Bitter is the New Black : Confessions of a condescending, ego maniacal, self-centered smart ass, or why you should never carry a Prada bag to the unemployment office by Jen Lancaster ….HYSTERICAL!
You’re welcome!!! It’s a great read. I wasn’t sure about it but I read it in a book club and we all loved it. We even e-mailed the author and she gave us some feedback during our discussions.
Anything by Karen White, Mary Kay Andrews, Dorothea Benton Frank, Jane Green, Elin Hilderbrand, and the list goes on. The Beach House books by Mary Alice Monroe are also great
If you want some great reading material come to The Friends of the Plumsted Library book sale. Starts Thursday June 28 2-7 for kids only. Parents must be accompanied by a child. Friday June 29th 10-6, and Saturday 9-2. At the Gerald Weohr Elementary School, New Egypt. Also there is time to drop off you gently used books, Saturday June 2 from 9-1 behind the Plumsted Library.
The Eyre Affair, Jasper Fforde. Hilarious literary detective romp. Jane Eyre is kidnapped from her book a our detective, Thursday Next, needs to rescue her and put her back in without messing up the narrative. Really really clever and fun
If you’re looking for a book from the list, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime is about the right length and weight. Most of the YA books on the list will fit the bill.
Outer Banks by Anne River Siddons or anything by Anne River Siddons or Dorothea Benton Frank….also Summer Sisters by Judy Blume (not your typical Judy Blume book)…
@Lucia oh yes – he is famous for ‘Kitchen Confidential ” – a behind the scenes look at restaurant kitchen life which launched the second half of his career. This is a light, not really brilliant, romp through the Caribbean with two expatriate assassins. Full of drugs, sex. guns, and violence.
In Her Shoes by Jennifer Weiner…Sag Harbor by Colson Whitehead…An Irish Country Doctor by Patrick Taylor…How to Bake a Perfect Life by Barbara O’Neal…At Home in Mitford by Jan Karon…Homer’s Odyssey: A Fearless Feline Tale, of How I Learned About Love and Life with a Blind Wonder Cat by Gwen Cooper…Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil by John Berendt…The Orchid Thief by Susan Orlean…State of the Onion (A White House Chef Mystery) by Julie Hyzy…
At the chance of getting kicked of this wonderful page-unless you go to the beach frequently, you might love just watching the waves and feeling the warm breeze and thinking how blessed we are to be able to read. Hope you have a lovely time.
Stephanie plumb books by Janet Evanivich. They are a simple read and ?so funny! Found my first One in a book store on cape cod!!!!! Soooooooo much fun!
The Arora Teagarden series by Charlaine Harris (I forget which one comes first), Rewinder by Brett Battles if you like a bit of time travel and history (love that trilogy!–the audiobooks are good, too!), A Wrinkle in Time is short (though I haven’t read it yet).
@Lori I just finished that one and it was a struggle for me too. I ended up skimming over large portions of it. Grace really annoyed me… I found her very selfish.
I just read this on a mini beach vacation – picked it up in the hotel gift shop because (the horror!) I left my book at home! It was the perfect beach read.
Garden Spells by Sarah Addison Allen!
Stephanie Plum series by Janet Evanovich..These are seriously LOL books! Light and easy, mystery and comedy.
I agree…always funny light and entertaining!!
@Judy I can read those book sin one sitting. I used to read at work and had to stop because I would laugh so hard I would cry! haha
I can read them quickly too..and now that I have read the newest one..I wait for Look Alive Twenty five to come out in November.
Love this series!!!!
Question is: Team Morelli or Team Ranger ?
@Jami I STILL can’t choose!
@Jami Not even Stephanie Plum could make that choice ?
@Judy so true!!!!
Anything by Jennifer Weiner!
AGREE!
The Invited – forgot the author – fairly new
Bone Music by Christopher Rice. I couldn’t put it down.
