Mindy Trotta
Picture this: a beautiful beach, gentle breezes, a blanket, umbrella, and a cold drink. Something’s missing, right? A BOOK!! We’ve asked our BA50 staff, friends and writers for their picks, and we’ve compiled a list of Great Summer Reads. Head to the library, head to the bookstore, jump online and upload…(and it doesn’t have to be beach reading–you’ll enjoy these books from a comfy chair, or a subway seat just as well.)
Tell the Wolves I’m Home by Carol Rifka Brunt
Told from a teen’s perspective, this wonderful novel takes us back to a time in the late 80’s when the AIDS epidemic transforms a family’s existence.
The Interestings by Meg Wolitzer This tale follows the lives of a group of teens who first meet at a summer camp in 1974.
The Summer We Read Gatsby by Danielle Ganek
“When two estranged sisters inherit a Hamptons beach house, they search for fortune but find love instead.”
A Hundred Summers by Beatriz WilliamsThe ultimate summer read that takes place in a 1938 beachfront community and deals with families, love and friendship
Big Girl Panties by Stephanie Evanovich Romantic comedy about a young widow who decides to get her life in shape, both literally and figuratively.
Lost in Suburbia: A Momoir by Tracy Beckerman
A series of humorous and poignant essays from a former “cool, NYC executive” who gives it all up to become a stay-at-home mom in the suburban jungle called New Jersey.
Witty collection of personal essays from the author of I Was Told There’d Be Cake.
The Curiosity by Stephen Kiernan
Debut novel that raises questions about “the very nature of life and humanity” and tells the tale of the discovery of a man,
frozen since 1906, who is brought back to life.
Before the After (Splintered Category Romance) by Janie Emaus
A tale of love and time travel in this Kindle edition written by one of our wonderful BA50 writers.
Memories of A Marriage by Louis Begley
“An irresistibly entertaining novel about a man struggling to understand his friends’ seemingly charmed marriage,
which may have been doomed from the start.”
Dakota Blues by Lynne Spreen
A middle-aged woman and her elderly neighbor, and a road trip that tests her fortitude and gives her a chance to break free of her old life. (Also written by one of our wonderful BA50 writers!)
The View From Penthouse B by Elinor Lipman
“Two sisters recover from widowhood, divorce, and Bernie Madoff as unexpected roommates in a Manhattan apartment.”
The Widow Waltz by Sally Koslow
How the realities of the life you thought you were living can come crashing down upon you in an instant is the theme of this novel from one of BA50’s Contributors. (Read an excerpt from Sally’s novel here on Betterafter50.com!)
Quiet: The Power Of Introverts in a World that Can’t Stop Talking by Susan Cain.
One of our readers described this as life changing. Amazon.com says “at least one-third of the people we know are introverts.
They are the ones who prefer listening to speaking; who innovate and create but dislike self-promotion; who favor working on their
own over working in teams. It is to introverts—Rosa Parks, Chopin, Dr. Seuss, Steve Wozniak—that we owe many of the
great contributions to society.”
And the Mountains Echoed by Khaled Hosseini From the author of The Kite Runner comes “an unforgettable novel about finding a lost piece of yourself in someone else.”