Heading to the beach next week and so excited to READ!!! Any good recs?
![[Post New]](/jforum/templates/default/images/icon_minipost_new.gif){kind=icon}
Anonymous
|
One of my greatest pleasures is reading a great, entertaining book on a beach. I read 7 books on my 8 day honeymoon (and had plenty of time with DH, too). This time, we'll be with our kids and I know there won't be quite as much time to read, which is why I need to pack only good books that will be worth my time reading. I want those kind of books that sweep you into the story, where you don't want to put it down and you think of the characters while you're doing other things. I can't handle heavy literature right now, nor can I handle chick lit. Also, nothing too depressing. (I thought the Kite Runner was beautiful, but I read it on a vacation years ago and it really stayed with me and kind of bummed me out for a few days of our trip). Any suggestions?
For anyone else looking for some good vacation reads, here are some I've read in the past and would consider good vacation books: The Poisonwood Bible Jackdaws The Cuckoo's Calling All the Light We Cannot See Where'd You Go Bernadette Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society Bel Canto Unbroken (yes, depressing, but still great) The Glass Castle |
Anonymous
|
Prodigal Summer by Barbara Kingsolver
State of Wonder by Ann Patchett Birds of Paradise (such a great book) Snow Child The Madd Addam triology by Margaret Atwood. All three really good. Starts with Oryx and Crake. |
Anonymous
|
Ann Patchett's book of nonfiction essays is great.
So is Tom Perotta's short story collection that came out semi-recently. |
Anonymous
| Girl on the train. |
Anonymous
|
I'm so jealous!
The Chess Garden |
Anonymous
|
A Girls' Guide to Hunting and Fishing
Prep The Distant Hours Wedding in December The River King The Mermaid Chair |
Anonymous
|
+1 to the Madd Addam trilogy suggested above. I'm currently re-reading Alias Grace by Atwood and think that would be a good one too.
Mr Penumbra's 24 Hour Bookstore was fantastic - good if you are interested in both history/literature and more modern technology. Also Dave Egger's The Circle. |
Anonymous
|
OP here. Thanks for the replies everyone!
Based on these suggestions and others from friends, I'm thinking about: Madd Addam trilogy (or should I start with the Handmaid's Tale?) Tell the Wolves I'm Home The Nightengale Moloka'i Z A Novel of Zelda Fitzgerald The Goldfinch (still haven't read it, though I've been wanting to. But it seems really dense for the beach) The Distant Hours The Chess Garden looks interesting but I'm not a Christian. Will I miss a lot of the allegorical references? Any favorites, or un-favorites? |
Anonymous
| Oh, and Mr. Penumbra looks really interesting as well! |
Anonymous
| The Martian, by Andy Weir. You're welcome. |
Anonymous
|
State of Wonder (ditto suggestion), great book
Life After Life, and anything else by Kate Atkinson that you haven't already read The Royal We--light and entertaining but better-written than what I think of as chick lit |
Anonymous
| Under the Tuscan Sun |
Anonymous
+1 My top 3 reads from last year - Station 11 - Emily St John Mandel All the Light We Cannot Wee - Anthony Doerr (and now Pulitzer Prize winner) and The Martian. |
Anonymous
| Beautiful Ruins, The Interestings, People of the Book, Mary Coin, Animal, Vegetable, Minerak |
Anonymous
Ha! I literally just finished Station Eleven 15 minutes ago. I was blown away by how good it was. The book I finished right before it was All the Light We Cannot See -also terrific. I will now add The Martian to my library queue. And, PP, I wish I could start a book club with you! 
(My other recommendations would be The Night Circus and Big Little Lies (definitely a beach read) |