Books to Borrow Claysburg Area Public Library Recommends

LIGHTHOUSE BEACH

By SHELLEY NOBLE

If you need a good beach read for the summer, this is the book to choose.

Lillo Gray is invited to be an attendant at a childhood friend’s wedding. When she pulls up to a posh Kennebunkport hotel in a borrowed vintage VW van, she knows she’s in trouble. Lillo is from a different world than Jess, the bride and her two closest friends, Allie and Diana.

Lillo lives on Lighthouse Island in a small cottage off the beaten path of civilization. Lighthouse Beach is a small coastal town that has been basically forgotten since the lighthouse was retired. The former tourist town is just hanging on. Lillo can’t imagine why she was at a wedding of someone she hadn’t seen since she was fourteen and they attended fat camp together. There’s no way Lillo fits in.

Jess isn’t sure she’s ready to go through with this wedding, but she’s been too busy making every one else happy to think about what she wants. But when the four girls discover her fiance’ with his pants down in the parking lot, she’s humiliated and slightly relieved.

In a rush to escape her crumbling life, Jess, Allie, Diana and Lillo pile into the beat up old VW van and head up the coast to Lighthouse Island. Once there, Jess hopes to figure out the next chapter of her life.

This story takes place over the course of a week, but seems much longer because of so much happening. Each person discovers something about themselves and their visit changes lives completely. Each woman brings her own needs and issues into the story and their personalities allow for connections to be built with one another and the small community.

Ms. Noble hasn’t tied things up nicely with a bow at the end leaving the reader to wonder about the future of Lighthouse Beach and the people we met. We are hoping there will be a sequel to this book.