Jane Ubell-Meyer, Founder Of Bedside Reading, Shares Weekend Book Selections

Summer brings vacation time to all members of the family and Bedside Reading is happy to share books at participating hotels for the entire family! So find a beach chair or poolside lounger and stay cool with these refreshing books!

Here’s what they’re reading at Beachcomber Montauk…

Blue by Rachel LaBella

This touching picture book follows young Tommy’s journey as he grapples with understanding the true meaning behind “feeling blue” – perfect for young children who are just beginning to comprehend the intricacies of mental health, “Blue” offers a tender exploration of emotions and empathy.

Tommy has grown increasingly confused by his mom’s sleepiness. She loves sleeping in late, which sometimes makes Tommy late for school. Sometimes she even sleeps through dinner, but these times are fun because Tommy gets to have cereal when it’s dark out! With the help of his grandma, Tommy’s journey of understanding leads him to the shocking discovery that he has a superpower of his very own.

Here’s what they’re reading at Southampton Inn…

A Pair of Oars by Kerrina Kuhns

A Pair of Oars is a story of a woman who heads out on the ferry for inspiration to write her first book. In a small seaside town, she meets some unlikely friends, spirits from long ago. The two spirits watch over the lighthouse. Watching over the dead as they pass by. These strong women experience adventures, murder all while trying to figure out what keeps them stuck at the local lighthouse all these years. Set by the sea, this story will take you back and forth in time.

Here’s what they’re reading at Capri Southampton…

Daughter of a Thousand Stars by Hajah Kandeh

At twenty-three, Hajah Kandeh flees Sierra Leone carrying the trauma of abandonment, the shame of a dark family secret, and a deep desire to reconnect with her mother. Her journey takes her from the lush plains of Africa to the “promised land” of San Francisco, where she tries to make sense of the disparity between the two cultures and faces personal challenges that go beyond what she left behind.

Daughter of a Thousand Stars is the true account of one woman’s unyielding will to survive-a story that shows us the strength of the human spirit even when stretched to the breaking point. Hajah dares us to believe in our capacity to overcome adversity and be a force for good in this world.

Here’s what they’re reading at 1708 House, Southampton…

Have You Seen These Children? By Veronica Slaughter

Four young children caught between love and hate―hostages to the cruelty of revenge. A deceitful American father and a naïve decision by a Filipino mother transformed their lives forever.

Valorie, Veronica, Vance, and Vincent’s perfect world turned into a nightmare one hot afternoon in 1959 in Cebu, Philippines. What was to be a quick lunch with their father turned into a flight to America, where four dreadfully long years of running from state to state, hiding, and vanishing into the night followed. Kidnapped from the only world they knew, confusion quickly set in. At nine, Valorie, the eldest, liked seeing their father after his absence for over a year. Vance, a timid six-year-old, went along with whatever Valorie did. Vincent, the baby at three, cried for his mother while clinging to Veronica for comfort. Veronica, eight, was the only one who was truly panicked by what was happening around them―and she recognized instantly that she and her siblings would have to stick together in order to survive. In that moment, her childhood ended and the warrior within her emerged.

Here’s what they’re reading at Mill House Inn, East Hampton…

Vincent’s Women by Donna Russo

Donna Russo’s ‘Vincent’s Women’ is the untold story of Vincent’s loves: how they shaped his life, his art, and his death. It writes against the ‘myths,’ exploring the possibility that none of them are true. It is the only novel to bring into question his sexuality, how he lost his ear, who he lost it for, and how he might have died, all through the eyes of a woman. We learn of Her; we learn all of it through Her.

The story is guided by Johanna van Gogh Bonger, Vincent’s sister-in-law, as she decides to reveal the truth about Vincent to her son. We are then taken on a journey through Vincent’s life, each section bringing a pivotal moment of Vincent’s life alive while showing us the part she played in bringing it about. Between each woman, our guide, Johanna, gives us the transitional periods, right up to his death, which is now in question.

Hundreds of the nearly thousand letters between Vincent van Gogh and his brother Theo, now considered one of the greatest documents of the human experience, were used to help construct this novel, its narrative, and dialogue, especially the dialogue of Vincent himself.

Vincent van Gogh is one of the most well-known artists of all time. The world knows of his madness, traumas, and suicide. But what if all that we know isn’t true? What if this knowledge is based on rumors and nothing more? What if his true story is vastly different when based on factual material and forensic information? What if the truth of Vincent’s life—his madness and his genius—is defined by his never-ending search for love?

Here’s what they’re reading at MARRAM Montauk…

The Water Door by Aggie L Jae

Imagine this: Your parents have been kidnapped! To rescue them, you must dissolve yourself into the water of a secret hydro-portal called the Water Door, flow through a wormhole in space to another planet, and bring back your family’s legendary heirloom-a giant blue diamond.

