The 50 Best beach reads
Whether it’s up-and-coming young authors or heavyweight classics you’re after, Sophie Morris finds the books to occupy your mind while bronzing your body
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.The experts:
Rebecca Armstrong Features editor of The Independent and i, independent.co.uk
Janine Cook eBooks promotions manager for Waterstones bookstores, waterstones.com
Rachel Feldberg Director of Ilkley Literature Festival, ilkleyliteraturefestival.org.uk
Joanna de Guia Owner of east London’s Victoria Park Books, victoriaparkbooks.co.uk
Fiction:
Doubleday, £14.99
“Joyce’s second novel is another affecting read, both charming and dark, dealing with class and mental illness,” says Janine. “She creates characters you care about.”
Simon & Schuster, £14.99
“The Son is epic, spanning 500 pages and 200 years of an American family and the history of Texas,” says Janine. “It remains intimate despite the big sweeping themes.”
Where’d You Go, Bernadette by Maria Semple
Phoenix, £7.99
“Refreshing, honest and witty,” according to Janine, “this novel about motherhood zips and fizzes along, from start to end.”
Blood & Beauty by Sarah Dunant
Virago, £16.99
“Dunant’s skilled portrait of one of history’s most infamous families, the Borgias, has intrigue and passion by the bucket-load,” says Janine.
Canongate, £12.99
“This life-affirming novel features an alien in the body of a Cambridge maths professor,” says Janine. “Funny, brilliant and wonderful.”
Ocean at the End of the Lane by Neil Gaiman
Headline, £16.99
“A dark fable from a master storyteller,” says Janine. “Its power is in the seamless blending of magical elements and the real world.”
Instructions for a Heatwave by Maggie O’Farrell
Tinder Press, £18.99
“A beautifully observed, claustrophobic study of a family unravelling during the summer of 1976,” says Rachel.
The Hired Man by Aminatta Forna
Bloomsbury, £16.99
“Writing that cleanses your palate,” says Janine. “The storytelling draws you into the Croatian village where Duro Kolak hides from the past.
Beautiful Ruins by Jess Walter
Viking, £8.99
When a sick Hollywood starlet turns up at an Italian coastal resort in 1962, the encounter will not be settled for decades. Sparkling and heartbreaking.
The Orphan Choir by Sophie Hannah
Hammer, £9.99
“A thriller that will make every parent’s heart lurch,” says Rachel. “With her son away at boarding school, Louise starts to lose track of reality.”
Non-fiction/biography:
Gossip From the Forest: The Tangled Roots of Our Forests and Fairytales by Sara Maitland
Granta, £9.99
“A montage of forests and fairy stories to return to time and time again,” enthuses Rachel.
1913: The World Before the Great War by Charles Emmerson
Bodley Head, £25
“Emmerson lays bare the links between seemingly disparate countries and economies 100 years ago to portray a global world,” says Rachel.
Confronting the Classics: Traditions, Adventures and Innovations by Mary Beard
Profile, £25
According to Rachel: “Engaging stories of the classical world from a warm, witty writer.”
In Praise of Messy Lives by Katie Roiphe
Canongate, £12.99
“This collection of opinionated and fun essays is smart, funny and thoughtprovoking,” says Janine. “Perfect for dipping into between dips in the pool.”
The Reason I Jump by Naoki Higashida
Sceptre, £12.99
“A rare, wonderful book that gives a glimpse into the mind of a boy growing up with autism,” describes Janine. She finds it “touching, funny and beautiful.”
Mad Girl’s Love Song: Sylvia Plath and Life Before Ted by Andrew Wilson
Simon and Schuster, £20
“A detailed picture of Sylvia Plath’s life before her marriage to Ted Hughes,” says Rachel.
Careless People by Sarah Churchwell
Virago, £16.99
Churchwell goes behind the scenes of The Great Gatsby, which earned F Scott Fitzgerald just $13.13 in royalties, but everlasting fame.
Modernity Britain by David Kynaston
Bloomsbury, £25
Kynaston’s latest volume looks at how the luxuries of modernity – and its political bedfellows – swept the country in the late 1950s.
Restaurant Babylon by Imogen Edwards-Jones
Bantam Press, £14.99
Find out why some restaurants succeed where others don’t, why Michelin matters and where your money really goes.
The People’s Songs: The Story of Modern Britain in 50 Records by Stuart Maconie
Ebury Press, £20
A great way to remember important events and fabulous songs by music hack Maconie.
Crime/thriller:
Kiss Me First by Lottie Moggach
Picador, £14.99
“An unusual thriller that follows Leila as she becomes someone else online at the behest of a charismatic web philosopher,” says Rebecca.
The Shining Girls by Lauren Beukes
HarperCollins, £12.99
“You’ll be seeing this time-travel thriller everywhere this summer,” says Rebecca. “A serial killer finds a way to slip though time to murder.”
Until You’re Mine by Samantha Hayes
Century, £9.99
“Told from the perspective of three different female narrators, Until You’re Mine is,” says Rebecca, “fantastically written and very tense.”
Precious Thing by Colette McBeth
Headline Review, £14.99
“How well do we know the people we’re close to? When Rachel’s friend Cara vanishes, she learns a BFF isn’t always what they seem,” says Rebecca.
