This is my very first time participating in the Top Ten Tuesday! Are you excited for me? It's ok, you don't have to be. I'm excited enough for the both of us.
Since this is my first time there is a chance that I will commit some sort of book blogging faux pas.*
I don't believe that beach reads necessarily have to be easily digestible books. I don't think that reading a big fat classic while sand is getting into all of your crannies is great either. I've tried to pick some books in betwixt the two extremes.
Here are the books that I think would be a great addition to any beach bag:
The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry - This book will be on every list of books I ever make EVER. It's that good.
Lost Lake by Sarah Addison Allen - This takes place on a lake so it's kinda a no-brainer.
Love Water Memory by Jennie Shortridge - Another easy pick...it's a good book that starts out in water.
Ella Minnow Pea by Mark Dunn - This backlist title hasn't been shown nearly enough love. It's absolutely perfect for word nerds.
*Such as choosing only 5 books for the Top Ten Tuesday. Ha!
Have a good one, ya'll!
I'm so glad I had the perfect excuse to use this gif.
I'd be that odd person on the beach reading War & Peace. Heh. When people ask me for beach-read recommendations, I always think, "As opposed to...?"
ReplyDeleteHa ha! Love that :D I've never subscribed to the idea that we're supposed to read fluff in the summer. I just don't get it.
DeleteYou may have only picked five but I've just added The Storied Life of A.J Fikry and Ella Minnow Pea to my wishlist so you've not done too badly :-p they sound amazing!
ReplyDeleteThat's great to hear! I completely vouch for both of them...GREAT reads.
DeleteThey should title it "up to 10 Top 10 Tuesday!" I can usually only pick out 3.
ReplyDeleteLOL, maybe we need a new meme, Heidi ;)
DeleteI totally agree with the rules for your list - I tend to hate the thought that books need to be soft and fluffy just because they're going in a beach bag.
ReplyDeleteYou and me both. I just read what I read and the season has very little to do with it. I might read something spooky in October because I want to tie it in with Halloween but I don't think we need to read complete brain candy just because it's warm out ;)
DeleteI'll definitely be reading A.J. Fikry this summer!
ReplyDeleteHooray! I'm sure you'll adore it :D
DeleteI really want to read The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry! And Lost Lake also made my list this week ;)
ReplyDeleteGreat list! My TTT
Wonderful, I sure hope that you do read Fikry, it's bookishly wonderful!
DeleteI love that you included Jaws. Perfect.
ReplyDeleteAnd don't worry, I often do Top Tens with less than ten.
I think a summer readalong of Jaws would be kinda brilliant...hmmmm.
DeleteThanks! I'm glad I'm not the only one!
I'm new to Top Ten, too. But I didn't manage one this week, because I can't get pass being grumpy that Missouri is a very long way from the beach.
ReplyDeleteJoy's Book Blog
We have zillions of lakes around here ;) I'm sure it's quite different from the oceanic beach but still.
DeleteAgreed, Ella Minnow Pea is great and does not get enough love. Oddly enough I did read Jaws at the beach then went swimming: jumping when something touched my leg and scanning the horizon for fins.
ReplyDeleteAnother Ella Minnow Pea lover, I'm so glad!
DeleteI totally have the Jaws theme music in my head now ;) Dun Dun Dun Dun Dun!
I'm going to have to check out "Ella Minnow Pea"! I like the Top Ten Tuesday, but sometimes I need to take a break because I feel like my lists can get repetitive.
ReplyDeleteThe books I put on my list aren't fluff, but they are on the shorter side and the copies I have are paperbacks! Better than lugging around clunky hardcovers, especially when we might be lugging around my new baby niece at the beach this year ;)
I was looking ahead at TTT themes. Some of them look like they'll be fun and some look like a lot of work, lol.
DeleteA new baby niece! Oh, fun! I love being an aunt so much :D Congrats!
Love Water Memory is a great book! These are some great picks!
ReplyDeleteThanks :D I was a fan of that one and I think the watery theme really fits in here.
DeleteWelcome to TTT! The beauty of TTT is that you don't have to commit to ten. You can do more than ten, less than ten...just shoot for ten :)
ReplyDeleteAlso, your gif is a winner.
My TTT
I love that we can do whatever the heck we want, lol. Thanks!!
DeleteGreat list!!! Although, I'm not sure I'd be comfortable reading Jaws on the shore? Especially a shore where I HAVE SEEN SHARKS??? LOL
ReplyDeleteI forgot Lost Lake. I may have to add that to my bag, if I don't read it by the time we go to the beach.
I don't live anywhere near the ocean so Jaws isn't quite as dangerous to read, lol. The only thing that touches me in the lake might be a weed, ha! Those gross me out.
DeleteAJ Fikry! Prime choice!
ReplyDeleteRight? Right! I'm on a mission to make everyone in the world read that book :D
DeleteI read Jaws last summer. It was a great read but one of the story lines was very different from the movie and I actually prefer the direction the movie went instead. A first!
ReplyDeleteBTW, I saw your post on FB about the accident. Are you okay? How are you doing?
Wow, that's a very rare happening! I should read the book and watch the movie in quick succession to see what I notice. It's been a long time since I've done either.
DeleteI'm good! Very sore, but it could have been so much worse. Thanks for asking! :D
Bahahaha! Love your faux pas and the GIF. AJ Fikry is the perfect summer beach read...even if you don't end up going to the beach. Hope you're feeling better!
ReplyDeleteThank you ;) I'm full of faux pas, believe you me! Ha!
DeleteThink of it this way...you are giving people extra time to read more Top Ten Tuesday posts than they might have if you listed ten books. :)
ReplyDeleteI'm going to go look up Ella Minnow Pea. Thanks for the recommendation!
