Since a truly epic tan is no longer an option and a second mortgage to buy gas for even a modest road trip didn't feel like a wise investment, I opted to spend my summer trying to answer once and for all the question that has vexed scholars, morning talk show hosts, and readers of all stripes for ages: What exactly makes a great beach read?
With the budget situation being what it is, a research junket to Copacabana, Waikiki, or Bondi was not in the cards, and in any case, a self-image-obliterating look at myself in the mirror wearing beach togs forced me to rethink my methodology. In short, I asked HCPL library staff.
While I didn't expect consensus, I figured the answers would generally sort into a few big buckets: breezy romances, breakneck-paced thrillers, and books set someplace with swaying palm trees, deceptively strong drinks served in coconut shells the consumption of which leads to at least one episode of hilarity, and where sunsets are not only breathtaking, but tend to carry more than their typical cargo of significance. Instead, I got a amazingly diverse array of answers and I realized fairly quickly that I was thinking about beach reads all wrong. It's not about genre or style; it's about the reading experience.
Escape Is the Destination
The fact that many of the respondents mentioned escapism in one way or another was not at all surprising. A lot of us read to take a break from the world. It's how different escape looked to different people. Rachel A, a former Mobile Outreach Librarian, wanted to be whisked away to "a sun-drenched shore, a cobblestone villa, or a triumphant mountain peak." Adult Services Librarian Rachel W. insisted on "outrageous characters, emotional drama, high-octane thrills" with a story "set very far away--the distant past, a spaceship, where werewolves are real and true love conquers all." Others mentioned magical forests, vacation towns, cruise ships, and mysteries set far from home.
Escape for our beach readers isn't necessarily about geography. It's about getting away from the everyday world of to-do lists, spam calls about your car's warranty, and I-10 Inbound on an August Tuesday morning.
Easy to Read Doesn't Mean Disposable
Several people admitted they don't want to do a lot of heavy mental lifting while sitting beside a pool or lounging on a patio, and who can blame them? That kind of defeats the purpose of a vacation. But it's obvious from their answers that they're not looking for shallow books. Instead, they described books by authors adept at creating memorable, multi-dimensional characters and a strong sense of pacing. As Librarian Ashley L. put it, a beach read should be "something that doesn't take a lot of brain power in order to enjoy," but it should "keep me turning the pages." Passport Services Specialist & Library Technician Nathan L. put it in a nutshell: "engaging but not exhausting.
Built for Summer Interruptions
A true beach read has another important quality: you can put it down and pick it up without losing the thread. Whether you're stopping to cool off in the water, play Marco Polo with the kids, or grab another cold drink, you should be able to close the book without feeling lost when you return.
Hannah N., a Branch Administrative Services Librarian, described the perfect beach read as "easy to put down and pick up right where I left off." Assistant Branch Manager Sadina S. echoed that thought. Her perfect beach book is "something I can pick up and put down at random in between walking in the surf or snoozing in a hammock on a wraparound porch." Nathan L. took a different tack, preferring "short, self-contained stories that can be enjoyed between swims."
Beyond Romance and Palm Trees
Perhaps the biggest surprise was how wildly the recommended books differed. I figured people would recommend genre fiction and that breezy, humorous romance would lead the pack. Instead, our beach readers offered classic mysteries, contemporary fiction, fantasy, thrillers and horror, along with the romance.
The Best Beach Read Is the One You'll Remember
One of my favorite responses came from Teresa L., HCPL's Acquisitions Manager. She argued that a beach read isn't defined by genre, setting, or plot. It's defined by memory.
"A beach read is more than just a light vacation book," she wrote. "It becomes attached to the memory of a summer and place in your life. The book becomes a little time capsule, and when you re-read it, it can transport you back to the exact beach, pier, boardwalk, or hotel balcony of a specific summer."
The Search Continues
So...yes, I failed just like all the morning talk show hosts and booktokers who have tried to find the perfect beach read. And that is because, of course, the term itself, just like perfection, is undefinable except in its broadest terms. A beach read is a book you read on the beach. A perfect one is one that hits all of your particular array of pleasure centers.
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