Author Feature: Emily Henry

Are you looking for some light and fun books to read on your summer vacation? Fiction author Emily Henry has a new book out called Happy Place. She is known for her modern day romance novels and has even been said to have redefined the romance novel. Happy Place is about a couple who broke up months ago, but pretend to still be together for their annual weeklong vacation with their best friends. This is how they find themselves sharing a bedroom at the Maine cottage that has been their friend group's yearly  getaway for the last decade. Their annual respite from the world, where for one vibrant, blissful week they leave behind their daily lives; have copious amounts of cheese, wine, and seafood; and soak up the salty coastal air with the people who understand them the most. Only this year, Harriet and Wyn are lying through their teeth while trying not to notice how desperately they still want each other. Because the cottage is for sale and this is the last week they'll all have together in this place. They can't stand to break their friends' hearts, and so they'll play their parts. Harriet will be the driven surgical resident who never starts a fight, and Wyn will be the laid-back charmer who never lets the cracks show. It's a flawless plan (if you look at it from a great distance and through a pair of sunscreen-smeared sunglasses). After years of being in a love, how hard can it be to fake it for one week...in front of those who know you best?

Other Adult Fiction books from Emily Henry: 

Beach Read

People We Meet on Vacation

Book Lovers

Are you still craving more from Emily Henry? She also wrote some Young Adult Fiction novels. They aren't Summery beach reads, but give them a try!

The Love that Split the World

A Million Junes

When the Sky Fell on Splendor

Hello Girls

Happy Campers

Hey all you people who enjoy roughing it, snoozing in tents, cozying up around a fire, and fully embracing Mother Nature! Did you know that June is National Camping Month? Camping isn't for everyone, so if you are new to the camping life, have a hesitant kiddo, or need some cooking inspiration, take a look at the books below. You can click on the links to place holds on any of the titles with your SHARE account. Happy camping!

Fatima's Great Outdoors by Ambreen Tariq

Timo Goes Camping by Victoria Allenby
Sipping Spiders Through a Straw: Campfire Songs for Monsters by Kelly DiPucchio
Bad Kitty: Camp Daze by Nick Bruel
Eva's Campfire Adventure by Rebecca Elliott
Gone Camping by Tamera Will Wissinger

Backpacking Hacks by Raymond Bean

Feast By Firelight by Emma Frisch
Camping Made Easy by Michael Rutter
The Campout Cookbook by Marnie Hanel

Need a Little Magic in Your Life?

Our Bookaholics book club will next meet at Ceili Coffee & Wine Bar on Wednesday, July 19 at 6:30pm to discuss Lost Lake by Sarah Addison Allen. We have regular print books, large print books, and audiobook available for checkout at the library. You can also read it on the Libby app.

Suley, Georgia is home to Lost Lake Cottages and not much else. Which is why it's the perfect place for newly-widowed Kate and her eccentric eight-year-old daughter Devin to heal. Kate spend one memorable childhood summer at Lost Lake, and met a boy name Wes. It was a place for dreaming. But Kate doesn't believe in dreams anymore, and her Aunt Eby, Lost Lake's owner, wants to sell the place and move on. Lost Lake's magic is gone. As Kate discovers that time has a way of standing still at Lost Lake, can she bring the cottages and her heart back to life? 

Sarah Addison Allen mixes together the perfect blend of magical realism, romance, characters you want to be best friends with, and worlds that feel like home. If you're interested in diving into some more books featuring magical realism, try one from the list below! We could all use a little sprinkle of magic in our lives, right?

The Ocean at the End of the Lane by Neil Gaiman

Like Water for Chocolate by Laura Esquivel

One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Marquez

Life of Pi by Yann Martel

The Wind-Up Bird Chronicles by Haruki Murakami

The Water Dancer by Ta-Nehisi Coates

Once Upon a River by Diane Setterfield

Piranesi by Susanna Clarke

Gwendy's Final Task by Stephen King

In Five Years by Rebecca Serle

Check Out Wisconsin State Parks At Your Library!

Are you the outdoorsy type who longs to spend their summer hiking, biking, camping, and exploring all that Mother Nature has to offer?

Starting on June 9, you can check out a pass to visit a Wisconsin State Park for FREE! According to the WI DNR, "Check Out Wisconsin State Parks At Your Library is a collaborative effort between the DNR, the Wisconsin Association of Public Libraries, and the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction. The goal of the program is to expand access to Wisconsin State Park System properties to new visitors." Okay, that's pretty cool right?

Here's everything you need to know:

• To make it fair for all of our patrons, there will be a limit of ONE pass per family per month.
• Library staff will need to write the date that you plan to visit the state park on the pass. This could be the current day's date or any date this summer. The pass will only be valid on the date you select. 
• You can visit more than one Wisconsin State Park System location on that same day!
• Passes are valid for one vehicle with Wisconsin license plates. (Excluding busses)
• You will also receive a swag bag filled with information about the state park system, maps, stickers, accessibility information, and more.
• Passes do not need to be returned to the library after being used.
• Passes and swag bags are available while supplies last.

Learn more about this program here.