Set Sail On A New Adventure With A Beach Read

I have a confession: I actually don’t particularly enjoy going to the beach. Not the way it’s generally portrayed, anyway. It’s super loud, filled with people, and consists of sand that gets absolutely everywhere. In short, it is my autistic nightmare.

That being said, we absolutely love going to our version of the beach, which is basically an out-of-the-way spot where the lake meets the Earth in a very rocky, muddy sort of way. There’s usually only a handful of families there, and it’s surrounded by woods that are perfect for exploring when drying off once getting out of the water. It’s an adorable little cove that is absolutely suited for sitting and reading (which I often do).

This week’s Top Ten Tuesday is all about beach reads . . . which I obviously take to mean pirates, swashbuckling, adventure, and large bodies of water. Because that’s how you do the beach, right? RIGHT?!

According to Google, a beach read is “a book that is typically light, engaging, and easy to read, making it suitable for vacation or leisure time”. Honestly? That sounds terrible. I’m already in a place that is lightly way too bright and cheery, surrounded by people in a great mood. This is not the time for a light read. This is the time for escapism and daring and taking risks. Because that is what swimming is for. So, this list is books that I would enjoy reading at the beach, regardless of whether or not they qualify as “beach reads”. To be fair, I would argue that if I’m reading it at a beach, it is by its very definition a beach read, so there. Technicalities.

Fair warning to pee before you read this post, especially if you are out of your 20s. You’re welcome ahead of time. There is going to be a lot of water in this post, and I refuse to be held responsible if it reminds you that you really need to go.

My Friends

Most people don’t even notice them—three tiny figures sitting at the end of a long pier in the corner of one of the most famous paintings in the world. Most people think it’s just a depiction of the sea. But Louisa, an aspiring artist herself, knows otherwise, and she is determined to find out the story of these three enigmatic figures.

Twenty-five years earlier, in a distant seaside town, a group of teenagers find refuge from their bruising home lives by spending long summer days on an abandoned pier, telling silly jokes, sharing secrets, and committing small acts of rebellion. These lost souls find in each other a reason to get up each morning, a reason to dream, a reason to love.

Out of that summer emerges a transcendent work of art, a painting that will unexpectedly be placed into eighteen-year-old Louisa’s care. She embarks on a surprise-filled cross-country journey to learn how the painting came to be and to decide what to do with it. The closer she gets to the painting’s birthplace, the more nervous she becomes about what she’ll find. Louisa is proof that happy endings don’t always take the form we expect in this stunning testament to the transformative, timeless power of friendship and art.

Why it would be a great beach read:

• It’s mostly a book about a painting of a sea.
• (Except it’s really a painting of a pier.)
• (And if you squint and look really close, it’s a painting of three friends.)
• This will absolutely make you cry. But beaches are made for wearing sunglasses, so no one has to know!
• Chilling by the water sunbathing is the best time to read heartwarming books.
• This is about as cozy as it’s going to get, folks. Take it while you can.

A Haunting in the Arctic

A deserted shipwreck off the coast of Iceland holds terrors and dark secrets in this chilling horror novel from the author of The Lighthouse Witches.

The year is 1901, and Nicky is attacked, then wakes on board the Ormen, a whaling ship embarked on what could be its last voyage. With land still weeks away, it’s just her, the freezing ocean, and the crew – and they’re all owed something only she can give them…

Now, over one hundred years later, the wreck of the Ormen has washed up on the forbidding, remote coast of Iceland. It’s scheduled to be destroyed, but explorer Dominique feels an inexplicable pull to document its last days, even though those who have ventured onto the wreck before her have met uncanny ends.

Onboard the boat, Dominique will uncover a dark past riddled with lies, cruelty, and murder–and her discovery will change everything. Because she’ll soon realize she’s not alone. Something has walked the floors of the Ormen for almost a century. Something that craves revenge.

Why it would be a great beach read:

• Odds are it’s too hot out . . . so cool off with a bit of a chillier read.
• When the sun is bright and shiny is the best time to read horror.
• Don’t worry, the beach isn’t haunted. Probably.
• You’re already on a beach, so you don’t have to worry about shipwrecks! Fictional or otherwise.
• No matter how loud it gets around you, this book will hold your attention. Go ahead, ignore the chaos around you!

The House in the Cerulean Sea

A magical island. A dangerous task. A burning secret.

