Fiction

The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows. “Shaffer's niece had to finish the book because Shaffer became ill. It's about the invasion of Guernsey by the Nazis during World War II. The story is told entirely through letters and I loved the characters.”

The Guest Book by Sarah Blake. "A story that spans several generations of a New York family who spend time every summer on the same small island in Maine. Great at evoking a sense of place, as well as exploring changing American society from World War II to the present day. A satisfying beach read."

The Guest Room by Chris Bohjalian. “I have been a fan of Chris Bohjalian’s writing since Midwives was published in 1998. In his new book, The Guest Room, a happily married corporate man hosts a bachelor party for his wilder younger brother at his home in Bronxville, New York. The party becomes unexpectedly violent as two hired prostitutes (young Armenian women forced into sex slavery) stab their Russian bodyguards to death before fleeing. The aftermath results in nightmare scenarios for the party guests and their families. The story is told by several characters including Alexandra, one of the young Armenian women. Even though the story is fiction, it raises awareness of the real-life human trafficking epidemic.”

A Happy Marriage: A Novelby Rafael Yglesias. ". . . both intimate and sprawling: the story of Enrique Sabas and his wife, Margaret; a novel that alternates between the romantic misadventures of the first three weeks of their acquaintance and the final weeks of Margaret's life as she says good-bye to her family, friends and children – and to Enrique. Spanning thirty years . . . it is an achingly honest book about what it means for two people to spend a lifetime together." (Barnard Book Club).

Haroun and the Sea of Stories by Salman Rushdie: “Rushdie is an unparalleled storyteller. This book reminds you of what a story should really be: magical, comical, inventive, original. This book combines great prose with a masterful plot. Transports you to a fantastical place. Amazing read for children and adults. Highly relatable.”

Harriet the Spy by Louise Fitzhugh. “I read this book well over a hundred times in my childhood and a few times in adulthood. Went back and re-read it again this year and loved it just as much. Elementary school kid who doesn't quite fit in spies on friends and neighbors, keeps notebook about them. Gets caught, loses friends, learns what impact her words have on others, but doesn't necessarily give up on who she is and why she's curious. Love this book so so much still to this day.”

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone (and all that follow) by JK Rowling. "If you haven't read the Harry Potter books yet -- and I know many women my age who haven't -- now is the time. The last book in the series is due out shortly. If you've seen the movies, you still should read the books. Adults will appreciate the books' allusions to myths, literature, and history; these subtleties are lost in the movies." I agree! And for those of you who have read 1 - 6, enjoy Deathly Hallows!

The Hating Game by Sally Thorne. Since this list is supposed to be “beach books,” I’m adding this enjoyable, lightweight novel. It’s about colleagues, a man and a woman, who cordially despise one another. Gee? I wonder what happens. It is chick-lit, I suppose, but well-written and fun, and richer than it first appears. Five stars for beach-worthiness.

Hausfrau by Jill Alexander Essbaum. “A tiny bit 50 Shades meets Girl on the Train but much better written than both. An Ex-pat American housewife living in Zurich with her Swiss husband and children. She grows bored and unhappy which leads to destructive behavior. A thought provoking beach page turner.”

Hazardby Gardiner Harris. “A fascinating glimpse into the day to day lives of Appalachian coal miners. Gardiner is a New York times journalist who lived in Kentucky for a while and with this novel really brings the dangerous world of coal mining to life. It is a gripping murder mystery and particularly fascinating to read as we remember some of the real life coal mining accidents that have happened recently. A real page turner.”

Heart of Darkness (Dover Thrift Editions) by Joseph Conrad. “A long short story.” (Short classic = beachy classic).

Hello, Sunshine by Laura Dave. Fun, dumb fiction about a television food star who has to face some realities when her email/internet gets hacked. Fall-from-grace summer fiction is such a good genre, and this one is an easy one-afternoon read.

Henry and Clara: A Novel by Thomas Mallon. “My all time favorite. Set in DC - a wonderful work of historical fiction about the other couple in the box with the Lincolns when the President was assassinated and the impact it had on the rest of their lives.”

