July Book Selections

One of my favorite guilty pleasures is getting a new book. I say guilty because I have run out of room for books in our little library and should slow down on getting more books- theoretically. Kindle has been great for helping this little problem, but occasionally a rogue paper or hardback book finds its way in. The chance that I will kill that habit is an unrepentant zero, but an electronic library has been extremely helpful in reducing paperbacks. However, two of the July book selections are paperback and only one is a kindle. Guess it’s time to squeeze in a couple more on our bulging shelves….

Last month I posted about the books I was going to read, and I enjoyed each one tremendously plus gained helpful new insights which will be helpful in today’s climate. You can read more about June’s book selections here. This month I decided to zero in on beach reads because one has to have frivolous reads as well, right? And it’s summer, so really the perfect time for light reads. So, here are my July book selections. If you need a book to stuff in your beach bag, I am quite optimistic about these three.

July Book Selections

Park Avenue Summer by Renee Rosen. This book was described by Pop Sugar as: “‘Mad Men meets The Devil Wears Prada‘, which might as well be saying ‘put me in your cart immediately.” (PopSugar) This fictional novel is based on the real-life Helen Gurley Brown who was the first female editor at Cosmopolitan. Helen was a bold woman who shook things up in a way that forever changed the publication’s landscape not to mention the culture with her daring approach to off-limit topics. In this book we meet our fictional assistant and narrator, Alice, who helps us look into this world of women breaking through glass ceilings. If this doesn’t say beach read all over it….

The Last Train to Key West by Chanel Cleeton. This new summer release looked intriguing as well as other books by the well-educated and well-traveled, Chanel Cleeton. Chanel Cleeton wanted to bring her family’s Cuban heritage to life in her popular, best-selling historical fiction books that take place around the period of the Cuban Revolution. The Last Train to Key West brings us the stories of three women whose paths cross during the impending and terrifying Labor Day Hurricane (largest hurricane in the U.S. ever). We meet Mirta Perez who accepts an arranged marriage to an American man. Then there is the pregnant Helen Berner who is looking to escape an abusive marriage. And finally, we have Elizabeth Preston who is looking to save her family from financial disaster. I am really looking forward to this one.

Along the Infinite Sea by Beatriz Williams. This was a spontaneous buy in a little beach bookstore recently. I’ll admit, it was the cover that caught my eye. The beautiful and serene aqua sea emblazoned on the front cover drew me in, but I resisted buying until I googled more about it. Once I learned it was a WWII era book, I knew I was taking it home. This is another strong women book that draws together two different eras: 1960s America and WW II Europe. A car sale connects a pregnant single woman in the 1960s with a widow with a secret past. It is clearly a book of self-discovery following the life choices of our two main characters. The story line is intriguing and definitely appeals to my love of WW era books. And then there was the sea on the front of the book….

Now it’s time to read. The hard part is which one to pick first. Would love to hear your opinions of the books listed in the comments below. Have an amazing day!