The Spellman Files by Lisa Lutz. So, so funny.
Bitter is the New Black
: Confessions of a condescending, ego maniacal, self-centered smart ass, or why you should never carry a Prada bag to the unemployment office by Jen Lancaster ….HYSTERICAL!
On the island by Tracey Garvis-Graves
I just looked this up on Goodreads and it looks like the perfect vacation book to me! We are heading to the lake next week. Thanks for the suggestion!
You’re welcome!!! It’s a great read. I wasn’t sure about it but I read it in a book club and we all loved it. We even e-mailed the author and she gave us some feedback during our discussions.
I loved this book! And there is a little novella that goes with it where they return to the island ?
@Kristina what’s it called?
@Sarah
Thanks!
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mr._Penumbra's_24-Hour_Bookstore
Barefoot by Elin Hildebrand
Any by Hildebrand. Perfect easy beach reads.
Anything from Nicholas Sparks.
Walking Across Egypt by Clyde Edgerton
The Cherry Cola Book Club by Ashton Lee.
Camino Island by John Grisham. No courthouses or lawyers – he wrote a beach read mystery, and it’s good. 🙂
Beach Music, Pat Conroy. ?
That’s a fairly long book if I remember.
Easy read though.
Great book.
Anything by Elin Hildebrand.
Fiction Or Nonfiction????….
Anything Mary Kay Andrews. She’s funny
Mary Kay Andrews
Menna Van Praag or Sarah Addison Allen are both very good.
Following
anything by Wendy Wax is ideal for this. Otherwise, I recommend Jen Lancaster’s memoirs and “Crazy Rich Asians” by Kevin Kwan.
Elin Hildebrand books
meh
Summer Sisters
.
Now that you mention it by Kristan Higgins. Or any by her she’s very funny.
Now That You Mention It – Kristan Higgins
Beautiful Ruins by Jess Walters!
Bossy Pants by Tina Fey!
I just finished reading John Grisham’s book Camino Island. Really fast and good.
If you haven’t read Hitchhiker’s Guide it’s the perfect time. It even has a towel in it.
Wendy Wax..whitty…real…. Also Mary Kay Andrews
She’s great for a light, entertains book! Jo Ellen
Anything by Elin Hilderbrand or Nancy Thayer.
The Rosie Project or the divine secrets of the Ya-ya sisterhood
Ready Player One
Diane Chamberlain’s The Stolen Marriage or Gilly McMillan’s The Perfect Girl
Vinegar Girl: A Novel
by Anne @Tyler
Lucia, Lucia or The Shoemakers Wife, by Adriana Trigiani or any of her books!
100 thumbs up
@Sally I love when other people like the same books as me! ??
Jane Green books are fun and beachy reads.
Anything
Iris Rainer Dart’s Beaches
Anything by Karen White, Mary Kay Andrews, Dorothea Benton Frank, Jane Green, Elin Hilderbrand, and the list goes on.
The Beach House books by Mary Alice Monroe are also great
Agree with all! I LOVED The Beach House & the prequel & sequels.
Dorothea Benton Frank books!
@Mary @Elin my 2 favorites
Pat Conroy
The #1 Ladies Detective Agency.
Any Elin Hildebrand. Also the Diane Mott Davidson or Joanne Fluke cozy mysteries. .
The Maisie Dobbs series, by J. Winspeare, books 1-3. I’m planning on reading more.
Other People’s Houses by Abi Waxman. Or, the Crazy Rich Asians series.
I second the Crazy Rich Asians series. Perfect beach read!
If you want some great reading material come to The Friends of the Plumsted Library book sale. Starts Thursday June 28 2-7 for kids only. Parents must be accompanied by a child. Friday June 29th 10-6, and Saturday 9-2. At the Gerald Weohr Elementary School, New Egypt. Also there is time to drop off you gently used books, Saturday June 2 from 9-1 behind the Plumsted Library.
