Monday, May 16, 2011

Beach Reads and Beach Bag Must Haves for the Summer- Part II


As part of my summer kickoff, I've been asking my favorite bloggers what their favorite beach read is and what is their bookish must haves for the beach this summer.  You can check out my first post here.  


When I asked Kim from The Book Butterfly what her favorite summer reads are, here is what she said:


Kim from The Book Butterfly's Beach Bag
  • Tris & Izzie by Mettie Ivie Harrison- Tris & Izzie is a perfect example of a book with a cover that is so beautiful, you will snatch it up to read even though you don't have the foggiest clue what it's about. Once I found out that this would be a contemporary retelling of the legend of Tristan & Isolde, complete with magic, love potions and romance—well, i knew I just had to add this one to my summer reading list. Perfect for a day at the beach or swinging on a hammock with a gentle breeze blowing on your face and a cool drink in hand.
  • Tempest Rising by Tracy Deebs- What’s more perfect for a day at the beach than a mermaid story? No matter how many times I see a new mermaid/siren book come on the market, I am always drawn to them.  Tempest Rising intrigues me in particular because the main character Tempest knows what she is right from the get-go. I love the idea of this girl struggling between the life she has always known with a family who loves her, and the mysterious pull of the deep blue sea. 
  • Sun and Moon, Ice and Snow by Jessica Day George - This retelling of the Norse fairytale, East of the Sun, West of the Moon has been on my list for some time and I finally got my hands on a copy. Given the scenery of the book- complete with endless frozen winters, ice castles and enchanted polar bears- it might be an odd choice for a day basking in the summer sun, but I love the idea of escaping into one of my favorite fairytales, whether it be "beachy" or not. I’m also intrigued that the nameless protagonist (often known as “pika” or “lass”) has a way of communicating with animals, something I always wished I could do too. I can't wait to set out with Pika as she risks everything for love.  
  • Hourglass by Myra McEntire- I thought this book was going to be a strict ghostly-themed novel- but in talking with other readers, it sounds like there is a bit of science fiction and a whole lot of surprises around every corner.  I love the idea of sci-fi and paranormal genres being blended together- and anytime a book can keep me on my toes, well hey that sounds like my idea of a good time. Hourglass will be one I start one lazy afternoon down by the pool and hopefully find myself reading late into the night! 
  • Paradise by Jill Alexander- Paradise is the story of a small-town country rock band. It conjures up images to me of pasture parties, country-fried home cooking and hot summer nights. I love the romantic angle with Paisley, the band's drummer develops feelings for the new lead singer that conflict with her big-city aspirations. This is a great one to sit back with on a breezy summer day and relax into! 
Other books from Kim from The Book Butterfly's summer reading pile: 
  • Clarity by Kim Harrington- I love a good mystery and the fact that this combines paranormal elements along with a snarky female lead, really appeals to me. I hope it keeps me on my toes!
  • The Vampire Stalker by Allison Van Diepen  -Who hasn't been completely wrapped up in a series and felt like the characters are all too real? I can easily relate to the idea of Amy, the main protagonist, discovering that fiction might've crossed in reality…I can think of a few special vampires from series that seem almost “to real”—ahem, Bones from the Nighthuntress series by Jeanienne Frost—are you out there?
  • Sometimes it Happens by Lauren Barnholdt- - I've never read any of this author's books but I am intrigued by the idea of how it revolves around a teen girl's regrets and pivotal choices that she and four other students make for love.   Count me in! 
*Thank you for all of these recommendations, Kim, and I love your beach bag! I've had my eye on Tempest Rising as well as Tris and Izzie. Can't wait to read both of them!

