Chapter 14 - Endless Spring Break

There is something about Spring Break that just sings to most of us, especially this year. It means just about two months left of school, warmer days, mini-vacations, and time to read. We love spring break time at Bookends. We get to see many customers who have been visiting year after year, for starters. We also get to share book ideas with young adults, children, and parents who just want to take a mental break for a week or so. It always does my heart good to see college students who come in looking for classics because they read Dickens or Hardy or Hemingway in school this year and want to read more by them.

This year, in particular, we are really loving our spring breakers because, of course, last year they were non-existent. In fact this time last year we were closed as COVID reared its ugly head and took over the world. Now with vaccines, social distancing, and mask regulations people are feeling a little more comfortable about shopping and going out. Small businesses, like us, really appreciate your business and are making efforts to keep things clean and safe for you.

In the meantime, if you are enjoying spring break here in North Myrtle Beach or anywhere else, here are some terrific books to take you away from this still crazy time!

Return to The Little French Guesthouse by Helen Pollard Who knows when we will be able to travel to France again? This book, second in the series, has a young British woman managing a guesthouse in France. You will love the town, the people, and the antics she gets involved in and leave feeling like you had your own little vacation.

The Giver of Stars by JoJo Moyes - Taking a trip back to the 1930's where the Pack Horse Librarians travel long hours to provide books for the people of Kentucky is another good way to get out of

town. Five women in a small town in rural Kentucky answer the call for Eleanor Roosevelt's Pack Horse Librarian program. Their stories, lives, loves and heartbreaks will capture your imagination.

Simon the Fiddler by Paulette Jiles - Jiles's book News of the World is one of my favorites and her latest, Simon the Fiddler does not disappoint. Having evaded military service in 1865 due to his small stature and ability to bend the truth, Simon Boudlin finds himself suddenly conscripted into the Confederate army. Placed in the band, due to his talent as a fiddler he plays at a dinner at Appomattox for officers and their families on both sides of the conflict. There he becomes infatuated by an Irish indentured servant, the rest of the story is one you will never forget.

Skinny Dip by Carl Hiaasen - This hilarious novel holds murder, mayhem, bales of floating Jamaican pot, and a retired investigator who is trying to make sense of it all. If you have not read Carl Hiaasen, you are missing a terrific author. While Skinny Dip is part of a series, you really don't have to read them in any order.

Any books you'd recommend for spring break? Please share!