Four Good Reads for Late Summer Evenings

As the evening sun starts to fade earlier and earlier these days, here are four books for some entertaining evening reads.

“Breathe Deep & Swim” by Jenna Marcus

Perfect for fans of Gayle Forman’s “If I Stay,” and Jandy Nelson’s “The Sky is Everywhere,” this witty and achingly beautiful coming-of-age story will tackle what it means to be alive, loved, and trusting in a world gone mad.

All 14-year-old Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Thomas wants is normalcy. But a global pandemic prevents that. When Wolfgang discovers his father dead from the coronavirus, his world is thrust into more turmoil.

Wolfgang and his 16-year-old brother must avoid foster care. In a cross-country road trip, they seek their only hope: the mother who abandoned them.

As they journey for answers, they uncover devastating mysteries about her that they never could have imagined. Can Wolfgang find the courage to “Breathe Deep & Swim?”  Available on Amazon: https://amzn.to/3mLuN5z

“Lemons in the Garden of Love” by Ames Sheldon

It’s 1977 and Cassie Lyman, a graduate student in women’s history at the University of Minnesota, is struggling to find a topic for her doctoral dissertation.

When she discovers a trove of suffrage cartoons, drawings, letters, and diaries at Smith College belonging to Kate Easton, founder of the Birth Control League of Massachusetts in 1916, she believes she has located her subject.

Digging deeper into Kate’s life, Cassie learns that she and Kate are related — closely. Driven to understand why her family has never spoken of Kate, Cassie travels to Cape Ann to attend her sister’s shotgun wedding, where she questions her female relatives about Kate.

Soon Cassie finds herself facing some of the same challenges that Kate faced. Available on Amazon: https://amzn.to/3t7PFFy

“Earth Sentinels: The Storm Creators”  by Elizabeth M. Herrera

This daring adventure begins with the fallen angel Bechard somberly observing the world’s natural resources being destroyed by mankind’s greed, corruption, and indifference.

Realizing drastic measures are needed, he searches for people who might join his quest to protect the planet before it’s too late.

The fallen angel finds the 17-year-old, big-hearted Zachary, who had hoped to take over the family’s organic farm until fracking ruined their water supply, and Billy White Smoke, a mysterious Native American who is the young man’s mentor.

Bechard also discovers Haruto, a courageous woman and spiritual healer living in Fukushima, Japan, who wants to fix the nuclear meltdown that is raging out of control; Mahakanta, a cotton farmer in India, who commits suicide after his GMO crops failed; an Amazonian tribal shaman and his beautiful daughter, Conchita, who are fighting against intruders illegally tearing down their rainforest; and the Bear Claw First Nation tribe members who are dealing with an unstoppable oil spill that is ruining their traditional hunting grounds.

Blue doors and ethereal mists beckon the characters to a spirit realm where they meet the mastermind Bechard and form an alliance. Together, they use supernatural powers to grab the world’s attention, demanding that the world’s leaders implement the changes…or else.

But as the events unfold and governments retaliate, the characters are forced to question their motives, fight for their lives and listen to their hearts. Available on Amazon: https://amzn.to/3t1cLh5

“Someone in the Water: A Clairvoyant Paranormal Romance” by Katie Mettner

Spring Lewis knew death. As a nurse in the ICU, she had experienced more than her fair share of it. The difference was, unlike most people, she was acutely aware not everyone who died stayed in the afterlife, including the eight kids calling to her from the river.

Vince Roundtree had devoted his life to music. As the tuba professor at the University of Hedgeford, he spent his days shaping the lives of young people, and his nights walking along the river on a journey to find true peace.

On a rainy spring evening, their lives intersected in an unexpected way. Their chance meeting set them on a path of forgiveness, understanding, and acceptance, but they didn’t see the danger lurking in the shadows.

Eight determined souls convince Spring to break her silence about the people in the water. While the scandal burns, death comes calling for her, and it will be up to Vince to save Spring from certain death before time runs out. Available on Amazon: https://amzn.to/3Ds6NKZ