Tag Archives: beach reads

May 7, 2013 · 5:00 am

Top Ten Tuesday: Fluffy Reads

the broke and the bookish

Happy Tuesday book lovers! It’s time for Top Ten Tuesday, hosted by the lovely gals over at The Broke and The Bookish. This topic is so spring-appropriate: Top Ten Books When You Need Something Light and Fun. In other words, brain candy reads! Or fluffy reads! (Yes, admire my cool bookish slang…)

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1. Attachments by Rainbow Rowell - This is such a great book. Adorable big hunk of a guy Lincoln has a job monitoring employee email usage at the local newspaper office, and he ends up falling in love with Beth while reading the emails of her and her friend Jennifer. There are email conversations, and they are hysterical.

bet me jennifer crusie

2. Bet Me by Jennifer Crusie – This is basically the best romance novel ever. There’s misunderstandings, snarky characters, real friendships, real conversations, delicious food, carbs, great shoes, and a grumpy cat. I read this book probably at least once a year.

>Northanger Abbey by Jane Austen

3. Northanger Abbey by Jane Austen – If you’re more of a classics lover, then I think Northanger Abbey is a good pick. It kind of mocks the whole Gothic novel craze of the times, and Austen is still young and trying to figure out this whole writing thing. It’s a lot of fun.

Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me

4. Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? by Mindy Kaling – Famous for her role as Kelly Kapoor on The Office, Mindy talks about her love of comedy and her various musings on life. This was really funny, and Mindy is totally that girl that everyone would love to be friends with. There have been a lot of female comedian books out lately, and I think this one is my favorite.

weird things customers say in bookstores

5. Weird Things Customers Say in Bookstores by Jen Campbell – This is really a short, hilarious book that is just amusing tidbits from booksellers and librarians. Good for a laugh.

the fairy godmother

6. The Fairy Godmother by Mercedes Lackey – This is actually the first book of the Tales of the 500 Kingdoms series, and they’re really fun books. Lackey takes a known fairy tale and turns it on it’s head, usually with an element of romance involved. I think there are six out in the series, and I can’t wait till another one comes out.

Chris Wooding

7. Tales of the Ketty Jay series by Chris Wooding – Okay, technically these aren’t exactly fluff or brain candy books, but I love them. There’s a lot of action and witty, sarcastic banter that just makes these books so darn fun to read.

The Pirates book, Gideon Defoe

8. The Pirates! series by Gideon DeFoe – These goofy, tiny little books can straight crack me up. (Can you tell yet that I really value humor in the books I read?) The Pirates! In An Adventure with Scientists was the inspiration for the movie Pirates! Band of Misfits. The books are WAY funnier.

the hero's guide to saving your kingdom

9. The Hero’s Guide to Saving Your Kingdom by Christopher Healy – Feel like reading something intended for 11-year olds? Here you go! This book shows the side of the fairy tales that you don’t see – the Princes’ points of view. There’s a lot of silliness, and it’s a quick read.

wishcraft mystery series

10. Wishcraft series by Heather Blake – Are cozy mysteries your jam? Well this series is adorable! Some inhabitants of this little town tend to have a special “craft” or magical power, and the series focuses on one witch who can grant wishes. Of course, murders pop up in town because that’s how these kind of books work, but the stories themselves are so damn cute and sappy.

Now don’t you want to grab one of these and go lay in the sunshine and read? I do. What are your light-hearted book recommendations?

~Sarah

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June 12, 2012 · 8:44 am

Top Ten Tuesday: Books for the Beach

Good morning guys!!! It’s Tuesday (a very early one for me, ugh) and it’s time for Top Ten Tuesday, hosted by the lovely peeps over at The Broke and The Bookish. This week’s topic is Top Ten Books I’d Recommend as Good Beach Reads. Since we kinda did this last year and my list hasn’t changed much, I’m going to make today Top Ten Books I Think Would Be Good Beach Reads But Haven’t Read Them Yet. Excited? OH I know you are.

The Bungalow by Sarah Jio

1. The Bungalow by Sarah Jio - Well come on, just look at the cover! It screams “bring me to the beach.”

The Diviners by Libba Bray

2. The Diviners by Libba Bray - So, this book doesn’t come out until September, but come on… Libba Bray knows how to hold your attention, so if you’re lucky enough to have an ARC you should totally bring it along on a beach day. (Otherwise, you should bring Beauty Queens by Libba Bray, which I KNOW is awesome because I read it.)