Dolores Claiborne.
any of Bill Brysons books…but especially A WALK IN THE WOODS.
I loved the first 20-25 books by Dick Francis!
Very exciting. Almost all stand alone books.
The Husband’s Secret by Liane Moriarty
Big Little Lies by Moriarty is also great!
Anything by Liane Moriarty is great for the beach!!
The Girls of August
Anne Rivers Siddons
Books by Lisa Wingate Like Before We Were Yours
The Ladies Room
I’ll never forget the first chapter of that book! LOL
Ladder of Years by Anne Tyler. Use it as a guidebook in case the family gets to be too much. ?
Janet Evanovich’s Stephanie Plum series!
The Eyre Affair, Jasper Fforde. Hilarious literary detective romp. Jane Eyre is kidnapped from her book a our detective, Thursday Next, needs to rescue her and put her back in without messing up the narrative. Really really clever and fun
Phantom Tollbooth
Is it in New Jersey????….
Something funny or something with a beach/ocean setting.
Stephanie Plum One for the Money
If you’re looking for a book from the list, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime is about the right length and weight. Most of the YA books on the list will fit the bill.
The Awakening by Kate Chopin
Breakfast at Tiffany’s.
Where did you go Bernadette – semple
@The
Mary Kay Andrews or Dorothea Benton Frank.
Elin Hilderbrand has the best beach reads
This is such a broad vague request. What genre do you like? B.A. Paris’s Bring Me Back was an excellent twisty page turner.
The Shopaholic series
Where’d You Go Bernadette. Hilarious. Unputdownable.
Totally agree!
I enjoyed this one and it is a great price
Yes!!! This is a fantastic summer read!!
Really loved!!
Love author Vince Flynn. Read quick and they are wonderfully written stories.
I’m currently reading “The House Swap” by Rebecca Fleet so far it’s really interesting”
How We Got Back Home. Can be purchased on http://amazon.com/
I really loved this book – quick fun read. Perfect beach read.
Just depends. I find anything on my TBR list would be a beach read, lol.
Any one of the Stephanie Plum series by Evanovich. Fast reads, light, and funny
The Stephanie Plum series by Janet Evanovich
Sofie Kelley mysteries
Crazy Rich Asians series by Kevin Kwan! ??
The movie comes out in August. Looks good!
@Kathleen Can’t wait!!
Outer Banks by Anne River Siddons or anything by Anne River Siddons or Dorothea Benton Frank….also Summer Sisters by Judy Blume (not your typical Judy Blume book)…
You can say that again! Another good Judy Blume book is In The Unlikely Event, I believe it’s based on a true event.
Still Aice, Lisa Genova
Still Alice is a good read..Of course for weeks after if I forgot any little thing I was sure I was affected!
Linda Sendig I was fortunate enough to find an autographed copy in a small bookstore in Cape Cod. IThe store is where the Sidewalk Ends.
@Linda me too!!
84 Charing Cross by Helene Hanff. Although it’s a *very* quick read, so take a second book. 🙂
I just loved this one!! Christi Koenig, I was tickled to see someone else appreciated it, too!!
Louise Penny series..light and entertaining!!
Diana Mott Davidson
Never knew he wrote a novel. Isnt he the chef?
@Lucia oh yes – he is famous for ‘Kitchen Confidential ” – a behind the scenes look at restaurant kitchen life which launched the second half of his career. This is a light, not really brilliant, romp through the Caribbean with two expatriate assassins. Full of drugs, sex. guns, and violence.
The Beach House. And they made it into a hallmark movie
The Abalone Shell
In Her Shoes by Jennifer Weiner…Sag Harbor by Colson Whitehead…An Irish Country Doctor by Patrick Taylor…How to Bake a Perfect Life by Barbara O’Neal…At Home in Mitford by Jan Karon…Homer’s Odyssey: A Fearless Feline Tale, of How I Learned About Love and Life with a Blind Wonder Cat by Gwen Cooper…Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil by John Berendt…The Orchid Thief by Susan Orlean…State of the Onion (A White House Chef Mystery) by Julie Hyzy…
Wow! I’ve read some of these but I’m going to start looking for the rest! This is what I love about this group! Finding new books. ?
