My Best “Beach Reads”

I love to read. I typically read a novel a week. I definitely have a preferred style and many favorite authors. If you follow me on Facebook, you know that I recently went on a girl trip with five other friends to Turks and Caicos—living my best life. I plan to do a post on girl trips, but that will be another day.

On Facebook, someone asked me what I read while I was on vacation. With lots of beach—and airplane—time, I read three books in that week. I loved them all. So, I thought I would share them with you. All three fit my preferred style and each is by one of my favorite authors—though I do have other favorite authors, too, including Claire Cook and Maddie Please. I have previously written a post addressing books by each. Interestingly, the books of theirs that I profiled in my posts involve trips with girlfriends.

The three books I read on my summer vacation were all classic “beach reads.” AI describes a beach read as: “a book that is light, entertaining, and easy to digest, making it ideal for reading during leisure time, especially on vacation. It’s characterized by engaging plots, relatable characters and a focus on enjoyment rather than intellectual depth, allowing for easy pick-up and put-down without losing the thread of the story.” That surely fits each of the three books I read. Additionally, I like books that take place in modern day, with characters with cell phones and iPads. I don’t mind a romance, but I want it to be a side part of the story, not the main story. Family dramas with strong female characters are good, and a little mystery works for me. Considering my age, I like books with mature characters (which Maddie Please specializes in), and books that make me stop and think, and even highlight sections. Though these books are fiction, the authors work hard at crafting the exact word choices that make the life-truth relatable and memorable. After all, as I stated in a previous post: “When reading fiction, you read more with your heart, not your head. With your defenses down, it is easier for the truths to slip in.”

So, if the type of books I like, sound like the type of books you like, I hope you will read on to discover these three books—new releases all. I had pre-ordered each of these books and they were published in time for me to download them into my Kindle for the trip.

The Summer Seekers

First, I read The Summer Seekers by Sarah Morgan. The story features three generations of women in England—a mother and daughter and a 20 something who is trying to find her place in life. The stressed-out daughter, Liza, has never understood her mother—who is now 80 years old. Liza believes her mother, Kathleen, needs to be in an old folks’ home—but Mom wants, at least, one more adventure (even though she can no longer drive). Martha, the 20-somemthing is hired to drive Kathleen the full length of Route 66—which is, of course, in America where we drive on a different side of the road from what Martha’s limited driving experience is accustomed to. The mother/daughter relationship opens up and Martha meets a man (there’s some romance). Like all of Sarah Morgan’s books I’ve read previously, it was a thoroughly enjoyable read that had me chuckling to myself as I read it on the plane. The life lesson I highlighted in the book comes from the character who mentions losing his father at 8-years-old. He says: “there is a lot I don’t remember about him, but the one thing I remember clearly was his ability to have fun and enjoy the moment, no matter what.”

Just Beachy

Next, I read Just Beachy by Wendy Wax. Her books are always an enjoyable read with fun bits and a little mystery. It continues with some of the locations and characters from her Ten Beach Road series—though it does stand alone. This book also features a strained grandmother/mother/daughter relationship (all three generations) and a love interest for the daughter—who gets along better with her grandmother than her own mother. There’s also a mystery regarding who keeps breaking into and ransacking the grandmother’s home—and why.

Beach House Rules

Toward the end of the trip, I read, Beach House Rules by Kristy Woodson Harvey. While still meeting the beach-read criteria, it is a deeper book that addresses a lot of different emotional issues. The writing style is crisp and clever. One of the reviews refers to it as: “a novel about mother-daughter relationships, small-town drama, and the unexpected strength that comes from leaning on a community of women when life gets turned upside down.” The story is carried along with posts from @JuniperShoresSocialite—the town’s snarky anonymous Instagram account. Yes, there is humor, a love interest, and mystery as the lead character’s husband is accused of white-collar crime. The lead character, Charlotte, finds a group of strong, supportive women that pull her through. The section I highlighted says: “I’d never really seen grown-up friendship modeled, but I longed for them all the same.” I think a lot of us could say that. Through Beach House Rules, readers will see “grown-up friendships” modeled.

There are so many great books out there. These are just the three “beach reads” I enjoyed during my summer vacation. I highly recommend each one of them and hope you will give them a look. If you do, please come back and add your comments.

Since I got home, I’ve read The Women at Ocean’s End by Faith Hogan (I love her books that all take place in Ireland). It was powerful and emotional—not the typical “beach read.” After that, I needed something light and fun, and I got that in my current read—another one from Maddie Please.

What are you reading this summer?

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Marita Littauer Tedder has spent the majority of her adult life working with women—helping them improve relationships, achieve their speaking and writing dreams, and being the best version of themselves they can possibly be. The author of 20 books, this Living Our Best Life Project is her newest effort—through which she hopes to challenge women to be fulfilled where they are.