3. Jurassic Park by Michael Crichton - I actually have this out from the library right now and really want to start it. Come on, dinosaurs, forest, exotic wildlife… it’s perfect for a hot day laying in the sun.

 4. Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood by Rebecca Wells - I’ve had this on my to-read shelf for years and still haven’t gotten around to it. I will one day, dammit. One day.

5. The Shell Seekers by Rosamunde Pilcher – This is apparently the beginning to a really great series, again it’s been on my radar for ages. Perfect beachy name though!

6. The Thorn Birds by Colleen McCullough - If you want a classic read, this might be good for the beach. I believe it’s an epic family saga that takes place in Australia.

7. Pretty Little Mistakes by Heather McElhatton - A choose-your-own-ending book for adults? Umm yes please! This would probably be fun to read and play with on the beach with a friend.

8. Something From the Nightside by Simon R. Green – This looks like really cool paranormal series and I’ve been meaning to try it. Plus, the books look pretty short, around 200 pages or so.

9. Millie’s Fling by Jill Mansell - Jill Mansell’s books always look so cute and fun! Perfect to read on the sand.

10. Deadly Cool by Gemma Halliday - OK so I’m not one for these types of YA books, but apparently this book is pretty funny so I kinda want to try it. And let’s face it, YA is like the breeziest thing to read at the beach.

If I was headed to beach, I’d totally grab any one of these to read there. Unforunately I haven’t been to the beach to hang out in like 3 years. What would you recommend?

~Sarah

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August 19, 2011 · 6:42 pm

Charlie All Night by Jennifer Crusie

Despite the fact that she was dumped, radio producer Allie’s doing pretty well for herself – until her ex gets her demoted from the radio station’s prime-time spot. Stuck with temporary DJ Charlie on the 10 pm to 2 am radio slot, she’s determined to make him a star (nevermind the fact that he doesn’t want to be a star at all). And if she can use a fling with Charlie to help her get over her ex, so much the better.

It’s not the best premise, but it’s fun and different. Allie lives in a small town, and works with a quirky bunch of people at the radio station – including her dweeb of an ex-boyfriend Mark, who’s a total jerk and really fun to detest throughout the book. Charlie comes to town with a hidden agenda – he just wants to do his job and leave. But Charlie is a lot of fun – especially for Allie. And the more they try to stay away from each other the more they fall in love. The sexy bits are fun & enjoyable, and I giggled a couple of times throughout the book.

I always really enjoy Jennifer Crusie’s female characters – they’re often described as warm & soft, rather than thin and beautiful – each Crusie heroine is beautiful in her own unique way. I also enjoy it when Crusie has two male characters fighting over the heroine – it makes her seem extra awesome, and it’s fun to watch her shoot the jerk down.

Charlie is one of the funnest Crusie male characters I’ve seen – he’s kind, witty, and laid-back. I always enjoyed the dialogue that he was in, which is good since he’s a radio DJ. He also drums up some interesting controversy for the town, and I personally think that stirring up a little storm about political dirty business is attractive.

There’s only really one thing the bugged me in this book, and that was Allie’s annoying hissy fit that proclaimed all rap to be psychopathic and all about raping women. As someone who really likes rap and knows that most rap is NOT like that, that was really irksome and I kinda wanted to smack her for being so close-minded about an entire music genre – especially for someone who works for such an unusual radio station.

Other than that small hiccup, this book was a really quick, fun, fluffy read – which I desperately needed.

Sarah Says: 4 stars

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June 19, 2011 · 8:48 pm

>The Violets of March by Sarah Jio

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Okay, where to start? This is a lovely debut novel by Sarah Jio, and one of the poll winners for June’s read. I really enjoyed it.

The Violets of March centers on Emily. An author with a severe case of writer’s block and now newly divorced, Emily decides to spend some time healing at her great-aunt Bee’s house on Bainbridge Island, WA. As she uses the peace and sound of the sea to clear her mind, she stumbles upon a secret diary from 1943. The diary tells the story of Esther, and Emily is sucked into the story as she notices more similarities between the diary and her own life. I really can’t say much about Esther’s story, because I don’t want to spoil anything.

