Tag: Summer

What’s Ashley Reading?: The Island Villa

The Island Villa by Sarah Morgan

First line: For the first time in her life she was planning to kill someone.

Summary: Catherine Swift has spent her career on the top of the romance charts. Her books have sold millions of copies and earned high praise from her fans. If only her love life was as perfect as the ones in her books. But she is hopeful that this fourth marriage will be the perfect one and bring her family back together again.

Adeline has had a troubled relationship with her mother since she was young. After the affair, divorce and the birth of her younger sister, it has been hard for Adeline to forgive her mother for abandoning her for a new family. Now she has been guilted into attending her mother’s fourth wedding. How is she going to get through this week and the memories it stirs in her?

Cassie has dreamed of getting to know her older sister and she is hoping that this family wedding will help bring them closer. She is excited for her mother and her future husband but she has been hiding something from everyone about her own career. Maybe this trip will be the perfect time to reveal her secret.

As all three women prepare for several weeks together they each have their own expectations. However, as the days progress and secrets are revealed it seems that no one expected how this vacation was going to actually go.

My Thoughts: This was my first book by Sarah Morgan. I picked it up at a used bookstore several months ago with the plan to read it during the summer. As June rolled around it felt like the perfect time.

I wasn’t sure what to expect from her. Was it going to be a romance? Was there going to be drama? And the answer to both was yes. There are several romances throughout the book but nothing is explicit. It had a sweet romcom feel to it. However, there was definitely drama and secrets that gave some shocks to the story. Each woman learns something about their past and themselves through their journey in the book. This is a story where people are given second chances and the past is made clearer for all involved.

I liked the story even though much of it was rather predictable. If you want something set in a beautiful location, a little family drama and a sweet ending with it all coming together perfectly then this is it. So in summary this is a perfect example of a beach read!

FYI: Abuse, death, abandonment.

The Blog Wants to Know: June 2025

Despite the current deluge of rain and the humid temperatures, we are technically in the middle of summertime and maybe some warmer weather so this month’s blog question is all about summer activities! 

What are some of your favorite summer activities? Do you like to go somewhere special in town during the summer months or do you get to enjoy certain hobbies now that it’s a little warmer?

Shane, Public Support Services: I grew up camping in the summer months and I still do when I can. El Dorado Lake is a fun one close by to go to for one night or just a day to go swimming. My favorite summertime activity is evening bonfires with plentiful s’mores with friends and family.

Dawn S., Youth Services Coordinator: My boys and I enjoy going to the Y for swimming and the movie theater for air conditioning. 

Eric, Director: Just in case you didn’t know, my primary favorite summer activity is cycling!  I definitely ride a lot more in the summer months!

Shelia, Interlibrary Loan and Cataloguing: One of our favorite summer activities is going to Starlite Drive-In in Wichita. We love the atmosphere and of course, the concessions. Oh and if your car battery dies, they have jumper cables for you to borrow! “Starlite Drive-In gives you more, call 524-2424“

Maycie, Public Support Services: I am not by any means a hot weather kind of gal so my favorite summer activity is hanging out the air conditioning and waiting for winter to return! 

Emily B., Public Support Services: Some of my favorite summer activities are driving with my windows down and the music up! If you happen to catch me driving around, there’s a strong possibility that you’ll be able to hear my music- even if the windows are rolled up. I also love going on evening walks and getting to watch the sunset, since it’s warm enough to be out, and having small bonfires with friends.

I try to spend as much time as I can down at a small lake just across the border of Kansas into Oklahoma. My family has been going there as long as I can remember, so it has a very special place in my heart. 

Alyssa, Adult and Teen Services Coordinator: I love sitting on my porch outside in the summer mornings or evenings just reading a book either with a cup of coffee or a glass of white wine. I’m also a big fan of evening summer walks. I adore the ocean so summertime means visiting family in North Carolina and hitting the waves in our favorite coastal town, Wrightsville Beach. My godchildren and I love to board surf, and we’re hoping to take pro surf lessons this summer!

Hannah, Assistant Director: Early morning summer walks and runs are the best. I can watch the sun come up, and I’m not running in the pitch black like the rest of the year.

Kristy H., Public Support Services: My favorite summer activity was always going to  Worlds of Fun In Kansas City. It was the best of times, all the walking and the old fashioned cars that were on rails that we got to drive at 6 years old , And the big paper flowers. Those are the best memories!


