Jersey Week: Summer Reading: Books Set at the Jersey Shore
This week the Library News blog will be highlighting everyone’s second favorite mid-Atlantic state, New Jersey! So grab your flip flops and head east with us each day this week.
Summer Reading: Books Set at the Jersey Shore?
“Where in your library can I find books set at the Jersey shore?” the woman asked. Working at Falvey’s Learning Commons service desk, I searched the library’s catalog for “New Jersey” (as Subject) and “shore” (as All Fields):
Saving New Jersey’s Vanishing Shores
A Naturalist along the Jersey Shore
A Pictorial History of Selected Structures along the New Jersey Coast
Against the Deluge: Storm Surge Barriers to Protect New York City
“No,” she sighed, “I’m interested in summer reading: you know, fiction.”
I thought I’d find ideas for titles on Amazon.com, so I searched it for New Jersey shore fiction. I received 486 hits, including—
Summer’s Point by Margaret Palmer
Shore Stories: an Anthology of the Jersey Shore by Kay Boyle, Robert Pinsky, Stephen Dunn and Christopher Cook Gilmore
Missing by the Midway: An Ocean Grove Mystery (Volume 1) by Heath P. Boice
Murder Down the Shore: A Jersey Shore Mystery by Beth Sherman
Avalon by Gina Miani
Pop’s Place by Ed Buhrer
Shoretown by Dan Milczarski
High Tide by Tom Bruno
Dead and Breakfast (Asbury Dark) by Lori Bonfitto
Moondreams by Dean P. Johnson
The Methuselah Gene: A Science Fiction Adventure Thriller (New Millenium Writers Series) by Sal DeStefano
Wrong Beach Island (a Meg Daniels Mystery) by Jane Kelly
The results also included juvenile books (Nicky Fifth at the Jersey Shore, etc.) and several items related to the “Jersey Shore” television series. I tried avoiding the name of that TV show by changing my Amazon.com search to New Jersey beach fiction. The 479 results included many duplicates from my previous search. It also showed such titles as
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone (Book 1) by J.K. Rowling and Mary GrandPré
Fifty Shades of Grey: Book One of the Fifty Shades Trilogy by E L James
What to Expect When You’re Expecting, 4th Edition by Heidi Murkoff and Sharon Mazel
none of which, I suspected, were set at the Jersey shore (or beach).
I also searched flashlightworthybooks.com, which offered Creepers by David Morrell and Dunk by David Lubar. And goodreads.com recommended Chili Pimping in Atlantic City: The Memoir of a Small-Time Pimp by Michael “Mick-man” Gourdine.
“But I was hoping to find a library book,” she clarified. “I’m trying to save some money.”
Remembering that the Delaware County Library System has a branch right down the street, in Wayne, I searched DCLS’s catalog: The Boardwalk Mystery and Black Jack Jetty: a Boy’s Journey Through Grief are both in the children’s section. And Jersey Angel and Touched are listed as “young adult fiction.”
“Down The Shore by Stan Parish looks good. I’ll get that.”
I wrote down the book’s call number and handed her the slip of paper: “Let me know whether you recommend it.”
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Got summer reading? Falvey Memorial Library has Popular Reading and fiction to satisfy your need to read something fun.
0 Comments »
No comments yet.
RSS feed for comments on this post. TrackBack URI