Well, now, here’s a question: What’s a “beach read?” What’s a good beach read? And what are some of your favorites of the species?
Once in awhile, I find OUTLANDER on someone’s list of “great beach reads,” but usually none of the other books. (This sticks in my mind, because one of the early public appearances I did when OUTLANDER was released, was a “Great Beach Read” program done with several other authors for a public library—wherein we were supposed to talk about our own books, but also give a list of other books we thought were great beach reads. I remember the occasion, because it’s the first—and thankfully one of very few—occasion on which I forgot I was supposed to be somewhere. I was in fact shopping for bunk-beds with my husband—and my children all “turned” last month, being now 26, 24, and 22, so you know it was awhile ago—when he got a frantic call (he having one of the new-fangled car-phones) from his secretary, to the effect that the Glendale (I think) Public Library was looking for me, and why wasn’t I on their stage? We rushed there instantly, and I made it in time to be last on the program, but still, Highly Traumatic. I shudder when I hear the words “Beach Read.”)
Now, personally, I’ve always figured that “great beach read” is one of those left-handed compliments. It implies that the book is a page-turner, all right—but probably not something filled with Deep Meaning, as my husband says (“Does this have lots of Deep Meaning?” he asks, suspiciously, when I hand him a new excerpt to read. “Or does something actually happen?”). Nobody describes WAR AND PEACE as a great beach read (though in fact it is, size quite aside. It actually is a page-turner, though the translation makes a difference. I got an edition translated by someone whose first language was apparently French, resulting in male characters not infrequently threatening to give each other “a bang on the snout!” Which was mildly distracting. But I digress…).
The implication is that the book should be entertaining, but something you can easily put down in order to play volleyball, and it won’t really matter if you doze off and let it fall on your stomach where it will absorb sun-tan lotion and all the pages become transparent. And when you leave the beach, you can toss it in the trash can if you’ve finished it, and into your trunk if you haven’t, there to be ignored until next Thanksgiving, when you discover it while cramming your trunk with turkey, bags of fresh cranberries, and whatever other family-specific food you consider indispensable to the occasion (my stepmother’s family traditionally serves buttered rutabagas at Thanksgiving. I consider this perverse, but as long as I’m not personally required to eat rutabagas—and no force of nature would compel me, I assure you—more power to them).
On the other hand—a beach read has the assurance of being entertaining, and of probably being popular. A beach read is something that everybody (in a given summer) is reading. Which is of course Highly Desirable, if you are the author of said book. I mean, if it comes right down to it, do you want the New York Times to say your book is “a brilliant, if depressing, portrait of humanity, filled with insights on dependency and longing,”—or do you want it to say, “#1″ on the Bestsellers list? Yeah, me too.
(Mind, if anybody happens to want to look for Deep Meaning in my books, it’s there [g]—no, really—but I do think there ought to be a Good Story on the uppermost layer of a book.)
Now, I personally am no judge of a beach read, because a) I read all the time, regardless of location, and b) I don’t live near a beach, and c) if I did live near a beach, I wouldn’t be sitting on it, reading. I hate sitting in the sun; it makes me sweaty and dizzy, and the last thing I’d do is read a book while doing it. But tastes differ.
IF we were to define a “beach read” simply as a book that’s very entertaining, but “light” (in the literary-fiction sense of the word)—what would you pick? (Or if you define a beach read differently, how would you define it?)
The nearest equivalent of a “beach read” for me, is probably a “plane book.” I.e., what you read on a plane to distract your mind from the knowledge that there is nothing under you but 30,000 feet of thin air (though my husband, who flies planes, assures me that air is really much more substantial than it appears). That would be things like Nora Roberts romances and futuristic mysteries, Michael Connelly thrillers, Janet Evanovich’s comic romance/mysteries, Anne Perry’s Victorian mysteries, John LeCarre’ spy/intrigue novels, and the like (I gather I’m not alone in these preferences, since these are the books commonly found in airport bookstores). Not THE LOVELY BONES; I read half of that on a long flight to Sydney, left it on the plane, and never felt the urge to get another copy and read the rest of it. I know a number of folks loved it, but I thought it was hollow and mildly repellant—though I freely admit this impression may have had more to do with the effects of being on an airplane for fourteen hours, than with the book itself.
(I should note here that while I have referred to the books I read on planes as “toilet paper books,” this is not a diss. It’s because such books perform an indispensable function—but you use them only once.)
Speaking historically, though—it seems to me that many of the great “beach reads” of the last 15-20 years have indeed been “big” books: James Clavell’s SHO-GUN (one of my all-time favorite books ever!) or TAI-PAN, Judith Krantz’s SCRUPLES, PRINCESS DAISY, etc., James Michener’s monster sagas, etc. These are books that would get you through an entire vacation.
