Hmm! Whilst I obviously have my own idea as to what exactly a Beach Read is, as to what books I think would qualify, to be honest I'd only be guessing if I were to give a full definition.
Beach Read: a book you can take on holiday, which is good enough to keep you engaged but not so serious it will spoil your holiday
- McMillian Dictionary.
Phew, it really is as simple as that. So, with this - and the fact that there has to be a complicated relationship somewhere in there - in mind, I give you my Beach Reads ...
The year is 1946, and all over the world young women are crossing the sea in their thousands en route to the men they married in wartime.
A fairy tale life style with an abusive husband or a dashing stranger offering safety? Which will Cassie choose?
A fairy tale life style with an abusive husband or a dashing stranger offering safety? Which will Cassie choose?
Take one awfully charming man (in my opinion the onus being on the awful) and four very different women ...
Set at a time when to be in a gay relationship is almost to guarantee being in a complicated relationship .... and if as this isn't enough the lovers also face the prejudices of being of differing classes.Hmm, only four books in what is supposed to be a list of ten, I'll have to do better.
A wife who cannot arouse the interest of her pompous husband, a gullible young student with an excessive libido.
Take two strangers, both of them new to town, one of them human, one of them not.
A beautiful but down-trodden maiden, a wicked stepmother and a handsome 
Dispensing inspirational sweet treats containing a prediction for each customer. If only Chloe's life was as easy to forecast, if only she could have foreseen being jilted at the altar.
When long-distance boyfriend Tom proposes, her secret life begins to unravel. How can she share a future with the man she loves, if she can't control her need for order and symmetry?
Although many clients go away happy, problems lurk behind the scenes when love comes calling for Aruna.Care to share your Beach Reads featuring a complicated romantic relationship? I'd love to hear them ...
11 comments:
Well I'm glad to see that definition. I've never been sure and probably would have just said "chick-lit".
I like the sound of "complicated relationships" better than romance (since that's a genre which doesn't normally appeal to me). Of those you've listed here, I've only read The A to Z of Normal and The Ship of Brides, both of which would qualify, imo. I'm not sure what else i would add - there are so many I could choose from!
I would say that these books are not my favorite genre.
On the other hand when I think about complicated romantic situations I think about writers like Anthony Trollope. Perhaps his novels would work as beach reads :)
Tracy,
I enjoyed reading your
choices for beach reads.
And although it is not a
beach read I would like
to recommend very highly
The Beacon At Alexandria
by Gillian Bradshaw.
Raven
Thanks for posting McMillian Dictionary's definition of a Beach Read; it's excellent.
Tracy, I will be sure to keep your choices in mind when I head to the beach this summer. :)
The definition you posted agrees with my idea of a beach read. The Ship of Brides appeals to me because I tend to enjoy Moyes' novels.
Sounds like a very suitable list for beach reads. I really like funny books in the summer, but I'll read anything!
I think my beach read list would be made up mostly of mysteries. Of your list, I think Ash is a great choice. I wasn't so fond of Beautiful Creatures, but it definitely is light.
Your first three I have read or read the authors, the fourth I would certainly read and have't heard of the others. I need to check out the original post, just catching up after being away for 3 weeks. Hope you are well lovely.
Lainy http://www.alwaysreading.net
Enjoyed seeing what you consider a beach read, as I've always thought they were fast, fun reads that didn't require too much attention. Fluff reads for want of a better term. I haven't read any of these, but do like the sound of The Ship Brides.
Regarding the Keyes, yes, definitely awful! I read it a while ago now, but remember enough to agree with you on that. Very much enjoyed Ash and like your striking out of prince. A good way of summarising it.
I can share beach reads but can't remember all that much in regards to the complication, just the basics, but Freya North's Chances and Lisa Jewell's Before I Met You. That said, the last book I read on a beach was literary fiction on my Kobo for just a few moments as I didn't have any sun cream with me.
My holiday reading (read beside the pool, I don't like sunbathing on the beach)consists of whatever books I have picked up in charity shops before I go (I then leave them behind)
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