Picador, £12.99
“Haunting and beautiful,” says Rebecca. “Burial Rites, set in 19th-century Iceland, follows convicted murderer Agnes as she awaits execution.”
The Cuckoo’s Calling by Robert Galbraith
Sphere, £16.99
“Galbraith’s debut novel is astonishingly assured,” says Rebecca. And of course Galbraith has just been unveiled as none other than Harry Potter’s JK Rowling!
Someone To Watch Over Me by Yrsa Sigurdardottir
Hodder & Stoughton, £13.99
“Iceland’s crime queen continues to impress,” says Rebecca. “Her lawyer heroine Thóra Gudmundsdottir is a fantastic creation.”
Under Your Skin by Sabine Durrant
Mulholland Books, £12.99
“Having always worried about stumbling across a dead body, I was relieved not to be Gaby Mortimer, whose discovery of a corpse sees her perfect life crumble,” explains Rebecca.
Hard Case Crime, £7.99
“Set in an amusement park in the early 1970s, it’s a deceptively simple coming-ofage story. It’s so much more than just a crime novel,” says Janine.
MacLehose Press, £12.99
“Dark, disturbing and cleverly constructed, this thriller set in Paris features a flawed heroine bent on revenge, and will take you on an exhilarating ride full of twists and turns,” says Janine.
Children’s:
Grendel: A Cautionary Tale About Chocolate by David Lucas
Walker, £11.99
“The Midas story beautifully retold but with chocolate!” says Joanna. “Funny, gorgeous and great to read out loud.”
Gullane Children’s Books, £5.99
“Gorgeous lush illustrations and descriptive text about friendship, freedom and letting go,” explains Joanna.
Dog Loves Counting by Louise Yates
Jonathan Cape, £11.99
“Dog can’t sleep, so he counts. And he ends up counting all sorts of wonderful creatures. Wonderfully illustrated and simply told,” says Joanna.
Ellie May is Totally Happy to Share her Place in the Spotlight by Marianne Levy
Egmont Books, £5.99
As Joanna enthuses, this is “funny, well-written and nicely illustrated by Ali Pye.”
Jimmy Coates: Blackout by Joe Craig
HarperCollins, £6.99
“Latest in the series about a boy genetically engineered to kill,” says Joanna. “An exciting series with a feeling of the Bourne Identity.”
Mondays Are Murder by Tanya Landman
Walker Books, £4.99
“The first of a series of murder mysteries for under-11s, with Poppy Fields solving the unexplained deaths on a Scottish island,” says Joanna.
A Waste of Good Paper by Sean Taylor
Frances Lincoln, £6.99
“The moving story of Jason, who has behavioural difficulties,” explains Joanna. “He has been given a notebook to fill with his thoughts.”
Scissors, Sisters and Manic Panics by Ellie Phillips
Electric Monkey, £7.99
Says Joanna: “Sadie looks forward to her career as a hairdresser. The characters are easy to fall in love with.”
Killing Rachel by Anne Cassidy
Bloomsbury, £6.99
“The second Murder Notebooks story sees Rose and Joshua closing in on the mystery of their parents’ disappearance,” says Joanna.
thephoenixcomic.co.uk, £8.99 per month
“This comic is fun, well-written and beautifully drawn and,” as Joanna points out, “it will keep kids quiet for a good hour.”
Classics:
Vintage Classics, £8.99
“Stoner, first published in 1965, is considered by many to be a forgotten classic. This quiet and elegant novel resonates long after reading,” says Janine.
Picador, £10.99
A modern classic of beauty, complexity and tragedy. Bolano died in 2003, the year before the book’s publication. His master work is set in a lawless Mexican border town amid a series of murders.
Fourth Estate, £9.99
If you haven’t read Mantel’s Booker winner yet, it’s high time you did! A prize example of lyrical and literary historical fiction, woven around the story of Thomas Cromwell.
The Wasp Factory by Iain Banks
Abacus, £8.99
A must-read following Banks’ death. The author was top of his class in creating creepy and mind-boggling stories that are erudite and unsettling. This was his first novel.
The Power and the Glory by Graham Greene
Vintage Classics, £8.99
In 1930s Mexico, the Catholic church is pitched against a society where religion and progress are in conflict with all the attendant and seismic consequences this brings.
The Unbearable Lightness of Being by Milan Kundera
Faber and Faber, £8.99
Kundera’s exploration of simply ‘being’ is as timeless as any human condition yet as light as a leaf.
Cold Comfort Farm by Stella Gibbons
Penguin Classics, £7.99
This roaring parody of the English rural idyll, set early in the 20th century, is an entertaining holiday read and one to share with companions.
A Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood
Vintage, £8.99
If a writer has an idea, chances are Atwood had it 10 years earlier. In the dystopia of A Handmaid’s Tale, women are used as breeding vessels.
The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck
Penguin Classics, £9.99
Steinbeck has inspired many pretenders to the ‘great American novel’ with this bold tale of Depression refugees seeking a brighter future.
The Age of Innocence by Edith Wharton
Wordsworth Classics, £1.99
This tale of the morals of New York society in the 1920s remains brutal and incisive. It won Wharton the first Pulitzer prize awarded to a woman.