July is here! It’s National Hot Dog Month. It is also National Ice Cream Month. And National Watermelon Month. And, wouldn’t you know it, it is also National Blueberry Month. It seems that July is the month of summer foods! Read a book with one of these summer foods (and maybe even enjoy the food while you read!). The food can be featured in the title, the cover, or elsewhere in the book.
Raw Dog: The Naked Truth about Hot Dogs by Jamie Loftus
Hot dogs: a deeply American food. Comedian Jamie Loftus takes readers on an adventure into the significance of hot dogs and documents his travels to see how people around the U.S. consume them. Loftus covers the creation of the iconic food, as well as the culture and class influences to reveal what hot dogs say about America now.
Death of an Ice Cream Scooper by Lee Hollis
In this Hayley Powell Food and Cocktails Mystery installment, Hayley’s friend Lydia has a big issue: her husband, Jamie, is not only cheating on her, but may be a killer! Jamie is a college professor who has been spending way too much time off campus with one of his students, who also happens to work for Lydia’s gourmet ice cream shop. Soon, the popular college student’s body is discovered in Lydia’s freezer. Can Hayley find out if Jamie is the true culprit?
The Wiles of Watermelon by Lynette Sowell
Andi and Ben Hartley are newlyweds with an adorable kitten. Ben is ready to start a family right away, but Andi isn’t sure she is ready to look like a watermelon yet. Their conversation is put on hold when the kitten finds a bone from a 30 year old skeleton in their watermelon field. Soon after, the lively owner of the town’s best restaurant is found murdered. As Andi goes into detective mode, she finds that the deaths are connected. Who is the murderer?
The House on Blueberry Lane by Brenda Jackson
Despite Jaye and Velvet’s three year exclusive relationship, Jaye wasn’t ready for commitment to anything, and did not believe in love or marriage. Exasperated, and without telling him goodbye, Velvet leaves. Jaye realizes too late that he truly loved Velvet and spends the next few years trying to find the love of his life. Now that he has found her in Catalina Cove, Jaye is willing to do anything to win Velvet back. But will Velvet let Jaye win her over again?
Hot dog: a Melanie Travis mystery by Laurien Berenson
Melanie Travis has a lot on her hands: her annoying ex-husband, wanting some time away from her boyfriend, and stalkers in the form of a TV crew wanting the next big story. She now has the task of finding the owner of Dox, the adorable Dachshund. Melanie soon finds that Dox is an emotional pawn in a divorcing couple’s messy split. As if this isn’t enough, sinister occurrences are now occurring: a midnight break in at Melanie’s house, her wallet is stolen, her son’s safety is put at risk, and Dox is dognapped. Melanie, juggling the world on her shoulders, is determined to solve the case.
A Game of Cones by Abby Collette
In this cozy mystery, Win Crewse’s family owned ice cream shop, Crewse Creamery, is restored to its former glory and is happily serving sweet scoops to the Chagrin Falls community. All is well until a developer wanting to change everything with a big mall is found murdered. Soon, Win’s friend is the prime suspect. And if that wasn’t enough stress, Win’s estranged aunt has arrived in town wanting to take over Crewse Creamery. Win is determined to exonerate her friend and keep control of her ice cream shop.
The Berry Pickers by Amanda Peters
In July 1962, four year old Ruthie, a member of a Mi’Kmaq family who came to Maine to pick blueberries vanished. The unsolved mystery haunts her family and the small Maine community for the next fifty years. Meanwhile, Norma, a member of an affluent Maine family, grows up unsettled by dreams and visions that feel too real for comfort. Norma’s intuition tells her that her parents are hiding a secret. She spends the next few decades trying to uncover that secret.