Summer Beach Reads

You know what sounds like heaven to me? Lying on a beach with my toes in the sand, listening to the waves, and reading a good book. But even if I can’t make it to the beach right now, I’m still going to enjoy some summer beach reads.

The contents of my bookshelf are pretty varied. Some days I enjoy diving into a suspense-filled thriller. Other days I like to take a trip back in time to 18th Century England. And then there are the books I prefer for Summer which some might describe as some “chick lit”.

This time of year, I prefer more lighthearted books, ones that are humorous or have a feel-good element.  Happy endings are always a plus too.

Some of the books I’m sharing are ones that I’ve already read and loved. The others are new novels I’m excited about.

So, if you need me, I’ll be on my back deck enjoying the sunshine, pretending I’m at the beach, and working my way through this list.

Books I’ve Read

A Man Called Ove

This book is one of the reasons it’s good belong to a family of bookworms. My sister discovered this book first and insisted that my mom needed to read it. Then my mom insisted I needed to read it. And now I’m insisting that you read it.

Author Fredrik Backman takes you to a Swedish town to meet a cranky old man named Ove whose life of strict routine and rule following gets disrupted when a young family moves in next door. His story is at times hilarious and hear-warming. You might want to keep the tissues nearby.

Crazy Rich Asians

The rare exception to my rule not to watch the movie before I read the book. I watched the film last Summer but only just got around to reading the book…and now I’m working on the third novel in the series.

When Rachel agrees to spend the summer in Singapore with her boyfriend, she has no idea she’s about to entire an entirely different world…one filled with private planes, designer labels, and the drama of the uber-rich.

Louisiana Longshot (Miss Fortune Series)

The first novel in an ongoing series, I discovered this book through a Kindle bookstore deal. And I’ve been hooked ever since.

When CIA Agent Fortune Redding blows her cover and has a price placed on her head, she’s forced into hiding in the last place anyone would ever look for her. Sinful, Lousiana is a small bayou town full of strange rules and stranger characters. All she needs to do is lay low and wait for the threat to pass. But things go South when the hound she inherited digs up a human bone in her backyard and lands Fortune in the middle of a murder mystery.

Easy-reading and full of hilarious characters, this book (and the rest of the series) is the perfect reading material for the beach.

If You Were Here

I mentioned how much I loved memoir author Jen Lancaster in my Top 10 Books post awhile back. But it’s not just her memoirs that I love, she’s also written several works of fiction. As someone who loves DIY (and 80s chick-flicks), this one was a sure winner.

Author Mia and her husband Mac think they’ve found the perfect suburban home…the only problem is it needs some serious TLC. Lancaster takes you along their home renovation journey in her typical comical style as they battle DIY mishaps, a snobby HOA, and a pesky woodpecker.

The Heist (Fox & O’Hare Series)

If you’re already a fan of Janet Evanovich (the bestselling author of the “Stephanie Plum” series), and you haven’t read this series yet, what are you waiting for? Written in collaboration with Lee Goldberg (bestselling author of the “Monk” series), this series has it all: crime solving, elaborate schemes, amusing characters, and even a Romeo-and-Juliet-esque romance.

FBI Agent Kate O’Hare is married to her job and obsessed with hunting down the world’s most wanted criminals, especially if that criminal is con man Nick Fox. So, what happens when her bosses decide to assign Kate her most difficult mission yet- team up with the very criminal she’s worked ruthlessly to put behind bars to track down the most elusive criminals out there.

Books on My Reading List

The Most Fun We Ever Had

Marilyn Connolly and David Sorenson fell in love in 1970s and have been inseparable ever since. In 2016, their four grown daughters are all in different states of disfunction. One a young widow who soothes herself with alcohol and men; one a career-woman turned stay-at-home mom struggling with her own self-doubt; one who finds herself pregnant with a baby she’s not sure she wants by a man she’s not sure she loves; and one who’s living a lie no one in her family knows.

The sudden appearance in their lives of a child one of the daughters gave up 15 years before forces them to reckon with their past- the angst, the resentment, and the joy.

Big Summer

After a fight ended their friendship, Daphne Berg hasn’t spoken or heard from her former best friend, Drue Cavanaugh, in six years. She’s shocked when Drue turns up and begs her to be her maid-of-honor in the society wedding of the summer. But Daphne isn’t the same girl she was in high school. These days, she’s a successful plus-sized Instagram influencer with a life she’s loved.

Despite her reservations about letting Drue back into her life, Daphne is powerless to resist Drue’s begging, the prospect of a weekend on Cape Cod, and the lure of cute single guys.

The Royal We

This bestselling novel from Heather Cocks and Jessica Morgan (co-creators of the celebrity fashion blog ‘Go Fug Yourself’) is inspired by the royal romance of Kate Middleton and Prince William.

American Bex Porter wasn’t one for believing in fairy tales, those were for her twin sister Lacey. Instead, Bex is the adventure-seeking sister who goes to Oxford where she falls in love with Nick, the dreamy guy across the hall. It just so happens that he’s the heir to the British throne.

Where’d You Go, Bernadette?

After 15-year-old Bee Branch gets a perfect report card and claims her promised family trip to Antarctica as the reward, her mother throws herself into preparations. But Bernadette Fox, an agoraphobic architect, is already worn down from years of trying to live the life she never wanted. So, after a disastrous school fundraiser, she disappears.

To find her mother, Bee weaves together emails and documents Bernadette left behind to discover where she’s gone. In the process, she uncovers a secret that Bernadette has been hiding for decades.

ACT Like A Lady

From the hosts of the podcast and E! show LadyGang, ACT Like a Lady offers an empowering, relatable, and hilarious manifesto that redefines womanhood in the 21^st Century. This book explores topics like body image, break-ups, navigating your career, and adult friendships through essays like, “Maybe She’s Born With It, Maybe It’s PhotoShop”, and “If You’re Happy and You Know It, Thank Your Ex”.

According to the cover, this book is filled with “questionable advice, ridiculous opinions, and humiliating tales from three undignified women.” What more could you want for a beach worthy read?

For more reading recommendations, check out this post!