I don’t know whether it’s the current economic climate affecting publishing (paper costs keep rising, as does the cost of shipping books), or whether there’s a change in public taste, but you see fewer “big” books than you used to. (Mind, when a new “big” book appears, it gets a lot of attention—vide THE HISTORIAN, or MR. NORELL AND WHOEVER THE OTHER GUY WAS—on the sheer basis of size. The assumption being, I imagine, that if a publisher was willing to pay to print this, it must be good. Sometimes this assumption is true; sometimes not so much.) What’s the “beach read” of this summer? (I’ve been so busy lately I haven’t paid any attention to publishing news at all. I’m also neck-deep in the research for ECHO IN THE BONE, plus a “Lord John” short piece I’m doing for an anthology, that involves yet another chapter of the Seven Years War. My guess is that neither Francis Parkman’s MONTCALM AND WOLFE, nor Kenneth Webb’s THE GROWTH OF SCOTTISH NATIONALISM would be in most people’s beach-bags.)
So…what’s in your beach-bag?
The Host by Stephenie Meyer is both my “beach read” AND my “airplane-on-the-way-to-the-beach-read.” Here’s hoping that it will be both page-turning and tghought-provoking.
Dear Rachel–
Mm, yes, I think that’s definitely a beach-read. I read the first half, but sort of lost interest; it was a good story, and while the premise isn’t original (being a cross between INVASION OF THE BODY-SNATCHERS and I AM LEGEND), it does have an interesting twist–but both the characters and the prose were too slickly superficial–I kept sliding off the page, rather than sinking into it; probably just my mood. I’ve seen a _lot_ of people lately who thoroughly enjoyed it, though–hope you will, too!
Pardon my question, Diana, but would that be Keith Webb’s “The Growth of Nationalism in Scotland”? I did a search for “Kenneth Webb” and couldn’t find him anywhere…
Thanks
Muse
I don’t think of it as “beach reading” but instead “summer reading.” I don’t read for fun during the academic year too much–mostly read stuff for my classes or research for my work. So my fun summer reading? Honestly–your _Outlander_ is my first choice. I just finished it the other day…again.
I’m actually waiting for my Stephenie Meyer books to arrive, those are great summer fun reads. I’m currently looking for new fun stuff to read, so I will be watching the comments closely. 
What are my beach reads? Hmmm…I go and sit on the beach at the tip of the thumb in Michigan every year for eight days. I pack at least 12 books and sit for oh…8 or 9 hours at a time and read. THAT is what I call a vacation. And for those of you who have never experienced the beaches of the Great Lakes, they are nothing like any ocean beach in the world. The sand is clean, the water is cold, the breeze is cool and it’s rare that one gets all sweaty and hot and disgusting, but I digress…so, my beach reads are…
Moning’s Highlander series (not the Fever series)
The Nine Tailors by Sayers
Outlander
Anne Gracie’s Perfect series
and maybe one or two new ones from an author I haven’t tried yet.
Since when I’m not writing, I’m reading, I want to return to the books I love and am content with when I’m supposed to be on vacation.
I’m not looking for anything deep and meaningful though in their own right, each book mentioned has something meaningful for me. I’m looking for a read I can relax and lose myself in, that I can imagine myself into and that yes, I can put down if I have to (though I don’t do volleyball
). In essence, since my DH spends the days with his dad (since we usually vacation one of the two weeks they do) I’m looking for a good friend to spend the day at the beach with. Those particular books just happen to be the ‘best’ ones I have. And when it comes time to put them back in my bag and leave the beach behind for the day, I can set them down because I know all of them almost by heart.
So, those are my regular beach reads…
Well, I think that Sophie Kinsella’s books are perfect “beach reads” They’re all funny, romantic and “relaxing” to read.
I think “beach reads” should be lighter in tone, preferably humorous. Something like “Devil Wears Prada”, maybe. Not “great literature”, but entertaining enough to keep you occupied for a few hours. Disposable, as you said.
As for Deep Meaning — well, as you know from the discussions going on on the Compuserve board the last couple of weeks, I love that sort of thing [vbg], but I wouldn’t want it in either a beach read or an airplane read. Ditto for really emotionally intense scenes. I want something fun and relaxing to read on beach or plane, not something that stirs up really strong feelings. (If I took OUTLANDER to the beach — or on a plane, for that matter — I’d be careful to stop before the Wentworth section. Much too dark and depressing for a beach read, and far too emotionally intense to read where other people are around [g].)
Karen
Dear Muse–
Keith! Right you are. I hadn’t the book in front of me when typing, but yes, that’s the one. Thanks!
Dear Karen and nightsmusic–
Absolutely. To every book, there is a season. [g] And the books we turn to for comfort, friendship, or escape are as (or more) important than the ones we read for mental challenge, education, or novel [sic] insights.
I, too, read all the time, and rarely go to the beach (I lived on Maui for 19 years and rarely went even then–did NOT like to get sand in my ears and I sunburn easily), the following are some (other) authors I’ve enjoyed immensely, and they make good reading any time: Robertson Davies, Robert B. Parker, Elizabeth Hand, Janet Turner Hospital. And thanks, Diana, for your great reads!
Judy
Dear Judy–
Oh, did you read Elizabeth Hand’s MORTAL LOVE? I think that’s the only one of hers I’ve come across, but I thought it was (literally) marvelous.
