My 10 Best Beach Reads!

Deep Summer is when

laziness finds respectability.

Sam Keen

With all due respect to NPR and their list of audience picks of the 100 best beach reads ever, some just seem a wee bit heavy to me. I can't picture myself at the beach reading Atlas Shrugged? Pillars of the Earth? Pride and Prejudice? Yes, these books are favorites of mine, but I am not going to lug one of these to the beach. Beach reading, at least for me, is a fiction or non-fiction that make you smile and loose yourself in without thinking to much. I want something easy, a few chuckles, a book to help me just relax. I went through NPR's list and picked my 10 best beach reads ever from it.

Fried Green Tomatoes from the Whistle Stop Cafe

Fannie Flagg

Wonderful folksy tale of a town, the characters who live in it, and the love that abounds for each other. Just thinking about this book brings a smile to my face. An added bonus is the terrific recipes (fried-green tomatoes!) that I still use.

Eye of the Needle

Ken Follett

An edge of your seat, spine thingling spy thriller, done by one of the best. A German World War II agent is stuck in England with information about the D-Day invasion and time is running out.......

An oldie but goodie.

One for the Money

Janet Evanovich

This is the first in the Stephanie Plum series...and what a series. Tag along on Stephanie's wacky, laugh out loud, adventures. Meet her cast of characters and her madcap family. Great start to this ongoing screwball series.

Sick Puppy

Carl Hiaasen

Anytime is a good time to read Hiaasen, but somehow summer seems to fit him the best. Laugh out loud funny stuff and the perpetural question of...what the heck?

Water for Elephants

Sara Gruen

When ninety year Jacob Jankowski notices a circus coming to town from his window in the nursing home, he reflects back on the time he spent with a circus during the Depression and the affect on his life. Great book which asks the question...can you still run away with the circus even when you're ninety?

Jaws

Peter Benchley

Now really, does this one need an explanation? It's Jaws. It's summer. It's Long Island. The quintisential beach read of any summer....and enjoy your swim!

Good in Bed

Jennifer Weiner

This is a beach read. Light, fun, easy...this is a book you can read in an afternoon at the beach. Weiner is one of the best at chick-lit and any of her books are perfect for the beach.

The Princess Bride

William Golden

Okay, maybe my favorite on this list. This is one of the few times I will say-"Watch the movie too!" Golden outdoes himself on this hilarious fairy tale. I love this book and I love the movie. Where else would you find true love, adventure-outrageous adventure! Heroism that takes you to the edge, and over it. Treat yourself to this wonderful story.

Lonesome Dove

Larry McMurty

One of the best western I have read. Adventure, love, violence, friendship...it's all here as we go along on a cattle drive from Texas to Montana with some wonderfully written characters. If you love westerns, this is one to finish out the summer with. ( The TV series based on this book is terrific too!)

Okay, there you have it. Out of NPR's 100, I chose 10 from their list. What do you think? Would these be on your top 10 list? I hope there is always a book you want to read and that one of these is one you enjoy as summer begins to wind down.

Happy Reading!