Beachside Reads, For One and All

Discover | September 13, 2010

Let’s say that next to you is your new spouse, looking wonderful but occupied with a beach read. You don’t want to grab the latest People magazine that you stashed in your beach bag, but what will you pull out instead? How about a good read?

Here I’m going to give you a few examples of great ocean-side books to read, and a way to avoid hours upon hours searching a bookstore looking for the right read. Now don’t get me wrong, that may be one of the best things to do pre-trip, but if you’re a last minute packer like myself, you want to head to the store, pick out your book and jump on your plane. So, here goes nothing.

For the romantic:
Confessions of Max Tivoli by Andrew Sean Greer (One of my all-time favorites)
The Time Traveler’s Wife (I promise you, it is so much better than the movie)
On Chesil Beach by Ian McEwan
The Wedding by Nicholas Sparks

For the thinker:
Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close by Jonathan Safron Foer
The Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett, sure it’s an oldie, but if Oprah loves it, it’s gotta be good … right?
Bright Shiny Morning by James Frey (speaking of Oprah … )

For the mystery man, or woman:
Beat the Reaper by Josh Bazell
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Steig Larsson

For the historical fiction lover:
The Virgin Queen by Philippa Gregory
Abundance by Sena Jeter Naslund

For the non-fiction buff:
Devil in the White City by Erik Larson
Under the Banner of Heaven by John Krakauer
The Omnivore’s Dilemma by Michael Pollan

For the science fiction fan:
The Illustrated Man by Ray Bradbury

For the ones that like to stay inside the box:
Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen (You’ve seen the six-hour miniseries, the Keira Knightly remake and Bridget Jones’s Diary, just read the book already!)
1984 by George Orwell

For those that need inspiration:
Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance
Blink by Malcom Gladwell
Geography of Bliss by Eric Weiner
For those that have read everything else and still want a suggestion:
The Help by Kathryn Stockett
The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls
So, go to your local bookstore, even try an adorable little used bookshop for better prices, and see if any of these books fit with your honeymoon down time.

Whether you are lying beach-side or sitting inside a cottage cozying up by the fireside, a book is an easy way to let the time pass!

Oh yeah, and if you’re a book lover like myself, you may want to take a quick vacation to the Pacific Northwest to a little place called the Sylvia Beach Hotel. The hotel is “truly a hotel for book lovers!” Each room is based on a different author or book (categories: novels, classics or best sellers), and you can choose what theme to go with. Maybe it’s a pit stop on your honeymoon?

Enjoy reading together as you go on your way!