excellence in Writing Nonfiction award from the Hawaii Book Publishers Association, surfers and non-surfers alike will be caught up in this heroic tale.   

     
So, what are you waiting for?

It's time to put on the sunscreen and book your summer escape!



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Sunny Magdaug and Patti Kishel hold the exclusive rights to this copyrighted material. Publications wishing to reprint it may contact them at surfwriter.girls@gmail.com Individuals and non-profit groups are welcome to post it on social media sites as long as credit is given. 



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