Sherwood Book Corner Column: Beach reads and thoughtful reflections

Introduction by Adam Bienvenu, reviews by Rebecca Nelson for the Sherwood Sun

SHERWOOD, Ore. — Summer at the bookstore has kicked off with a roar. We’ve made sure the summer program is packed with activities. There are book clubs every Thursday, social events every Tuesday, and even a community stage available on the second Fridays. Young writers have been gathering for our workshop, while grown-ups have come together for our Sherwood Battle of the Books. Our first SherBOB meet saw no less than 54 local readers come together. They have created teams, started strategizing, reading and note-taking.

While the days are long this summer, it’s a great opportunity to spend time outside, basking in the sun, or enjoying the shade. Summer reads are a thing for a reason! We’re loading up on plenty of relaxing books to help you unwind. If you’re like me, though, you’ll enjoy some great Summerween picks we’ve added to our collection – something about the long days and warm nights really gets me in the mood for something spooky and moody.

"Dolly All The Time" by Annabel Monaghan

Thirty-nine year-old Dolly Brick has grown up taking care of everyone but herself. Returning with her teenage son Gus to the town she grew up in to help her father and brother recover after a house fire, Dolly finds herself jumping back into old habits. Until she runs into the wealthy Stewart Whitfield on the side of the road, unable to change a tire and unable to deal with the blow of seeing his fiance in the media with another man. Worried the chaos will shake his family’s confidence in him, Stewart enlists Dolly to pose as his girlfriend for the summer. The plan is simple. She’ll go with him to all of the events, make appearances with him until the end of season party where the new CEO will be announced. In return, Stewart will pay her $60,000 to cover the new roof her dad badly needs, with some cushion, because you never know how bids will turn out.

In true rom-com fashion, nothing turns out as anticipated, but in the most beautiful way. I enjoyed Dolly’s growth as she navigates the feelings she begins to have for Stewart, and Stewart’s attempts to stop being a workaholic. His bond with Dolly’s son Gus, brother Christopher, and dad are heartwarming. I give this one a solid 4.5 star rating and recommend it as a summer read!

"Whistler" by Ann Patchett

When Daphne Fuller and her husband, Jonathan, discover Eddie Triplett following them in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, her world is shaken. It has been forty-four years since she last saw Eddie — right before her mother ended their one and a half year marriage, and just after the accident that changed everything.

Now Jonathan is off to help his sister pack up their mother’s house and Daphne is left to sort through the lasting impact those days in 1980 left on her life. Reconnecting with the stepfather she never wanted to leave, Daphne begins to recount to her sister, Leda, the story she assumed everyone knew, and that she never told fully — not even to Jonathan.

Beautifully written, Whistler is a story about reconnection, memory, bravery, and the impact of our choices. I finished this book in one day, caught up in the slowly unfolding narrative of a woman who had repressed a formative event and loss in her life. Daphne and Eddie’s relationship is heartwarming and the prose flows naturally between them with an unexpected subtle wit. The story is told in first-person format through Daphne’s point of view, though the chapters reflecting back to 1980 are told in third-person perspective. What I liked about that change was that it provided a glimpse into Eddie’s perspective, which we don’t get in the other chapters. I also liked the soft inclusion of the horse throughout the narrative. Though it doesn’t appear in the way people may expect, the relation to Daphne and Eddie’s story with Whistler has emotional weight. This is another gorgeous tale from Ann Patchett that resonates long after the story is over.