Hey, that's a good way to look at it! :D
DeleteAwesome! It's such a good read, I hope you find it!
Welcome to TTT! I have to read Jaws one day. Great list!
ReplyDeleteThanks! I've been eyeing this meme up since I started blogging and I finally decided to go for it :D
DeleteI do like the idea of reading Jaws at the beach, good luck with that :P
ReplyDeleteIt's kinda perfect for beach reading. I'm itching to do just that!
DeleteOh gosh, I do not thing I could do Jaws on the beach! My sister is terrified of sharks, so I think she would also hate it!
ReplyDeleteMuahahaha! I have no feeling towards sharks, but that's probably because I've never been in an ocean ;)
DeleteYou always have the best gifs! I saw the HP one at work and laughed so hard my coworker came to check on me... Three out of your five are on my TBR pile... None of those are JAWS. Because I don't need more nightmares!
ReplyDeleteHa ha ha! Hooray for interrupting the work day for a good laugh!
DeleteGreat list! I also don't get the lighter read things for summer though I have gotten somewhat seasonal. I like lighter reads during winter because my job is insane crazy stressful during that time and winter's in Iowa are brutal. I crave the escape. Summer seems like the time of year I have the brain power to tackle some heavier reads.
ReplyDeleteAh, that makes sense. Your reading seasons are different than most, which I totally dig!
DeleteYou and your gifs! They crack me up! I will never forget reading The Road on the beach. Talk about TOTAL opposite experiences - nuclear winter versus the heat of the sun. And I won't mention the cannibals. I agree that summer reads should not be just lighter fare. I think we should challenge our minds as we work on our tans. :D
ReplyDeleteIt's fun when you can recall WHEN and WHERE you read some books, yes? I seem to have forever linked mowing with Stephen King audios...
DeleteI do like reading wintery books during the summer because the heat and I don't get along. I think I was meant for colder climes. Heck, I'm in Wisconsin. You can't get more north unless you move out of the country and into Canada. But our summers are disgustingly humid and I HATE IT. So, yeah. Cool books in the summer is the way to go :D
DeleteI'm with you, a summer or beach read doesn't have to be light. Personally I don't get out in the sun or beach much, and I live in FL!! I'm too old and get too hot..ha ha. Great choices, lots of variety!
ReplyDeleteYour GIF!! too funny!!!
Anita, I'm with you! If I'm on a beach it's usually under a pavilion or umbrella ;) The sun is NOT my friend.
DeleteI'm totally with you -- just because I'm at a beach doesn't mean I want to read fluff, but I also don't want to tote around Anna Karenina. Gone Girl was my lake read a few years ago, and it fit the bill perfectly!
ReplyDeleteOhhh yeah, I can see how Gone Girl would be a great beach book!
DeleteLove Water Memory! I almost added that one to my post of to-reads this summer. (And you absolutely have committed no faux pas! Faux pases? See now I have.)
ReplyDeleteFaux passes? LOL, I don't know! I hope you do get to Love Water Memory. It's an interesting premise.
DeleteBeach reads a label that I use for purely fluffy reading, because I hate the sun, and I hate the beach even more. (Probably because I grew up in Florida) :) Ironically Jaws was on my list as well. :)
ReplyDeleteThat's also what I think of when the term beach reads comes up. Fluffy fluff. Like Danielle Steele fluff, ha.
DeleteUgh, I have had Ella Minnow Pea on my tbr FOREVEH. Someday...
ReplyDeleteIt's SO good. It's short and sweet too...hint hint!
DeleteOh, I don't know this meme--I'll have to try to remember it for next week! I have been meaning to read AJ Fikry--tried and failed to get a book club to select it. Weirdly, sometimes they don't follow my recs. :)
ReplyDeleteA lot of my blogger pals participate in this one. I don't know why I put it off for so long!
DeleteHow dare they disregard your picks! ;) Seriously though, they really missed out by not choosing Fikry. It's excellent.
That gif... I just don't know what to think... LOL!!
ReplyDeleteHa ha ha! It never fails to make me giggle :D
DeleteI haven't read any of these! I agree that beach reading doesn't have to be easily digestible. I just wish I were going on vacation some point soon! Summer is often the busiest time in the office for me.
ReplyDeleteI wouldn't mind a vacation either. Sigh ;) We took a family trip to Florida this winter but I could use a RELAXING vacation ;)
DeleteBA HA HA... I was going to comment on the post but the gif erased everything out of my head :)
ReplyDeleteLOL! That's funny and totally understandable. It does the same to me ;)
DeleteOnly five books? You will probably be shunned! But that GIF is hysterical so you may be forgiven.
ReplyDeleteI keep expecting the book community to exclude me from their ranks ;) Thank goodness for ridiculous Harry Potter gifs!
DeleteFirst time I've come across Ella Minnow Pea - sounds totally up my alley - thanks!
ReplyDeleteI hope you read it! It's such a great read :D
DeleteThanks for your beach reads recommendations. May I ask for a winter reads recommendation? :D
ReplyDeleteI keep on picking up Lost Lake in store and then putting it down again. Not sure about it yet.
You can read these in the winter as well, I promise!! ;) Lost Lake is a nice breezy read, I think you'd enjoy it.
DeleteLMAO that gif. Ella Minnow Pea is a great pick!! I really need to get my own copy of that book, I liked it a lot.
ReplyDeleteI have to thank you for leading me to that book! I hadn't ever heard of it before you mentioned it. On your blog? On mine, in the comments? I don't remember but THANK YOU. :D
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