Monica’s Musings: That Summer

That Summer by Jennifer Weiner

“Death would be too easy. Death would let him off the hook. Life, though, life with the knowledge that Daisy knew what he’d done and who he was…”

― Jennifer Weiner, That Summer

Summary:

While Daisy tries to identify the root of her dissatisfaction in her own life, she’s also receiving misdirected emails meant for another woman, whose email address is just one punctuation mark away from her own. While Daisy’s driving carpools, the other woman is chairing meetings. While Daisy’s making dinner, the other woman is making plans to reorganize corporations.

The emails give insight into a glamorous, sophisticated, single-lady life, which is miles away from Daisy’s simpler existence. Eventually, the misdirected emails are acknowledged, which leads to the two women meeting and becoming friends. But, as they get closer, you learn that their connection was not completely accidental. Who IS this other woman, and what does she want with Daisy?

My Thoughts:

In my opinion, it is best to go into this book blind. It goes back and forth between the past and the present. You realize pretty early on how the two women are connected. However, it’s what happens after that point that is intriguing and kept me engaged. It’s a thoughtful, meaningful story, but it is one that is not easy to read at times. I think it is a great show of wealth, privilege, and control.

I was expecting an easy summer read, but That Summer was much deeper and more meaningful than I was anticipating. It alludes to the #MeToo movement, and I think it is done very well. With that though, it might be good to double-check the content if you are sensitive to that topic.

What’s Ashley Reading?: The Last House Guest

The Last House Guest by Megan Miranda

First line: I almost went back for her.

Summary: Littleport, Maine is a small coastal town that spends half the year catering to the wealthy visitors on summer vacation. The Loman family is the richest and most prominent family in the area. One summer the Loman’s daughter, Sadie develops a friendship with a local girl. They become inseparable. As their friendship grows, Avery is brought on to manage the family’s local rental properties and other business ventures in town. Then one summer everything changes. Sadie is found dead. The police rule it as a suicide but Avery feels like things do not add up. Who could want to hurt Sadie and why?

My Thoughts: This is a perfect read for summer vacations. It is set on a coastal town with beaches, bungalows and bistros. While reading it I desperately wanted to be sitting outside with a cold drink.

Miranda does a great job a spinning a tangled web. The story jumps back and forth between the summer Sadie died and the next one without her. But at the same time we get glimpses farther back into Avery’s past as well. There seemed to be so many possibilities for the ending. I was shocked by the big reveal at the end. The last 50 pages fly by so fast. It was hard to put down.

FYI: My favorite Megan Miranda books is All The Missing Girls. It is fantastic. The story is told in reverse. You would think it would give away so much but it does not. Both of these books are perfect for your summer reading list!

Creating Great Summer Memories

I don’t know how you feel about summer, but my daughters and I start counting down the days shortly after Christmas. There are so many things to look forward to! Not having to hit the ground running every morning as soon as the alarm goes off. The almost transformative way laying in the sunshine by the pool makes you feel like a new person. The excitement of planning a summer vacation (with or without family). Most of all, at least for me, it’s the idea of making great memories that will keep us remembering the warmth even through the dead of winter.

I’ve found that when I’ve gone overboard to create the “perfect” summertime memory, those are never really the ones we remember. I’m usually stressed from trying too hard and it never lives up to the idea I had in my head. No, the times we end up talking about well into the next summer are the little things that don’t require much effort at all. Playing games outside and then staying out until dark eating dinner and watching them catch fireflies. Allowing them to have cheesy tots and pop at the pool. Letting them play outside in a summer rainstorm.  Going to Riverside Park with a picnic they choose themselves and telling them about when we were actually allowed to go down the rocket ship slide.

Going to the park is still as cool to my girls as it was to me when I was young and in this day and age I think that’s really saying something. It must be the same for a lot of kids and their families because every time I drive by Madison Avenue Central Park here in Derby it is always buzzing with activity.

So in honor of “Creating Great Summer Memories” the Derby Public Library is hosting a free outdoor concert at the Madison Avenue Central Park on Monday, June 12 at 7:00 p.m., featuring the group Hungrytown. Worried about dinner? The food truck B.S. Sandwich Press will be in the parking lot serving up some  delicious treats! We will also be collecting non-perishable food items to donate to the Derby Community Food Pantry.

 

To find out more about Hungrytown visit www.hungrytown.net

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