Three books about family relationships are among the most popular check-outs of the summer. Don’t miss The Nest by Cynthia D’Aprix Sweeney, The Summer Before the War by Helen Simonson and Miller’s Valley by Anna Quindlen. Find these novels and the following read-alikes at the Lititz Public Library.
The Nest by Cynthia D’Aprix Sweeney
Four adult siblings from a dysfunctional family are months away from receiving “The Nest”, a trust fund put aside by their deceased father they have been counting on to solve a number of self-inflicted problems.
For a similar read, try:
The Children’s Crusade by Ann Packer
Thirty years after a family set down roots in an area now known as Silicon Valley, the three oldest adult children still live near the family home and find their lives disrupted by the return of their youngest sibling.
My Name is Lucy Barton by Elizabeth Strout
Recovering from an operation that should have been simple, a woman’s estranged mother comes to see her, reigniting the tension and emotion that has influenced every aspect of her life.
The Sisters Weiss by Naomi Ragen
In the 1950s, a woman from a loving but strict ultra-Orthodox family meets a young French immigrant who turns her world upside down and she begins to live a secret life.
Descent by Tim Johnston
Two years after their daughter vanishes, a fractured and anguished family is bound only by unanswered questions.
The Summer Before the War by Helen Simonson
In 1914, a young woman becomes the first female teacher of Latin at a local school and falls in love with her sponsor’s nephew.
For a similar read, try:
Calling Me Home by Julie Kibler
An eighty-nine-year-old woman asks her hairdresser to drive her from Texas to a funeral in Cincinnati, a journey that changes both lives.
You Could Be Home by Now by Tracy Manaster
Two young professionals working in a retirement community discover that one of their residents is hiding her grandson in her unit.
The Beekeeper’s Daughter by Santa Montefiore
The daughter of a woman who left love behind when she moved her family from England to Massachusetts after WWII, falls for an unsuitable boy.
Before I Met You by Lisa Jewell
A young woman’s search for an unknown beneficiary in her grandmother’s will leads to a tale of romance in Jazz Age London.
Miller’s Valley by Anna Quindlen
A teenager eavesdrops on her parents and observes the people around her, discovering family secrets.
For a similar read, try:
God’s Kingdom by Howard Frank Mosher
A bright high school student grows curious about family secrets and decides to sort out the facts of a deliberately obscured story.
The Secret Wisdom of the Earth by Chris Scotton
After witnessing the death of his younger brother in a terrible home accident, a fourteen-year-old boy and his grieving mother are sent to live with his grandfather in Appalachia for the summer.
Three Women by Marge Piercy
The independent and rewarding life of a divorced mother of two grown daughters starts to unravel after she suffers a stroke and can no longer care for herself.
This Book Will Save Your Life by A.M. Homes
Disconnected from the outside world until a health scare forces him to seek new relationships, a middle-aged man finds his life changed by a doughnut shop owner, a kidnapped woman and a counterculture icon.
June 17, 2016