top ten beach reads

Tuesday, June 11, 2013 |
Top Ten Tuesday is a meme hosted by The Broke and the Bookish, where we all get to exercise our OCD tendencies and come up with bookish lists.  If you’d like to play along, check out this post.

top ten tuesday

My definition of a beach read is different than most peoples’.  Summertime can be oppressively hot, and it’s difficult to hold on to deep, dark thoughts while you’re baking or taking short dips in the water.  That’s why I like to save up the dark, disturbing and sad books on my reading list for the poolside or beach.  I say, if you’re determined to read a book that will wring a metric ton of emotion out of you, you might as well be in the sunshine, in easy reach of a relaxing activity that should purge your dark thoughts.  Keep that in mind as you check out this week’s top ten.

Top Ten Beach Reads


1.  Rot & Ruin by Jonathan Maberry – This angsty, angry teenage post-apocalyptic novel features brothers and zombies.  And definitely calls for sunshine.

2.  Sunshine by Robin McKinley – Don’t let the title fool you – this is one dark vampire story (and the only one featuring bloodsuckers that I consistently recommend. i mean, MCKINLEY.).

3.  Written in Red by Anne Bishop – A recent read, and a bit unlikely for the beach, as it’s set mid-winter in an alternate Chicago.  The violence, emotion and world building-depth are very well-written.

4.  Above by Leah Bobet – Combine an underground community, mental instability, and a killer on the loose, and that equals a tight plotline.  Then add the final element of delightful storytelling.

5.  The Name of the Star by Maureen Johnson – What better way to spend a sun-drenched day than with a story that eerily mirrors the legend of Jack the Ripper?  Yeah, I couldn’t think of anything either.


6.  Peter & Max by Bill Willingham – A brutal, dark take on fairy tale mythology. Perfectly acceptable beach material for guys/girls.

7.  American Gods by Neil Gaiman – Take the old gods of Europe and put them in middle America, and the results are disturbing, strange and wonderful.  Gaiman’s writing is, as always, a wonder.

8.  Ender’s Game by Orson Scott Card – Young children compete in a battle school for the chance to graduate and fight the alien destruction of Earth.  Gripping, classic YA sci-fi.

9.  The Last Days of Summer by Steve Kluger – A boy and a ballplayer exchange letters over the course of WWII, and their friendship via correspondence is by turns funny and heartbreaking.

10.  The 5th Wave by Rick Yancy – Alien invasion.  Survival.  Dread, distrust and danger.  Thank goodness for cloudless days and the pool, or I might not have gotten through this one.

What are your top beach reads?

15 comments:

marissa | Rae Gun Ramblings said...

ender's game!! so so good

My Top Ten

Unknown said...

The 5th wave was such amazing book; I'm really looking forward to the sequel. Nice list. :D

Trish @ Between My Lines said...

You are right, summer doesn't have to mean light and fluff. And great point about reading dark in the light. I'm reading the 5th Wave at the moment and loving it.


BookishTrish @ Between the Lines

Lori said...

I'm dying for The 5th Wave! I want to read it so bad. I read Sunshine years ago and loved it. It's so unique. Great list!

My Top Ten

Emma said...

Fantastic list! Love that it contains some 'darker' books, and your reasoning behind choosing them.

I have both Rot & Ruin and American Gods, and was tempted to take them on holiday with me a few weeks ago, as they've been sitting on my tbr pile forever, but I ended up going with different choices. Next time they'll be straight in the case! Will have to track down some of the others too!

Unknown said...

Great list! Love the 5th wave:)

My TTT:
http://evelinesbooks.blogspot.nl/2013/06/top-ten-tuesday-3.html

Sash and Em said...

Ender's Game! Nice!

Liviania said...

So you pick the Steve Kluger that I *don't* own.

Angela's Anxious Life said...

I really want to read Peter and Max! I have Fables on my list and that is obviously the perfect companion book!

Angie
My Top Ten Pool Reads

Tabitha (Pabkins) said...

Some excellent choices! I loved Written in Red so much. I think the beach would be a good place to read it - help keep you warm haha. I can't wait to read The 5th wave! and Rot and Ruin is high on my TBR!

Tales of Whimsy said...

What a very cool list.

Anonymous said...

That strategy is genius! I probably should have saved the sequel to The Name of the Star for summer--such an intense read.

Tahleen said...

YES to Sunshine!

Anonymous said...

So much yes to Ender's Game. And? 5th Wave may just have to be on my personal beach read list this summer - it's taunting me from my bookshelf ;)

JoAnn said...

The Last Days of Summer sounds wonderful... and I really need to read Neil Gaiman!

Newer Posts Older Posts Home