Three Enjoyable if Undemanding Novels

Sometimes we, or at least I (and I don’t think I am the only one) just want an enjoyable but undemanding novel to read. It doesn’t need to be “great literature,” but it has to be reasonably well-written, with interesting characters and a satisfying story. Some genres that might fit these requirements for some people include mysteries, thrillers, Westerns, and romance novels. The ones I like (besides mysteries, sometimes) might be called, regrettably, “chick lit.” As regular readers of this blog may remember (or guess), I dislike that term very much. But without getting into the reasons why (probably obvious), I will say that people understand something about books with this label. Without further ado, and so readers will understand the type of book I read when I feel this need for something enjoyable and undemanding, I will list three I have read recently. The first, and most obviously proximate to, if not in, the category of romance (one I usually stay far away from) is “Royal Holiday” (Jove, 2019), by Jasmine Guillory. This popular author has several bestsellers with titles like “The Proposal,” “The Wedding Date,” and “The Wedding Party.” The current title is endorsed by Reese Witherspoon for her book club. It involves a middle-aged African-American woman who goes to England with her daughter, who has an assignment to “style” a Duchess. Sure enough, the heroine meets a handsome man who works for the Queen. How will these two manage their romance when they live on different continents? It is an easy and fun read, made especially enjoyable (for this Anglophile) by the English setting. The second book in this category is Lori Nelson Spielman’s “The Star-Crossed Sisters of Tuscany” (Berkley, 2020). The sisters in question are in an Italian-American family in which for generations the second-born daughters have not gotten married, which is considered a curse. This novel explores family stories and romances, thwarted and otherwise, that occur over the years; many family secrets are revealed along the way. The setting in Tuscany, where three of the “cursed” sisters in the extended family – one old and two young – go for a trip together is an added pleasure of this novel. The third novel is “Little Wishes” (William Morrow, 2020), by Michelle Adams. It tells of a doomed love affair that began on the Cornish Coast of England, and of how Elizabeth’s lover Tom once a year comes from London and leaves flowers and a note with a wish on her doorstep, but they never actually see each other or communicate except for this gesture that means so much to Elizabeth. But after 50 years, something changes. I won’t give away any more. What I will say is that, knowing these novels are not “great literature,” I still thoroughly enjoyed each one, and loved that they were undemanding. They are not what I would want to read as a steady diet, but they are what I occasionally need, especially in these difficult COVID lockdown days.