Picking a book (or three) for the beach can be tough. Do you go classic? Contemporary? Literary? Sci-fi? Here’s a guide to help you.
For those looking for the quintessential beach read: A Hundred Summers // Beatriz Williams (review)
For those who want something set in the rural south/Gulf of Mexico region: Salvage the Bones // Jesmyn Ward
For those looking for southeastern shore/Southern Gothic: The Shore // Sara Taylor (Shannon’s review)
For those who love a good space opera with a hint of a love story: Fortune’s Pawn // Rachel Bach (review)
For those that love an adult book that reads with the angst and ease of YA: Steal the North // Heather Brittain Bergstrom (review)
For those looking for a few hillbillies and a banjo in their literature (and who isn’t?)*: Deliverance // James Dickey (review)
For the list lovers and music fans out there (and who doesn’t want their life to be like a Bruce Springsteen song?)*: High Fidelity // Nick Hornby
For those who want classic literature: Far from the Madding Crowd // Thomas Hardy
For those who like their TV a bit trashy and the literature it’s based on only slightly less so: Witches of East End // Melissa de la Cruz (review, also that house (it should never have been cancelled)!)
For those who want non-fiction (with a road trip): All The Wild That Remains: Edward Abbey, Wallace Stegner, and the American West // David Gessner
Why is there a picture of Lake Tahoe with this post? The reason is two-fold: I didn’t want to gather all of the images (pure laziness) and Lake Tahoe is my only beach destination this year. Here’s to mediocrity.
*And when you get home from your beach day, you can curl up and watch a movie. Both of these have fabulous adaptations.
flannel and folklore 
*sigh* at that stage of the year where you talk about beach reads and I get my (rarely used but still…) winter coat out of the cupboard…
LikeLike
After 4 years of living in perpetual summer, I cannot wait to move somewhere where there is winter (and most importantly seasons!). I guess the grass is always greener…
LikeLike
I have to take my kids to that beach – they will think they’ve gone to heaven! Water AND big rocks to climb!
Out of all these, I would probably choose The Shore. And I have Deliverance on my shelf still – maybe it’s time to read it.
LikeLike
I love how you did this list! And A Hundred Summers is my go to recommendation for the quintessential beach read as well! I thought about including The Shore in my list, but decided against it (though I did love the book) because of the level of concentration it requires and the pen and paper you should have by your side while reading!
LikeLike
Great idea for a list of books for the summer!
LikeLike
Good list and the title for this post is everything. 🙂
LikeLike
Love the title, and the list.
LikeLike
I have Salvage the Bones on my shelf- I need to get on it! And I too recommend Hornby for the summer, especially his older stuff.
LikeLike
Oh my goodness, this list is great. I definitely back The Shore!
LikeLike