Every summer I go to the beach, and of course, what is a beach trip without books? I always take a few with me and sometimes I even find a beach library that I can enjoy, and if I run out, I turn to my Kindle. So really, I can never truly be out of books. That’s the beauty of it.
Now, what kind of books does one read on the beach?
Some of us turn to the light romcoms for company, others prefer thrillers, while the rest of us just die for some fantasy and sci-fi. And don’t forget the horror lovers!
Me, personally, I’m a combination of all of those genres. In fact, I read anything that catches my fancy. Anything slightly out of the ordinary is bound to catch my attention. In my time, I have read so many books, discovered so many similar tales and formulas, that I am genuinely delighted when something takes me by surprise. Of course, there’s no way to know if that will happen while reading, so I just try to guess which books could do that.
I also like storylines that are mostly set in reality with some magical elements, which gives the reader a feeling that it could actually happen in the real world one day. Or in an alternate reality. That’s why I’ve always loved science fiction, dystopian, and magical realism, for example. As any reader, I love imagining that I live in those magical worlds, but the elements of reality help me ground myself in the story.
In this blog post, I have compiled a special book list for my beach trip. It contains ten books that have either recently come out, or will be published this summer. If you want, you can borrow my list and read the books yourself! Or why not make your own list?
In any case, I wish you a very happy summer full of smiles and stories.
Because I enjoyed Leigh Bardugo’s previous books, I decided The Familiar is going to be my next read. This historical fantasy novel is about an impoverished Spanish girl who hides her magical powers. When a disgraced man discovers her talents, he offers her a deal, and she jumps into a world of seers, alchemy, and fraud. It sounds so fascinating and right up my alley, which is why I can’t wait to read it!
The Cautious Traveler’s Guide to the Wastelands by Sarah Brooks
The cover of this book is the first thing that caught my attention. Afterwards I learned that it’s Sarah Brookes’ much anticipated debut and after reading the blurb, I was totally hooked! The Cautious Traveller’s Guide to the Wastelands is a historical fiction novel about the end of the nineteenth century and the Great Trans-Siberian Express, the only train capable of cutting through the Wastelands. The story is told from three points of view: the child of the train, a disgraced naturalist, and a grieving daughter determined to find out what happened during the last passage. Although the narrative is rooted in reality, it appears to have small but fantastical elements, and I love that!
I have always been a big fan of Paulo Coelho, especially The Alchemist, which is one of my most favorite books of all time. Maktub, a companion to The Alchemist, is a collection of stories and parables about the mystery of the human condition. “Each story offers an illuminated path to see life and the lives of our fellow people around the world in new ways, allowing us to tap into universal truths about our collective and individual humanity.” Sounds incredible!
Anyone’s Ghost by August Thompson
Anyone’s Ghost is definitely one of my most anticipated reads for this year. It’s gay fiction that also reminds me of These Violent Delights by Micah Nemerever. The story is about two best friends and how they become so much more over the years. This book is dark and unique with its three car crashes, and protagonists locked in a weird, intriguing relationship. It has all the right ingredients, which is exactly what I love reading. Queer relations with a pinch of psychology and darkness. Perfection.
Hell Followed With Us by Andrew Joseph White
This is another of my most anticipated reads this year. It’s a story about the end of the world, a zombie apocalypse caused by a religious cult, and a boy infected with a deadly virus who’s turning into a monster. The boy manages to escape from the cult and meets a bunch of queer teenagers who are fighting the monsters and protecting the survivors. Ultimately, this is a novel about who you are, who you are becoming, and the pain of constantly fighting the world. Hell Followed With Us is a dramatic battle cry!
I squealed with delight when I read the blurb on this book because the story sounds really sweet. A young cupid is supposed to make other people fall in love – unfortunately he makes the mistake of falling for one of his charges! Luckily he’s given a second chance and…yes, you’ve guessed it…the same thing happens again! He’s supposed to bring two friends together but he’s fallen for the boy and …what now? So cute!
The Book of Love by Kelly Link
Three teenagers disappear but return a year later. The youngsters were dead but are now alive. Their priority is to discover how they were resurrected and how they can use the powers they now have. This story sounds so fantastically brilliant and mysterious, that I had to get my hands on it.
This is exactly the kind of read I always jump on as soon as it comes out. It’s about a woman who supposedly killed her two best friends while she was sleeping and then fell into a deep sleep for four years. A famous sleep specialist is trying to wake her up so that she can stand trial for the murders. But what is the truth? Did she really kill her friends?
Your Shadow Half Remains by Sunny Moraine
This book has a really bizarre premise: the main character lives in a world devastated by a horrible affliction that makes people kill each other when they make eye contact. The protagonist does her best to live apart from people, until the day that someone talks to her. Although their eyes never meet, she’s afraid of becoming another horrible statistic, but she can’t help herself.
Cuckoo by Gretchen Felker-Martin
Cuckoo is about something really evil buried deep inside the desert. Seven queer kids abandoned at a conversion camp by their parents, came face to face with it. Sixteen years later, the scarred and broken survivors want to finally put an end to the horror. The story is creepy and fascinating, and I love the LGBTQ+ element.
And because I made a huge list of interesting books I wanted to put on my list, here are some honorary mentions that you might want to check out for yourself. All of them sound amazing!
What about you? What do you read on the beach? And what does your book list look like?
As always, thank you for being here and happy reading!
