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In the Mood for Some Steamy Summer Reads?

Though these suggestions aren't as "juicy" as "Fifty Shades of Grey," Westfield's Town Book Store owner Anne Laird recommends them for some enjoyable summer reading.

While the racy, best-selling "Fifty Shades" triology sparked a reading frenzy earlier this year, those aren't the only books to toss in your beach bag this summer, according to Anne Laird, owner of .

In her time as the East Broad Street shop's proprietor, Laird said she hasn't seen anything quite like the popularity of E.L. James' erotic tales, which have sold more than 31 million copies worldwide. For those bitten by the bookworm, she has some alternate reading suggestions.

"There really isn’t anything like 'Fifty Shades'…honestly…in all my years I have never seen a book like that or a book take off like that," Laird said. "I don’t really carry erotica in the store and if 'Fifty Shades' hadn’t become the blockbuster that it has I probably wouldn’t have carried that either. We are starting to see some authors jump on the bandwagon of this type of book but their books aren’t very good and are even more poorly written than 'Fifty Shades.'"

Laird cited "Bared for You" by Sylvia Day and the "Sleeping Beauty Triology" by Anne Rice as books that have been popular with fans of the "Fifty Shades" genre.

For those who flew through the collection and are in the mood for some more summer reading, she recommends other intriguing titles. 

"We have great summer reading but these books aren't “juicy” in that way," Laird said.

The following is a list of Laird's suggestions:

Seating Arrangements by Maggie Shipstead: WASPs gather for a three-day summer wedding event on an island but it isn't happily-ever-after for every guest.

Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn: A wife disappears on her fifth wedding anniversary in this thriller about a marriage gone terribly wrong.

What Alice Forgot by Liane Moriarity: After a slip and fall, Alice tries to figure out how the life she led 10 years earlier veered so far off course.  

This is Where I Leave You by Jonathan Tropper: Set to become a feature film, the story involves love, marriage, divorce, family, and unbreakable family ties.

Before I Go to Sleep by S.J. Watson: A mysterious accident leaves a woman an amnesiac, unable to decide whether or not she can trust her husband.

Joy for Beginners by Erica Bauermeister: Six women make a pact to do something they've never done after one survives cancer. 

11/23/63 by Stephen King (out in paperback): A schoolteacher travels back in time to rewrite history and falls in love while he's there.

The Beach House by Mary Alice Monroe: It's time to make amends for a former advertising executive who returns to her Southern roots to care for her dying mother.

Maine by J. Courtney Sullivan: Four women spanning three generations bring secrets and plenty of emotional baggage to their annual summer retreat.

What are you reading this summer? Are you still reading Fifty Shades? Let us know in the comments section below.