There were so many things I liked about this novel. I loved the double story-line; while getting to know Emily, I also got to read Esther’s story. And I have to say that the writing is beautiful and mystery of the plot stays with you even when you put the book down. I love books that take place on cozy islands, and this is no different. The sounds of the sea, the descriptions of gardens, of friendly neighbors and small local shops… it’s all so idyllic.

Emily is a great main character. Besides her being sweet and honest with herself, I noticed that she’s also a foodie – the book goes into detail about food when mentioned, and Emily always admits to unabashedly digging in. It’s such a small detail, but I really liked that about her. I really liked the secondary characters too – when I’m a little old lady, I want to be spunky like Bee and her friend Evelyn.

The only thing about this novel that I wasn’t crazy about was Emily’s romantic interests. Once on Bainbridge Island, she’s asked out a bit and I never really warmed up to the man that she found herself attracted to. And while I really like a bit of romance in books (I’m a sap), Emily did just get divorced before she comes to the island. It all happened a bit too fast for my taste.

Anyways, this is a great novel and probably perfect for some pretty, mysterious beach-reading. I’m really glad that it’s one of the novels that won the June poll :-)

Sarah Says: 4 stars

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May 31, 2011 · 9:02 am

>Top Ten Tuesday: Perfect Beach Reads

> Good morning ya’ll! Time for my favorite meme of the week, Top Ten Tuesday, which is hosted by the fabulous peeps over at The Broke and The Bookish. This week’s topic is Top Ten Books That Should Be In Your Beach Bag. Perfect topic for today, since it’s going to be about 90 degrees here. I wish I was going to the beach…

1. The Mermaid Chair by Sue Monk Kidd – This books takes place for the most part on a small island. The main character, Jessie, comes home to Egret Island to re-evaluate her life and rediscover who she is and her passion for life. There’s a lot of local mermaid history too. Good if you want kind of a deep beach read.

2. Mrs. Whippy by Cecelia Ahern – This is a SUPER-short book, so it’s perfect for those beach-goers who fall in asleep in the sun, or who get distracted by friends and family. It’s about a lady and her interest in an ice-cream man. This might make you want to go visit the ice cream stand by your beach, if you’re lucky enough to have one.

3. Are You There Vodka? It’s Me, Chelsea by Chelsea Handler – Basically a bunch of hilarious stories about Chelsea’s life, it’s funny and it has short chapters, so again perfect if you can’t really concentrate. Or if you’re drinking while you’re at the beach.

4. The Fairy Godmother by Mercedes Lackey – If you like fairy-tale retellings with a little bit of romance, this novel is right up your alley. And it’s light and cute, perfect for the beach.

5. anything by Christopher Moore – Moore’s books are all hilarious, and they take place for the most part in California. Fluke in particular takes place a lot in the ocean.

6. Married With Zombies by Jesse Petersen – Cute book about how a couple close to divorce reconnects when the zombie apocoplyse hits. It’s the start of a series too. The newest, Eat Slay Love, is coming out in June.

7. Harry Potter books – Because most of us have read and read them again, these are perfect comfort reads. And yet they’re still SO good that you won’t want to put them down.

8. Barefoot by Elin Hilderbrand – Honestly, I haven’t read anything by this author yet. But if I was going to the beach today, I’d stop at the library and borrow this book. Look up the author and look at the book covers – they’re all beach scenes!

9. anything by Jennifer Crusie – She’s my favorite contemporary romance author. Her books are always fun and sweet and fluffy.

10. The Sookie Stackhouse series by Charlaine Harris – Especially if you already like True Blood, give the books a try. They’re not great, but they’re easy and fun and have vampires.

This list was surprisingly harder than I thought. I know that “chick lit” is usually the go-to genre for beach reads, but I haven’t read a lot of it. At least not that I’ve liked. Anyhoo, those are my suggestions! What are yours?

BTW, this list is PERFECT for my Summer Mini-Readathon coming up in July! It’s only 12 hours long, and there are prizes to win at the end, so check it out and sign up before you leave! It’ll be fun, I promise.

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