“What I want in a good beach read is sunshine, drama, easy-reading and transportation to another world and other people’s problems.” – Jane Green
The term ‘beach read’ is not flattering if you are a writer whose book has been deemed as such. It implies that the plot is so thin that you can still follow it even if you are interrupted constantly by sand flying around and a million men, women, and children shouting and playing beach volleyball close to you. Call me shallow, but I have learned from reading ‘beach reads’ over the years, that I like beach reads. I might even love beach reads. It has come to mean a book whose plot is so engrossing that I don’t want to put it down, and I love it so much that I cannot be distracted from it. I’ve rounded up some of the most recommended beach reads for the summer of 2022. My sources? Just what you’d expect for good beach reads – Vogue, Harper’s Bazaar, Pop Culture Happy Hour, Today Show, you get the picture.
Disorientation by Elaine Hsieh Chou
About 29-year-old Ingrid Yang, finishing her PhD dissertation about the poet Xiao-Wen Chou, when a discovery in the university’s archives changes her entire life. Hardcover $26.04.
Birds of California by Katie Cotugno
A fabulous love story. Grown-up child star has her life back on track after years of being the bad girl on the covers of tabloids and then having a very public breakdown. A revival of her childhood TV show brings her back together with her on-screen brother. Paperback $15.80.
The Paris Apartment by Lucy Foley
A suspense novel. Jess loses her bartending job in Brighton and tells her brother that she’s coming to stay with him at his Paris apartment. When she arrives, he is nowhere to be found. Hardcover $26.96.
Funny You Should Ask by Elissa Sussman
Another wonderful love story. Chani’s article, written when she was in her 20s about movie star Gabe, established her writing career. Ten years and one divorce later, Chani is trying to relaunch her career and Gabe’s PR staff asks her to reunite for a second interview. Paperback $15.81.
Vacationland by Meg Mitchell Moore
Aspiring writer heads to Maine with three kids to stay with her parents, without her husband who is back in Brooklyn. She discovers a web of secrets. Hardcover $26.03.
Grown Ups by Marion Keyes
A main character starts spilling the beans after a concussion, exposing all the lies that have been kept secret by her husband’s family. Paperback $15.76.
Cover Story by Susan Rigetti
Suspenseful and surprising. Lora wants to be a writer, is offered a chance to be the ghostwriter for an heiress and accepts. The plot unfolds through diary entries, emails, and FBI correspondence. Hardcover $26.03
Funny and smart. A female politician looks like she’s going to win her bid for the Senate, but her two adult children are showing every sign of derailing her campaign. Hardcover $26.03
