Allow me to recommend any book written by Dorothea Benton Frank. I have become of fan of her work. She is from the Charleston, SC area and her books take place along that coastline and, for those of you who know me, I sure do love that sand, sea, and salty part of the world. I love the regions food, the music, the history and, of course, the mystery. If you like that too, then Dorothea Benton Frank is for you.
I have read the following books:
"Return to Sullivan's Island" This is her latest book and was released in June of 2009, the week that my family and I returned from our first weeklong vacation in the Charleston Area. So it goes without saying, that once I saw the name of the book, then I needed to have it. That was my first time of ever hearing the author's name. I heard Sullivan's Island quite a bit while on that Charleston area vacation, because the SC Governor was missing upon our arrival there and, by the time we left, we had learned that he had skipped the state, the country, and his wife to meet his lover in Argentina. His wife and kids were at their summer home on Sullivan's Island and the media was all about it. Great book. Left me wanting more and wishing that I had read her earlier books first, such as, "Sullivan's Island", her first novel.
"Pawley's Island" this book took place in the popular island retreat below Myrtle Beach and included fine foods, art, divorce, and family tradition.
"Isle of Palms" This book was a Christmas gift from my sister in law, Cindy of Polk County Florida. What a great find. I only like the hardback books, and they are often hard to find, especially when there is a few years on them. She found this book in some store in Savannah, GA and it had actually been a library book in a library up in the northern to Heartland area of the country. It was in great shape and I loved it. This book involved the love of family, the desire of a home on the beach and that island way of life. The main character is a hair dresser and has a crazy neighbor and teenage daughter who had just spent the first year in college and who was trying to find herself, along with some old southern valued neighbors. A bit of romance and a common softly folded presence of ghosts, that appears to be a theme of Ms. Frank's novels. It also introduced me to gullah language and way of life.
"The Christmas Pearl" Now this book was a wonderful story of a disfunctional family that is brought back together and learned to value history, family and life again through the visit of a temporary house servant who had actually ran this same home generations before. Her name was Pearl and this was a warm story of old homes, old Christmas traditions, elegance, and included recipes from old Charleston special Christmas' of years past. Great book.
"Shem Creek" Another book about imperfect families, love, hard work and rebuilding a life by moving two teenage daughters from New York to the Charleston area of Shem Creek, just off of the Cooper River. There is the intimate details of running a restaurant named "Jackson Hole", environmental whackos, and of course, a nice, watchful ghost.
Check 'em out, don't just take my word. I have "Bulls Island", but I haven't read it yet. I think I might read "The lost Symbol", by Dan Brown first. I have it in waiting also.
That 60 degree weather yesterday had me yearning for Florida again. I checked out the schedules for Spring Training Baseball in the Grapefruit league and they really don't start playing until March 2nd, 2010. Catchers and pitchers report Feb. 17th, 2010. So it will be here soon!
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