So we didn’t quite get the long, hot summer we’d all hoped for, did we? In typical British fashion, we held out hope for another heat wave only to be let down yet again. We dreamt of days by the sea, setting aside precious time to spend an afternoon reading with the sound of waves and chatter of families in the background.
The weather may have not held up its end of the deal but that’s no reason to not pick up something that would have read brilliantly on the beach. You now just might have to curl up with a tea and a blanket instead… such hardships! Oh wait is that a week of sunshine I hear you say?
When people talk about a book being a good beach read you’d probably expect something in the contemporary romance or rom-com area. Maybe you’ve heard people call them guilty pleasures or other such descriptors with negative connotations. I’ll be the first to shout from the rooftops about my love for books that fall into this category and let me assure you, there is nothing guilty about that at all. Let’s take away that gatekeeper: all books in all formats and all genres are books and that’s just lovely.
I’d love to share with you some of my favourite fictions that can come under the beach read category that I’ve read this year and are perfect for getting stuck into come rain or shine.
Get A Life, Chloe Brown – Talia Hibbert
If you’re looking with something that oozes romance and has a smattering of spice then let me introduce you to the first of the Brown sisters trilogy. These three books have everything you could want from a rom-com and are brilliantly diverse. They can read as stand alone books but I’d recommend you read in order (Chloe, Dani and then Eve) so you don’t get any spoilers. I absolutely adored the characters; I totally fell for them and think about re-reading these books most weeks. You can get the first through my affiliate link with Bookshop.org here.
Love in Colour – Bola Babalola
Love in Colour is for you if short stories are more your thing. And even if you don’t like short stories then I’d still recommend reading this, it blew all other short stories out of the water for me. Myths and legends from around the world, reimagined with women at the centre. Powerful, feminist agendas I am obsessed with Babalola’s writing. So much so that I just had to include it in of my subscription boxes (more on that below!) along with some other wonderful gifts here.
Cinderella is Dead – Kalynn Bayron
Keeping with the strong feminist agenda, allow me to introduce you to another book I absolutely tore through this year: Cinderella is Dead. A young adult novel set 200 years after Cinderella found her prince. This book had me so excited for
the young women of the world that will read this and be inspired by it. It’s absolutely the book I would have loved growing up and that’s exactly why I love it now. You can get this through my affiliate link with Bookshop.org here.
Clap When You Land – Elizabeth Acevado
If you’re looking for sisterly love perhaps then I’d highly recommend Clap When You Land. Written in prose, this beautiful novel is set between New York and the Dominican Republic between two half sisters. The prose gives the story such urgency, it was another I just couldn’t put down and ended up reading in one sitting! It’s the latest edition to our monthly boxes and is available with some other wonderful gifts here.
We Have Always Been Here – Samra Habib
Now this one is a little different to the above four. We Have Always Been Here is a queer Muslim memoir but I’ve included it here because it’s written like fiction. I was totally immersed in Habib’s journey and I think you will be too. It’s also relatively short too so if you’re looking for a non-fiction that’s not too overwhelming to begin with then I’d start with this one. You can get a copy as well as some other goodies here as part of one of my boxes.
Three of the above five books are novels I’ve chosen to be part of my monthly book subscription boxes because I fell head over heels for them. Each month I create a new box with a new theme and new book. The boxes contain a book bought from the wonderful Pigeon Books on Albert Road, two products from small businesses and a tea from the brilliant Bird & Blend.
Each month we switch between fiction and non-fiction and hold diversity and inclusion very close to our hearts. This counts not just in the authors and stories told but in the small businesses too.
If you’d like to check out our boxes (also available as single boxes without the subscription), please head to the website. There you can also sign up to my weekly email to get all sorts of wonderful recommendations and bookish ramblings.
You can also find us on Instagram and Facebook, my inbox is always open so please feel free to drop me a message with any questions you may have on the boxes or just about books in general. I’d love to help you find some incredible books.
As always a huge thank you to Pigeon Books for being my supplier and championing the independent book shop in Southsea! The work that Phil and Mel do for literature in the area is inspiring! Go give them a visit at 1 Albert Road, Southsea
Photo Credit to The Liberty Lounge
