As summer comes to a close, it’s time to put away the beach reads and break out something with a little more oomph, but if you can’t seem to settle on a title, you’re in luck – it’s time for Brentwood Library’s 2010 CityRead selection to make its appearance.

This year, hundreds of copies of Michelle Richmond’s “The Year of Fog” will be available for the community to enjoy. But if you still crave the beach, just dive into the story about a woman who loses her fiancé’s young daughter during a walk along a foggy San Francisco beach. The novel chronicles the woman’s yearlong search to find the child.

Richmond got the idea when she encountered a young girl collecting sand dollars along a San Francisco beach on a foggy morning. Richmond chatted with the girl briefly and then continued on her walk. When Richmond turned back to scan the horizon for the child’s parents, she realized the child had disappeared into the fog – and so began the thread that would evolve into her 2007 New York Times best seller.

Leonard Roudman, senior community library manager and program coordinator, said he became hooked on Richmond’s story and knew it was an engaging read that would be right for the CityRead program, which celebrates Bay Area authors. Not only does the book take place in the Bay Area, but Richmond also lives in San Francisco.

“‘The Year of Fog’ is a real page turner,” Roudman said. “It’s a really neat mystery, and I think people are really going to enjoy it. The story follows this woman named Abby as she searches for her future stepdaughter, whom she lost in the fog. She gets distracted for just one instant and the child simply vanishes. Abby is sent on this amazing emotional journey as she searches for answers. Her fiancé wants to give up, but Abby can’t let go. She refuses to believe that the little girl is dead. It’s a story about family, grief and the driving forces of hope.”

Books will be available for free at various locations in Brentwood. All interested readers need to do is pick up a copy and enjoy. All Roudman asks is that you pass the book along to a friend when you’re finished so the story may be shared with as many readers as possible. Copies of the book, which is entering its 21st printing, will be available around town on Monday, Sept. 20.

The CityRead program concludes on Oct. 30 with a special author’s presentation at the Brentwood Senior Center. Richmond will come to Brentwood to discuss her works in a presentation entitled “California On My Mind.” Richmond said she’s excited about the opportunity, posting on her Web site (www.michellerichmond.com) that she’s “delighted” that her novel was selected for the program.

To read an excerpt from “The Year of Fog,” visit Richmond’s Web site, www.michellerichmond.com/books/the-year-of-fog/excerpt-the-year-of-fog.

The 2010 CityRead selection, “The Year of Fog” by Michelle Richmond, will be available at the following locations from Sept. 20 to Oct. 30:

• Brentwood Library, 104 Oak St.

• Brentwood Chamber of Commerce, 8440 Brentwood Blvd., Suite C

• Brentwood Press, 248 Oak St.

• Los Medanos College Brentwood Center, 101A Sand Creek Road

• Peet’s Coffee and Tea, 5411 Lone Tree Way

• Starbucks, 2540 Sand Creek Road, 8610 Brentwood Blvd., 3150 Balfour Road and 14804 Highway 4 (Discovery Bay)

• Summerset 1 Library, 1675 Crispin Drive

• Willy’s Bagels & Blends, 1155 Second St. and 390 West Country Club Drive