In celebration of July 4th and all of summer’s fun activities, I asked a few Lee & Low authors and staff members what their favorite beach reads are. I’m sure it was difficult to pick just three, but here’s what they came up with:
Don Tate, author of It Jes’ Happened, says: “Reading here has been slow lately. But here’s what’s tops on my summer reading list, books written by friends and critique partners in my local writing community.”
- Laugh With The Moon by Shana Burg
- Chronal Engine by Greg Leitich Smith
- Think Big by Liz Garton Scanlon
Jaclyn DeForge, our Resident Literacy Expert, explains why she made her choices:“During the summer, despite my best intentions, I seldom actually make it to the beach, so here are my favorite travel-centric reads that help me imagine I’m on vacation.”
- A Sense of Direction: Pilgrimage for the Restless and the Hopeful by Gideon Lewis-Krauss
- The Sex Lives of Cannibals: Adrift in the Equatorial Pacific by J. Maarten Troost
- The Lacuna by Barbara Kingsolver
Maryann Yin, Lee & Low marketing intern, explains: “For me, a good beach read is something that is relaxing, yet humorous. Books that inspire real laugh-out-loud laughter can really uplift your mood.”
- Cat Girl’s Day Off by Kimberly Pauley
- Good in Bed by Jennifer Weiner
- Dash & Lily’s Book of Dares by Rachel Cohn & David Levithan
Bryce Moore, author of Vodnik, has a list which ranges from 80’s pop culture (he’s a huge fan of pop culture), to a world where people can hear each other’s thoughts and a middle grade novel he devoured as a child and still loves as an adult:
- Ready Player One by Ernest Cline
- The Knife of Never Letting Go by Patrick Ness
- The City of Ember by Jeanne DuPrau
Kimberly Pauley, author of Cat Girl’s Day Off, includes an Austen (of course!) in the books that make her happy:
- A Countess Below Stairs by Eva Ibbotson
- Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen
- Any Xanth book by Piers Anthony (“for the punny!”)
Beth Lo, author of Auntie Yang’s Great Soybean Picnic, responds: “I love memoirs! Although these are not books that I have read on the beach anywhere, they are some good ones that I’ve read over the last few years.”
- The Hare with Amber Eyes: A Hidden Inheritance by Edmund de Waal
- Among Flowers: A Walk in the Himalaya by Jamaica Kincaid
- Don’t Let’s Go To the Dogs Tonight: An African Childhood by Alexandra Fuller
And our very own Hannah shared her list which ranges from a light, happy read to a calm-inducing and engrossing fantasy, to a collection of short stories that are a quick read yet always make her think.
- Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins
- The Scorpio Races by Maggie Stiefvater
- Nine Stories by J. D. Salinger
What a wonderful and diverse collection of beach reads! What do your Top Three Beach Reads look like? We’d love to know!
