Spring Reading, Part II

Here's a sampling of what I read in April:

Bulls Island by Dorothea Benton Frank: This gal's just consistent. She can always be counted on for a fun summer Southern read. In a nutshell: A New York bank executive moves back home to South Carolina to oversee a project that involves her ex-fiance.

Certain Girls by Jennifer Weiner: I feared this would be a little too chick-lit for my taste, but I enjoyed it. In a nutshell: When a daughter gets her hands on her mother's years-ago-written popular novel, she wonders how much is real and how much is made up.

Belong to Me by Marisa De Los Santos: From a lesser-known author, a great story of friendship and how nothing is ever exactly as it seems. In a nutshell: The interactions between three vastly different suburban women

Olive Kitteridge by Elizabeth Strout: I first came across this author when the galley for her first book, Amy and Isabelle, came across my desk, and I have hung on to her every word since. In a nutshell: A novel told in stories depicting a small-town woman as seen by those around her