B.O.O.K.S.

Being a teacher, I spend much of my summer simply curled up with a book. I have been reading a series by Diana Gabaldon. The first in the series, "Outlander," tells the story of an Englishwoman who finds herself transported through a group of standing stones (like Stonehenge) into eighteenth century Scotland. I just finished the second book, "Dragonfly in Amber." It takes some imagination to go back and forth in time, but is truly fun. I'm now anxious to read more about Scottish history. Anyway, this series has kept me busy and helped me to keep my mind sharp. This weekend, I digressed. I picked up "The Beach House" by Jane Green. I have not read anything by her before, but when shopping the other day, I saw several novels written by her. I can't wait to pick up another. After Quarter Moon Books sent me "The Beach House," I saw that it was on the bestseller list for independent bookstores in the U.S. Now I know why. 

Jane Green has taken a group of seemingly random, unrelated characters and woven them together into a fabulous tapestry of summer. Set on Nantucket, Nan, the protagonist, decides to convert her old huge house into a boarding house. Various individuals rent from her; and by the end of the book they have become your friends. She has done a marvelous job of weaving their stories together and it is all so believable. From Bee to Daniel, to Daff and Michael, these characters worm their way into your heart. Even death and romance are totally expected. This book is a great weekend or beach read! I know nothing of her other novels, but Jane Green creates characters that I would love to know.  I will be looking for more of her writings soon.

Harriet Gulbranson has been teaching elementary school for 35 years. She lives in Stuart, Iowa and is a mother of five children. She attended University of South Dakota and received a Bachelors of Science degree in Education. She loves to read!