18 Beach Reads To Enjoy This Summer

In partnership with the Guille-Allès Library

Isn't it funny how time can stand still when you get stuck into a good book on a perfect beach day? If you're looking for something to read this summer, we've got some suggestions from our friends at Guille-Allés Library to help you enjoy some me-time in the sunshine and escape with a great read.

 

 

1.  'Malibu Rising’ by Taylor Jenkins Reid

Malibu: August 1983. It's the day of Nina Riva's annual end-of-summer party, and anticipation is at a fever pitch. Everyone wants to be around the famous Rivas: Nina, the talented surfer and supermodel; brothers Jay and Hud, one a championship surfer, the other a renowned photographer; and their adored baby sister, Kit. Together the siblings are a source of fascination in Malibu and the world over--especially as the offspring of the legendary singer Mick Riva.

The only person not looking forward to the party of the year is Nina herself, who never wanted to be the centre of attention, and who has also just been very publicly abandoned by her pro tennis player husband. Oh, and maybe Hud--because it is long past time for him to confess something to the brother from whom he's been inseparable since birth. Jay, on the other hand, is counting the minutes until nightfall, when the girl he can't stop thinking about promised she'll be there. And Kit has a couple secrets of her own--including a guest she invited without consulting anyone.

By midnight the party will be completely out of control. By morning, the Riva mansion will have gone up in flames. But before that first spark in the early hours before dawn, the alcohol will flow, the music will play, and the loves and secrets that shaped this family's generations will all come bubbling to the surface.

Beth says: "With bestsellers like ‘The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo’ and ‘Daisy Jones and the Six’, Taylor Jenkins Reid is a force to be reckoned with in the literary world. Not to be missed."

Reserve Malibu Rising

 

                 

 

2.  'The Lido’ by Libby Page

A tender, joyous debut novel about a cub reporter and her eighty-six-year-old subject—and the unlikely and life-changing friendship that develops between them.

Kate is a twenty-six-year-old riddled with anxiety and panic attacks who works for a local paper in Brixton, London, covering forgettably small stories. When she’s assigned to write about the closing of the local lido (an outdoor pool and recreation center), she meets Rosemary, an eighty-six-year-old widow who has swum at the lido daily since it opened its doors when she was a child. It was here Rosemary fell in love with her husband, George; here that she’s found communion during her marriage and since George’s death. The lido has been a cornerstone in nearly every part of Rosemary’s life.

But when a local developer attempts to buy the lido for a posh new apartment complex, Rosemary’s fond memories and sense of community are under threat.

As Kate dives deeper into the lido’s history—with the help of a charming photographer—she pieces together a portrait of the pool, and a portrait of a singular woman, Rosemary. What begins as a simple local interest story for Kate soon blossoms into a beautiful friendship that provides sustenance to both women as they galvanize the community to fight the lido’s closure. Meanwhile, Rosemary slowly, finally, begins to open up to Kate, transforming them both in ways they never knew possible.

Beth says: "If you want a sweet read and to find motivation to take a dip in the water, pick up Libby Page’s bestselling debut."

 

3.  'Where the Crawdads Sing’ by Delia Owens

For years, rumours of the “Marsh Girl” haunted Barkley Cove, a quiet fishing village. Kya Clark is barefoot and wild; unfit for polite society. So in late 1969, when the popular Chase Andrews is found dead, locals immediately suspect her.

But Kya is not what they say. A born naturalist with just one day of school, she takes life's lessons from the land, learning the real ways of the world from the dishonest signals of fireflies. But while she has the skills to live in solitude forever, the time comes when she yearns to be loved. Drawn to two young men from town, who are each intrigued by her wild beauty, Kya opens herself to a new and startling world—until the unthinkable happens.

In Where the Crawdads Sing, Owens juxtaposes an exquisite ode to the natural world against a profound coming of age story and haunting mystery. Thought-provoking, wise, and deeply moving, Owens’s debut novel reminds us that we are forever shaped by the child within us, while also subject to the beautiful and violent secrets that nature keeps.

Beth says: "The beautiful natural settings and a brave main character will make you crave summer adventure."

 

 

4.  The 'Sunshine Reads' Collection

One of the newest collections at the Library is Sunshine Reads - books specially chosen by Library staff to put a smile on your face. The list includes recent classics Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman, The Rosie Project by Graeme Simsion, and A Walk in the Woods by Bill Bryson, but any one of these popular titles would be a great beach companion. Click here to find out more.

 

What are you reading this summer? Let us know over on social.