TTT: Books For The Beach

This week on Top Ten Tuesday hosted by The Broke and the Bookish we're to compile a list of our top ten best beach reads. 

And since it's raining here in New England, this list is totally going to make me super ready for the feel of the sun on my skin, the sand between my toes, the sound of the waves crashing onto shore, and my nose tucked into any one of these books.

1. Girls in White Dresses by Jennifer Close - I just finished this book yesterday and cannot say enough good things about it. Great literature? Probably not. But it is such a good book. It's honestly my life in printed word format - if you smushed all of the main characters into one person, that person would be me. It's an honest portrayal of what it's like to be in your mid/late twenties-early thirties. Weddings, bridal showers, baby showers, other showers, boyfriends, dating, you name it, this book has it. I almost wish I had waited to read this on the beach...

2. Divergent by Veronica Roth - Fast paced, addicting, and powerful. And it's an 'easy' read too. What more could you want from a beach read? If you haven't ventured into the world of Divergent you really need to start.

3. Postmortem by Patricia Cornwell - What's the beach without a little murder and mystery? Okay, maybe not the best tagline to start my reasoning for this book. But, this series (beginning with this book) is addicting and easy to read. Plus you'll be on the edge of your beach chair till the last page.

4. The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien - A little bit of classic adventure and heroism for your days in the sun and sand? Why not, I say! This book is a healthy does of fantasy and fun. 

5. Something Borrowed by Emily Giffin - I think beach read is pretty much synonymous with Emily Giffin. What else is there better to read on the beach than a book about love, heartbreak, and more love? Seriously. This book isn't just fluff, but it's fluff with a plot. And it's perfect for the beach.

6. The Eyre Affair by Jasper Fforde - The beach needs a good laugh and a great story too. I love everything I've read by Fforde, but The Eyre Affair was the beginning of that love affair. His punny wit and marvelous brain make this a great book to read at any time, especially on the beach!

7. Graceling by Kristin Cashore - Young Adult with a punch. Seriously. Cashore created an intriguing world of people with special talents and a love story intertwined. This is easy enough to relax in the sun and read, but also a captivating story to hook you.

8. The Physick Book of Deliverance Dane by Katherine Howe - I really loved this book. A modern day take on the story of a descendant of the Salem Witch Trials. And it's not clichéd at all. Which makes it a remarkable book in my view. There were so many tropes that Howe could have fallen back on, and she went her own way and told a wonderful story in the process.

9. Wizard's First Rule by Terry Goodkind - The beach might also need something epic and fanciful. Goodkind delivers both in this start to his Sword of Truth series. I love all of these characters and the plot that he is able to weave. Though such a large book can be daunting on the beach, it moves quickly and sucks you in.

10. Here at the End of the World We Learn to Dance by Lloyd Jones - What a beautifully written book. Like a perfect tango, this book is a series of lovely and poignant snapshots. I first read this on the beach in North Carolina and even thinking back on the story I am transported back to the sand and the sun.


What about you guys? What are your top summer picks? What books just scream beach! to you?