Best Reads for Late Spring

By Chris Weber and Cara Gores

Hopefully, by the time this posts, I will be through most of my knee replacement. Being under a deadline two weeks post-surgery is a bit daunting. Especially, with all my friends saying, “Look at all the time you’ll have to read!”  The only problem is that it can be difficult to read through the pain, but there is one exception. I can read anything with tons of humor. Therefore, the books I’m recommending this month will be filled with loads of fun and laughter. Enjoy!

The Shippers by Katherine Center

This is one of the funniest novels I have read in years. I found myself laughing out loud, unable to even tell my husband what was so funny. JoJo has walked away from a marriage the day of the wedding, by fainting at the altar.  A plan concocted by her childhood friend, Cooper, who shows up just in time. She knows that she is just really bad at love and has a history of always ending relationships before she can be dumped. With her sister, Ashley, getting married aboard a cruise ship, the two hatch a plan on how Jo Jo can fall in love, have tons of sex, and emerge with the past behind her. Unfortunately, the best-laid plans rarely work! This book will be released in May.

Tartufo by Kira Jane Buxton

Tartufo  is a brilliant little book that explores the quirky community of the dying village of Lazzarini Boscarino in the mountains of Italy.  Beautifully written and drenched in sunshine and questionable olive oil, it is impossible not to love the characters, whose attempt to save their village coincides with the finding of a large white truffle that could put them on the map. As is the case of most small towns, everyone knows everyone else, and everyone has an opinion as to what should be done, leading to some interesting outcomes. If you want to laugh, travel to the gorgeous Italian countryside, and maybe spend some time with rambunctious villagers, this book is for you.  Buxton’s writing is both poetic and pragmatic, engulfing you in a sense of humor that is bound to make you laugh out loud. An absurd tale that delivers a wonderful escape! This will be our next “read between the wines” book club choice with Piazza Discepoli. 

Chris Weber is a partner of The Bookshelf, Madeira’s only small, independent bookstore, where every book is carefully selected to meet both contemporary literary trends and bestsellers.

The Bookshelf is open 10-5 Monday-Saturday and Sunday 1-5.