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My idea for summer vacation is to go to a Greek island, rest beneath the blue sky, stare at the blue sea, drink a fine daiquiri, and enjoy reading my new books. Oh! I feel so excited to do it!
Well, I need to work on my kids’ schedules to make it happen. So how about you? What is your ideal vacation? Well, do you also love to read books? What book type of genre do you like when you go on a beach?
For me, besides novels, I also like sci-fi, true-to-life stories, and thrilling ones.
With lots of great books, I want them all to read while on a beach. This is where I feel lost. Lost in choosing which books for vacation reading I should bring?
Well, that is from the past years, now made a top list that I should have. Are you looking for what is a good beach read? I got it for you!
Here are my best books for vacation reading, I hope you got yours, too.
What is a good beach read?
Conversations with Friends: A Novel
If you are wondering about the generation born near the end of the last century, if you do not understand how they are related and what concerns them, then read this book.
This is the story of two college students who had a weird connection with a married couple. It’s a book that tells a story leading to pleasure and how the character’s life lived to the dangers of becoming a youth.
Why You Are Going to Like it:
Rooney writes a beautiful good love story with lively language.
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The Road to Little Dribbling: Adventures of an American in Britain
If you are looking for a book that is a good beach read, this humor, non-fiction, and travel literature story suits you. The Road to Little Dribbling is about the United Kingdom. This book is written as a kind of sequel to the first book written 20 years ago, titled Notes from a Small Island by Bill Bryson.
This is his journey 20 years after returning to rediscover his adopted country.
Why You Are Going to Like it:
Bill Bryson is an exceptional travel writer. It was amusing, with little anecdotal moments capturing modern Britain’s image with all its beauties and problems.
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Circe
If you are into fantasy fiction or historical fiction, this Circe suits you. Madeline Miller’s Circe is a novel that takes the enchantress in Greek mythology, Circe, and makes her the protagonist of her story.
Her legend is told in Homer’s Odyssey when Odysseus (Ulysses) visits her island on the return from the Trojan War. Circe changed most of Odysseus’s crew into swine.
In this book, Circe was sent into the world of mortals. There, she discovers she has the power of witchcraft—having the ability to transform rivals into monsters and danger to the gods.
Zeus became threatened, so she was banished to the deserted island. To protect what she loves, she must summon her strength to choose where she should belong.
Why You Are Going to Like it:
Miller takes persons from Greek mythology and transforms them to alive and believable heroes.
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Becoming
A journey in the life of an “ordinary person, found on an unusual journey”. Michelle Obama. One of the most recognizable figures in our time starred in historical moments as the first African-American to take on the role of First Lady. A figure who balanced between realism and vision, fulfilling the goal of turning ambition for a fairer society into action.
Why You Are Going to Like it:
Get inspired by the memoir of the former First Lady of the United States, Michelle Obama. Get to know her from childhood days up to when she became the most influential person in the country.
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Good Omens: The Nice and Accurate Prophecies of Agnes Nutter, Witch
The book is by Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman. I do not need to write anything else about it.
Sir Pratchett, with his legendary Discworld and my favorite author Neil Gaiman, writes about hell and heaven.
There are lots of people who tend to predict the end of the world. But what if that day comes? Are you ready for it? This novel is a hilarious but mind-blowing story. The son of Satan, Crowley, and Aziraphale, a fussy angel as they enjoy the life living among mortals. They are not ready for the coming of the end, so they find a way to sabotage the end of the day. That’s where the story will start.
It also has a TV Series Adaptation.
Why You Are Going to Like it:
Well, this book is a comedy, horror, fantasy type of genre, which are written by the best-selling author’s Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman. Gift Ideas:
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The Beach
Be ready to fall in love with the beauty of an isolated beach in Thailand. The Beach is a novel about a young backpacker who loves to roam around the globe to find some idyllic and isolated beach that has never been touched by tourism.
After a long time stay, he eventually feels the reverse of the island’s beauty – the feeling of being one of the people who have been staying on that island.