Linus Baker leads a quiet, solitary life. At forty, he lives in a tiny house with a devious cat and his old records. As a Case Worker at the Department in Charge Of Magical Youth, he spends his days overseeing the well-being of children in government-sanctioned orphanages.

When Linus is unexpectedly summoned by Extremely Upper Management he’s given a curious and highly classified assignment: travel to Marsyas Island Orphanage, where six dangerous children reside: a gnome, a sprite, a wyvern, an unidentifiable green blob, a were-Pomeranian, and the Antichrist. Linus must set aside his fears and determine whether or not they’re likely to bring about the end of days.

But the children aren’t the only secret the island keeps. Their caretaker is the charming and enigmatic Arthur Parnassus, who will do anything to keep his wards safe. As Arthur and Linus grow closer, long-held secrets are exposed, and Linus must make a choice: destroy a home or watch the world burn.

An enchanting story, masterfully told, The House in the Cerulean Sea is about the profound experience of discovering an unlikely family in an unexpected place—and realizing that family is yours.

Why it would be a great beach read:

• Your family getting on your nerves? Discover a new magical one that would absolutely adopt you in a heartbeat, no questions asked.
• Has all the coziness of a beach read . . . but better because it has magic!
• The found family vibes will give you the warm fuzzies.
• It’s funny, and who can’t use a good laugh right now?
• There’s an utterly adorable M/M romance between older men.
• It’s literally set on an island. Doesn’t get beachier than that.

Deeplight

The gods are dead. Fifty years ago, they turned on one another and tore each other apart. Nobody knows why. Now, even coin-sized scraps of dead god are worth a fortune because of the strange powers they’re said to possess. But few are brave enough to dive and search for them.

When fifteen-year-old Hark finds the still-beating heart of one of these deities, he’ll risk everything to keep it out of the hands of smugglers, scientists, and cults who would kill for its power. Because Hark needs the heart if he wants to save the life of his best friend, Jelt. But the power of a god was not meant for human hands. With the heart, Jelt begins to eerily transform, and Hark will have to decide if he can stay loyal to his friend—or what he’s willing to sacrifice to save him.

Why it would be a great beach read:

• Swashbuckling adventure or terrifying exploration of the deep unknown? You decide!
• Don’t worry, whatever’s lurking in the deep can’t get you on the beach. Probably.
• The whole culture revolves around the gods that are dead and buried in the deep.
• Lots of exciting underwater exploration. (And you don’t even have to get your hair wet!)

Adrift in Currents Clean and Clear

Nadya had three mothers: the one who bore her, the country that poisoned her, and the one who adopted her.

Nadya never considered herself less than whole, not until her adoptive parents fitted her with a prosthetic arm against her will, seeking to replace the one she’d been missing from birth.

It was cumbersome; it was uncomfortable; it was wrong.

It wasn’t her.

Frustrated and unable to express why, Nadya began to wander, until the day she fell through a door into Belyyreka, the Land Beneath the Lake–and found herself in a world of water, filled with child-eating amphibians, majestic giant turtles, and impossible ships that sailed as happily beneath the surface as on top. In Belyyreka, she found herself understood for who she was: a Drowned Girl, who had made her way to her real home, accepted by the river and its people.

But even in Belyyreka, there are dangers, and trials, and Nadya would soon find herself fighting to keep hold of everything she had come to treasure.

Why it would be a great beach read:

• Very cozy slice of life meant to have a positive message
• A quick, cozy read with a whole Drowned World left to explore
• A society centered around turtles, where the turtle chooses YOU!
• Also, the opportunity to actually ride the turtles
• Above ground more your thing? Try the forest.
• (Dangers abound in the forest. Also, giant frogs. Your mileage may vary.)

Black Leviathan

Beware! A shadow will cover you, larger than that cast by any other dragon of this world. Black as the lightless chasm from whence it was born at the beginning of time.

In the coastal city Skargakar, residents make a living from hunting dragons and use them for everything from clothing to food, while airborne ships hunt them in the white expanse of a cloud sea, the Cloudmere. Lian does his part carving the kyrillian crystals that power the ships through the Cloudmere, but when he makes an enemy of a dangerous man, Lian ships out on the next vessel available as a drachenjager, or dragon hunter. He chooses the wrong ship. A fanatic captain, hunts more than just any dragon. His goal is the Firstborn Gargantuan—and Adaron is prepared to sacrifice everything for revenge.

