Hi everyone, here are our five suggested reads of the week!
Weekly Suggested Reading Five postings are usually published on Wednesdays, unless Monday is a holiday and then they are published later in the week.
And the next Suggested Reading posting will be published on Wednesday, June 4, 2025.
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Beach House Rules by Kristy Woodson Harvey
Charlotte Sitterly and her daughter Iris’ lives are flipped upside down when Bill, Charlotte’s husband, is arrested for embezzlement. With her assets frozen and no home to go to, she takes acquaintance Alice up on her offer to stay with her. Alice’s North Carolina beachside home is known in the community as the “”mommune”” and houses Alice’s niece, journalist Julie, and her three children, and Grace, an internet-famous vegan chef, and her two children. Though Charlotte and Iris are hesitant at first, they soon come to feel that these once strangers are family. But all is not rosy: everyone’s business is fair game to the town’s vicious, anonymous Instagram account, and Alice, a three-time widow, feels like she must steer clear of love. Still, while each woman is facing her own battles, they are all thriving within their support system, which is sorely needed when it becomes apparent that Bill has been framed by a man from Alice’s past. Woodson Harvey’s latest (after A Happier Life, 2024) is full of well-thought-out characters and a plot that keeps readers guessing. Charming and beachy in the best way, Beach House Rules will appeal to those looking for an escape with emotional depth. – Starred Booklist Review
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Daughters of George III: Sisters and Princesses by Catherine Curzon
In 1761, King George III married 17-year-old Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz; they went on to have 15 children, 13 of whom lived to adulthood. A great deal has been written about the sons, including Prince Edward, Duke of Kent and Strathearn, father of Queen Victoria. Historian Curzon (The Elder Sons of George III) focuses on the six princesses: Charlotte, Princess Royal; Augusta Sophia; Elizabeth; Mary; Sophia; and Amelia. Each daughter is profiled in a separate chapter that also provides insights on how they were impacted by their father’s mental and physical illness. Augusta Sophia had a long-term relationship and (possible secret marriage) to Sir Brent Spencer and Elizabeth married later in life to Frederick VI, Landgrave of Hesse-Homburg. Charlotte married Frederick I of Wurttemberg. Mary married her cousin Prince William Frederick, Duke of Gloucester and Edinburgh. Perhaps the most intriguing is Sophia, rumored to have an illegitimate child with Gen. Thomas Garth, 33 years her senior. Amelia, her father’s favorite, died young from tuberculosis, unable to attain permission to marry Charles FitzRoy, a descendant of Charles II. Extensive bibliographical notes add value.
VERDICT This fascinating look at the lives and times of the six daughters of George III and Queen Charlotte delivers an engaging read for enthusiasts of the royals and British history. –Library Journal Review
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Mansion Beach by Meg Mitchell Moore
Nicola Carr has left her boyfriend and lawyer job and is starting over as the oldest intern at the Block Island Maritime Institute off of Rhode Island. Despite her humble midwestern roots, Nicola is surrounded by the wealthy–Taylor, her beloved cousin David’s wife; Jack, an injured pro golfer and David and Taylor’s frequent house guest; and Juliana George, Nicola’s next-door-neighbor, who starts the summer as a nuisance because of her loud, lavish parties. Juliana’s life started out much differently than that of her rich counterparts, as is revealed in sections from her perspective. But if the IPO for her online fashion portal is to go off without a hitch, her past, including a connection with David, must stay hidden. The reader knows from the beginning of the novel that someone has died, but it’s not revealed who until the heartbreaking end of the book. Moore (Summer Stage, 2023) combines Elin Hilderbrand’s knack for details with a slightly more cynical point of view, presenting the careless cruelty of the ultrarich in a compelling, beachy tale. — Booklist Review
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My Friends: A Novel by Fredrik Backman
#1 New York Times bestselling author Fredrik Backman returns with an unforgettably funny, deeply moving tale of four teenagers whose friendship creates a bond so powerful that it changes a complete stranger’s life twenty-five years later.
