Easy Beach Reads

Given the hot weather — and the depressing politics — you may be looking for an easy “beach read” for the beach, or maybe just the break room or bedroom. Laurie Dreyer, manager of Troy Public Library’s Lansingburgh branch, has five suggestions, in various settings. The first four she heard of from the website blackgirlnerds.com: “Summer on the Bluffs” (Sunny Hostin, 2021, on Martha’s Vineyard); “Drunk on Love” (Jasmine Guillory, 2022, in a Napa Valley winery); “Honey and Spice” (Bolu Babalola, 2022 in a radio program!); and “The Accidental Pinup” (Danielle Jackson, 2022, in a photography studio). The fifth one is a thriller: “When No One Is Watching” (Alyssa Cole, 2020, in a Brooklyn neighborhood). For more details, stop by the Lansingburg branch at 27 114th St., or visit www.thetroylibrary.org. To find other libraries in New York State, see www.nysl.nysed.gov/libdev/libs/#Find. Produced by Brea Barthel for Hudson Mohawk Magazine.