Really enjoyed The Orchid Thief
@Karen I also enjoyed Orlean’s book, The Bullfighter Checks Her Makeup: My Encounters with Extraordinary People.
Wicked Appetite by Janet Evanovich
Anything by Liane Moriarty
Anita Shreve…
How to Walk Away by Katherine Center
Anything by Fanny Flagg. I have mine ready to go in a couple of weeks.
Summer sisters
Lol this is what I was going to say
I love that book I have read it many times
Ya Ya Sisterhood
Britt-Marie was Here by Frederick Backman.
Judy Blume
I don’t read her stuff, but Mary Kay Andrews writes light beach reading
Sisters Like Us
Dick Francis
I read The Shining sitting in the sun by the pool. It was less scary in daylight.
That and Silence of the Lambs are the scariest books I ever read. Never thought to take them to the beach
Elin Hilderbrand “The Blue Bistro” or any of hers. They all take place on Nantucket. Perfect for beach reading!!!
Blue Bistro was my first and favorite of all her books!
@Kathy It’s one of my favorites, too!
I need to read blue Bistro but The Castaways is my favorite so far!
What beach? Anne Rivers Siddons comes to mind is you are headed to an East Coast beach .. the Girls of August or Low Country
Nantucket Wedding by Nancy Thayer
Southern Eclectic Novels by Molly Harper!
I was howling with laughter reading “Sweet Tea and Sympathy”
Try one of Lian Dolan’s books. Elizabeth the First Wife, or Helen of Pasadena. Light, amusing but not dumb!!
Summerland by Elin Hildebrand. Any of her books scream summer, sand and sunscreen to me. Umbrella beverage optional .
Ellis Peters as an author or the Brother Cadfael mysteries
I love Wendy Wax’s Ten Beach Road series
The Stephanie Plum books. Start from One For The Money if you haven’t read them yet.
Great easy beach reading!
Be Frank with Me
I just loved that book!
Cocaine Blues (Phryne Fisher, #1) by Kerry Greenwood, A very modern flapper era woman who solves mysteries.
Ulysses by James Joyce
Summer Sisters by Judy Blume
Perfect beach book!
Dorothea Benton Frank earlier titles
The Identicals Elin Hildebrand
The Help.
At the chance of getting kicked of this wonderful page-unless you go to the beach frequently, you might love just watching the waves and feeling the warm breeze and thinking how blessed we are to be able to read. Hope you have a lovely time.
That’s why she needs a lite read, not a tome. ?
Crazy Rich Asians by Kevin Kwan
Perfect!
Good choice!
Stephanie plumb books by Janet Evanivich. They are a simple read and ?so funny! Found my first
One in a book store on cape cod!!!!! Soooooooo much fun!
Great recommendation!
I love the Stephanie Plum books!
Beautiful Ruins by Jess Walter
Big Little Lies
Ten Beach Road
The Arora Teagarden series by Charlaine Harris (I forget which one comes first), Rewinder by Brett Battles if you like a bit of time travel and history (love that trilogy!–the audiobooks are good, too!), A Wrinkle in Time is short (though I haven’t read it yet).
Commonwealth by Ann Patchett – you fly through it and it is very summery.
Couldn’t figure it out.
Anything written by Elin Hildebrand makes for a a light, easy beach read.
I agree but, I will say, I’m struggling to get through The Rumor. Usually, I enjoy her books, this one, not so much. I think I may have to quit.
@Lori I just finished that one and it was a struggle for me too. I ended up skimming over large portions of it. Grace really annoyed me… I found her very selfish.
