Beach Reads
This is what we want to have in our bag for traveling this summer and reading on the beach!
We are already experiencing record-breaking heat here in Florida, and my home near Daytona Beach has had the A/C running for weeks. We do tend to do a lot of reading on the beach here, and one of my favorite things is talking to out-of-towners or neighbors about what they are diving into as they bask in the sun and salt air.
Here’s a roundup of the books I’ve beached with recently, because obviously I can go to the beach 11 ½ months out of the year. Consider me uniquely qualified to curate this list for your reading pleasure!
I do have specific genres I like to read at the beach. For me, that’s not the place for any doorstops, multigenerational epics, heavy books about any major war, or any Greek myths that require a lot of brain power. I prefer something that I can dip in and out of between adult beverages and wakeboarding sessions with the kids. And sunscreen reapplication and building drip castles and hunting for sharks’ teeth! Here are my recent favorite beach reads, there are some backlist gems here that you don’t want to miss. I’d love to hear which categories you love to read among the dunes and waves.
Scroll down to find your preferred genre – Poetry, thrillers, romance, and fiction!
POETRY
Oceanic by Aimee Nezhukumatathil
The overwhelming editorial praise for this poetry collection – and all of Nezhukumatathil’s work – is staggering. She’s received several prestigious awards and prizes, and she is a working teacher, leading creative writing and environmental literature in the MFA program at the University of Mississippi. But none of those accolades add to the natural, overwhelming delight that you will take in each of these poems.
Don’t miss the work that Roxane Gay called “elegant twists of a very sharp knife.”
And that’s how you feel after tumbling
like sea stars on the ocean floor over each other.
A night where it doesn’t matter
which are arms or which are legs
or what radiates and how—
only your centers stuck together.
—Starfish and Coffee
Where the Sidewalk Ends by Shel Silverstein
I know this is an unconventional choice but stay with me. Whether you have kids of your own or are still a kid at heart, you cannot go wrong with any of Shel Silverstein’s impressive list of work. collection of clever, silly, profound poetry. This is perfect for dipping in and out between dipping sessions in the water, and every poem includes something for everyone.
My favorite is the one about The Unicorn and the Bloath, Silverstein’s wordplay and clever phrasing will delight readers of any ages. And before you decide to write in and let me know that Shel Silverstein’s poems are just for children, I will remind you that he also penned A Boy Called Sue and The Cover of the Rolling Stone, two songs which have definitely enjoyed some staying power for generations.
Additionally, click here for a list of can’t-miss LGBTQ-themed poetry you should read this summer!
THRILLERS
Never Flinch by Stephen King
I would normally never recommend a Stephen King book for beach reading, but that is mostly because so many of his titles are what we in the industry lovingly refer to as “doorstops.” I feel strongly enough about this one, though, that I’m including it on our list. If you like to travel light, I highly recommend the audiobook, which is 14 hours and 44 minutes long and finishing it is literally the only thing I accomplished over the weekend (don’t skip the afterword, read by the Master of Horror himself!).
When the Buckeye City police receive a disturbing letter from someone threatening to “kill 13 innocents and one guilty” as “an act of atonement,” Detective Izzy Jaynes does not even know where to start. Are 14 people really about to be killed in a horrific act of retribution? Intertwining storylines focus on Jaynes’ investigation into the threats and a controversial women’s rights activist heading off on a lecture tour delivery an incredible conclusion that will leave you in a little puddle on your beach towel.
And #nospoilers, but you may also discover some familiar characters in this masterpiece. Keep your eyes – or ears – peeled!
And if you are someone who prefers their scary reads to have more of a fall flavor, check out this list of ghost stories!
The Tenant by Frida McFadden
First of all, this cover is a showstopper, so if you are reading a physical copy of this thriller, expect strangers to ask you about it!
Blake Porter’s life has fallen apart. He’s lost his job over something he definitely didn’t do, and the financial situation is so grim that he and his fiancée decide to offer their spare room for rent.