Most people don’t even notice them—three tiny figures sitting at the end of a long pier in the corner of one of the most famous paintings in the world. Most people think it’s just a depiction of the sea. But Louisa, an aspiring artist herself, knows otherwise, and she is determined to find out the story of these three enigmatic figures.
Twenty-five years earlier, in a distant seaside town, a group of teenagers find refuge from their bruising home lives by spending long summer days on an abandoned pier, telling silly jokes, sharing secrets, and committing small acts of rebellion. These lost souls find in each other a reason to get up each morning, a reason to dream, a reason to love.
Out of that summer emerges a transcendent work of art, a painting that will unexpectedly be placed into eighteen-year-old Louisa’s care. She embarks on a surprise-filled cross-country journey to learn how the painting came to be and to decide what to do with it. The closer she gets to the painting’s birthplace, the more nervous she becomes about what she’ll find. Louisa is proof that happy endings don’t always take the form we expect in this stunning testament to the transformative, timeless power of friendship and art.
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Summerhouse by Yigit Karaahmet
Fehmi and Şener have created a lovely life together, or as much as two gay men living on the Turkish island of Buyukada can. Together for 40 years, they are used to the delicate dance required to be accepted by their neighbors, but Fehmi is growing bored with their predictable life. An awakening occurs when a couple from Istanbul arrives for the summer with their handsome and troubled son, Deniz, in tow. The more Deniz plays games with Fehmi, the more Şener feels threatened, eventually pushing him to the brink. The result is a thriller reminiscent of The Talented Mr. Ripley, complete with antiheroes who manage to be a combination of empathetic, charming, and abhorrent. The idyllic setting of Buyukada creates a cinematic atmosphere, and Turkish author Karaahmet effectively captures the capricious nature of the island’s high-society inhabitants. Though the buildup is slowly paced and the ending somewhat rushed, this darkly funny tale will be devilishly entertaining for fans of the genre and complex characters. –Booklist Review
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Happy reading!
Linda Reimer, SSCL
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Note: Book summaries are from the respective publishers unless otherwise specified.
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Information on the four library catalogs
The Digital Catalog aka Libby: https://stls.overdrive.com/
The Digital Catalog, is an online catalog containing eBooks, eAudiobooks, and digital magazines. You can use your library card and checkout content on a PC; you can also use the companion app, Libby, to access titles on your mobile devices; so you can enjoy eBooks and eAudiobooks on the go!
All card holders of all Southern Tier Library System member libraries can check out items from the Digital Catalog.
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Hoopla Catalog: https://www.hoopladigital.com/
The Hoopla Catalog features on demand checkouts of eBooks, eAudiobooks, comic books, albums, movies and TV shows. Patron check out limit is 10 items per month.
Hoopla is a Southeast Steuben County Library service available to all Southeast Steuben County Library card holders.
The Hoopla companion app, also called Hoopla is available for mobile devices, smart TVs & media streaming players.
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Kanopy Catalog: https://www.kanopy.com/en
The Kanopy Catalog features thousands of streaming videos available on demand.
The Kanopy Catalog is available for all Southern Tier Library System member library card holders, including all Southeast Steuben County Library card holders!
You can access the Kanopy Catalog through a web browser, or download the app to your phone, tablet or media streaming player (i.e. Roku, Google or Fire TV).
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StarCat: The catalog of physical/traditional library materials: https://starcat.stls.org
Card holders of all Southern Tier Library System member libraries can access StarCat to search for and request materials available at libraries through out the Southern Tier Library System.
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Have questions about how to access Internet based content (i.e. eBooks, eAudios)? Feel free to drop by the Reference Desk or call the library and we will assist you! The library’s telephone number is: 607-936-3713.
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Tech & Book Talk is a Southeast Steuben County Library blog.
Tech & Book Talk at SSCL 