Five Summer Novels Recommended by Library Staff

The staff of the released its top book picks for the season in the latest issue of Plains Talk and they're just the kind of books to read stretched out on the beach or swaying in a hammock overlooking the lake. Fast-paced but not requiring heavy lifting by your brain cells, these novels are perfect for lazy summer days.

1. Discovery of Witches - The web page of the author, Deborah Harkness describes the plot as follows: "When historian Diana Bishop opens a bewitched alchemical manuscript in Oxford’s Bodleian Library it represents an unwelcome intrusion of magic into her carefully ordinary life. Though descended from a long line of witches, she is determined to remain untouched by her family’s legacy. She banishes the manuscript to the stacks, but Diana finds it impossible to hold the world of magic at bay any longer."
2. I'll Walk Alone: According to author Mary Higgins Clark's web page, "Alexandra "Zan" Moreland, a gifted, beautiful interior designer on the threshold of a successful Manhattan career, is terrified to discover that somebody is not only using her credit cards and manipulating her financial accounts to bankrupt her and destroy her reputation, but may also be impersonating her in a scheme that may involve the much more brutal crimes of kidnapping and murder"
3. Minding Frankie - Author Maeve Binchy's web page describes the plot like this: "Baby Frankie is born into an unusual family. Her mother is desperate to find someone to take care of her child and she doesn't have much time. Noel doesn't seem to be the most promising of fathers but despite everything, he could well be Frankie's best hope. As for Lisa, she is prepared to give up everything for the man she loves; surely he's going to love her back? And Moira is having none of it. She knows what's right, and has the power to change the course of Frankie's life... but Moira is hiding secrets of her own."
4. Live Wire: Harlan Coben's web site describes Live Wire's plot like this: "Harlan Coben published his first Myron Bolitar thriller, Deal Breaker, in 1995, introducing a hero that would captivate millions ... When former tennis star Suzze T and her rock star husband, Lex, encounter an anonymous Facebook post questioning the paternity of their unborn child, Lex runs off, and Suzze – at eight months pregnant – asks Myron to save her marriage, and perhaps her husband’s life."
5. The Jungle: According to the Clive Cussler web site, "Jungles come in many forms. There are the steamy rain forests of the Burmese highlands. There are the lies and betrayals of the world of covert operations. And there are the dark and twisted thoughts of a man bent on near-global domination. To pull off their latest mission, Juan Cabrillo and the crew of the Oregon must survive them all."