Totally with you on Robertson Davies, too–I’ve been wanting for some time to go back and re-read his two great trilogies.
I tend to prefer ‘Outlander’ (and the rest, as well as Lord John) about halfway through the summer. This is after I’ve finished the “beach read” list, when I’d really like something a bit more substantial, but before I have to — I mean, get to — read the likes of Virgil and Thomas Hardy. (Yay college!)
The summer list usually begins with ‘The Devil Wears Prada’, ‘The Nanny Diaries’, and similar fluffy and unchallenging books. I’ll also throw in the occasional fashion magazine for research purposes. (The things we can call research when writing a novel!)
Right now? Well, “research” and Curtis Sittenfeld’s ‘Prep’.
Have a great week!
I live only about 4 hours from the beach, so we’ve made frequent trips to the gulf, and I am always armed with plenty of reading material. I’ve made enough mistakes in choice of beach reading to know how to select properly nowadays. For instance, just because it has the word “beach” in the title, does not necessarily make it a good ~beach read~. I once learned that the hard way when I chose to take ON THE BEACH along for a trip to Destin. I thoroughly enjoyed the read, but had to rush to the resort gift shop for a horror novel to wash the heavy cloud of depression from my brain. Also, a good beach read should be ~light~ reading in the literal sense of the word, so as not to give you a terrible case of book-hand-cramp while trying to read in various positions on a lounge chair, beach chair, or beach towel. As in, paperbacks, _not_ hard backs. I discovered this while trying to maneuver around my chair with a marguerita and a hardback copy of Frank Peretti’s MONSTER. So, paperback definitely! Preferably upbeat, or at least with a happy ending…it ~is~ a vacation, after all. I’m looking over at my bookshelf & a couple of books I spot that once accompanied me as beach reads: WHITE OLEANDER by Janet Fitch (much better than the movie), and A MOST COMMON DEGREE OF POPULARITY by Kathleen Gilles Siedel. Of course, I’ve been known to take along weird things on occasion. I read MADAME BOVARY at the beach. (Well it ~was~ paperback.) And the odd Dean Koontz here or there.
Tess
Oops. The title by Seidel is A MOST UNCOMMON DEGREE OF POPULARITY. Geez, and I thought I proof-read it well enough.
Tess
I just picked up Outlander again. It sits (along with the rest on the series) on my night stand waiting to be picked up when I have nothing else to read. It is like your best friend, always there when you need it! When I finish a book and can’t get to the book store, I just move through the series. Hard to believe it has been 15 years since I first picked it up. Don’t even know how many times I have re-read them. Anyway, my most recent summer reads are Ariana Franklin’s The Serpant’s Tale (great characters, interesting bits of history and a mystery to solve) and Kelley Armstrong’s Personal Demon (fun, fantasy/mystery/romance with a good sense of humor). Give them a try!
My Beach Read list this year includes Blind Fall by Christopher Rice, Natural Born Charmer by Susan Elizabeth Phillips, The Appeal by John Grisham , and Voyager in audiobook format. I’m currently listening to/reading Dragonfly in Amber. I first read this one on my 25th anniversary trip to Negril, Jamaica. I made DH stop on the way to the airport to get it because I’d finished Outlander on the way!
I agree about reading *on* the beach – impossible cos it’s too hot, you can’t lie on your back and read cos the sun gets in your eyes, and if you lie on your stomach the whole time you either fall asleep and wreck your tan, or both
I rarely, if ever, take a new book on vacation. How could I risk being disappointed and having nothing to read? I usually lug a few books, so that I have something to meet whatever mood I’m in. And since I’m currently on vacation :-), let’s see… I’ve got:
Fiery Cross and ABOSAA (since we drove through North Carolina and I needed guide books. Would you believe that *every word* out of the tour guide’s mouth at Alamance was something I already knew, and had seen through Roger’s/Jamie’s/Claire’s eyes…)
What’s Wrong With the World by GK Chesterton
Stories by John Buchan
The Book Thief by Markus Zuzak
Lord of the Nutcracker Men by Iain Lawrence (young adult book)
I think of -beach reads- as kind of like the books I would read in college when I was really tired of reading only homework that I was assigned to read, and my brain needed a break. Back then, I loved Anne McCaffrey’s books, both her Pern series and others. Recently, I’ve liked Abe’s “The Dream Thief” and Brae’s “A great and terrible beauty”. Teen fantasies and trashy romances tend to be my “take a break” books.
-Kathy
You know, another really fun series is Alexis Morgan’s Paladins…yummy men…though Moning’s Highlanders are drool-worthy and when you’re on the beach, isn’t that the kind of man you want to see?
I also love the Nora Roberts romances. I also really enjoy Julia Quinn. Her Bridgerton books are both smart and funny. They are about the Bridgerton family, eight books in all. The first in the series is “The Duke and I” the second, and my favorite, is “The Viscount Who Loved Me”. This summer I’ll be doing a re-read/re-listen of the “Outlander” books. I also plan to read some Anthony Hillerman mysteries. I’ve only recently started reading his books on a friend’s recommendation. So far, I’m really enjoying them.