Seven top books that feature surfing

Sara Ackerman is the Hawai'i born, bestselling author of historical & romance novels set in the islands.

Her books have been labeled “unforgettable” by Apple Books, “empowering & deliciously visceral” by Book Riot, and New York Times bestselling authors Kate Quinn and Madeline Martin have praised Ackerman’s novels as “fresh and delightful” and “brilliantly written.” Amazon chose Radar Girls as a best book of the month, and ALA Booklist gave The Codebreaker’s Secret a starred review.

Ackerman's new novel is The Maui Effect.

At The Nerd Daily she tagged "seven books that feature surfing, four fiction and three non-fiction." One title on the list:

Malibu Rising by Taylor Jenkins Reid

This NYT Bestseller has over 1 million ratings on Goodreads. Definitely for those who prefer books with a lot of glitz and drama. In typical TJR fashion, she draws you in with her vividly drawn characters (the four famous Riva siblings, who all surf) and a twisty plot. It all happens in the span of 24 hours leading up to and including an end of summer bash (and also with flashbacks to the past) where everything spins out of control and the house goes up in flames. Surf is not the main focus in this novel, but we do get to paddle out and catch a few waves.

Read about the other entries on the list.

Malibu Rising is among Olivia Petter's five top novels that examine celebrity culture, Shilpi Somaya Gowda's ten novels with rotating perspectives, Laura Griffin's seven suspense titles in which paradise is not what it seems, and María Amparo Escandón's eight top books about living in Los Angeles.

--Marshal Zeringue

Eight books about women keeping secrets

Midge Raymond is the author of the novels Floreana and My Last Continent, the short-story collection Forgetting English, and, with coauthor John Yunker, the mystery novel Devils Island. Her writing has appeared in TriQuarterly, Bellevue Literary Review, the Los Angeles Times magazine, Chicago Tribune, Poets & Writers, and many other publications. Raymond has taught at Boston University, Boston’s Grub Street Writers, Seattle’s Hugo House, and San Diego Writers, Ink. She lives in the Pacific Northwest, where she is co-founder of the boutique publisher Ashland Creek Press.

[The Page 69 Test: My Last Continent; Writers Read: Midge Raymond (June 2016)]

At CrimeReads Raymond tagged eight books "about women with secrets and how they hide them (from the world and within themselves) and how their secrets are devastatingly revealed to the other characters and to the reader." One title on the list:

The God of the Woods by Liz Moore

When Barbara Van Laar disappears from summer camp on the property that her family has owned for generations, it becomes clear she’s been keeping secrets. Yet she’s not the only one. As the search for Barbara launches, we get glimpses into her family’s dark history and the lives of those who surround the Van Laars, many of whom have secrets of their own. Narrated by myriad characters, this gripping novel reveals what lies hidden within the family as well as the community surrounding them.

Read about the other books on the list.

The God of the Woods is among Molly Odintz's eight thrillers & horror novels set at terrible summer camps.

--Marshal Zeringue

Ten fantasy & romantasy books to help grapple with complex social issues

Penn Cole is an international bestselling author of magical worlds, feisty women, and angsty romance. Her debut series, The Kindred’s Curse Saga, has been sold in over a dozen languages to date. Before pursuing her lifelong dream of publishing, Cole had a prior career as an artist and attorney. Although she’s a Texas girl born and bred, she currently lives in France with her husband where she can usually be found eating far too many pastries and trolling her readers on Discord.

At People magazine the author tagged ten books "to inspire readers to return to their lives with a more inclusive mindset and a more courageous heart." One title on the list:

Trial of the Sun Queen by Nisha J. Tuli

Billed as “The Bachelor meets The Hunger Games,” this four-book romantasy series features a high-stakes tournament for a King’s hand in marriage that combines a spicy, enemies-to-lovers romance with the unpredictable twists and turns of epic fantasy. Lor is a fierce protagonist who holds her own in a world of men trying to control her. One of my favorite quotes says it all: “I am not his conquest. I am not his to claim. I am my own castle.”

Read about the other entries on the list.

--Marshal Zeringue

Seven books about islands and isolation

Midge Raymond is the author of the novels Floreana and My Last Continent, the short-story collection Forgetting English, and, with coauthor John Yunker, the mystery novel Devils Island. Her writing has appeared in TriQuarterly, Bellevue Literary Review, the Los Angeles Times magazine, Chicago Tribune, Poets & Writers, and many other publications. Raymond has taught at Boston University, Boston’s Grub Street Writers, Seattle’s Hugo House, and San Diego Writers, Ink. She lives in the Pacific Northwest, where she is co-founder of the boutique publisher Ashland Creek Press.

[The Page 69 Test: My Last Continent; Writers Read: Midge Raymond (June 2016)]

At The Nerd Daily Raymond tagged seven books that "feature tales of how the effects of isolation can lead humans to act in unexpected ways, for better or worse, as well as how it can help them discover who they truly are." One title on the list:

The Light Between Oceans by M.L. Stedman

In this stunning novel set at a lighthouse on an isolated point of land, a grieving couple rescue an infant, adrift at sea with her deceased father, and claim her as their own. Still mourning her miscarriages and stillbirth, Isabel convinces her reluctant husband, Tom, that the baby who washed ashore is meant to be theirs. Living in isolation, they can live their uneasy family dream until they return to the mainland when the child is two—and realize their actions didn’t happen in isolation after all.

Read about the other books on the list.

--Marshal Zeringue