I also asked Leanna from Daisy Chain Book Reviews what her favorite beach read is and she replied, "There's no way I can narrow this down to just one, so I'm going to name a couple of my favourite summer reads. For me, even though I sometimes like my summer reading to be light and fluffy, sometimes I require something with a bit of an edge. For me, Emily Barr's books combine the two. Her books mix exotic locations with romance, intrigue and mystery. The Sisterhood and A Perfect Lie are two of my favourites.  Of course you can never go wrong with a piece of fluffy chick lit for summer, and that's why one of my all time favourite summer reads is The Devil Wears Prada by Lauren Weisberger." I then inquired about her summer to-read list and she said, "Summer and the City by Candace Bushnell (The follow up to The Carrie Diaries). I cannot wait to get started on this one! I'm also planning to (finally) read The Summer I Turned Pretty by Jenny Han.  Starcrossed by Josephine Angelini and Forgotten by Cat Patrick are also on my summer must-read list!"
*Great picks, Leanna! I hope you love the Han's Summer series as much as me!  I also can't wait to read Summer in the City and I adored The Devil Wears Prada, too.

Carrie from In the Hammock said her favorite beach read is,"The Boys Next Door by Jennifer Echols    (I think it's repackaged as something different now) and Summer Sisters by Judy Blume." When I asked her what is going to be in her beach bag this summer, she said, "Sixteenth Summer looks too too cute!"
*I just finished The Boys Next Door and I loved it! And you are right.... Sixteenth Summer was a really cute read.  Thanks for sharing this with us, Carrie!








Jenny from The Supernatural Snark said her favorite beach read is, "Anything romance. Nothing better than sitting in the warm sun with a guilty pleasure romance novel where the men are all inhumanly beautiful and ripped and sexual gods who can think of nothing better to do than chase after their women. Love it. There's also the bonus of having nice cool water right there to dip in when things get steamy." And what will be in her beach bag this summer?  "I've recently added the Summer series by Jenny Han. I've heard such good things about these books and they seem like the perfect type of book to plant my bum in a beach chair and devour while my poor pasty skin turns bright red. Can't wait! On the sexier romance side I'm really looking forward to Larissa Ione's Eternal Rider, a spinoff of her Demonica series which I really enjoyed."
*Jenny always make me laugh! I love your picks and I do hope you get to read Han's Summer series. It's my favorite!  Thanks for participating, Jenny! 


Lastly, I asked Jamie from The Perpetual Page-turner about her favorite beach read and she said, "My favorite beach read...that's hard because I've read pretty much everything and anything on a beach from classics to YA. I think my FAVORITE beach read of last summer was Just Listen by Sarah Dessen.  In my beach bag this summer (if I don't get to them before then lol) will be some Jenny Han, Megan McCafferty (umm hello Sloppy Firsts..which I started and is awesome) and I'll be rereading Moonglass by debut author Jessi Kirby when it comes out. That would have made a great beach read if I hadn't read it in the cold winter months. It is set at the beach and has a really cute romance but isn't all that light and fluffy...just the way I like my beach reads. I think I'll also be reading Amy & Roger's Epic Detour....a definite beach read!"
*I can't wait to read Moonglass, Jamie! I remember when you read it in the winter....I thought it sounded perfect for the beach.  Thanks for sharing your answers with us, Jamie!


I hope you all got some good ideas for the perfect beach read for this summer. A big thank you to Kim, Leanna, Jenny, Carrie, and Jamie for participating and thank you so much to all who participated with the other posting.  I really appreciate it. Keep your eye out for my summer picks coming up soon! 

10 comments:

  1. I LOVE the beach bag! It makes me want to head to the beach with my read. Oh if only...

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  2. Great picks from everyone! I can't wait to see what books you choose, Christina!

    Since writing that, I've read the first two books in the Jenny Han summer series,and really enjoyed them!

    I'll link this on my blog a little later. :)

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  3. So I pretty much want everything on Kim's list:) That's such a great group of books, I need to revise my beach bag and add them! Thanks for having me Christina!

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  4. I LOVE reading these. And I adore that bag!

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  5. Wow. That photo with the beach bag full of books is definitely inspiring me to head out to the beach this weekend! Haha.

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  6. You can't go wrong with anything Megan McCafferty -- I read the Jessica Darling series in the summer, too, and it's my all-time favorite. YAY!

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  7. WOw, so many great books to add to the list. I cannot wait for summervacation to start. ;)

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  8. What a fabulous list of books, ladies! Thanks for sharing your picks!

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  9. Thanks for having me Christina. That was fun! :) Now I just have to actually find time to get to the beach to read.... :)

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I really appreciate your comments. Thank you!

 
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