When reflecting on reading, author Stephen King once said “Books are a uniquely portable magic.” Why do you read? To escape to a different time and place? To experience someone else’s imagination? To acquire knowledge? To know that you are not alone? To appreciate the craft of writing? To share ideas with others? To be inspired? To relax? Whatever your reason for reading, we hope that you will continue to share your recommendations with our readers.
The Exiles
by Christina Baker Kline
In this gorgeous novel, Kline brilliantly recreates the beginnings of a new society in a beautiful and challenging land, telling the story of Australia from a fresh perspective, through the experiences of Evangeline, Hazel, and Mathinna. While life in Australia is punishing and often brutally unfair, it is also, for some, an opportunity: for redemption, for a new way of life, for unimagined freedom. (2020, 371 pgs; Fiction)
The Girl from Widow Hills
by Megan Miranda
Arden Maynor was just six years old when she was swept away while sleepwalking in a rainstorm. Fame as the survivor of Widow Hills undid her life, until she moved far away and changes her name. She begins to feel like she’s being watched and, soon, her past comes back to haunt her. (2020, 320 pgs; Fiction)
Black Bottom Saints
by Alice Randall
From the Great Depression through the post-World War II years, Ziggy had been the pulse of Detroit’s famous Black Bottom. A celebrated gossip columnist for the city’s African-American newspaper, he was also the emcee of one of the hottest night clubs, where he rubbed elbows with the legendary black artists of the era. From his hospital bed, Ziggy curates his own list of Black Bottom’s venerable “52 Saints,” local heroes whose unstoppable ambition, love of style, and faith in community made this black Midwestern neighborhood the rival of New York City’s Harlem. (2020, 361 pgs; Fiction)
Bootlegger’s Daughter
by Margaret Maron
Deborah Knott, an attorney attempting to infiltrate the old boy network of tobacco country by running for district judge, is distracted from the race, and almost eliminated, when she finds new evidence to an old small-town murder. Thus begins North Carolina native Maron’s long-running series about this character. (1992, 261 pgs; Fiction)
West with Giraffes
by Lynda Rutledge
Woodrow Wilson Nickel, age 105, recalls his journey to deliver South California’s first giraffes to the San Diego Zoo in 1938. (2021, 356 pgs; Fiction)
Folly Beach Mystery Series
by Bill Noel
Noel started writing at 59 and published Folly in 2007. He has since published 18 more titles- the most recent Tipping Point in 2021. Others include The Pier, Washout, The Edge, The Marsh, Ghosts, Missing, Final Cut, First Light, Boneyard Beach, Silent Night, Dead Center, Discord, Dark Horse, Joy, No Joke, Relic, and Faith. (2007 – 2021, various; Fiction)
Hamnet
by Maggie O’Farrell
A thrilling departure: a short, piercing, deeply moving novel about the death of Shakespeare’s 11-year-old son Hamnet–a name interchangeable with Hamlet in 15th century Britain–and the years leading up to the production of his great play. (2020, 305 pgs; Fiction)
The literary world lost two giants recently. Larry McMurtry passed away March 25. He was noted for his storytelling skills and the Western settings of his novels. Beverly Cleary, the beloved children’s author, died at 104, and generations of young readers can attest to her wide appeal. Linda Malcolm of Indigo Books reminisced recently about the authors we’ve lost. Do you have a favorite that you miss?
We look forward to hearing about the books you or your book club recommend.
- Include your name (although it will not be published), the title, and author of the book you are recommending and email this to Tidelines at seabrookislandblog@gmail.com. (You may be able to click on the email address to open a new message.)
- For audiobooks, include the name of the narrator.
- Tidelines editors will provide a blurb to tell a little about the book and add the book jacket image.
- Publication is at the discretion of Tidelines editors.
–Tidelines Editors
(Image and bibliographic credit: CMPL)