Great Beach Reads

There’s nothing like sitting on the beach with a good book. Imagine it: a cool breeze fluttering, waves crashing on the hot sand, the sun sending its rays to warm your body. You are there enjoying the moment with a good book in your hands.

It’s not a time for deep thought. It’s a time to rest your brain, take a deep breath and relax.

Just thinking about it lowers my blood pressure.

It doesn’t have to be the beach. It might be the mountains. It might be your front porch or your back yard. The only requirement is an afternoon with no interruptions and a book that doesn’t require a lot of brainpower.

Dreaming in English by Laura Fitzgerald

Do you believe in love at first site? What about after a few chance meetings at the local Starbucks? What about when your tourist visa is about to expire and you’re expected to head back to Iran – back to a life of fear and repression?

Tami didn’t mean to fall in love with a born and bred American. Her family had arranged several suitable Iranian-American men for her to meet and marry so she could stay in the U.S. None of those panned out and she thought for sure she was going back to Iran. Luckily, she met Ike, a happy-go-lucky American who loved her as much as she loved him. Off they went to Las Vegas to get married.

Turns out, it takes more than true love and a marriage certificate to satisfy the immigration officers, not to mention Ike’s parents. Tami and Ike set out to prove their love to all the forces working against them -- Ike’s mother, Tami’s former suitors, Ike’s former lover, the dreaded immigration officer and finally the judge who will decide if she can stay.

For a girl who has always done what she’s told out of respect for her family or out of fear from the Government, Tami learns freedom comes at a price. She must learn to speak up for herself and fight for her piece of the American dream. She digs deep and finds the strength to keep her family and new love together.

Black Heels to Tractor Wheels by Ree Drummond

Ree Drummond does it all – blogger, photographer, cook, home-school mom of four, wife, daughter, sister, rancher. She shares it all on her wildly successful blog The Pioneer Woman.

At some point during her blogging, she started sharing the story of her romance with Marlboro Man (her nickname for her husband). Her readers loved it and wanted more. This book tells the whole story of how she went back to Oklahoma for a short visit and ended up, literally, trading her black heels for cowboy boots.

It’s a sweet and happy story. She was a city girl. Even while growing up, her parents lived on a golf course. She spent several years in Los Angeles and was a proud, sushi-eating vegetarian. Her next move was supposed to be to Chicago. The apartment was leased, the date was set. But... Marlboro Man asked her to stay. Her brain was confused, but the butterflies in her heart told her to stay.

There were a few bumps and glitches along the way and Drummond keeps us laughing as she describes them in detail. She’s honest. She doesn’t describe the perfect life, she describes a real one. That’s why people love her. She just tells it like it is.

Major Pettigrew’s Last Stand by Helen Simonson

Adorable. This book is simply adorable. It touches on all the things we love to hate about British culture, but in a way that makes us love it all the same.

Retired Major Pettigrew is the quintessential British gentleman. He belongs to the right clubs and knows the right people. His life as a widower is one of consistency in a small British village. His routines are disrupted when he befriends a widow who runs the local grocery store. (Not only is she an entrepreneur, but she’s also foreign!) Mrs. Ali is of Pakistani descent, certainly not one of his group, but he so enjoys her company.

Social and familial pressures disrupt their friendship and his life – her overbearing in-laws, his son and his brash American girlfriend, his sister-in-law who refuses to give him what is his, and the upper crust of the village social circle.

Their relationship survives, of course. (Beach reads only have happy endings.) Major Pettigrew takes a stand against the forces keeping him away from his Mrs. Ali and in the end, they find love where they weren’t even looking.

Comfort Food by Kate Jacobs

Gus thought her life was under control. She had successfully provided for herself and her daughters after her husband died years earlier. Her popular cooking show had made her something of a household name. Her daughters weren’t without their issues, but Gus thought she could “fix” their problems. After all, her life was epitome of control and order. Certainly someone with her experience had a little wisdom to offer.

What Gus didn’t know was that her cooking show was in trouble. Viewers wanted more “reality” with younger more exciting chefs. Her producer throws her together with a former beauty queen who is desperate for her own show. Gus invites her daughters and neighbor to be apart of the act and they all do a little “reality” cooking. The viewers love it and demand for more.

While learning to adapt to new environments and new people, Gus realizes she needs to become more flexible with her life. Her daughters no longer need the strong, steadfast mother that helped them deal with the loss of their father. Gus learns to show a softer side to her audience and changes the direction of her cooking program. In the midst of all this change, Gus finds unexpected romance sitting right under her nose. (Yes, beach reads always have romance.)

It’s an easy read that reminds us that life doesn’t just march forward in one direction. There are twists and turns, jumps and starts along the way that help us grow.

It’s been a long, cold winter, but summer is coming soon!

Soon it will be time to relax and enjoy the sun.

Soon you can sit and enjoy a long read.

Soon you will find a moment to lose yourself in someone else’s story that is sure to have a happy ending.

Enjoy!