This summer has certainly been abnormal, but hopefully it’s given you some time to reconnect with what really matters: time with family, loved ones, and yourself. As we reach the last full month of summer, we hope you take some time for self-exploration and discovery by diving nose deep into a book. Whether you’re on the back deck overlooking Rumbling Bald Mountain or relaxing by the Trout Stream Pool, we’ve got the book to transfix you. It’s not just the kids that need a summer reading list sometimes and we’ve got you covered.
Here are a few of our favorites – try one, try a few, try them all:
Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens
Mystery – New York Times Best Seller, Hello Sunshine Book Club Pick
As a bestselling phenomenon that sold over seven million copies worldwide, this is a novel you’ve
probably heard mention of. For whatever reason you told yourself not to read it, get over it. This book is both rich in imagery and in character. Perfectly mesmerizing, this book combines a coming of age story with romance and drama shrouded by an overarching mystery. You will fall in love with the protagonist and be completely unable to put this captivating book down. Plus, bonus, the setting of the book is North Carolina. Forget about the bandwagon, just read this book already!
For years, rumors of the “Marsh Girl” have haunted Barkley Cove, a quiet town on the North Carolina coast. So, in late 1969, when handsome Chase Andrews is found dead, the locals immediately suspect Kya Clark, the so-called Marsh Girl. But Kya is not what they say. Sensitive and intelligent, she has survived for years alone in the marsh that she calls home, finding friends in the gulls and lessons in the sand. Then the time comes when she yearns to be touched and loved. When two young men from town become intrigued by her wild beauty, Kya opens herself to a new life—until the unthinkable happens. – Barnes & Noble
Little Fires Everywhere by Celeste Ng
Thriller – New York Times Best Seller, The Washington Post Best Book of the Year, NPR Best Book of the Year, Hello Sunshine Book Club Pick
Welcome to your next page-turner. This psychological rollercoaster takes you on an evolution of intertwining characters and histories that will keep you guessing. Ng writes with a vivacity and passion that makes her characters instantly relatable. She wrestles with the concept of right and wrong in various dimensions throughout her book. As events unfold, only more questions will arise. You won’t be able to put this one down until it’s complete.
In Shaker Heights, a placid, progressive suburb of Cleveland, everything is planned – from the layout of the winding roads, to the colors of the houses, to the successful lives its residents will go on to lead. And no one embodies this spirit more than Elena Richardson, whose guiding principle is playing by the rules. Enter Mia Warren – an enigmatic artist and single mother – who arrives in this idyllic bubble with her teenaged daughter Pearl and rents a house from the Richardson’s. Soon Mia and Pearl become more than tenants: all four Richardson children are drawn to the mother-daughter pair. But Mia carries with her a mysterious past and a disregard for the status quo that threatens to upend this carefully ordered community. When old family friends of the Richardson’s attempt to adopt a Chinese American baby, a custody battle erupts that dramatically divides the town—and puts Mia and Elena on opposing sides. Suspicious of Mia and her motives, Elena is determined to uncover the secrets in Mia’s past. But her obsession will come at unexpected and devastating costs. – Barnes & Noble
Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption by Laura Hillenbrand
Biography – New York Times Best Seller, Time Magazine Nonfiction Book of the Year, Los Angeles Times Book Prize Winner for Biography, Indies Choice Adult Nonfiction Book of the Year
Transferred onto the big screen, the name Louis Zamperini has become engrained in history and in current fascination. This powerful story follows the very real life of Olympic Athlete and WWII veteran Louis Zamperini throughout his life. The stories of real lived in figures come alive in way that we could never imagine and Zamperini’s life tell stories that seem almost too phenomenal to believe. Whether you are a sport fan or history buff or just love human resilience, this book will move you and keep you on the edge of you seat.
In boyhood, Louis Zamperini was an incorrigible delinquent. As a teenager, he channeled his defiance into running, discovering a prodigious talent that had carried him to the Berlin Olympics. But when World War II began, the athlete became an airman, embarking on a journey that led to a doomed flight on a May afternoon in 1943. When his Army Air Forces bomber crashed into the Pacific Ocean, against all odds, Zamperini survived, adrift on a foundering life raft. Ahead of Zamperini lay thousands of miles of open ocean, leaping sharks, thirst and starvation, enemy aircraft, and, beyond, a trial even greater. Driven to the limits of endurance, Zamperini would answer desperation with ingenuity; suffering with hope, resolve, and humor; brutality with rebellion. His fate, whether triumph or tragedy, would be suspended on the fraying wire of his will. – Barnes & Noble
The Splendid and the Vile: A Saga of Churchill, Family, and Defiance During the Blitz by Erik Larson
Non-Fiction – New York Times Best Seller, Chicago Tribune’s Best Books of the Year
This newest work from author Erik Larson takes a step into history to unveil the leadership and family unit of Britain’s Winston Churchill. This book weighs the political turmoil and danger of the country around the inner workings of Churchill’s family. This book was built off diaries, archives, and secret intelligence reports recovered from WWII, but displayed in such a way that carries the story to new heights. This non-fiction story is written with so much detail and life it almost feels like fiction. For all you history buffs, this was written for you.
On Winston Churchill’s first day as prime minister, Adolf Hitler invaded Holland and Belgium. Poland and Czechoslovakia had already fallen, and the Dunkirk evacuation was just two weeks away. For the next twelve months, Hitler would wage a relentless bombing campaign, killing 45,000 Britons. It was up to Churchill to hold his country together and persuade President Franklin Roosevelt that Britain was a worthy ally—and willing to fight to the end. – Barnes & Noble
Inspirational Memoir – New York Times Best Seller, Hello Sunshine Book Club Pick
Ladies get ready. This memoir is packed with an awakening for every woman. With first-hand accounts of navigating some of the most difficult struggles in life, Doyle artfully testifies and navigates her readers through her life struggles – opening your eyes as to how to tackle your own. This book is a must-read for every girl and woman to understand what and how it means to be unapologetically you and live life to the fullest. Be ready for the empowerment ladies.
There is a voice of longing inside each woman. We strive so mightily to be good: good partners, daughters, mothers, employees, and friends. We hope all this striving will make us feel alive. Instead, it leaves us feeling weary, stuck, overwhelmed, and underwhelmed. We look at our lives and wonder: Wasn’t it all supposed to be more beautiful than this? We quickly silence that question, telling ourselves to be grateful, hiding our discontent—even from ourselves. For many years, Glennon Doyle denied her own discontent. Then, while speaking at a conference, she looked at a woman across the room and fell instantly in love. Three words flooded her mind: There She Is. At first, Glennon assumed these words came to her from on high. But she soon realized they had come to her from within. This was her own voice—the one she had buried beneath decades of numbing addictions, cultural conditioning, and institutional allegiances. This was the voice of the girl she had been before the world told her who to be. Glennon decided to quit abandoning herself and to instead abandon the world’s expectations of her. She quit being good so she could be free. She quit pleasing and started living. – Barnes & Noble
Pack your favorites when you visit Rumbling Bald on Lake Lure, NC to enjoy. Spread over 3,000+ acres, this resort community offers activities and amenities for the entire family including two 18-hole championship golf courses, over 150 Lake Lure vacation rentals, restaurants, racket sports, spa and salon, wellness center, swimming, boating, hiking, and much more. Imagine lounging on a private, sandy beach alongside a glistening lake; listening to the sound of your children laughing as they splash around a water park; savoring three distinct dining experiences; hiking and biking numerous trails; or, simply enjoying the stunning views that come with an authentic mountain getaway. Start planning your next stay here.