Hens Dancingby Rafaella Barker. Oh, please do try this book! It's so much fun. Barker is a British magazine columnist often compared to Helen Fielding. Hens Dancing is a married (well, divorced) woman's story, but the Bridget Jones comparison is apt. Venetia lives in rural England with her three children (two spirited boys and a baby girl known only as “The Beauty.”) The book is a journal spanning a year after her husband leaves her for the dreaded Helena (or “the poison dwarf” - Venetia's nickname). Characters include her vodka-swilling mother and aninteresting contractor. It is at once absurd, warm and romantic. As another contributor said, “British year in the life story with a great setting, fun characters and reads Bridget Jones-esque."

Her Fearful Symmetry: A Novel by Audry Niffenegger. "I loved The Time Traveler's Wife by the same author so I thought I would give this a try. It does not come close to that book, but it was still a nice read." (Ed: That seemed to be the consensus on Goodreads.com – the book is a grave disappointment - pun intended - to readers devoted to The Time Traveler's Wife. I hadn’t read that one, and I thought this was a decent read. It didn’t hang together perfectly, but it’s a serviceable beachy ghost story.)

Hey Ladies: The Story of 8 Best Friends, 1 Year, and Way, Way Too Many Emails by Michelle Markowitz. Needed a book for a train ride home from NY. Picked this up because a friend had Instagrammed about it. It’s dumb and fun, and I finished it in 2.5 hours. Written in e-epistolary former, it’s fun, and will make you glad to be past the 20-something craziness of navigating friendships and wedding planning.

High Rising by Angela Thirkell. I know this isn't a usual top pick, and I got some blowback when I put Woman in White on the list a few years ago, but 1933 novel is so charming, if you're in the mood for cozy British fiction, please consider it. It was out of print for many years, but Virago Modern Classics has republished it. Like other British provincial novels, it is simultaneously about very little and absolutely everything. This is one of her Barsetshire series, which take place in Anthony Trollope's fictional English county, Barsetshire. "High Rising is everything a cozy British novel should be. Thirkell has created a small village of wonderful characters including a strong widowed heroine who supports herself writing pot boilers and can still afford staff and a son at Eton. Light, charming, quaint, funny - the kind of book you read when you just want to feel good in a safe world where the biggest concern is whether or not the neighbor is going to marry his secretary."

History of a Pleasure Seeker by Richard Mason. “Set in the early 20th century Holland, this novel follows the upwardly mobile Piet Barols who is hired as a tutor in a fabulously wealthy household. Piet moves easily between the upstairs and downstairs, charming his way into good fortune and insinuating himself into the lives of the rich around him.

Home by Marilynne Robinson "Gilead, Housekeeping, the Death of Adam--I've read pretty much everything she's written and held on to each word for dear life. I really enjoyed Home--it's easier though perhaps, in my opinion, not as profound as Gilead. Just won the Orange Prize in England. Its main character, Glory Boughton, is a marvelous creation."

Hope: A Tragedyby Shalom Auslander. “The rural town of Stockton, New York, is famous for nothing: no one was born there, no one died there, nothing of any historical import at all has ever happened there, which is why Solomon Kugel, like other urbanites fleeing their pasts and histories, decided to move his wife and young son there. To begin again. To start anew. But it isn’t quite working out that way for Kugel… His ailing mother stubbornly holds on to life, and won’t stop reminiscing about the Nazi concentration camps she never actually suffered through. To complicate matters further, some lunatic is burning down farmhouses just like the one Kugel bought, and when, one night, he discovers history—a living, breathing, thought-to-be-dead specimen of history—hiding upstairs in his attic, bad quickly becomes worse. … A hilarious and haunting examination of the burdens and abuse of history, propelled with unstoppable rhythm and filled with existential musings and mordant wit. It is a comic and compelling story of the hopeless longing to be free of those pasts that haunt our every present.” (Barnard Book Club)

Fiction

More Articles ...