The Summer Cottage

A USA Today Bestseller! “Every now and then a new voice in fiction arrives to completely charm, entertain and remind us what matters. Viola Shipman is that voice and The Summer Cottage is that absolutely irresistible and necessary novel.” — New York Times Bestselling Author Dorothea Benton Frank From the bestselling author of The Charm Bracelet and The Recipe Box comes the perfect summer escape about the restorative power of family tradition, small-town community and the feel of sand between your toes Adie Lou Kruger’s ex never understood her affection for what her parents called their Cozy Cottage, the charming, ramshackle summer home—complete with its own set of rules for relaxing—that she’s inherited on Lake Michigan. But despite the fact she’s facing a broken marriage and empty nest, and middle age is looming in the distance, memories of happy childhoods on the beach give her reason for hope. She’s determined not to let her husband’s affair with a grad student reduce her to a cliché, or to waste one more minute in a career she doesn’t love, so it becomes clear what Adie Lou must do: rebuild her life and restore her cottage shingle by shingle, on her terms. But converting the beloved, weather-beaten structure into a bed-and-breakfast isn’t quite the efficient home-reno experience she’s seen on TV. Pushback from Saugatuck’s contentious preservation society, costly surprises and demanding guests were not part of the plan. But as the cottage comes back to life, Adie Lou does, too, finding support in unexpected places and a new love story on the horizon. One cottage rule at a time, Adie Lou reclaims her own strength, history and joy by rediscovering the magic in every sunset and sandcastle. Don't miss bestselling author Viola Shipman's enchanting new novel, FAMOUS IN A SMALL TOWN—a magical story about the family you’re born with, and the one you choose! Other books by Viola Shipman: The Secret of Snow A Wish for Winter The Edge of Summer The Heirloom Garden The Clover Girls

When her terminally ill mother requests that the family reunite at their summer cottage for the Fourth of July, Helen and her siblings revisit their long-ago decisions and assumptions and face new choices that could shatter their fragile kinship.

This book in the Family Fun series shows kids what to do to pass the long summer days at the cottage.

This summer, they’ll learn that home is where the heart is. Somerset Lake is the perfect place for Trisha Langly and her son to start over. As the new manager for the Somerset Cottages, Trisha is instantly charmed by the property’s elderly residents and her firecracker of a new boss, Vi Fletcher. But Trisha is less enchanted by Vi’s protective grandson Jake. No matter how tempting she finds the handsome lawyer, Trisha knows that if Jake discovers the truth about her past, she’ll lose the new life she’s worked so hard to build. Jake Fletcher left Somerset Lake after a tragic loss, but he’s returning for the summer to care for his beloved grandmother, hoping Vi will sell the run-down cottages and finally slow down. There’s just one problem: Trisha, Vi’s new employee. She’s smart, beautiful, and kind, but Jake’s job is to protect his grandmother’s interests, and his gut is telling him Trisha’s hiding something that could jeopardize Vi’s future. However, as they spend summer days renovating the property and bonding over their love for the town, Jake realizes that Trisha is a risk worth taking—if only she can trust him with her secrets . . . and her heart. Includes the bonus novella Kiss Me in Sweetwater Springs!

Thirty-year-old Charlotte Wheelwright seems to have at last found her niche, running an organic gardening business on the island of Nantucket, thanks in large part to her spry grandmother Nona, who donated a portion of land on the family’s seaside compound to get Charlotte started. Though Charlotte’s skill with plants is bringing her success, cultivating something deeper with people—particularly her handsome neighbor Coop—might be more of a challenge. Now the entire Wheelwright clan is making its annual summer pilgrimage to the homestead, including Charlotte’s mother, Helen, who brings a heavy heart as she confronts a betrayal that threatens her sense of place and her sense of self. Bringing together three generations of strong-willed women, each wrestling with life-changing decisions, Nancy Thayer’s luminous novel shows that no matter where life’s path may lead, love always finds a way back home.

Estate planning for family cottages and cabins When family members inherit a vacation home together, problems are often unavoidable, given that the new co-owners may have different financial circumstances or emotional attachments to the family cottage or cabin. But you can head off damaging family squabbles by developing a legal structure (typically an LLC) to take care of the business of ownership. Whether you’re planning to pass on a cottage to your children, or you’ve inherited a cabin with your siblings, Saving the Family Cottage provides practical, legal solutions for preserving a beloved family property for generations to come. You’ll learn how to: keep the peace (and avoid fights) among siblings over jointly-owned property prevent a family member from forcing a sale of the cottage or cabin keep your vacation home out of the hands of in-laws and creditors, and make a smooth transition from one generation’s ownership to the next. The fifth edition is updated to reflect current tax laws, including state property tax laws which affect choice of legal entity. It also includes an expanded discussion of legal issues when renting a family cottage or cabin on Airbnb, VRBO, or similar rental services.

Lose yourself to the magic of The Charm Bracelet. Through an heirloom charm bracelet, three women will rediscover the importance of family and a passion for living as each charm changes their lives. On her birthday each year, Lolly’s mother gave her a charm, along with the advice that there is nothing more important than keeping family memories alive, and so Lolly’s charm bracelet would be a constant reminder of that love. Now seventy and starting to forget things, Lolly knows time is running out to reconnect with a daughter and granddaughter whose lives have become too busy for Lolly or her family stories. But when Arden, Lolly’s daughter, receives an unexpected phone call about her mother, she and granddaughter Lauren rush home. Over the course of their visit, Lolly reveals the story behind each charm on her bracelet, and one by one the family stories help Lolly, Arden, and Lauren reconnect in a way that brings each woman closer to finding joy, love, and faith. A compelling story of three women and a beautiful reminder of the preciousness of family, Viola Shipman's The Charm Bracelet is a keepsake you’ll cherish long after the final page.

Invites us along for an inside look at the grand cottages of Mackinac Island, a uniquely Victorian island where cars are not allowed. This work contrasts fascinating historic photos with contemporary, full-color portraits to describe the development, architecture, and daily life of the summer cottage communities on Mackinac Island.

The little blue cottage waits each year for summer to arrive—and with it, the girl. Through sunny days and stormy weather, the cottage and the girl keep each other company and wile away the long days and nights together. Until one year, and then another, the cottage is left waiting and empty season after season. In this heartfelt story about change, Kelly Jordan’s lilting text and Jessica Courtney-Tickle's lush art captures the essence of cherishing a favorite place.

Faced with the sale of the century-old family summer house on Cape Cod where he had spent forty-two summers, George Howe Colt recounts returning for one last stay with his wife and children in this stunning memoir that was a National Book Award Finalist and a New York Times Notable Book of the Year. This poignant tribute to the eleven-bedroom jumble of gables, bays, and dormers that watched over weddings, divorces, deaths, anniversaries, birthdays, breakdowns, and love affairs for five generations interweaves Colt’s final visit with memories of a lifetime of summers. Run-down yet romantic, The Big House stands not only as a cherished reminder of summer’s ephemeral pleasures but also as a powerful symbol of a vanishing way of life.