Savvy Summer Reading Series: Best Beach Reads
It’s that time of year again - summertime ☀️ So I am bringing back our Savvy Summer Reading Series just for the occasion. This month’s theme is Best Beach Reads. Check out my favorites to get you prepared for that lounging-on-the-beach-vacation mood:
Quick Rundown: “Marisa may have only known Jake a few months, but she has never felt this certain about anyone. When he asks her to move in with him and they start trying for a baby, she knows she has finally found the steadfast love and support she has been looking for all her life.
But their relationship is tested when they take in a lodger, Kate, who has little regard for personal boundaries and seems to take an uncomfortable interest in Jake - as well as the baby they are hoping to have.
Why is Kate so obsessed with the couple? And, more worryingly, why doesn't Jake share Marisa's concern?
In her determination to find the answers, Marisa risks losing everything she holds dear…”
Why We Love It: In my opinion, psychological thrillers is a genre that I just love for a beach read. I seem to fly through the pages of the book while simultaneously being distracted from the sun’s heat reflecting off the sand. Magpie is no exception for me either. The writing by Elizabeth Day is exceptional. I also find that when I feel the situations in a story can actually happen in real life make it all the more spine-tingling and intriguing.
The Babysitter: My Summers With a Serial Killer' by Liza Rodman and Jennifer Jordan
Quick Rundown: “A hybrid of memoir and investigative nonfiction, this is the story of Liza Rodman's lonely girlhood on Cape Cod in the 1960s. Her mother worked at a hotel and enjoyed the Provincetown night life. While she was out, the handsome hotel handyman babysat Rodman and her sister. They'd go get popsicles in his truck and hang out in his "secret garden" in the woods of Truro. Turns out, their nice-guy sitter was also a serial killer. Some of his dismembered victims were buried in that woodsy glade. Decades later, Rodman made the connection between her buddy and the splashy murder headlines and became obsessed with researching the case.”
Why We Love It: Where are all my fellow true crime fanatics at? I am obsessed with true crime. It’s basically the only type of podcasts and Netflix documentaries I consume. So obviously I love true crime novels, but I was surprised I had never heard of this story before. It will definitely make you screen your babysitters with a fine-toothed comb if you have kids. *shudder*
Cult Classic by Sloane Crosley
Quick Rundown: “One night in New York City’s Chinatown, a woman is at a work reunion dinner with former colleagues when she excuses herself to buy a pack of cigarettes. On her way back, she runs into a former boyfriend. And then another. And . . . another. Nothing is quite what it seems as the city becomes awash with ghosts of heartbreaks past.”
Why We Love It: If you want more of a lighthearted, less edge-of-your-seat read than the two above, then Crosley’s Cult Classic is exactly what the (beach read) doctor ordered. Literally described by Town&Country Magazine as “unputdownable”, I couldn’t put this book down. Having personally experienced the anxiety of running into an ex on the streets of NYC (it happens more than you think), I found this novel relatable. I also like how Crosley examines love and relationships in a modern way.
A Ballad of Love and Glory by Reyna Grande
Quick Rundown: “The year is 1846. After the controversial annexation of Texas, the US Army marches south to provoke war with México over the disputed Río Grande boundary.
Heartbreaking and lyrical, Reyna Grande’s spellbinding saga, inspired by true events and historical figures, brings two unforgettable characters to life and illuminates a largely forgotten moment in history that impacts the US-México border to this day.
Will Ximena and John survive the chaos of this bitter war, or will their love be devoured along with the land they strive to defend?”
Why We Love It: This one's for you, history buffs. Romantic, thought-provoking, and also applicable to today’s current events, this novel will have you captivated from the start.
The Last Resort: A Chronicle of Paradise, Profit, and Peril at the Beach by Sarah Stodola
Quick Rundown: “With its promise of escape from the strains of everyday life, the beach has a hold on the popular imagination as the ultimate paradise. In The Last Resort, Sarah Stodola dives into the psyche of the beachgoer and gets to the heart of what drives humans to seek out the sand. At the same time, she grapples with the darker realities of resort culture: strangleholds on local economies, reckless construction, erosion of beaches, weighty carbon footprints, and the inevitable overdevelopment and decline that comes with a soaring demand for popular shorelines.”
Why We Love It: I mean, what can be better for a beach read than a book about, well, the beach? This novel will definitely make you think twice about why you are currently sitting under your umbrella, toes in the sand, fruity umbrella drink in hand. I personally found it extremely intriguing and informative, and know you will too!
Do you have a favorite beach book? Let us know in the comments below! 📚
Photo by Link Hoang on Unsplash
Photo by Link Hoang on Unsplash
