For anyone who might be checking this, here is a list of my summer reads so far:
1. The Fig Eater by Jody Shields - Despite the period and country it was set in, this book had me from the beginning, but it had the worst ending of any book I have ever read. Be warned. I told Jason to sell it on Amazon, even if only for a penny. I just don't even want to see it again - ever.
2. Jamaica Me Dead by Bob Morris - This book was a great, fun, summer read. Bob Morris writes cheesey mystery novels, but I LOVE them... great for the beach. I'm looking forward to his next one, Bermuda Schwartz.
3. Island of Lost Girls by Jennifer McMahon - I have said this before, but I am a sucker for a good cover. This was a great book - certainly something I can relate to in terms of writing style. She's written another book, and I am definitely going to keep my eyes open for it. It is called Promise Not To Tell.
4. The Problem with Murmur Lee by Connie May Fowler - I picked this up at a library bag sale and probably paid 25 cents at most. The cover sucked me in. This time, however, the beautiful palm tree on the cover was misleading. I got about 10 pages in on this one and had to quit. The title character was completely unbelievable to me. She is/was my age, and her conversational style sounded like someone at least 20-25 years older. Not even an English professor my age would speak like she did... Sorry, Connie May. I just couldn't buy into the character, and if she had been 25 years older, I wouldn't have liked her anyway... a little too "Hamptons" for my taste. Give me a character in cargo shorts eating a fish sandwich and wearing flip flops near the Gulf, and I'll pay the cover price.
5. Bone Island Mambo by Tom Corcoran - This was a fun little beach read. It takes place in Key West, so it brings back a lot of memories of my travels there over the years. Nice mystery, and, apparently, one in a series of Alex Rutledge mysteries.
6. Bone Valley by Claire Matturro - This one takes place in Sarasota, and if you know me at all, Sarasota is very near and dear to my heart. This book has a fun, "whip-smart" heroine with a kick-butt attitude as the jacket explains. It's a little risque in places - probably a good bet that I won't be leaving this one on my bookshelf at school.