For a deeper dive into how beach reads got this reputation and some of their most common characteristics, take a peek at this essay on what makes a book a beach read. Generally speaking, beach reads are books that are considered good, fast fodder for that summer trip to the shore. Compelling? Sure. Unputdownable? Absolutely! But cerebral? Serious? Thought-provoking? Usually not. Happily, that doesn’t have to be the case. There are so many incredible new releases that you might take with you to the beach (or wherever you find yourself when you’re looking for your next book to devour) that have some serious ideas at their core. If you’re looking for some conventionally light summer reads, check out this list of “feel-good” books. Conversely, if you want a dense, lengthy tome to dedicate some serious time to, check out this post on anti-beach reads. And just in case you happened upon this page because you were hoping for some books that actually feature beaches in them, take a look at this list of books that will transport you to the beach.
Black Cake by Charmaine Wilkerson Homicide and Halo-Halo by Mia P. Manansala Olga Dies Dreaming by Xochitl Gonzalez Siren Queen by Nghi Vo This Way Out by Tufayel Ahmed Yerba Buena by Nina Lacour Yinka, Where is Your Huzband? by Lizzie Damilola Blackburn
