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‘A Lowcountry Wedding’ Among Best Summer Books

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When I found out Charleston author Mary Alice Monroe was going to do one more book in her “Summer Girls” series, I almost jumped for joy. Last summer, I very slowly read the last couple chapters in “The Summer’s End,” not quite ready for this trilogy to come to a close. I was invested in the story of three half-sisters – Carson, Dora and Harper – and their grandmother at the family beach house on Sullivan’s Island.

A Lowcountry WeddingI mean, we’d been through a lot together, and I needed more from this family. Enter, “A Lowcountry Wedding,” the perfect final chapter in this touching tale of family, forgiveness and finding the very best parts of yourself.

In the first book, “The Summer Girls,” we’re introduced to Mamaw who gathers her three granddaughters at her historic beach house under the guise of celebrating her 80th birthday, but with a true intent to heal childhood wounds and draw the three grown women back together. Over the course of the three books, Monroe goes deep into the stories of each of sister, exploring past insecurities and taking us on a journey with each woman as she heals those old hurts and moves forward.

“A Lowcountry Wedding” follows two of the sisters as they prepare for their nuptials – one a beach wedding and the other at a historic Charleston plantation. When a stranger arrives at Sea Breeze, a scandal surfaces and family bonds are questioned.

Throughout each of the four books, Monroe paints a vivid picture of living in the Charleston area, highlighting local restaurants and shops, attractions, history and the overall feel of Charleston in the spring and early summer.

And there’s an important environmental lesson to be learned in Monroe’s books as well. A stanch conservationist, Monroe weaves throughout these books the story of Delphine, a dolphin who befriends one of the sisters. The family becomes too friendly with Delphine, and she ends up gravely injured after getting tangled in a fishing line. As she does in all her novels, Monroe educates readers about our fragile wildlife with a gentle reminder of the precarious balance between human and animal and our role in protecting them.

If you’re new to this series of novels, start at the beginning with “The Summer Girls” and then pick up “The Summer Wind” and “The Summer’s End” before settling in with “A Lowcountry Wedding.” You won’t be disappointed. Monroe has delivered a magnificent set of summer books you won’t want to put down until the very end.

 

More books – with Southern ties – to pack in your beach bag:

All Summer Long” by Dorothea Benton Frank. This book follows New York couple prominent interior designer Olivia Ritchie and English professor Nicholas Seymour, a true southern gentleman. They are seemingly polar opposites, yet magnetically drawn together and in love for more than 14 years.

As they prepare to relocate to Charleston, Olivia, the ultimate New Yorker, has reservations about the promise she made to retire in the Lowcountry, where Nick wants to return home and lead a more peaceful life. They are moving north to south, fast pace versus slow pace, and downsizing. Nick is ecstatic. Olivia is not. She can’t let Nick know that their finances are not what he thought. Her client list is evaporating, their monetary reserves are dwindling and maybe that house she picked out on Sullivan’s Island needs too much work.

As they find themselves pondering the next step of their lives, Olivia and Nick travel with her billionaire clients and their friends and are swept up into the world of the ultra-rich and explore the globe with a cast of zany eccentrics over one tumultuous, hot summer. All as Olivia grapples with what lies ahead for her and Nick.

Flight Patterns” by Karen White. Georgia Chambers has spent her life sifting through other people’s pasts while trying to forget her own. But then her work as an expert of fine china — especially of Limoges — requires her to return to the one place she swore she’d never revisit.

It’s been 13 years since Georgia left her family home on the coast of Florida, and nothing much has changed, except that there are fewer oysters and more tourists. She finds solace seeing her grandfather still toiling away in the apiary where she spent much of her childhood, but encountering her estranged mother and sister leaves her rattled. Seeing them after all this time makes Georgia realize that something has been missing — and unless she finds a way to heal these rifts, she will forever be living vicariously through other people’s remnants. To embrace her own life — mistakes and all — she will have to find the courage to confront the ghosts of her past and the secrets she was forced to keep.

The Last Star” by Rick Yancey. This books is the final installment of The 5th Wave series. The enemy is Other. The enemy is us. They’re down here, they’re up there, they’re nowhere. They want the Earth, they want us to have it. They came to wipe us out, they came to save us. Beneath all these riddles lies one truth: Cassie has been betrayed. So has Ringer. Zombie. Nugget. And all 7.5 billion people who used to live on our planet. Betrayed first by the Others, and now by ourselves. In these last days, Earth’s remaining survivors will need to decide what’s more important: saving themselves . . . or saving what makes us human.

