What will you read at the beach this summer?
Sooo…, I thought Beach Books would be a good subject for
discussion on the BookCatalyst Online Book Group Blog. I did a search for
current Beach Reads and what did I find out?
If the articles I read are to be believed, only twenty-to-fifty
something women read at the Beach anymore and the range of suggested titles
seems aimed at an even narrower sub-demographic of that group. Think mostly
romance titles.
In desperation, I googled Best Beach Reads of the Twentieth
Century. Were we smarter then? Or was it
that the far more fascinating world of video games, Internet, and cell phones
didn’t exist yet? I found two lists, one of oldies but classics and the other
list, including many books of more recent vintage, also happily applies to
anyone baking their winter flesh in a swimsuit. The first list doesn’t actually
SAY
Beach Reads but I include it since my search found it and it includes
many books I’ve read with pleasure plus several about which I tell myself, “I
should read that.”, every time I see them mentioned. Here’s the link.
1984, Brave New World,
One Hundred Years of Solitude? Check. To
Kill a Mockingbird, Steppenwolf, Lolita, Catch-22? Check. The Catcher in the Rye, Slaughterhouse-Five, A
Clockwork Orange? There’s enough
here to keep you reading for a year or two, not just at the beach.
This list won me with a title at the top, Cloud Atlas by David Mitchell. All the
Stieg Larson books pass muster, too. I bet a lot of sand has found its way into
the pages of the Harry Potter books.
Titles that I haven’t seen listed but that I think make the grade
include James Michener’s The Source (in
fact, a lot of his books make the grade at the shore), War and Peace, any Agatha Christie book, and Isaac Asimov’s Foundation
Trilogy. Speaking of trilogies, did I mention Tolkien?
What are your favorite Beach Reads? Enrich the range of our
possibilities by suggesting them, OK? Just click on "Comment" to get started.
Ciao for now.
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