Pops Ferguson August 10, 2012 at 11:57 am
I recommend "The Communist" by Paul Kengor and "The Amateur" by Edward Klein as we approach the election.
ParkMom August 10, 2012 at 12:27 pm
Anything by Debbie Macomber. Love her. Her books make you feel good. Enjoy them.
slk2003 August 10, 2012 at 02:19 pm
I enjoyed "What the Nanny Saw" by Fiona Neill.
Mary Beth deBrueys August 10, 2012 at 02:35 pm
loved Shanghai Diary but can't remember the author. It is non-fiction from the perspective of a 10 year old girl whose family must flee Nazi Germany at the start of WW 11.
kathy sherman August 10, 2012 at 03:51 pm
i have read Porch LIghts by D. Benton Frank, Summerland by E. Hilderbrand, Guilty Wives by J. Patterson and will start D. Steele's new book.
Jane Yager-Baumrind August 10, 2012 at 04:03 pm
Loved "The Shoemakers Wife" by Adriana Trigiani. Beautiful story about love and family set in Italy and NYC.
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Rob Goldstein June 14, 2013 at 02:53 pm
Karen Egert, were you opposed to the DARE program that was in effect a few years ago? The DARERead More officer (whether it was a uniformed officer or detective) always carried his or her duty firearm in the school and was at each school on a weekly basis.
karen egert June 14, 2013 at 03:01 pm
Apparently Mr. Common Sense you were not at the Board meeting because if you were you would knowRead More that it was clearly outlined that all decisions and reporting of this police officer will be from the police department -- not the school. So are you saying that Lucy Biegler is now the new spokeswoman ? You said she is calling out the position for what it REALLY is ? The discrepancy in outlined roles and the vagueness of this position is reason enough to question it. Ofcourse you have an opinion , but because our children will be directly affected I think our concerns should be heavily weighed . .
karen egert June 14, 2013 at 03:05 pm
Rob -- to answer your question , I was never crazy about the DARE program and yes , I was disturbedRead More that the officer carrying a gun in school . I didn't like it . So I am being consistent. I was new to the school at the time .
Charles Sullivan June 12, 2013 at 05:28 pm
Maddy, Thank you for your comment and I agree that's a lot of money. I just wanted to let you knowRead More that I wanted to give the board some options to consider in case they felt the need to hire a hybrid public safety officer with experience in security operations. Does the town need one, maybe. Can the WPD do more in regards to daily school security, yes I think so but they don't have to assign a cop they already have on the books for this activity. Thank you again for time.
New perspective June 13, 2013 at 02:45 pm
Mr. Sullivan - thank you for your lengthy explanation and detail. I think one of the statements youRead More made should speak volumes to all "Resource officers are proactive, and they can stop something before it starts, Police Officers are re-active and they respond to locations to enforce the law." Do we really want an armed officer in the school who MAY react to let's say someone who has a watergun but the police officer *thinks* it is a real gun at first quick glance? This happens everyday thoughout this country all by accident. Do we really need WHS to be another statistic? Here's another question....why just have an SRO at the High School? Aren't the middle school aged children MORE prone to peer pressure and stress that can cause them to want to harm others as a reaction? In my Non-Professional opinion, middle school aged kids are more of a danger than High School kids.
John Q. Public June 14, 2013 at 11:17 am
Mr. Sullivan, I believe I read that the SRO position had been eliminated for budgetary reasons inRead More the past but that doesn't really address the first issue I mentioned, nor does your comment about having external foot patrols. (As an aside, I believe the crossing guard in the morning at the corner where the auditorium is is a regular sworn police officer). In addition, I see the presence or lack of such external patrols and the lack of coverage if a single SRO has a sick day as logistical issues that can be worked out as opposed to legitimate objections. I don't really see these as evidence going against the SRO concept.
concerned citizen June 11, 2013 at 08:03 pm
Egert is just against guns, that's it. Everything has to fit into this, her small world, and sheRead More tries hard to make it fit, squeezes it, bends it and massages it. She gets help from the elitist billionaire Nanny Bloomberg for the talking points, but he has none regarding this specific topic, so she flounders.
john June 11, 2013 at 10:28 pm
Karen, karen, karen. it is to easy. never mind.
karen egert June 15, 2013 at 10:28 pm
GGG - I have nothing against the Westfield police . On the contrary, on the few occasions I hadRead More interactions with any of them., they were all professional , courteous and very helpful . I am grateful for our Westfield police . I believe that the wonderful job they do as trained police officers is spectacular . I just disagree with the use of a police officer that has only been trained in the duties of an SRO for 7 to 10 days to be the ones counseling our children. . But please don't say I'm against police officers . That's inaccurate and unfair .
karen egert June 11, 2013 at 01:38 am
Thank you Matt for working to represent the third ward . If elected I hope you will work to moveRead More the traffic light on Central Ave that is literally on a resident's driveway . It also flashes as soon as it turns red . As my street is one block from there , I often see residents walking across the crosswalk while the lights are flashing . It doesn't make sense and it's dangerous . Putting that light there is also a terrible thing to do to that resident in our Third Ward . It's wrong and we need it moved .