I love to walk the beach and search for new book titles from my fellow beach lovers. For a few years, Colleen Hoover books were everywhere, but this year the covers are more diverse. In fact, no Hoover covers at all. Also, I am happy to report to seeing more books than e-readers even though statistics show an increase in Kindle sales in 2023 and 2024.
Book Whisperer walks the beach looking at what others are reading
What books did I see in readers’ hands?
Romantasy, a blend of romance and fantasy, is popular. I have not read Sarah J. Maas The Court of Thorn and Roses series, but the vivid book covers were numerous, especially book one and A Court of Frost and Starlight (book four). Twilight by Stephenie Meyer caused me to do a double take when it was in the hands of a woman who was older than my own parents.
If Thriller is your genre of choice, check out Ruth Ware books. Her 2022 release, The It Girl, is available in paperback, and a young woman reading it was sharing a passage with her companion.
A young man sitting behind me had just started reading Mister Magic by Kiersten White. He could not recommend it yet but said the story line was holding his attention.
I wondered about the occupation of the young woman reading The Teacher by Frieda McFadden. Was she a teacher on summer break?
Most book covers were from my favorite genres, Contemporary Fiction and Romance. Two books I can recommend are This Heart of Mine (Chicago Stars series book four) by Susan Elizabeth Phillips Chicago Series previous recommendation and Ayesha At Last by Uzma Jalaluddin. The reader of Ayesha was a friend of the Mister Magic reader, and we discussed the best Pride and Prejudice retellings. She was surprised to learn Ayesha is a Muslim retelling, and it is excellent.
Abby Jimenez‘s The Happily Ever After Playlist is the perfect blend of romance, comedy and spice. The Queen of the Beach Read, Elin Hilderbrand, was well represented; one woman spent the week reading The Identicals. Yes, I noticed when walking passed her each day. My daughter gushed with another vacationer about The Do Over by Lynn Painter. Thanks to their excitement, the book moved closer to the top of my “To Be Read” list.
My friend brought Matthew Perry’s memoir, Friends, Lovers and the Big, Terrible Thing to the beach for the second summer. Reading is not his favorite pastime, however, when he turned the last page, he said he highly recommends it!
Stuff your pool or beach bag with these recommendations and others from your local library or independent bookstore.
Linda Sullivan is an avid reader and wants to make you one, too. For more recommendations or just to talk books, reach out to her at thebookwhisperertn@gmail.com. She can also be found @thebookwhisperertn on Instagram.
