Top Ten Books That Should Be In Your Beach Bag

The Broke and the Bookish is asking what top ten books should be in your beach bag.

1.  Harry Potter - Even though the books are YA, they are very engrossing books and take you to a place that basically doesn't exist.  And while the books get darker and heavier as the series moves on, they are very enjoyable. 

2. The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake -  I suppose it doesn't help that I read this book last summer, but how book read, it definitely felt like a summer read.  The language in the book is such that the words melt in your mouth as you read the book, almost like a popsicle does.

3. Along for the Ride - Just as any good summer book should be fairly light and fluffy, it should also be set either in a location that is sunny or near a beach, even if one isn't near a beach.  As one review on  Goodreads said, "Reading Sarah Dessen is like walking into an air-conditioned store after a hot, humid day in the sun. Reading Sarah Dessen is also like drinking an ice-cold smoothie after a long, harsh marathon. And finally, reading Sarah Dessen is like eating comfort food: you always know what you're going to get, a tasty, satisfying treat."  Which was what I felt when I read this book.  Even though it was set in summer, it felt like summer and is definitely a book I would put in a beach bag.  I suppose that its a good read and engrossing.


4. Jane Eyre - One of my favourite reads.  Its a book that I could definitely read anywhere and most definitely on the beach.  While the book takes far away from a beach, it has the feeling of a beach read; its fits all the notions of a beach read and allows one to get absorbed in the book.  And yes, I have read it on a beach.


5. Pride and Prejudice - The nice thing about Jane Austen is that her books are light enough that one can read it while on a beach vacation.  Its funny, lighthearted, but doesn't go off the deep end in terms of the frivolity that some chick lit books go to.


6. House Rules - I have read about 3/4 of the book and this definitely a beach read.  The book is one of those that one could, and probably have, find in an airport bookshop. While the book is deep enough, the book is also easy enough to read so that one can read brief snatches of it.


7. Hidden Places - One of my favourite books and if I had to pick something for an afternoon at the beach, this would be something I would consider taking with me.  The book is deep enough, but light enough that I could escape for an afternoon.


At this point I am grasping at straws as to what I would bring to the beach.