You’ll Enjoy These Beach Reads Anywhere

When you think beach read, you probably think of a flimsy paperback with equally gossamer characters, plot, and prose. But the next book you bring to the beach doesn’t have to be bought in the airport and left in the Airbnb when you’re done. It can be your next favorite book, something you’ll return to time and again in the future, far from the trip’s destination.

For this week’s You Might Like, we asked The Persistent staff and contributors for beach read recs that you can enjoy on or off the beach. Whether you’re craving something meaty to dig into (metaphorically, of course) or something light and breezy, these books will have you reading and discussing long after you’ve brushed the sand away. Just make sure to protect the contents from rogue waves.

I spent last week at the beach with some friends and we all read and discussed the amazing book “John of John” by Douglas Stuart. The main character, Cal, is a gay 20-something who returns from university to his isolated island hometown in Scotland, where the main occupations are sheepherding, fishing, and weaving. That may not sound too exciting, but Cal has many secrets, as does his father and his father’s best friend. Really, the book is about relationships – and repression, religion, betrayal, loyalty, and love. The writing is so beautiful and the character development so well done that I’m recommending it to everyone. Our group ended up loving it so much that we spent evenings reading our favorite parts aloud with our cocktails! — Paula Derrow, features editor

My favorite recent beach read is "Surreal Spaces: The Life and Art of Leonora Carrington" by Joanna Moorhead. I wanted to read a book about a female artist that was also written by a woman. Moorhead is a cousin of Carrington, and they became close before Carrington's death. I think this relationship lends a unique perspective and sense of intimacy to the book. I loved learning about the artist's life, and how she, and other women, navigated the Surrealist movement. Bonus: The author includes tons of images of artwork, which tells much of Carrington's story. The only downside is that I was pretty scared of messing up the beautiful book, so I had to protect it with plastic bags and towels! — Jenny Kroik, contributing illustrator

If you’re looking for something to completely submerge yourself in, “Our Wives Under The Sea” by Julia Armfield fits the bill. When Miri’s wife Leah returns from a months-long submarine expedition with unexplainable physical symptoms, they have to figure out how to bridge the distance between them. There’s not much representation of lesbians navigating trauma unrelated to their queerness, and Armfield’s debut novel does just that, with a deep sea twist. — Han Goldstein, social media editor

My current beach read is anything by Elizabeth Strout. I picked up "Oh William!" from the Strand's discount rack a few months ago and just finished "The Things We Never Say." Strout is so tender in her storytelling and so thoughtful in the way she creates characters. And yet, her writing feels effortless, washing over you in a way that feels both light and profound at the same time. These novels are sweet and moving and funny and biting. I can't stop thinking about them. — Josie Cox, founding editor

The thriller “Rabbit Hole” by Mark Billingham is narrated from the perspective of Alice, a police officer who is now a long-term patient in an acute psychiatric ward. Then again, the reader has to wonder if Alice is just imagining that she was a police officer. I found myself trying to guess what was really going on until literally the very last page of the book, which is telling because I am always the person who predicts the plot of everything well before it develops! — Caroline Fairchild, contributing writer. Her weekly series, Leadership On New Terms, features conversations with the leaders dismantling the traditional career ladder and creating a path of their own.

What’s your favorite beach read? Send it our way at [email protected] and we may include it in an Instagram post! We'll be back with more recommendations next Friday.

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