Ghosts of War” by Brad Taylor, a retired U.S. Army Special Forces lieutenant colonel who now lives in Charleston. In this new book, Pike Logan travels to Poland, hired to verify artifacts hidden for decades in a fabled Nazi gold train, only to find himself caught amid growing tensions between East and West. On the brink of war, Pike discovers that there is a separate agenda in play, one determined to force a showdown between NATO and Russia. With time running out, Pike races to unravel the mystery before a point of no return is reached. “Ghosts of War” is due out June 28.

Pick up your beach reads at independent bookstore Blue Bicycle Books, 420 King St. Also check the store’s calendar of events for book signings and special events: bluebicyclebooks.com.

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Charleston FAQ's

Choosing a hotel and where to stay in Charleston all depends on your budget and goals. Do you want to stay Downtown, at the beach or in the outer areas such as North Charleston where you have to drive to get everywhere? For more help on deciding: https://travelerofcharleston.com/articles/hotels/

Charleston has 3 main public beaches which are: Folly, Isle of Palms and Sullivans. Each beach has it’s own atmosphere. The most common beach that people visit is Folly Beach and then Isle of Palms followed by Sullivans Island. For more info on Charleston’s beaches visit: https://travelerofcharleston.com/guide-charlestons-beaches/

Charleston, SC is full of historical things to do. Everything from museums, to public sites and free landmark sites such as Rainbow Row and the Battery can be seen. For more info on Charleston’s top historical sites visit: https://travelerofcharleston.com/places-to-learn-about-charleston-sc-history/

There are many things that will keep the kids and family entertained and educated in Charleston. There are historic sites such as Fort Sumter, a Children’s Museum, Aquarium and the USS Yorktown…a WWII era aircraft carrier you can tour. For more info visit: https://travelerofcharleston.com/charleston-family-fun-activities/

There’s so many  things you could do in Charleston it can be overwhelming. We recommend that first time visitors, checkout the ultimate first-time visitor guide here: https://travelerofcharleston.com/charleston-first-time-visitors-guide/

Spring in Charleston, SC is an amazing time of year to visit. The flowers are blooming and the weather is mild and sunny. For more info, check-out our spring guide to Charleston here: https://travelerofcharleston.com/the-ultimate-guide-to-springtime-in-charleston/

Summer in Charleston is a great time to visit. There’s plenty of things to keep you busy and visiting the beach will probably….or should be on your short-list. Also water-based activities and tours are popular. Checkout this summer guide to Charleston for more info: 

Our 10 Favorite Summer Activities in Charleston

Fall is one of the best times to visit. The weather cools down a bit and the skies are typically blue and clear. In addition there are many great events, festivals and the large crowds of summer have gone back to school or work. For more info on visiting in the fall, checkout this article: https://travelerofcharleston.com/charleston-12-things-to-do-fall/

There are so many great things to do that it’s difficult to narrow the list down. This article does a great job with figuring out the must do things to do in Charleston

7 Can’t Miss Reasons to Visit Charleston, SC Now

The consensus is a minimum of 3-days is needed to settle in and experience Charleston. For instance, many people take 2 days exploring downtown and another day visiting sites outside of downtown such as the plantations, Angel Oak Tree or beaches. Checkout this page for a list of tours and attractions: 

Charleston’s Top Tours & Attractions | Things to do

Downtown Charleston was made for walking and for sure one of the best way to soak up and experience the history first-hand. This article goes over getting around Charleston with and without a car as well: 

Getting Around Charleston, SC

We’re of course partial to Charleston, but here’s the truth. There are many similarities however there are some differences in our opinion: 

  • Both cities are historic and beautiful. 
  • Both cities are extremely walkable. Savannah, with it’s park-like squares maybe more walkable than Charleston. 
  • Charleston has a more established and food scene with many more options. 
  • Charleston has better hotels and shopping.
  • Both cities have equally good tours.
  • Charleston has better beach options. Savannah has Tybee which is great, however it’s 1 beach vibe versus Charleston which has 3 beaches with different vibes. Checkout this Charleston beach guide article: https://travelerofcharleston.com/guide-charlestons-beaches/
  • In Savannah you can walk with alcoholic beverages on the street. This is not allowed in Charleston. This can be good or bad depending on your stance. 
  • Savannah is more affordable.
  • TourPass offers all-inclusive passes in both cities: https://tourpass.com

There are always great and world-class events happening in Charleston. For a calendar of events and things to do in Charleston, checkout our online calendar of events: https://travelerofcharleston.com/events/

Of course there are free money-saving coupons that you can use. Visit the coupons page for a bunch of ways to save: https://travelerofcharleston.com/coupon/

Charleston has some fantastic can’t miss tours such as Fort Sumter, carriage, ghost, harbor, historic and culinary tours. For a full list with more info visit: https://travelerofcharleston.com/attractions/

Checkout the Charleston Relocation Guide page which will guide you during your move: https://travelerofcharleston.com/charleston-sc-relocation-guide/

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