50 Beach Reads That Won’t Melt Your Brain

June 28th, 2011


When one thinks of beach reads, the usual stereotypes about bodice-ripping romances, bestselling memoirs everyone will forget next year, cliche-ridden genre fare and glistening pink chick lit probably spring to mind. These are all fine, of course, but not everyone out there necessarily enjoys such books. Time at the beach does not have to mean time away from soaking up old and contemporary classics or puking at the thought of another story about a debt-inducing Gucci bag, sparkling vampire or heaving bosom. Some might scoff at the alternatives as more appropriate for English class — and they very well might — but others might think them necessary for a lovely day of sand and sun.
Just remember that book lists such as this are generally pretty arbitrary — one person’s opinion out of several billion. As literature always has been and always will be an incredibly subjective art form, no real "right answers" truly exist.

1. Possession by A.S. Byatt: This haunting romance is as substantial as it is sensual, relaying the story of two academics slowly falling in love over their intense research.
   
2. Rebecca by Daphne Du Maurier: Mystery buffs who’ve never read Rebecca should toss it in their beach bags immediately. Snuggle into the sand and get lost in the story of a woman obsessed with learning the truth about her husband’s mystifying first wife.
   
3. I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou: In this stirring, essential memoir, the former Poet Laureate of the United States comes of age and finds strength and an elegant, poetic voice amidst racism, sexism and abuse.
   
4. The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins: Set amongst the backdrop of a post-Apocalyptic United States, kids are sent out to murder each other for entertainment purposes. Suzanne Collins infuses her beloved young adult narrative with some amazing insight into contemporary attitudes towards dehumanization and a sterling, provocative deconstruction of teen romance.
   
5. Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi: Even audiences leery of graphic novels absolutely adore the often humorous, often tragic story of a young girl growing up during the Iranian Revolution and the hardships she suffers after fleeing to Europe.
   
6. Gone With the Wind by Margaret Mitchell: Despite the unfortunate racial and sexual politics, Gone With the Wind is still considered a classic to be poured over and discussed. Love her or hate her, central ing–nue Scarlett O’Hara makes for a fascinating character study.
   
7. Nectar in a Sieve by Kamala Markandaya: Author Kamala Markandaya pulled from her own experiences to weave this bildungsroman about life as an Indian woman during a period of rampant industrialization.
   
8. A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith: A young girl comes of age in Brooklyn during the early 20th century, navigating internal and external challenges with strength and grace.
   
9. The Joy Luck Club by Amy Tan: Family is a central theme of many popular beach reads, and none capture the triumphs, challenges and heartbreaks like these interweaved narratives of Chinese mothers and their first generation American daughters.
   
10. Like Water for Chocolate by Laura Esquivel: Lost love, family drama and some seriously scrumptious recipes collide in one of the lushest, most beloved examples of magic realism ever published.
    
11. Interpreter of Maladies by Jhumpa Lahiri: This Pulitzer-winning volume of short stories features multiple perspectives from Indians and Indian-Americans, relayed in absolutely gorgeous prose.
    
12. The House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros: Step into the Chicago slums and watch as young Esperanza grows and dreams of carving a more productive life for herself in support of herself and her family alike.
    
13. The Gospel According to Larry by Janet Tashjian: Despite targeting a young adult audience, readers of all ages can walk away from The Gospel According to Larry thinking critically about the prominent role overconsumption and consumerism plays in society.
    
14. The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams: As gut-bustingly hilarious and absurd as it is genuinely provocative (on occasion), this heavily lauded science-fiction work delights even the most ardent genre detractors and makes for a surprisingly excellent beach read.
    
15. Fanny Hill: Memoirs of a Woman of Pleasure by John Cleland: Donate those generic Harlequins and pick up an erotic classic from 1749, which boasts a torrid history of censorship and outrage almost as interesting as the book itself.
    
16. The Stepford Wives by Ira Levin: Considering how often popular escapist media today concerns itself with little more than men, entitlement and fashion, Ira Levin’s scathing satire of arbitrary gender roles remains wholly relevant.
    
17. Oranges are Not the Only Fruit by Jeanette Winterson: Jeanette Winterson’s semi-autobiographical debut novel sees a young woman coming to terms with her lesbianism despite intense pressure from an evangelical environment.
    
18. The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky: Another excellent young adult read, perfectly capturing the isolation and myriad anxieties of adolescence with painstaking sensitivity.
    
19. American Gods by Neil Gaiman: Fantasy aficionados should consider American Gods an essential read on the beach (or anywhere else). Here, deities literally walk the earth and wage war against the technologies and consumption edging them out of favor.
    
20. This is Not Chick Lit edited by Elizabeth Merrick: Readers tired of chick lit cliches will find this anthology of short stories a thoroughly refreshing departure from Jimmy Choos and constant whining about men and commitment.
    
21. Delta of Venus by Anais Nin: Nobody writes whip-smart, breathless erotica and romance like Anais Nin, whose short stories ooze pure sensuality without resorting to exploitation or cheapening.
    
22. The Color Purple by Alice Walker: As both a woman and a minority, protagonist Ceilie faces double marginalization during the Great Depression. But the bombastic Shug Avery opens her up to some brand new ideas and insights about herself and her body that she never thought possible.
    
23. After Dark by Haruki Murakami: Wander the dark streets of Tokyo, visit a lively (and dangerous) love hotel and get lost in a young woman’s drug-induced hallucinations without ever even leaving the beach.
    
24. Then We Came to the End by Joshua Ferris: An unconventional selection for a day in the sand, for certain, but a fascinating one about the last few months of a dying advertising agency.
    
