Page-Turners in Paradise: Bedside Reading's Must-Have August Book List

Bedside Reading is celebrating its seventh anniversary in hotels across the country and its 23rd season in the Hamptons this month! What started as a fun way to gift riders on the luxury buses to the Hamptons in 2002…evolved to placing books in 9 hotels in the Hamptons and 50 hotels throughout the USA!  Who doesn’t want a bestselling book? To celebrate we had a party on August 21st in Southampton!

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

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 Beachcomber Resort, Montauk NY

Emma Gillen is haunted by guilt. Almost a decade after surviving a deadly car crash on a remote Appalachian mountain, she’s held hostage by long-term damage to her body and no recollection of that tragic event. Then her volatile cousin Lucy—a possible witness to the crash—returns, needing money and bringing chaos. Emma must decide if she should bargain with the beautiful, untrustworthy Lucy to uncover their shared past.

All bargains carry risk. As Lucy grows more desperate and greedy, Emma suspects there’s more at stake than just money. Struggling with shame, night terrors, and her own unreliable memory, Emma accepts help from a compassionate detective. But the choice remains hers alone. Can Emma find the strength to free herself from her cousin’s destructive power, or will Lucy bring everything crashing down?

With vivid characters, dark themes, and a high-stakes mystery, Drawn from Life is a riveting psychological thriller and a compelling tale of a young woman’s resilience, redemption, and courage.

Here’s what they’re reading at Baker House 1650, East Hampton, NY

Trauterose: Growing Up in Postwar Munich is the compelling first-person account of Elisabeth Haggblade, who was orphaned at birth at the height of World War II and spent the first eleven years of her life under the care of a former S.S. officer and his family.

Like many she knew and met during her formative years, Elisabeth was marked both physically and psychologically by the traumatic events of the war and its aftermath, where negotiating daily life during the most tenuous time in Germany's history often felt like a balancing act. Yet through it all, faith and the help of others prevailed.

Trauterose is the account of one person's search for humanity in existence-a cautionary tale on the inherited guilt created by rampant nationalism, and a painfully honest and often humorous view of the world through the eyes of a young woman who found her way to freedom and purpose.

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

In The Energy of Success, award-winning energy expert Rebecca Ahmed reveals precisely how to shift your physical, emotional, and mental potential through proven, easy-to-use strategies you can start using today. When you learn to shift your own and your team's energy (even if you are not in charge!), you will immediately increase their joy and enthusiasm, transform your workplace, and infuse positivity into your workplace…for everyone.

Perfect for employees of all levels, The Energy of Success is a must-read resource for professionals everywhere who hope to change and improve their energy to unlock new levels of success and happiness.

Here’s what they’re reading at ​The Ven at Embassy Row, Washington, DC…

France, 1939: A talented singer, Ruth Lacroix has left Maine to live with her aunt and uncle, dreaming of performing at the Casino de Paris. But with the outbreak of war, and the heartbreaking news that her cousin has been killed by German forces, that goal is supplanted by another—to support France in any way she can.

Though Ruth has never driven a vehicle larger than the tractor on her parents’ farm, she joins a friend in enlisting as a driver for the French ambulance corps. On their way to transfer injured soldiers to Dunkirk for evacuation, they encounter Jimmie, a British Royal Air Force pilot with No. 73 Squadron RAF, who has bailed out of his burning plane. As Dunkirk falls, blocking off the route to the northern coast, word spreads of a daring Allied plan to rescue the remaining troops and civilians from ports in western France: code name Operation Aerial.

Over two hazardous weeks, Ruth and Jimmie will journey hundreds of miles together, helping other refugees as they rush to reach the sea before they are overtaken by the Germany army. But all their courage and resilience offer no certainty in wartime, when a single stroke of luck, or a split-second decision, can mean the difference between life and death . . .

Here’s what they’re reading at The Benjamin Royal Sonesta, New York, NY….

He swore he’d never let her go. She should have believed him.

