Book Talk: 'Sea Glass Summer' romance by Akron author is a summer treat
Readers looking for a summer romance will find “Sea Glass Summer,” second in the Seashell Harbor series by Akron author Miranda Liasson, a satisfying and heartwarming story.
Set in a touristy New Jersey beach town, the story follows Kit Blakemore two years after her husband, Carson, a military pilot, died on a mission. She’s made a list of things she needs to restart her life, like finishing her degree, going on a date, getting her own place and selling the decrepit Victorian house she inherited through her husband’s family.
Kit has done none of those things. She’s been living with her parents, who are kind and generous to the point of enabling her. Kit’s 5-year-old son, Oliver, is being teased about his lisp and his poor skills at T-ball, and she is at a loss to help him.
When Kit finally does decide to find an apartment, all her plans seem to collide in the person of Alex de la Cruz, Carson’s lifelong best friend and fellow pilot. Alex has a colossal case of survivor’s guilt and has decided to work it out by taking on the herculean task of renovating the old house, and having Kit reimburse him for his expenses when the house sells. What he doesn’t tell her is that he’s been in love with her since high school, masking it with hostility and insisting that he is doing the work in Carson’s memory.
Naturally, this pretense can’t hold up. Kit’s girlfriends, including Hadley, protagonist of Book One, “Coming Home to Seashell Harbor,” urge Kit to pursue a relationship, especially when they see the progress Oliver is making with Alex’s patient encouragement.
With moderately spicy romance, cats and home remodeling, “Sea Glass Summer” is a summer treat.
“Sea Glass Summer” (368 pages, softcover) costs $21.99 from Forever, an imprint of Hachette Book Group. Miranda Liasson is a pseudonym. Her debut novel “This Thing Called Love” won the 2013 Golden Heart Award from the Romance Writers of America, and she also has written the Mirror Lake and Angel Falls romance series.
“And win.” Winning is always the goal, whether in sports or business. There are ways to win in business that involve “micro-management, fear and intimidation,” and ways that involve inspiring loyalty and prime performance. The latter is the objective of “The Not So Subtle Art of Caring: Letters on Leadership” by Akron businessman Phillip Kane.
During his decades as an executive, Kane developed the custom of sending weekly letters to his staff, in the form of personal stories about his family and his inspirations, distilling each to a fundamental:
“Help each other. And win.”
“Deal with trouble head on. And win.”
“Make every day different and better. And win.”
Kane is an advocate of servant leadership, the concept of focusing on employee growth and well-being, denouncing the “command and control, soul-crushing management” type and “making a case for introverted stewards.” And winning.
The book is divided into six chapters of loosely related stories, which need not be read in order.
“The Not So Subtle Art of Caring” (336 pages, softcover) costs $26.95 from John Hunt Publishing. Phillip Kane spent 12 years with Goodyear, mostly in Akron and with a brief spell as president at a subsidiary in Arkansas, and now is CEO of a consulting firm.
Events
Learned Owl Book Shop (204 N. Main St., Hudson): Don Ruff signs “Customer Service: The Art of the Impossible” and “It’s My House Now,” 1 to 3 p.m. Sunday. From 1 to 3 p.m. Saturday, John Spearman signs “Pike’s Progress,” third in the Sandy Pike space thriller series.
Loganberry Books (13015 Larchmere Blvd., Shaker Heights): Raffaele Di Lallo signs “Houseplant Warrior: 7 Keys to Unlocking the Mysteries of Houseplant Care,” 2 p.m. Sunday.
Cuyahoga County Public Library (South Euclid-Lyndhurst branch, 1876 S. Green Road, South Euclid): Jason Mott talks about “Hell of a Book,” winner of the National Book Award for Fiction, 7 to 8 p.m. Tuesday. Register at cuyahogalibrary.org.
Lakewood Public Library (15425 Detroit Ave.): Andrew J. Pegman signs “Outdoor Tales of Northeast Ohio,” 7 p.m. Wednesday.
Akron-Summit County Public Library (Portage Lakes branch, 4261 Manchester Road): Cartoonist Jeff Nicholas (“Make Me! A Young Author’s Interactive Guide to Illustrating and Writing”) presents “If Fish Wore Shoes,” 11 a.m. to 12 p.m. Thursday. Seating is limited; register at akronlibrary.org.
Akron-Summit County Public Library (Tallmadge branch, 90 Community Road): Children’s author Lindsay Bonilla (“Polar Bear Island”) tells stories about whales, dolphins and other ocean creatures, 1 to 2 p.m. Thursday. Register at akronlibrary.org.
Dover Public Library (525 N. Walnut S.): Neil Zurcher, whose “Ten Ohio Disasters: Stories of Tragedy and Courage That Should Not Be Forgotten” was featured in the June 12 Book Talk, will appear from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. Thursday. Register at doverlibrary.org.
Cuyahoga County Public Library (Parma-Powers branch, 6996 Powers Blvd., Parma): Stephen Trzecizk talks about his book (with fellow physician Anthony Mazarelli) “Wonder Drug: 7 Scientifically Proven Ways That Serving Others Is the Best Medicine for Yourself,” 7 to 8 p.m. Thursday. Register at cuyahogalibrary.org.
Cuyahoga County Public Library: Geraldine Brooks, author of “Year of Wonders” and the Pulitzer Prize-winning “March,” talks to New York Times reporter Sarah Maslin Nir, whose “Unvarnished” series was a finalist for the 2008 Pulitzer Prize in Local Reporting, in a virtual event from 8 to 9 p.m. Thursday. The $25 admission includes a copy of Brooks’ new novel “Horse” if picked up at a library branch or at Mac’s Backs Books in Cleveland Heights; $30 for domestic mailing. Register at cuyahogalibrary.org.
Email information about books of local interest, and event notices at least two weeks in advance to BeaconBookTalk@gmail.com and bjnews@thebeaconjournal.com. I tweet at @BarbaraMcI.
This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: 'Sea Glass Summer' romance by Akron author is a summer treat
