Summer Beach Reading List
By: Jasmine Greene |
Tuesday June 03, 2008 |
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Hot, lazy days of summer.. |
| For those who are looking to relax a bit from swimming in the water but don’t want to just sunbathe, reading is a great option because you: can still sunbathe and you stay entertained. Probably the hardest choice for a reader is choosing the books to bring to the beach. You don’t want something too dark because it’ll bring down the lazy summer atmosphere but you still want to be entertained. Well, look no further because we’ve compiled just the right list for the astute beach goers. Wicked – Gregory Maguire Ok, so it’s a little deep, but it’s a great retelling of The Wizard of Oz and shows you who the Wicked Witch was, as well as Glinda, and the true politics surrounding Oz. There’s plenty of political intrigue, some romance, and of course there’s Dorothy who doesn’t really show up until the end of the book. It’s insightful and enjoyable although Maguire’s writing can be a bit heavy-handed at times. Confessions of a Shopaholic – Sophie Kinsella It’s just one of those delightful chick lit books where you can really sympathize with the character. Sure you may not have as big of a problem as she does, but we all know what it’s like to have some bills pile up. That’s why we’re at the beach after all, to get away from the creditors. It’s cute, has romance, and is a very easy read. Even if you don’t like chick lit, Becky will certainly charm you. Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy – Douglas Adams The first book in this inaccurately named trilogy (there are five books in total) is a great way to view the zaniness of this world. You don’t get more than a couple pages into the book until Earth is already destroyed. These things happen. It’s witty and is a science fiction story through and through with improbable feats of technology run on tea. It’s a great ride and you’ll come to enjoy the company of the entire cast, even Marvin. Enchantment – Orson Scott Card From the guy that brought you one of the best sci-fi stories in history, here is a ‘realistic’ retelling of the fairy tale Sleeping Beauty. It’s set in a magical Russia and history, mythology, and romance are all intertwined in the story. In one part of the story, the main character muses that ‘…no one wants to live through a Russian Fairy Tale…’ With Baba Yaga as the enemy and various magics afoot, it’s only a matter of time before the ancient Russia and the modern world collide. The Rule of Four - Ian Caldwell, Dustin Thomason If you enjoyed the Da Vinci Code, you’ll definitely like this book that is wrought with mysteries and of course the search to find the greatest treasure of all time. Students begin to find clues in an old diary about where all the paintings that had been previously destroyed were placed. They begin to solve the mystery slowly, but this in turn leads to consequences they couldn’t even imagine. A great thriller and adventure. MicroSerfs - Douglas Coupland Truly a book for the generation of computer geeks out there, and we know we all are. It’s about the relationships of a group of people that work at Microsoft and what they hate about their jobs. Everyone is pretty maladjusted to social interaction, but they’re coding is on point. The story is funny and heart warming as the story moves away from the sterilized office interactions to the raw emotions. |