25. Geek Love by Katherine Dunn: For anyone who loves books about families but find themselves bored with the usual tropes, Katherine Dunn delivers an incredibly eloquent tale of carnival grotesques and their twisted, destructive — yet often genuinely heartfelt — love.
    
26. Eleanor Rigby by Douglas Coupland: Until a chance meeting with her long-ago adopted son, protagonist Liz Dunn suffered beneath the crushing despair of loneliness and unfulfillment — but their reunion sparks just as much tragedy as it does inspiration.
    
27. Invisible Monsters by Chuck Palahniuk: Pick up Invisible Monsters for all the fashion and glamour of a more stereotypical beach read, but accompanied by some savage critique about society’s perceptions regarding beauty and identity.
    
28. Valley of the Dolls by Jacqueline Susann: Though shamelessly trashier than almost anything released today, Valley of the Dolls‘ age and melodrama imbues it with a kitschy, campy quality rendering it more amusing than tiresome.
    
29. To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee: An English class staple, Harper Lee’s rightfully lauded, quintessential and distinctly Southern bildungsroman might prove more enjoyable without having to analyze every page.
    
30. A Moveable Feast by Ernest Hemingway: Escape to Paris, encounter some of the most creative and influential "Westerners" and follow along on a rollicking road trip with F. Scott Fitzgerald, courtesy of this blissful memoir.
    
31. Rubyfruit Jungle by Rita Mae Brown: The indomitable Molly Bolt wants to become the world’s most celebrated filmmaker and unapologetically takes charge of her sexuality despite social stigmas against lesbianism.
    
32. Their Eyes were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston: Love and despair mark the life of courageous Janie Crawford, who may very well be one of the strongest female protagonists in American literature.
    
33. The Autobiography of Alice B. Toklas by Gertrude Stein: Gertrude Stein and Alice B. Toklas’ expatriate experiences come to vivid life through this lovely memoir of Europe, art, literature, food and culture.
    
34. The Discworld series by Terry Pratchett: Readers with no real love of the fantasy genre can still enjoy Terry Pratchett’s absolutely delightful, imaginative books, which skewer the absurdities of society and boast some incredibly lively wordplay.
    
35. As She Climbed Across the Table by Jonathan Lethem: As She Climbed Across the Table is the story of a sputtering and dying romance, but given a deliciously postmodern twist involving theoretical physics and a hungry, bizarre structure known as Lack.
    
36. On the Road by Jack Kerouac: Travel alongside the very reluctant progenitor of the Beat movement and get an extended glimpse of America through the eyes of voluntarily fringed individuals.
    
37. The Supermale by Alfred Jarry: When looking for something sexy without the purple prose found in most romance novels, consider Alfred Jarry’s extremely bizarre — yet oddly engaging — story of a very energetic lover and his wondrous lovemaking machine.
    
38. The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood: In a dystopian world, right-wing extremists rule with no mercy and stringent views of male and female behavior, but the rigid social and economic hierarchy proves far too extreme to sustain itself.
    
39. Lucky by Alice Sebold: Far too many writers use rape as cheap drama — or, even worse, a conduit for building romance – oblivious to the actual trauma victims suffer. Author Alice Sebold opens up about her intense physical, mental and emotional pain, resulting addiction issues and eventual treatment in order to illustrate rape’s very real ravages.
    
40. The Day of the Locust by Nathanael West: Plenty of satires about the trashiness lurking behind Hollywood’s glaring, glossy fraud exist, but none so thoroughly well-deserved and appropriately nasty as The Day of the Locust; One of the first, Nathanael West’s novel also happens to be one of the few essential examples of the genre.
    
41. A Confederacy of Dunces by John Kennedy Toole: Despite its size, A Confederacy of Dunces reads extremely quick thanks to its frenetic pacing. It also happens to be one of the most hilarious books in the English language — more than enough to keep coastal visits light without compromising on quality.
    
42. The Feminine Mystique by Betty Friedan: The antidote to the seemingly endless surge of novels about designer clothes, catty friends and sexy rich dudes, this influential essential reminds female and male readers that there’s much, much more to life. If nothing else, pick it up for history’s sake.
    
43. Walden by Henry David Thoreau: Henry David Thoreau may have exaggerated some elements of Walden, but the overarching theme of communing with the Earth works gels nicely with many different natural settings.
    
44. Ceremony by Leslie Marmon Silko: A POW returns to the Laguna Pueblo Reservation after World War II, tormented by PTSD and rejection from both his Native American and Caucasian relatives.
    
45. White Teeth by Zadie Smith: Relax while simultaneously feeding the mind with Zadie Smith’s explosive debut, tackling gender, society, politics, history and plenty of other subjects in need of exploration.
    
46. Island of the Blue Dolphins by Scott O’Dell: Adventure buffs with a particular interest in survival tales have to throw Island of the Blue Dolphins into their beach bags. Scott O’Dell penned this enduring young adult novel after the startling true story of a marooned Nicoleno woman inspired him.
    
47. Naked by David Sedaris: Most of David Sedaris’ oeuvre would make for excellent beach, pool or anytime reading, but this particular essay collection blends heartbreak, awkwardness, family and presents it in an incredibly hilarious package.
    
48. Silent Spring by Rachel Carson: There’s no better way to enjoy an historically significant expose on corporate greed and ecological abuse than on a secluded, unspoiled beach.
    
49. Assassination Vacation by Sarah Vowell: Education and entertainment merge as celebrated memoirist, social observer and essayist Sarah Vowell travels from presidential assassination site to presidential assassination site, providing insight into American mindset.
    
50. The Diamond Age by Neal Stephenson: The cyberpunk master delivers a fun, twisty sci-fi narrative about class and gender issues in a manner both compelling and adventurous.