Top Beach Reads
To me, the beach is the ultimate vacation from the world. I don't go to crowded beaches so the image of a beach connotates seclusion and relaxation. I love going on girls-only beach trips with my best friend and her family, and it's the penultimate getaway. We're all readers so when we go, we take about 10 books apiece!
Some of last year's selection, but some books had already been repacked and put in the car.
Anyway, I *mostly* prefer light-hearted, usually summer-y contemporary reads for the beach.
2. Jennifer Echols's entire ya collection, especially Endless Summer (The Boys Next Door + Endless Summer) and Forget You. Some of Echols's novels aren't set at the beach and some aren't set during summer, but there's something very summery- and beachy-feeling about them.
Rating: 4-5 stars depending on which one (most are 5)
3. The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants quadrilogy by Ann Brashares. My original summer/beach read. You can't read these books and not be instantly transported to the beach, be it with Bridget in Mexico, Lena in Greece, or all four girls in Rehoboth. Sisterhood was one of my first ya reads ever and reading any of the four brings instant nostalgia and wanderlust...at least as far as that wanderlust points me in the direction of surf, sand, and sun.
Rating: 5 stars for 1-3, 3 stars for 4
4. Along for the Ride by Sarah Dessen. Any beach-read list is completely remiss without a Dessen novel. Ride is my second favorite of the bunch, and always makes me want to run off to the North Carolina beach (I lovelovelove the Outer Banks and Colby is totally just like any town in OBX).
Rating: 4 stars
5. The Mediator series by Meg Cabot. Not set during the summer, but New Yorker Suze Simon is transplanted to the shores of northern California. This is a paranormal series with lots of ghosts and hauntings and fake vampires and murder, but it's a great series. I love all of Meg's books, but Mediator is at the very top.
Rating: 5 stars
6. The Last Song by Nicholas Sparks. Okay, spare me the nonsense about how much you don't like Sparks because you think he's a sellout. Whatever. Like you didn't devour A Walk to Remember before hating Sparks became A Thing. I actually really love The Last Song and it's a perfect beach romance for me. The movie wasn't bad either. Miley didn't suck and HEL-LO Liam Hemsworth!
Rating: 4 stars
7. Forgive My Fins by Tera Lynn Childs. Requisite mermaid book. I love how sweet TLC's books are. They're innocent but still chock full o'romance. Her mermaids are lovely, and I dig the tail color thing.Here's to hoping for more novels set in the Fins 'verse because I don't think Fins Are Forever was an ending.
Rating: 3 1/2 stars
8. Invincible Summer by Hannah Moskowitz. This is a more serious beach read. While I'm not saying the other books included on this list lack substance, Invincible Summer and the three following have a bit more than most. Invincible takes place over four summers and shows how even though we all love the beach, sometimes it's also the worst place ever. Please don't let that scare you from reading it, though. I promise it's worth it!
Rating: 4 stars
9. My Life Next Door by Huntley Fitzpatrick. There are actually only a couple scenes in this that are actually set at the beach, but this is a fantastic summer read. It definitely pulls the heartstrings, though!
Rating: 4 stars
10. Twenty Boy Summer by Sarah Ockler. I'm betting this book is on a lot of beach lists for TTT today. This is summery. It's beachy. It's beautiful. It's captivating. It's heartwrenchmeltbreakdestroyrestoring. Go and read it now if you have not yet.
Rating: 4 stars
1. Beauty Queens by Libba Bray. This sassy novel is about, well, teenage beauty queens who are stuck on a deserted (they think) island. It's absolutely hilarious and totally a great read for a beach trip!
Rating: 5 stars
Rating: 4-5 stars depending on which one (most are 5)
Rating: 5 stars for 1-3, 3 stars for 4
Rating: 4 stars
Rating: 5 stars
Rating: 4 stars
Rating: 3 1/2 stars
Rating: 4 stars
Rating: 4 stars
Rating: 4 stars
Twenty boy summer and my life next door are on my summer reads!
ReplyDeleteIf you haven't already read it I highly recommend Second Chance Summer by Morgan Matson! Read it last summer and I loved it!
I'll definitely look it up! Thanks for the rec!
DeleteA book that I read recently that entertained and enlightened me (a quick-fun summer read) is by author Gemini Adams entitled, “The Facebook Diet” (http://www.unplugseries.com/). The book really looks at how good, bad, healthy, connecting, isolating and addictive Facebook is! The book features 50 very funny cartoons that begin with “You know you’re a Facebook addict when….” As a self-proclaimed Facebook addict, I saw myself in just about every one of the funny illustrations & passages in this book. The latter part of the book offers tips on an effective "digital detox."
ReplyDeleteThis book is definitely a must-read, lighter look into the very real issue of social media addiction and will be a great gift for all the internet addicts out there with a message to stop, get away from that gadget, and interact with a real person! Hope you will give it a read or perhaps give it to a friend who is ruled by social media :)
I am definitely hooked on social media and technology in general. I got a tablet for Christmas and I use it for everything! I'll have to give it a look. Thanks for the rec!
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ReplyDeletehttp://www.sanmiguelallendebooks.com/titles.html