A Tsunami of Thrills, Adventure and Romance
Written by SurfWriter Girls Sunny Magdaug and Patti Kishel
Summertime is
adventure and escape time whether you’re out on your surfboard or lying in a
comfy hammock with a cool drink and a good book.
For your armchair adventures, SurfWriter Girls Sunny Magdaug and Patti Kishel have all the books you need to beat the heat and while away the summer hours.
The Bookshop by the
Bay, by Pamela Kelley, is a perfect beach read, filled with romance and new
beginnings against a backdrop of sea and sand. When best friends Jess and
Allison turn the page on their old lives and open a bookshop on Cape Cod, they
find out it’s never too late for second chances. SurfWriter Girl Sunny liked
how the chapters told the story from each character’s point of view.
California Golden, by Melanie
Benjamin, immerses you in 1960s California surf culture. World-class surfer and
mom Carol Donnelly would rather surf than be a housewife. As she and her two
teenage daughters struggle to find their way in this unconventional family, the
ocean is an ever-present force. The New York Times calls it a “dazzling
saga of ambition, sacrifice, and the tangled ties between mothers and
daughters.”
Carissa Moore:
Hawaii Gold: A Celebration of Surfing, by Carissa Moore, tells the Olympic
gold medalist's story about growing up and surfing in Hawaii. A tribute to the
sport of Hawaiian kings, Moore invites other Hawaiian surfers and cultural
leaders to share their stories about the islands and their legendary surf
breaks. Sharing the stoke with amazing photos, the book "captures the
exotic Hawaiian spirit in a beautiful way," says Essentially Sports
magazine.
Chipped: Writing From a
Skateboarder's Lens, by Jose Vadi, takes you inside the
skateboarding culture with the 40-something author, who refuses to give up
his beloved sport even as the years add up. This collection of essays recounts
the lure and thrill of navigating the world on the deck of a skateboard and how
it can "reenergize and re-imagine your environment...into a landscape
bursting with creative possibilities."
Hemingway's Cats, by Lindsey Hooper,
"is the cat's meow," say SurfWriter Girls Sunny and Patti. With a
hurricane threatening the Ernest Hemingway House estate in Key West, Florida,
where the descendants of Hemingway's six-toed cats live, it's all hands – and paws
– on deck. Surrounded by 54 frisky felines, house tour guide Laura has her work
cut out for her. Luckily, handsome cat keeper Jake is sheltering in place,
too.
Hula: A Novel, by Jasmin Iolani
Hakes, transports you to Hilo, Hawaii, just an island breeze from the Kilauea
Volcano and into a community whose culture spans multiple generations connected
through the hula dance. A coming-of-age novel centered around Hi'i, who seeks
to win the Miss Aloha Hula competition, it tells her journey discovering her
roots and what’s important to her. A Harper's Bazaar Best Book of the
Summer, Hula "sings with a voice as spellbinding as the
rolling surf," says Oprah Daily. (Hakes is shown below with
authors Stuart Coleman and Mark Shapiro)
Lost Landmarks of
Orange County, by Chris Epting, is a fun, nostalgic guide to the O.C., with a look at
places that once entertained and thrilled locals and tourists. The restaurants,
hangouts, and theme parks that made O.C. a special slice of the SoCal scene are
all here, including Lion Country Safari, Golden Bear nightclub, and Japanese
Village and Deer Park. Put travel writer Epting's book in your beach bag and you'll
have lots to talk about with friends on lazy summer days.
Matterhorn, by Christopher
Reich, is a chill alternative to summer books' tropical locales, with former
CIA spy Mac Dekker giving up his peaceful Alpine life to return to the field to
find out how his son died following in his espionage footsteps. For SurfWriter
Girl Sunny, who lived in Switzerland, it was the perfect setting. Library
Journal says, "fans of Bond tales and special-ops action novels should
add this to their reading lists."
The Woman in the Library, by Sulari Gentill, begins with a terrified scream...and keeps your attention until the last page. A book within a book, it's about an author writing about a writer trying to solve a murder that occurs in the Boston Public Library...with all the suspects in plain view. The Seattle Times describes the twisting, turning plot and different perspectives as "a layered literary hall of mirrors that's great fun to get lost in." SurfWriter Girl Patti was hooked on this USA Today Bestseller from the start.
And for the youngest
groms, The Pelican Can, the colorful, new picture and rhyming verse
children’s book by author/illustrator Toni Yuly, will have little ones eager to
learn to read and to head to the beach to watch the pelicans soar and dive. Parade
magazine calls the book “sunnily optimistic.”
With a stack of
books waiting for you to discover, you’re sure to find some new adventures and
surprises just a page away.
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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