I’m still on vacation, reading and relaxing. Please welcome my friend and fellow Wordsmith Studio member Carol Cooney as she shares some great ideas for beach reads.
Hello!
Julia kindly asked me to explain a category of books I call “Popcorn Books.” A popcorn book is one that you read for entertainment. The plot moves quickly and has no redeeming value except as light reading.
Popcorn books are good all year round, but they are great beach reads. The plot is easy to follow, and you will not spend any time looking up the vocabulary. You can set the book down and pick it up a week later and not have a problem picking up where you left off. In fact, if you do have a problem, it won’t last long because you can untangle the plot pretty fast. These books are readily available at the library.
I am not knocking these books; I love a good popcorn book. They can be a “Calgon take me away” moment when you are having a bad day. They are entertaining.
I do have some favorite popcorn book authors. The first is Debbie Macomber. If somehow you are not familiar with Debbie Macomber, she is the prolific author of over 150 books. Yes, you read that right. Some of her books are categorized as romance novels and some are contemporary women’s fiction. I am not personally prone to read the romance novels although since I read her books, one or two may have inadvertently slipped into my hands. One of her series, the Cedar Cove Series, is currently playing on the Hallmark channel. I have not seen it but the books were good. Another series that just recently had a new addition is the Blossom Street Series. The new book is The Blossom Street Brides. We could just say that if you took up reading Debbie Macomber, it will take you long past summer.
I found Mariah Steward has some wonderful popcorn books. Her Chesapeake Diaries series is a fine example. (A sad admission – I sometimes just don’t pay enough attention to what I am doing. I bought one of her books by accident. I meant to buy Mary Stewart and got carried away with the sale price tag…)
In a different vein, but still what I would consider a popcorn book, are the books by Gemma Halliday. I originally found these books because they were so inexpensive. They were on special for the Nook and I picked up a couple. I read the High Heel Mystery Series first.
(As an aside, I read an interview with Lena Dunham, the creator and writer of the HBO series, Girls. She talked about how she would not read a book with a high heel, a diamond, or lipstick on the cover. Well, let’s just say that the Gemma Halliday books are not for her.)
These books are popcorn light. I am laughing as I write this because they are just so close to trashy. The lead character is just kind of a flake but she is humorous.
You might not tell your book club about these books but you might find out that they can be addicting.
Thanks for reading!
Can you suggest any books that might fit the “Popcorn” category?
My name is Carol Early Cooney and I am a wife, mom, property manager, and professional blogger. My family might tell you that I read a lot. I would tell you that it was parenting by example. I read in hopes that my children would think that it was the thing to do and they would read. It looks like it worked. Somewhere in this parenting thing there has to be a win, right?
I write about books on my blog at www.cecooney.com. You can also find out more at www.carolearlycooney.com. Come join me, we will see what books are out there that we like.
