April 5, 2022 - Rainy Day Reads

April Showers always bring us lots of readers! 

Check out some of favorite "Rainy" day reads in this list. All titles are available from Brooke County Libraries either as ebooks on WV Reads or at one of our locations. You may find a new favorite too to curl up with on a dark and dreary afternoon.

Sheltering Rain by Jojo Moyes

Estranged from her mother since she ran away from her rural Irish home as a young woman, Kate swore a future oath that she’d always be a friend to her daughter, Sabine. But history has a way of repeating itself, and Kate now faces an ever-widening chasm between herself and her daughter. With Sabine about to make her own journey to Ireland to see the grandmother Kate abandoned, Kate is left wondering how they ever made it here, and what she can do to close the gap between them. 

Nights of Rain and Stars by Maeve Binchy

The story of one summer when Fiona, Thomas, Elsa and David all have to face the particular life crisis which first made them leave their homes and end up in Greece. With the help of Vonni, a middle-aged Irish woman who lives in the village and is now a near-native, they each find a solution - although not necessarily the one they anticipated...

Hard Rain by B.J. Daniels

When Brody McTavish sees Harper Hamilton's runaway horse galloping across the pastures, he does what any good cowboy would do—gives chase and rescues her. Unfortunately for him, the woman he's secretly loved for years didn't need saving, and she's just reached her limit with people treating her as hopeless. But they soon have bigger problems when they make a gruesome discovery—human remains revealed by a recent rainstorm. Remains that will dredge up old Hamilton family mysteries…and bring about a scandal that could threaten all Harper's loved ones.

Rain on the Dead by Jack Higgins

On a dark summer night, two Chechen mercenaries emerge from the waters off Nantucket to kill a high-value target, the former president of the United States, Jake Cazalet. Unfortunately for them, Cazalet has guests with him, including black ops specialist Sean Dillon and his colleague, Afghan war hero Captain Sara Gideon. The Chechens do not survive the night, but Dillon is curious as to how they even got on the island. What he discovers sends a chill through his bones—a name from very far back in Dillon’s past. If this man is working with the terrorists now, the assassination attempt is only the beginning—and the next time, the results might be much, much different.

I Will Send Rain by Rae Meadows

Annie Bell can't escape the dust. It's in her hair, covering the windowsills, coating the animals in the barn, in the corners of her children's dry, cracked lips. It's 1934 and the Bell farm in Mulehead, Oklahoma is struggling as the earliest storms of The Dust Bowl descend. All around them the wheat harvests are drying out and people are packing up their belongings as storms lay waste to the Great Plains. As the Bells wait for the rains to come, Annie and each member of her family are pulled in different directions. Annie's fragile young son, Fred, suffers from dust pneumonia; her headstrong daughter, Birdie, flush with first love, is choosing a dangerous path out of Mulehead; and Samuel, her husband, is plagued by disturbing dreams of rain.

Prayers for Rain by Dennis Lehane

When a former client jumps naked from a Boston landmark, Private Investigator Patrick Kenzie wants to know why. Once a perky young woman in love with life, her suicide is the final fall in a spiral of self-destruction. What Kenzie discovers is a sadistic stalker who targeted the woman and methodically drove her to her death – a monster that the law can’t touch. But Kenzie can. He and his former partner, Angela Gennaro, will fight a mind-twisting battle against the psychopath, even as he turns tricks on them…

Come Rain or Come Shine by Jan Karon

Now, Father Tim Kavanagh’s adopted son has graduated from vet school and opened his own animal clinic. Since money will be tight for a while, maybe he and Lace Harper, his once and future soul mate, should keep their wedding simple. So the plan is to eliminate the cost of catering and do potluck. Ought to be fun. An old friend offers to bring his well-known country band. Gratis. And once mucked out, the barn works as a perfect venue for seating family and friends. Piece of cake, right? In Come Rain or Come Shine, Jan Karon delivers the wedding that millions of Mitford fans have waited for. It’s a June day in the mountains, with more than a few creatures great and small, and you’re invited—because you’re family.

The Art of Racing in the Rain by Garth Stein

Enzo knows he is different from other dogs: a philosopher with a nearly human soul (and an obsession with opposable thumbs), he has educated himself by watching television extensively, and by listening very closely to the words of his master, Denny Swift, an up-and-coming race car driver. Through Denny, Enzo has gained tremendous insight into the human condition, and he sees that life, like racing, isn't simply about going fast. On the eve of his death, Enzo takes stock of his life, recalling all that he and his family have been through. A heart-wrenching but deeply funny and ultimately uplifting story of family, love, loyalty, and hope, The Art of Racing in the Rain is a beautifully crafted and captivating look at the wonders and absurdities of human life...as only a dog could tell it.

Summer Rain by Barbara Freethy

Danielle Monroe is determined to use her new job in DC as a stepping-stone to a high-powered political career. But the secrets surrounding her father's death continue to overshadow her goals. Her family thinks she holds the final piece of the puzzle, but she doesn't even know what the puzzle is…until an attractive and possibly dangerous stranger shows up in her life. Patrick Kane is searching for answers about his own dark tragedy, not realizing that the beautiful Danielle may not just hold the key to his mystery but also his heart. They have to stay alive long enough to find out.

Out of the Rain by Debbie Macomber

The old adage says Marry in haste, repent at leisure. Marriage Wanted - Can you marry in haste and not repent at all? As far as Nash Davenport's concerned, marriage isn't shelter from the storm, it is the storm. He's a divorce attorney, himself divorced, who believes no married couple can live up to their wedding vows. Savannah Charles, however, believes in the value and the values of marriage. She's a wedding planner who finds herself saying yes when Nash unexpectedly proposes. Even though it's strictly a business proposal. Laughter in the Rain - Can you marry at leisure and wish you'd done it in haste? Abby Carpenter has been involved with predictable, practical Logan Fletcher for years. One day she meets the unpredictable, impractical and very exciting Tate Harding. Does an everyday guy like Logan have a chance against a handsome stranger like Tate?

The Scent of Rain and Lightning by Nancy Pickard

The three bring shocking news: The man convicted of murdering Jody’s father is being released from prison and returning to the small town of Rose, Kansas. It has been twenty-six years since that stormy night when, as baby Jody lay asleep in her crib, her father was shot and killed and her mother disappeared, presumed dead. Neither the protective embrace of Jody’s uncles nor the safe haven of her grandparents’ ranch could erase the pain caused by Billy Crosby on that catastrophic night.

Rain Gods by James Lee Burke

Starting a new life as the sheriff of a dried-out, broken-down border town in south Texas, Hackberry Holland is drawn into a murder investigation when nine dead prostitutes are dug up in the desert, forcing him to focus on something other than his own demons.

Did we forget any of your favorites - either Rainy titles or just books to read on drizzly day? Let us know! We'd love to hear from you in our comment section or on any of our social media pages.

Check back in with us next month for another reading list theme!

Images and info are courtesy of Google, Goodreads, Wikipedia, and WV Reads.