Brooke Harmon is ready to end her brief affair. Gideon Ross is charming and sexy, but he’s not worth throwing away everything she holds dear. So she breaks it off, hoping Gideon will understand.  

He doesn’t. Gideon insists that he and Brooke are meant to be together. Finally, he backs off, but not before issuing a promise: he’ll never let her go.

Little more than a year later, Brooke wants to believe it’s all behind her. Her family has survived intact. Gideon has vanished.

But the fear hasn’t disappeared. Brooke can’t tell how much of it is paranoia, and how much is justified, but she’s worried. And maybe she’s right to be.

Because Gideon is a man who keeps his promises . .

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

Ilse Erlund is a translator who lives in a house on stilts along the west coast of Greenland. Isolated and restless in her world by the sea, she convinces her publisher to pay for a trip to the country she has never visited but whose language she speaks fluently: France. Her mission is to translate the verses of Geoffrey “Po” Labaye, a charismatic poet known as “the last living troubadour of Provence.”

Upon arrival in the medieval hilltop village of Belle Rivière, Ilse falls under the spell of the Provençal way of life, captivated by the air, the sun, the vibrant spring colors, and the dulcet sounds of the dialect. Soon enough, Ilse is captivated by the poet, too, and she and Po develop a daily rhythm and warm camaraderie—which is disrupted by the arrival of the poet’s son, Frey. Though he has a fiancée back in Paris, Frey turns his attentions to Ilse, and suddenly she is forced to learn another language, one her translation skills have not prepared her to decode. Where—and with whom—does her future lie?

Here’s what they’re reading at Waldorf Astoria Monarch Beach, CA…

Controversial filmmaker Jean Mercier is shooting a film on location in Sweden. While spending the summer creating his latest work of cinematic art, he lives in a nearby inn with his lead actors: Albie Hughes, British veteran of stage and screen; Charlotte Reed, British indie film queen; Michael Hennesey, American TV heartthrob; Willow Barnes, fallen former teen star looking to make a comeback; and Finn Forrester, legendary Hollywood movie star. Mercier invites his friend Ella Sinclair—a beautiful, bohemian-spirited American philosopher known for her provocative writing—to stay with them for the summer. When Ella arrives, Finn is instantly enchanted by her, and soon they fall madly in love. Finn wants to plan a life together, but Ella harbors fears and convinces him to wait until the film wraps to decide their future. In a case of life imitating art, the film they are creating explores “the big questions” and prompts the stars to reflect on the crossroads they face in their own lives. How will their experiences on location affect them when they return home? The answers won’t come until months later, when the cast and crew reconvene on the red carpet at the Cannes Film Festival—but their revelation will make for one unforgettable night.

Here’s what they’re reading at Waldorf Astoria Monarch Beach, Dana Point, CA

This method was developed and used by the author for the past 30 years. NFN is the energy of having whatever it is you want. The energy she calls “Non-Freaking-Negotiable.” Her method is easy to understand and teaches the reader how to use their own energy and go from “wanting something to “having it.”

Unleash your inner energy and power to have whatever you want. This fast-paced book offers a new method of manifesting. While there are many methods of manifesting and laws of attraction, this was the only method used to change the author’s life. Let it change yours as well.

Written by award-winning television and film producer and entrepreneur Jane Ubell-Meyer, this book offers a quick and easy step-by-step guide to feeling the power of NFN!

In just seven simple steps, you can learn how to manifest and bring into being what they want using the energy of NFN. What do you want? Only you can answer that question.

The process will teach readers to recognize positive and negative energy, stay in action, and be grateful. It has seven relatable steps anyone can use. The author’s method has been taught to students and seniors for the past decade. Results are always up to the user. Use with caution; you might manifest what you want!

Here is a Link to her book -  From "Wanting" to Having It!: The Non-Freaking-Negotiable® Manifesting Method Love, Cash, Career, and Even Parking Spaces! It's available now on Amazon.com.