Why it would be a great beach read:

• A new take on an old classic. (Moby Dick but with dragons!)
• A whole town of seamen . . . but in the sky? Sort of? It’s complicated.
• Just in case water is too wet for you, try a coastal city set in the clouds! With a cloud sea!
• (Note: Cloud seas are not any safer than normal seas. Also may contain monsters.)
• Plenty of action and adventure to get your heart pumping (without, y’know, having to actually leave the super comfy spot you’re sitting in.)
• . . . have I mentioned the dragons?

The Wolf’s Curse

Twelve-year-old Gauge’s life has been cursed since the day he witnessed a Great White Wolf steal his grandpapá’s soul, preventing it from reaching the Sea-in-the-Sky and sailing into eternity. When the superstitious residents of Bouge-by-the-Sea accuse the boy of crying wolf, he joins forces with another orphan to prove his innocence. They navigate their shared grief in a journey that ultimately reveals life-changing truths about the wolf––and death.

Why it would be a great beach read:

• Set in a coastal city, where everything, even funerary rites, rely on the sea.
• Very touching, heartwarming story about grief and healing.
• Super interesting lore that combines wolves (almost as cool as dragons) and sailing.
• Story is narrated by Death . . . who just happens to be a wolf.
• A really whimsical, charming world that’s well fleshed out that you can visit for a while.

In Deeper Waters

Prince Tal has long awaited his coming-of-age tour. After spending most of his life cloistered behind palace walls as he learns to keep his forbidden magic secret, he can finally see his family’s kingdom for the first time. His first taste of adventure comes just two days into the journey, when their crew discovers a mysterious prisoner on a burning derelict vessel.

Tasked with watching over the prisoner, Tal is surprised to feel an intense connection with the roguish Athlen. So when Athlen leaps overboard and disappears, Tal feels responsible and heartbroken, knowing Athlen could not have survived in the open ocean.

That is, until Tal runs into Athlen days later on dry land, very much alive, and as charming—and secretive—as ever. But before they can pursue anything further, Tal is kidnapped by pirates and held ransom in a plot to reveal his rumored powers and instigate a war. Tal must escape if he hopes to save his family and the kingdom. And Athlen might just be his only hope…

Why it would be a great beach read:

• Includes swashbuckling and an adorable queer romance. The best of both worlds!
• Also, pirates. Well . . . kind of.
• Perfect if you like your romance with a dash of adventure and danger.
• Allusions to well-known fairy tales, slipped into the narrative in interesting ways
• Utterly adorable siblings (just in case yours are driving you crazy)

All the Murmuring Bones

Long ago Miren O’Malley’s family prospered due to a deal struck with the Mer: safety for their ships in return for a child of each generation. But for many years the family have been unable to keep their side of the bargain and have fallen into decline. Miren’s grandmother is determined to restore their glory, even at the price of Miren’s freedom.

A spellbinding tale of dark family secrets, magic and witches, and creatures of myth and the sea; of strong women and the men who seek to control them.

Why it would be a great beach read:

• All the murder mermaids you likely won’t find on the beach (and what a shame that is)
• It’s so bright out, you might as well let at least a little bit of darkness in
• Beaches were made for Gothic writing. This is a hill I will die on. Fight me.
• Nothing makes you appreciate a beach trip more than a world that is dark and unforgiving and likely deadly

Knightmare Arcanist

Magic. Sailing. A murderer among heroes.

Gravedigger Volke Savan wants nothing more than to be like his hero, the legendary magical swashbuckler, Gregory Ruma. First he needs to become an arcanist, someone capable of wielding magic, which requires bonding with a mythical creature. And he’ll take anything—a pegasus, a griffin, a ravenous hydra—maybe even a leviathan, like Ruma.

So when Volke stumbles across a knightmare, a creature made of shadow and terror, he has no reservations. But the knightmare knows a terrible secret: Ruma is a murderer out to spread corrupted magic throughout their island nation. He’s already killed a population of phoenixes and he intends to kill even more.

In order to protect his home, his adopted sister, and the girl he admires from afar, Volke will need to confront his hero, the Master Arcanist Gregory Ruma.

Why it would be a great beach read:

• Villains that would be the pirate version of Team Rocket, if they only one super strong Pokémon each
• Swashbuckling plus mythical creatures with super strong magic
• Lots of adventure, betrayal, and backstabbing

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