Today’s Top Ten Tuesday is Top Ten Books That Should Be In A Beach Bag. I don’t actually differentiate between beach reads and non beach reads. If I go to the beach, I bring whatever book I happen to be reading. And I probably plan last minute beach trips more than most of you and long beach vacations less than most of you because I live so close to the beach. So I don’t plan for beach reads. To prove my point, these are Ten Books I Read at the Beach:
- We Have Always Lived in the Castle
- The Handmaid’s Tale
- Matched
- The Lost Summer of Louisa May Alcott
- East of Eden
- The Postmistress (Read the entire thing during a LONG day at the beach camping at Cayo Costa)
- Persuasion
- The Glass Castle
- The Bell Jar (Clearly the BEST beach book ever)
- Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (Yes, the first time through. Couldn’t pass up a beach day with friends just because it was the day after the release).
What about you? Do you have beach-specific books? Or do you just grab whatever book you are reading like me?
Top Ten Tuesday is a bookish meme hosted by the lovely ladies of The Broke and the Bookish.
my books. my life. 
I’m just like you. I’ll read anything at the beach. The last time I popped over with the kids on a day trip, I read a murder mystery, and when I finished it, I read a weight loss book. Ha! Nothing like a little motivation when you’re sitting there hanging out of a suit. I love your list. There are some great ones in that stack.
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I love Persuasion. It’s my favorite Jane Austen. I’ve also seen every single movie and miniseries. It’s and addiction.
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I have read a lot of those books, and I have to agree that I don’t make special piles for when I happen to go to the beach. Though we live fairly close to the beach, we have only been a couple of times in the last year, and one of those times I was reading The Autobiography of Henry VIII by Margaret George. Not typically a beach book, but a great read nonetheless!
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I totally agree with We Have Always lived in the Castle…it’s so dark, one needs the beach sunshine for the contrast.
The Glass Castle is on my TBR list
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I don’t really do beach reads either. Mainly because I prefer city holidays. A great list of books though. East of Eden is one of my favourites.
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Interesting list, Michelle! Out of the books you have mentioned I have read Sylvia Plath’s ‘The Bell Jar’, Jeannette Walls’ ‘The Glass Castle’ and Allie Condie’s ‘The Matched’. I used to go to the beach often but haven’t been there recently (it is just a 10-minute walk from my home and so I have got used to it now). I don’t read much on the beach – I am more a cafe-reading-guy – take a book to the cafe and sit there for the whole day and read 🙂
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Forgot to mention one more thing. I have read that Harry Potter too 🙂 I didn’t read it on the beach though – I sat at home and read it till late at night.
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I am like you…live so close to the beach that I don’t plan what to bring. I just grab what I am currently reading and away we go.
Isn’t it great to live by the beach?!?!
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Have you read Sanditon by Jane Austen and “Another Lady?” It’s also a great read for summer. Also I keep seeing good things about the Bell Jar…but when I was younger I wasn’t allowed to read it. I want to now lol.
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My original comment disappeared so I’ll try again.
I see you went to the ‘serious’ side for your beach reading. Great list. PERSUASION is my second favorite Austen book.
I loved THE GLASS CASTLE but for me, this would be too harrowing for the beach.
Also loved EAST OF EDEN and the Harry Potter books, especially the last three.
I could definitely see myself reading Harry Potter on the beach. 🙂 And maybe even PERSUASION.
But in general I do prefer something a bit less ‘deep’.
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Matched is on my list for summer reading. Thank you for all your ideas.
Here’s my list of books I plan to carry in my beach bag this summer.
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Awesome! I usually want to bring whatever book I’m reading at the moment, but if it’s something heavy then I’ll bring something lighter. For some reason I have a short attention span at the beach, so I need something light and quick that will also really hold my interest.
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