They find the perfect candidate! Whitney is charming, sweet, and seems relatively normal. She is exactly what the couple is looking for…until things get weird. Things start to unravel when Blake discovers the reason for all of the fruit flies in the kitchen. And what is that smell? Don’t miss this book if you loved The Housemaid or The Teacher!
“So addictive it should come with a warning.” ― Alice Feeney, New York Times bestselling author
Beautiful Ugly by Alice Feeney
INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER
I couldn’t put Beautiful Ugly down—it was the perfect beach read: suspenseful, emotional, and just twisty enough to keep me flipping pages long after the sun went down. Grady Green’s story pulled me in from the start. One minute, he’s sharing the biggest news of his life, and the next, his wife vanishes without a trace.
A year later, his grief still feels raw, and when he escapes to a remote Scottish island, I felt every beat of his heartbreak and confusion. The setting, the mystery, and the eerie possibility that Abby might still be alive—it all gave me chills in the best way. It’s haunting, but also deeply human, exploring love, change, and the things we think we know about the people closest to us.
“Her best book yet.” –Harlan Coben
FICTION
These are the titles you think of when someone says, “beach reads!” Covers with water, toes in sand, glorious sunsets, and things normally turn out okay.
One Golden Summer by Carley Fortune
After one glorious summer at a lakeside cottage when she was 17, Alice decides that photography is going to be her thing. She prefers to stay on the sidelines, and photographers have an excellent view of the action without necessarily engaging in it.
One of the photos that Alice took that summer was of Charlie Florek, a sweet kid who has morphed into a super-sexy adult who makes Alice long to be a teenager again, when taking pictures was just for fun. And Charlie roars back into her life, driving a yellow boat, in that magical place. Alice’s grandmother has broken her hip, and Alice knows that she will be able to heal at Barry’s Bay. And with Charlie around, maybe Alice can do some growing of her own during sun-soaked days and magical nights.
My Friends by Fredrik Backman
If you had your heart smashed a few years ago by A Man Called Ove (book or movie!), this one will ruin your summer in the best possible way.
Four teenagers create a bond so powerful over the course of one summer that a stranger comes looking for answers from them 25 years later. Louisa has a lot of problems, but now she has a new focus: able to see “the painting of the sea” in person for the first time, Louisa can see that there are three small figures sitting at the end of the painted dock. They have not been visible in any of the reproductions she has seen of the famous masterpiece.
Who are they? Who were they? A group of teens with rough home lives spend time together laughing and wishing they were anywhere else. The closer Louisa gets to discovering the identities – and the stories – of the people in the painting, the more she feels compelled to unleash her own artistic talents. Too bad she does those with spray paint! This is a lovely homage to the power of art and how friendship can transform us.
The Wedding People by Alison Espach
It makes sense that Phoebe keeps being mistaken for a wedding guest. Due to a scheduling snafu, she is the ONLY non-wedding guest at the Cornwall Inn. And she was definitely not supposed to be at the lovely spot alone. She should be with her husband, shucking oysters and taking romantic, moonlit sails, living out the honeymoon dream Phoebe has been keeping close for a long time.
Instead of a decadent hurrah, Phoebe finds herself embroiled in a ton of wedding-related drama, which sucks, because THIS IS NOT HER WEDDING. Phoebe has a plan for the ending to this trip, but instead of finding herself alone, she finds herself becoming closer and closer to the bride. And things aren’t perfect for her, either. THIS IS HER WEDDING! Phoebe decides to help where she can and realizes she may be helping herself heal in the process.
My TBR is officially ready for summer reading! My Kindle is stuffed, my audiobook selection is on brand, and I have a nice little pile of physical books to bring to the beach, which I will probably visit twice a week or so over the summer. Add an adult beverage and I am having the Best Beach Day Ever no matter what day it is!
