Help a Mom: Favorite summer beach reads for moms

I thought I'd throw this one out there as I've been looking for great books for me to read lately.

Posted 12:20 a.m. Jun 19, 2013 — Updated 12:20 a.m. Jun 19, 2013

Sarah Lindenfeld Hall

I thought I'd throw this one out there as I've been looking for great books for me to read lately.

I checked in with staff at Quail Ridge Books & Music, who recommended these four (descriptions courtesy of the store):

The Boys in the Boat by Daniel James Brown. If you have a poet's heart, you'll be awed by the spiritual connections to rowing expressed by both the crew members and the master boat builder whose philosophy weaves through this historical drama.
The Yonahlossee Riding Camp for Girls by Anton DiSclafani. It may be the most mispronounced title of the summer, but it'll be one of the most sought after. "Lush" in every sense of the word: exquisite period details, forbidden love, beautiful N.C. mountain setting, and, oh yes, horses. Thea's contributions to a family tragedy (slowly revealed over the course of the novel) have altered her present life with a speed and ferocity that leave her unmoored. But it's the profound effect this year of change will have on her future that propels her (and us) along.
The Firebird by Susanna Kearsley. Kearsley credibly moves between the 21st and 18th centuries to unravel the mystery of the Firebird and to tell the stories of two fascinating young women. This intriguing novel of historical fiction, romance, and parapsychology was impossible to put down.
The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry by Rachel Joyce. Unlikely Pilgrimage has the quiet pleasures of an English village novel, and something more. Harold Fry, recently retired and underfoot, receives a letter from Queenie, a former co-worker who proved herself a friend log ago, writing from hospice to say goodbye. At the postbox, where his journey should be over, it begins. Harold starts his 600-mile walk the length of England to say goodbye, and in walking, keep Queenie alive. This story is deep and tender and engrossing and opens up the truth of many lives.

I've heard great things about that last book, "The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry." And I've just read a couple of books by Pulitzer Prize-winning author Anne Tyler, who spent part of her childhood in Raleigh and graduated from Duke at age 19. "Digging to America" and "Back When We Were Grownups" were both great reads.

What books can you recommend for summer reads? Please share your tips in the comments box below. (If you don't see the comments box below, you'll need to log in or sign up for a WRAL account. You can do that by going to the top of the page and clicking on either "log in" or "register").

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