The Beach is also a movie with Leonardo DiCaprio. It is also one of my favorite movies.
I have seen the movie probably five times, so I feared it might ruin the book for me. However, like many book-to-movie adaptations, the film differs greatly from the book.
Why You Are Going to Like it:
If you have seen the movie, the book is not only a lot different, but you will enjoy it more. The things the film left out, make the book. It is indeed a book I would recommend to anyone looking for something a bit different.
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A Gentleman in Moscow: A Novel
What would you do if you were stuck in a luxurious hotel? Can you live there for good and never go out? Well, this book is the sequel to the first book written by Amor Towles, titled Rules of Civility.
It’s an entertaining book that goes through some of the most important years of our century. A Gentlemen in Moscow: A Novel is a story about a man who was ordered to spend his entire life under house arrest after the October Revolution. But the gentleman’s house is the Metropol Hotel. It was one of the most cosmopolitan hotels in Russia at that time.
Why You Are Going to Like it:
The adventures of Count Rostov will entertain you and teach you a lot, as it is packed with humor and memorable characters. Get ready to laugh, cry, and learn from this story.
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The Strange Case of the Alchemist’s Daughter
This is the story of Mary Jekyll, which is penniless because of their parent’s deaths. She had become curious about the secret and mysterious past of his father, which led her to find an answer. She got one hint from his father’s former friend, who is a murderer, that it is “maybe nearby,” and there would be a reward that would get leading information for him to be captured.
When she does solve this, she will receive a prize that could be the answer to her financial problem. But it leads to more deep secrets to be untold.
The book is the first of the three books of The Extraordinary Adventures of the Athena Club.
Why You Are Going to Like it:
The characters are charming, the story is engaging, and the whole thing blends as a spectacular story. Gift Ideas:
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Educated: A Memoir
The Educated: A memoir is a story that tells how to survive during the difficulties of filial love. To find and embrace the life she wants. Don’t miss this book if you are interested in the modern world, if you have questions about today’s America, or if you are looking for proof of the value of education.
Westover had a strange and intolerant family who wanted to keep its members as prisoners.
Why You Are Going to Like it:
Westover, like Vince of the Hillbilly Elegy, found “salvation” in school, education, and training. This is an inspiring story to read, waking its reader’s eyes or reality on how education change once lives.
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If You Tell
A word of caution upfront: The horrors described in this book are disturbing, so if you are not into it, you better not read it.
This book suits you if you want some thrill based on a true story of murder and family secrets. This is a story of three sisters who are abused, tortured, and degraded by their cruel mother. How did they find the courage to escape their dark lives and survive the evil to achieve freedom and justice?
Why You Are Going to Like it:
If you’re an enthusiast of true crime, I definitely suggest this book. Just be prepared for a range of distressing emotions while you read.
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Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind
Professor Yuval Noah Harari is one of my favorite speakers and writers, too. If you are interested in the history and origin of humanity, this book will fit your taste.
Harari tackles the evolutionary concept from the historian’s perspective. His book is also one of the best sellers overseas, making people curious about humankind’s real origin.
Harari starts with the creation of the universe.
In a few pages, he puts you abruptly but simply and understandably in the history of the human species, explaining terms and concepts as no teacher did in school.
Why You Are Going to Like it:
Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind is so exciting to read. Be prepared to go back and forth in pages as the information you get is cataclysmic.
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Beautiful Ruins: A Novel
Finding the long-lost love, will this mean a particular person’s family, friend, or special someone? This novel, Beautiful Ruins, has a mixed story of characters finding their long-lost loved ones.
Why You Are Going to Like it:
This story is perfect for summer, while you feel the sweet breeze of the ocean. You can’t help reminisce your good old days when reading this one.
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Other good options are some of Elon Musks’s favorite books with many sci-fi options. If you are more on the entrepreneurship side, you can check Seth Godin’s favorite books.
Well, that’s it! A mixed list of books with Sci-fiction, love, friendship, loneliness, and more for your beach reads.