Gone Girl/Dark Spaces/Sharp Objects
I would recommend anything by Pat Conroy.
Mary Kay Andrews – I can read her fun books in usually 2 days or less, depending on the time I have.
Carl Hiaasen. Funny and Florida-themed.
The New Yorker ?
Modern lovers Emma Straub
Agatha Christie!!!
The Castaways by Elin Hilderbrand!
I like Jennifer Wiener’s books on the beach
Janet evanovich Stephanie plum series.
Look for some Beatriz Williams books
Consider the author Beatriz Williams, maybe Cocoa @Winifred
Anything by Elin Hilderbrand
Along Comes a Spider by Patterson
Janet Evanovich
Marsh Kings Daughter
Anything Patterson!
any James Patterson book
Mary Higgins Clark. Quick and easy, never took more than 2 1/2 days to read.
Agatha Christie…usually shorter books available…
On The Black Hill. Bruce Chatwin. An amazing read. It would make an awesome BBC drama. Uplifting.
Starts out dark. But keep going.
Mary Kay Andrews writes excellent beach books!!!
Savannah Blues!
Summer Rental was fun!
Greek family of several daughters. Light but not fluffy ?
I got this recently when it was free on Amazon. I’m trying to catch up on all my other unread books before I read it!
@Vicki That’s where I got it too.
Joanne Fluke mysteries are fun and fast.
Any of Dorothea Benton Frank’s books about the various islands around Charleston, SC. They’re mostly fluff but easy beach reading.
Anyone of Sue Graftons’s books, light, entertaining and funny as well.
The Marriage Lie, by Kimberly Belle. You will become engrossed within the first 2 chapters.
California Fire and Life by Don Winslow
The War That Saved My Life by Beverly Brubaker Bradley. Listed under “young adult”. Great story! I read the book in 2 days.
LOVED! TWTSML! Also enjoyThe War I Finally Won
@Becky reading it now!
That was one that was nominated for the Mark Twain Award in my state. I read it and didn’t even bother with the rest of the nominees. Fantastic story.
I loved both the first and the sequel!
My Big Greek Summer by Sue Roberts
Cold, Sassy Tree
Omg this is one of my FAVORITE books!
I love pulling out a Nancy Drew book or two for beach reading. They are easy and most of the time, I feel like they are set near a lake and it’s fun.
Motley Crue’s The Dirt
Summer Sisters by Judy Blume
Try some Danielle Steel or Judea Deveraux
Fup: A Modern Fable | by Jim Dodge
Squirrel seeks chipmunk – David Sedaris
Super easy read w some great comical human observations
Garlic and Sapphires by Reichl — I read it on vacation too, loved it!
Identical by Elin Hildenbrand
The Wife Between Us is good if you like Thrillers.
Great book
Any book by Mary Kay Andrews. I especially love “Savannah Blues.” I just bought her latest “High Tide Club.”
The One and only Ivan or The Art of Racing in the Rain
The Almost Sisters
Still Life by Louise Penny
Reading it now.
That’s on my to-be-read list!
@Bernadette its an easy read.
Skinny Dip by Carl Hiassen
Perfect!
Mary Alice Monroe books.
Auntie poldie and the lions
Nicholas Sparks books. I liked A Bend In The Road.
Jenny Colgan
Line Moriarty. Best book is What Alice Forgot
I just read this on a mini beach vacation – picked it up in the hotel gift shop because (the horror!) I left my book at home! It was the perfect beach read.
I meant Liane Moriarty
at the risk of repeating my self and sharing my addiction….OUTLANDER by Diana Gabaldon
Just discovered it….watching the show now….it’s next on my list after Owen Meany….
Mary Alive Monroe—The Beach House! She does have a new sequel out, but you HAVE to read the original
The storied life of AJ Fikry
The Woman in the Window
English Patient
Night Circus
Rebecca
Leaving Time
The Shell Seekers by Rosamunde Pilcher