Too Many Summers

Book excerpt: Aiming her pen at such sacred cows as clueless tourists, beloved fall festivals, questionable architecture and The Shack on the Causeway (RIP!), L. Ganss explores the ironies and eccentricities of a summer resort in all its seasons and temperaments. Jam-packed with 230 favorites culled from over two decades of Artoons originally published in Long Beach Island's SandPaper, this collection draws inspiration from the local quirks and rituals of this 18-mile-long Jersey Shore sandbar lovingly known as ''LBI'' and the equally inspiring ''just-over-the-bridge'' mainland. From ''Vacation (Hell)'' and ''Strange Days'' to summer bucket lists and dubious landmarks, Artoon fans will find many of their favorites here and newcomers will be happily immersed in the humorous consequences of too many summers.''Three decades into the one-woman art show that is the weekly Artoon, L. Ganss shows no signs of exhausting the absurdities, ironies and follies that animate her portrait of the beach scene and the bay life.'' -- from the Foreword