The Library Vault

One of the best things about living in Connecticut is living near enough to so many beaches within an hour’s drive. As a child of the Midwest, I’m perpetually amazed by all the things we can do while living in our tiny state. We can reach both New York City and Boston within two hours. We can hike in the mountains. We can hang on the beach. We have more family activities than you can shake a stick at. It’s a fabulous state for a staycation.

While beach outings top my list of favorite summer activities, beach reads make the top five. Most of us can’t go to the beach every day, but we can read books that keep us in a beachy state of mind all summer long. They can even give you ideas for your next vacation or staycation. Below are some of my favorite beach reads.

Any Book by Emily Henry

My colleague, Briana, got me reading my first Emily Henry novel in her post It’s Summer (Reading Season!) where she highlights the #1 New York Times bestseller Happy Place by Emily Henry — which also made it to our Tournament of Books second round. I haven’t stopped reading books by Emily Henry since. Henry specializes in summer-themed, lightly romantic plots involving intellectual adults (like librarians and literary agents) on coasts and in small towns. One of her books is actually called Beach Read. Another goes by the title, People We Meet on Vacation. Happy Place is set on the coast of Maine. Funny Story, which stars a children’s librarian like me, may take place in Michigan, but it’s on the Northern Michigan coastal area which feels like an actual ocean beach.

Note: if you’re (understandably) a skeptic of the concept of a Midwestern coastal resort area, I can tell you as an ex-Midwesterner and ex-Californian that resort towns like Duluth, Minnesota, have a remarkably authentic costal vibe.

While my favorite Emily Henry book thus far remains Happy Place, I’ve also greatly enjoyed Book Lovers and Funny Story. Check back with me by the end of September and I can for sure tell you which Henry book is the best in my professional opinion. Don’t let long hold lists get you down: Russell Library owns multiple copies of bestselling books, and we prioritize our own cardholders for our books. Despite being 250th on the official hold list for Funny Story, I received a copy in a week.

Anything by Elin Hilderbrand

I also discovered Elin Hilderbrand thanks to Russell Library. Several years back, we began displaying New York Times bestselling novels by themselves in our lobby. After eyeing the cover of The Hotel Nantucket for weeks while I walked past it several times a day, I finally picked it up and loved it. Hilderbrand has the gift of taking difficult subject matters like cancer, war, and death and weaving an uplifting experience out of their stories. For Russell’s Mystery! book group last year, we read her book The Perfect Couple because it combined an investigation of a mysterious death with a beach read.

I haven’t picked up an Elin Hilderbrand novel that I didn’t enjoy. Summer of ’69 combined American history and cultural analysis (of the 1960s) with a beach read and family drama. If you liked the movie Same Time Next Year with Alan Alda and Ellen Burstyn, you will probably enjoy Hilderbrand’s book 28 Summers. If you enjoy Grand Hotel or dinner party-themed movies and books, then pick up The Hotel Nantucket. There’s a Hilderbrand for all tastes. She has explored so many themes within one tiny island.

Beach-themed Murders

If you need a nice, cozy murder in your book to relax, don’t worry. Those exist, too. Russell’s Mystery! book group is reading Murder on Cape Cod by Maddie Day. I chose it because of the classic New England setting, with the hope of learning about a place I have yet to actually visit. True to my hopes, the book features a small town on Cape Cod with a lot of local flavor and a village vibe. Sadly, the village is fictional (I confess I had to look that up), but the atmosphere is real. Sadly, the village is fictional (I confess I had to look that up), but the atmosphere is real.

The lead character is a strong yet kind female business owner with family and friends all over the cape. Next on my list from the series: Murder at the Lobstah Shack. I just can’t resist hot lobster rolls.

Next week, be sure to check back at The Library Vault for an excellent pairing with beach reads: a blog post about books and rosé by our librarian-sommelier, Wine & Words author The Shan. Because what goes better with the beach than Rosé All Day?