Beach Read
Imagine yourself sitting under the shade of a colorful umbrella, lost in the pages of a captivating beach read. The light breeze gently caresses your face, and the sweet, salty scent of the ocean fills the air. The rhythmic sound of waves lapping against the shore provides a soothing background, perfectly complementing the story unfolding in your hands. Seagulls occasionally call out. The sand is warm beneath your toes, and you feel utterly at peace. The combination of the sun, sea, and the perfect book makes this a blissful escape from the everyday hustle.
Today, I Googled for beach reads. I looked on Amazon for reviews of the first five beach reads Google listed. Here are some of the negative reviews:
- So poorly written, it is a struggle to get through it.
- The dialogue is not believable.
- The characters unrealistic.
- It was so boring I couldn’t wait until it was over, so I could throw it into the bin.
- The storyline takes you nowhere but a lot of rambling by the narrator.
- I thought it was a beach read, but it’s depressing.
- It was really poorly written – strange sentence structure, characters not developed. Reading this was painful, I had to force myself to finish.
- It touches on a lot of issues, but none of them very well, and the main character was pretty annoying.
- The ending is terrible.
- Struggled to finish it. I did a lot of skimming.
- There was no one in this book who was likable, and I struggled to finish it.
- The characters were confusing. I couldn’t keep them straight.
- The main characters are spineless cheating women/couples who are self indulgent and shallow.
These were some of the one star reviews. To be fair, these books also had a number of four star reviews. My takeaway from that is that a lot of people like wandering plots, depressing situations, spineless cheating characters, and emotionally draining stories. And apparently some people feel guilty about ditching a book they aren’t enjoying.
While I didn’t find a new book, I did get some insight into what other readers expect of a beach read (which confirmed my view).
- A beach read is a well written, engaging, light-hearted book that offers an enjoyable escape.
- Its hero or heroine is strong and likable.
- It is easy to pick up and put down, with a compelling plot that keeps you hooked but doesn’t require intense concentration.
- Beach reads are fun, relaxing, and entertaining.
- They provide a perfect balance of intrigue and simplicity, making them ideal for reading in a leisurely setting.
- A beach read should enhance your relaxation and add to the enjoyment of your seaside experience.
- A beach read isn’t dense or complex that demands intense focus and deep contemplation.
- It isn’t depressing or emotionally draining.
- A beach read is enjoyable and stress-free, allowing the reader to easily get lost in the story without feeling burdened by heavy themes.
My favorite beach read author is Jayne Ann Krentz. She also writes under the names Amanda Quick and Jayne Castle. Her books feature fast plotting, snappy dialogue, and strong heroines often with psychic powers.
If you are interested a few of her books that I have enjoyed are:
Looking for your next favorite beach read?
