Top Ten Beach Reads

Top Ten Tuesday is an original feature/weekly meme created at The Broke and the Bookish. There is a new subject each week and this week's topic is "Top 10 Books I Plan to Have in My Beach Bag/Top Ten Beach Reads".

I am participating in the Summer Kickoff at Confessions of a Book Addict, where I will be sharing some of the books I hope to have in my beach bag this summer. Here is my list of additional books I hope to read and some books I've already read that I think are great for beach reading.

Books I hope to read this summer:

Go Set a Watchman by Harper Lee

I think this To Kill a Mockingbird sequel is probably the most anticipated book of summer. I am on the waiting list at my library where I am #70 on a list of 204 people. However we also have duplicate "Quick Pick" copies of popular books that holds can't be placed on so I hope to nab that as soon as it is cataloged unless one of my library coworkers beats me to it :)

Daughter of Deep Silence by Carrie Ryan

I featured this in a recent Waiting on Wednesday post. The book has a Revenge style plot with a girl who survived an attack on a cruise ship where all but three people survived--herself, the boy she fell for onboard, and his politician father. The problem is that they claim it was a freak tidal wave that caused the ship to go down. If not for their lies, her friend Libby may not have died. With a new name and identity she is plotting to take them down.

The Heart of Betrayal by Mary E. Pearson

I loved the first book in this YA fantasy series, The Kiss of Deception, and it sort of ended with a cliffhanger so I can't wait to read what happens next.

Sophomore Year is Greek to Me by Meredith Zeitlin

This contemporary YA novel takes place in Greece as teenage Zona is dragged unwillingly by her dad to meet her late mom's side of the family in Athens. I've read an excerpt and I liked Zona's snarky voice and her dreams of becoming a journalist (she includes "articles" that she writes about her adventures). I think this sounds like a really fun beach read unlike the heavier stuff on my list.

Saint Anything by Sarah Dessen

I mostly love Sarah Dessen's books though some are not as good as others. I've heard this one is a little darker than her usual stuff but I still want to read it anyway.

Books that make good beach reads:

The Start of Me and You by Emery Lord

Emery Lord's sophomore novel is about a teen girl whose boyfriend died a few years before and her plan to show that while she loved him she is moving on with her life and not still mired in grief. With the help of her supportive best friends and Max, who encourages her to join the school's quiz team, she puts her plan in action. Pick this up if you like contemporary YA fiction from authors like Morgan Matson and Jessi Kirby.

Cinder by Marissa Meyer

If you still haven't read this YA series, now is your chance to get caught up before the final book, Winter, is published this fall. Cinder is a retelling of Cinderella in a futuristic time period. The main character, Linh Cinder, is a cyborg mechanic living in New Beijing. She crosses paths with Prince Kai when he asks her to fix his royal android, an important task as the android has secret information that could help defeat the evil Queen Levana who is threatening Earth. Each book in the series focuses on a different fairy tale: Little Red Riding Hood (Scarlet), Rapunzel (Cress) and Snow White (Winter). The books have plenty of suspense, adventure and mystery as well as romance and the science fiction elements are carefully blended into the story making it more accessible to a wide variety of readers.

One Plus One by Jojo Moyes

After reading Me Before You which deals with heavier subject matter (but still has lighthearted moments), One Plus One was really refreshing. Single mom Jess is determined to get her daughter Tansy to a math competition. If Tansy wins, she'll be able to afford to go to a prestigious school where her gifts will be nurtured. On the madcap road trip with them are Jess's sullen ex-stepson (who lives with her), multimillionaire Ed who is in trouble for insider trading and Norman, the lovable but smelly dog. This book offers both romantic comedy and compelling family drama. Perfect for fans of Liane Moriarty and Sophie Kinsella, One Plus One made me laugh out loud and tear up a little too.

The Royal We by Heather Cocks and Jessica Morgan

Did you watch the wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton? Would you have killed for an insider's look at their love story? The Royal We is a fictitious story loosely based on William and Kate only in this dishy version, the prince falls for an American girl. Scandal and speedbumps in their romance made this a page turner but the characters have unexpected depth as well. If you are a royal watcher or you loved The Prince and Me, be sure to give this book a try this summer!

Big Little Lies by Liane Moriarty

The hook for this novel (soon to be an HBO series starring Reese Witherspoon and Nicole Kidman!) is that a murder may have taken place at a school fundraiser but the details are slowly revealed as the story goes back to the beginning where three women meet when dropping their kids off on the first day of school. Madeline, Celeste and Jane are very different but they form a friendship that is tested by scandal and secrets. What happened at trivia night? Was it an accident or murder? Who died? You'll have to read it to find out! Big Little Lies is a good bet for people who like mystery, secrets and drama.