Larry Grieco, Librarian.  Anton Disclafani is a fine young novelist who has just published her second book, The After Party. This is the story of a remarkable friendship between two Texas socialites in the 1950’s.

The central character is Joan Fortier, “the epitome of Texas glamour and the center of the Houston social scene.” Joan is “tall, blonde, beautiful, and strong,” and she dominates not only any room she is in, but all the gossip columns as well.

At twenty-five, she lives a hard-driving, passionate life that hides a troubled mind. Her best friend from childhood, Cece Buchanan, is so devoted to Joan that she hardly lets her out of her sight. Cece has a husband and young son of her own, but has never wavered in her concern for Joan. When Joan’s exploits threaten to expand beyond their little social circle, Cece “considers it her responsibility to bring her back to the fold, for better or for worse.” When it turns out to be “for worse,” the plot thickens and speeds to a provocative ending.

The New York Times: “Emotionally engaging….The reader’s attention rarely wavers, thanks to Ms. DiSclafani’s knowledge of how to keep her foot on her story’s gas pedal, and her sympathy for her spirited, unbridled heroine.”

Another heroine trying to find herself is Grace Hammond, the central character in The Rules of Love & Grammar, the second novel to be published by Mary Simses. “Enchanting” is the first adjective that comes to mind in this delectable story of lost love and rediscovery.

Grace is a writer who has just lost her job, her husband (who fell out of love with her and into love with his young paralegal), and her apartment. She’s a “grammar whiz” who is great at noticing and correcting other people’s errors, but hasn’t yet mastered the art of fixing her own. So it’s back to her roots, as Grace returns to her hometown in Connecticut.

A short visit with her parents turns into an extended and meaningful stay. There’s the high school sweetheart who has become a famous Hollywood director and is filming a movie in town. Then Grace is far from ingratiating at the local bike shop where she can’t resist pointing out what’s wrong to the “ruggedly handsome” schoolteacher son, Mitch. Can you guess Grace’s dilemma? Will she give in to temptation and pursue the glamorous life of Hollywood, or realize what truly matters by following her heart instead? I know what I’m betting on.

In another book set in Connecticut, Ann Leary brings us The Children, a novel about a family coping with a “wonderfully flawed patriarch.” We’ve got a mother, her two grown daughters, and two stepsons.

The “one grand” estate had been in the family of the late Whit Whitman for generations. Now it belongs to the two sons, who allow their stepmother and step sisters to continue to live there. One of the sons brings his fiancée home for the summer and they are all intrigued by the “beautiful and accomplished” Laurel Atwood. As the wedding draws near, the family flaws begin to surface, “to an array of simmering resentments and unfortunate truths.” In other words, all hell breaks loose.

Kirkus Reviews: “A deeply satisfying novel about how unknowable people can be.” Writer Ann Hood: “[A novel] populated by comically quirky characters reminiscent of Anne Tyler at her best….Leary’s unique voice and perspective make this the novel you won’t be able to put down this summer.”

This year’s Summer Reading Program, aka Fetch a Good Book!, is underway and kids from birth to ninth grade are invited to participate. As of the moment of writing this, we have 113 kids signed up. Over the next three weeks you can read and collect a prize for every week in which you read at least one book. Just turn in a slip with the names of what you’ve read, and claim your prize out of the lobby display case. Then join us on Saturday, July 30, for a Big Ice Cream Social, with grand prize drawings! All you have to do is sign up any time—there’s no deadline—and begin to collect your weekly prizes. Go fetch yourself a good book and start reading!