Are you ready to go?

Jeremy and Joshua, ages 11 and 12, are staying at their grandparents’ farm when they discover The Water Door-a hydro-portal that transports them to the distant planet, Tetherae. Once there, the brothers embark on an exciting adventure through the Wilds of Tetherae that includes a fabulous treehouse, fierce dinosaurs, enormous giants, underground caverns, and mystical castles. Using their new Tetherae abilities, they must find a legendary heirloom diamond to rescue their parents from their evil uncle who has kidnapped them before time runs out.

Here’s what they’re reading at Conrad Nashville, TN…

Scout’s Honor by John McNellis

After losing everything but his life, a young man forges a new identity for himself in the jungles of Vietnam and on the gritty streets of New York in this epic and riveting tale of crime, punishment, and redemption. It’s 1969. Devastated by the loss of his parents, 19-year-old Eddie Kawadsky is alone and penniless, his dream of becoming a navy pilot seemingly lost. In desperation, Eddie falls in with the charismatic Roy Cross who talks him into smuggling drugs across the border.

Once in Mexico, Roy betrays Eddie, setting him up to be murdered. On the run from vengeful narcotraficantes, corrupt cops, and his own demons, Eddie flees for his life, changes identities, and-as Richard Austen-joins the Marines, serves two heroic combat tours in Vietnam, and then hides himself in New York City. Over the ensuing 25 years, Eddie becomes one of Manhattan’s wealthiest real estate developers, but one haunted by his sins and secrets.

When a long-dreaded visitor finally shows up to extort hush money, Eddie is forced to confront his past. To save his own life and protect the beautiful wife he adores, he must sacrifice nearly everything. But will it be enough to redeem his honor lost so long ago?

With an intricate plot spanning the 1960s counterculture, the Vietnam War, the 1970s gritty New York real estate world, the grandeur and hardship of the Marine Corps, and more, Scout’s Honor is a sweeping novel of suspense that explores larger themes of morality, guilt, trust, and redemption. Populated with flawed yet compelling characters, Scout’s Honor will appeal to fans of both character-driven literary fiction, thrillers, and redemption tales.

Here’s what they’re reading at Maidstone Hotel, East Hampton, NY…

The Boots Rain by Kelly Manuel

In “The Boots Rain” the Child will experience a fun and unique way to look at rain in a different light. The story is meant to be a challenge to the regular idea of rain boots and the author hopes to spark curiosity and discussion. The simple words take on new meaning as the illustrations pair perfectly with their presentation. The illustrations lead the way to an adventure where considering a different approach to a common event in nature is expected. The Child’s imagination will be ignited with possibilities as all manner of images leap off the page. Children are naturally able to imagine events that are characteristic of a playful youth. Why not join the narrator on a discovery mission to find out exactly what a Boots Rain is? In this story the author invites the Child to actively engage in flexing their imagination muscle while visually stimulated with color, rainbows, and even a unicorn. It is in Early Childhood that futures are being constructed. “The Boots Rain” is a tool in a Caregiver’s toolbox to assist with that healthy formation. The idea that every boot that falls in the Boots Rain is unique, individual, and one of a kind is an important message that the author wants to relay. The Child who reads this book will be rewarded with a fantastical insight to what magical events occur at the tail of a rainbow’s end.

Here’s what they’re reading at Journey East Hampton, NY…

The Good at Heart by Ursula Werner

At the outbreak of World War II, Edith and Oskar Eberhardt move their family – their daughter, Marina; son-in-law, Franz; and their granddaughters – out of Berlin and into a small house in the pretty town of Blumental near Switzerland. Oskar, a member of the Führer’s cabinet, is gone most of the time, and Franz begins fighting in the war, so the women of the house are left to their quiet lives in the village. But life in Blumental isn’t as idyllic as it appears. Marina has a lover who also has close ties to her family and to the government. Thinking none of them share her hatred of the Reich, she joins a Protestant minister smuggling Jewish refugees over the nearby Swiss border. The latest “package” is two orphaned Polish girls, and against her better judgment, Marina finds she must hide them in the Eberhardts’ cellar. Everything is set to go smoothly until Oskar comes home with news that the Führer will be visiting the area for a concert, putting Marina’s mission on a collision course with an assassination plot she knows nothing about. When the Führer announces he will pay a house call on the Eberhardts, everyone is in jeopardy.

Books are complimentary to the following Hamptons hotels and inns: In East Hampton – Mill House Inn, The Maidstone. Journey East Hampton, and Baker House 1650; In Southampton – Southampton Inn, 1708 House and Capri Southampton; In Montauk – MARRAM and Beachcomber Resort at Montauk.

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