What do you look for in a great beach read?

[Patrick]

It seems like everybody has a slightly different idea of what makes a great beach read. What is your idea of the perfect book to take on vacation? Does it have to have suspense? Romance? Humor?

[Susan]

I love novels with great characters, settings, and stories that take me out of my real life and into another world. So anything escapist works for me! And the juicier, the better. :-)

[Fairyposs]

I agree with Susan - escapism works for me too! I want great characters, interesting plots and sparkling dialogue. A dash of humour and lots of sizzle to crank up the heat are definite pluses too. I read Call Me Irresistible some time ago, happened on Just Imagine then I just had to re-read It Had To Be You.

[Berry]

If reading on the beach or at the lake I want a book that isn't too deep but keeps my intrest...most definately fiction! I agree with Susan about something that will take me out of real life.

[Susan]

Fairyposs, I'm reading CALL ME IRRESISTIBLE now, and I'm loving it! SEP is an amazing writer. Humor, yes! That's always appreciated, even in a drama in small doses.

Berry, definitely fiction for me, too! I've read some really good nonfiction in the past, but when I want something I can sink my teeth into during the hot summer months...it's gotta be novels!

[Jan]

A great beach novel... hmmm... let me think... A mystery novel set in someplace lonely, a believable plot (with a maybe a wee bit of the paranormal thrown in), flawed characters, strong women, twists and turns,a tiny bit of romance and a strong, satisfying ending.. The Cypress House by Michael Koryta is a prefect example of my idea of a great beach novel.

[Lisarenee]

I think a lighthearted book is the best for the beach. Something you can put down and pick up again, and not feel you have to reread things to figure out where you were. Something that isn't too long or too big. I do not care to tote extremely large books around at the beach. Too bad they don't make them waterproof.

[Slavica]

The best summer read are books from Susan E.Phillips ,and I hope that she is planing a little trip to Croatia where she has lots of fans...

[Keri]

I like lighter, humorous romances. Just finished Tawna Fenske's MAKING WAVES which is perfect for summer. In the winter, I pull out the epic fantasy and Diana Gabaldon.

[Susan]

Susan wrote: "Fairyposs, I'm reading CALL ME IRRESISTIBLE now, and I'm loving it! SEP is an amazing writer. Humor, yes! That's always appreciated, even in a drama in small doses.

Berry, definitely fictio..."

Thanks for the kind words, Susan.

[Susan]

Slavica wrote: "The best summer read are books from Susan E.Phillips ,and I hope that she is planing a little trip to Croatia where she has lots of fans..."

I love my international readers. I keep hoping my Croatian publisher will invite me to visit!

[Susan]

I've been reading all over the map this summer. Lots of memoir for some reason. Loved Patti Smith's JUST KIDS. Just finished NEW YORK REGIONAL MORMON SINGLES HALLOWEEN DANCE. Also, THE DAILY COYOTE, book based on blog. THE YEAR OF LIVING BIBLICALLY is both a hoot and thoughtful. A.J. Jacobs has an amazing voice. Finally read THE IMMORTAL LIFE OF HENRIETTA LACKS. Amazing. Honestly, my beach reads are no different from my winter reads. I have a short attention span and the book had better pull me in quickly. (Sorry, Keith, but LIFE wasn't for me. Hope I don't hurt your feelings because I love you. Really.)

[Susan]

Oh, I forgot to mention THE PARIS WIFE. I adored it. And I had no idea that Hadley Richardson (Hemingway's first wife and the narrator of the novel) was from St. Louis! So that was cool. And just a great story with fantastic writing.

[Kristina]

Oh, I want to read THE PARIS WIFE, too, Susan!

I love books that TRANSPORT me, so escapist, yes, but in my mind that doesn't mean "light" reading necessarily. I'm being transported by SECRET DAUGHTER to Bombay, for example.

Though I do enjoy a fun read, as well! Call Me Irresistible fits that bill for sure.

[Susan]

Kristina, you'll love it! Oh, I can't wait to read SECRET DAUGHTER. That's next up on my summer book list!

[TK]

I just finished MAINE by J Courtney Sullivan and that was a great beach read (it isset on the beach after all). But I like novels that are a little bit sexier (like CALL ME IRRESISTIBLE) for my beach reads. One summer I read three novels by Terry Pratchett in 10 days--that was a different kind of experience! #satire #fantasy

[Adriane]

MAINE and THE PARIS WIFE are on my list. I always read Hilderbrand in the summer- I like a summer read set at the beach, preferably with a group of women finding themselves :)

[Kelly Lynn]

I agree with pretty much everyone else, while looking for a beach read, I want to escape, I want to enter someone else's life that is so different than mine. I'm also a huge fan of contemporary romance series (like Susan Elizabeth Phillip's Chicago Stars, Susan Mallery's Fools Gold or Sherryl Woods Sweet Magnolias). I love being able to revisit characters from past books, if only breifly. It also has to have an HEA. I read Tana French's In the Woods in Florida this spring and it depressed me for the rest of the day!

[Susan]

Kelly Lynn, you brought up a really good point: should summer reads have a happy ending? I do like happy endings, even if the book is drama-filled and even if that happy ending is low-key (where issues are not completely resolved but you get the feeling that things are going to work out).

[Kelly Lynn]

Susan, I love a book with good drama, and even some tortured angst, but at the end of the day, in a beach read at least, I want to be reasonably sure that the characters are going to be just fine once finished the last page. Not sure if it's just a pet peeve of mine, but when I read a book, spend time feeling for the characters, I don't want them to be miserable at the end.

[Pamela]

I want a book that has beautiful prose and thoughtful characters who rise to meet the troubles that are thrown their way. These characters need to be independent, a little quirky, and always learning, always processing. My fav. read so far this summer has been ONCE UPON A RIVER by Bonnie Jo Campbell.

[Susan]

Kelly Lynn, well said...and I totally agree. :-)

[TJ]

I love something quick and, like Kelly Lynn, I also love some angst (or lots of it). And happy endings! How embarrassing is it to bawl over a book while you're in your bikini?

[Virginia]

I've read both "Just Kids" and "Paris Wife". Both are big name droppers. The writing style of "Just Kids" makes it boring . . . we did this, then we did that. You know the guy dies from Aids, so why read it. "Paris Wife", on the other hand, kept my interest all the way through. I wanted to know who was the husband stealer, what happened to their son, and how she supported herself without him. I'm on the waiting list for "Moveable Feast" because I want to know his side of the story.

[Donna - Rosies.ReadingNook]

I am trying to get through Townie by Andre DuBus III (House of Sand and Fog). It is his autobiography of his youth - he grew up in my home town and I do not remember my home town anything like he described - but than he did hang out if areas I very rarely even drove through. Andre was a very anger young man and gladto see that he turned that anger into a writing carefee - otherwise he wouldbe dead or in jail.

[Kelli]

lol Maybe I'm a little shallow but for me the perfect beach read is SEXY SEXY SEXY (lol) Humor is a bonus too. Jill Shalvis is perfect or even Vicki Lewis Thompson