Top 10 Beach Reads

Top Ten Tuesday is an original feature/weekly meme created at The Broke and the Bookish which I found out about thanks to Amber over at Me, My Shelf & I. There's a new book-related top ten list every single week and it is a great way to get to know other book-loving bloggers! Everyone is welcome to join in the weekly linky party, even if you can't think of TEN for a certain Tuesday (just think of as many as you can!), just make sure you link back to The Broke and the Bookish if you do!

This week's topic is:

TOP TEN BOOKS I'D RECOMMEND AS GOOD BEACH READS

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Sun, surf, salt, and, yes, books... they have always gone together, haven't they? Well, for me they always have, and when I was in high school that actually resulted in my first-ever bout with sun poisoning. Thank you John Grisham and The Firm. I was 15 or 16 years old and bought the paperback on the way to the beach because I (gasp!) had nothing to read with me. When my mother, brother and I sat down on the beach, we lathered each other with sunscreen. My mom went for a walk down the boardwalk to shop and my brother and I jumped in the water. I got out shortly after, and spent the rest of the afternoon reading The Firm cover to cover never once thinking that all of my sunscreen washed off in the water!! Thank goodness I finished the book, because the fever didn't break the rest of the weekend that I spent, delirious, in bed!

So I will offer you up my top ten list, but I will do so paired with a fair warning: make sure someone's got your back both literally and figuratively when it comes to sun protection before you get swept away on some of these adventures!

1. Life of Pi by Yann Martel: If you haven't already read this intriguing novel, then now is the time! This winter the story will make its theatrical debut. I read this when it first went paperback and, until this day,  I still have thoughts of Pi and his mysterious travels every time I look at the ocean. 

2. While Mortals Sleep: Unpublished Short Fiction by Kurt Vonnegut: Do you tend to go to the beach with large groups of people that interrupt your reading a lot? Some of my trips are like this, so that's when short stories are in order! This collection from one of the masters is perfect for such a trip. It is not set on a beach, and the stories don't have anything to do with the ocean or swimming, in general, but they are true Vonnegut, and what's not to love about that?

3. Let's Pretend This Never Happened: (A Mostly True Memoir) by Jenny Lawson: I know this is still hardcover and may weigh down your already larger than life beach bag, but it is worth it. You are already going to look awesome in your brand new bathing suit, under the sun; why not accentuate it all with a big ol' smile? Lawson, more widely known in these parts as The Bloggess, is hilarious. Her memoir takes what you thought was crazy about your family and makes it Norman Rockwell material. I haven't finished my copy yet, partially because I don't want it to end!

4. Heading Out To Wonderful by Robert Goolrick: is coming out this week and one that I am looking forward to reading during this beach season. I saw Goolrick speak at BEA last week and was so impressed by him and what others were saying about this book, that I think it will be one we will all be talking about. Here's a quick synopsis from Amazon:

"Let me tell you something, son. 
When you’re young, and you head out to wonderful, everything is fresh and bright as a brand-new penny, 
but before you get to wonderful you’re going to have to pass through all right. And when you get to all right, stop and take a good, long look, because that may be as far as you’re ever going to go.”

It is the summer of 1948 when a handsome, charismatic stranger, Charlie Beale, recently back from the war in Europe, shows up in the town of Brownsburg, a sleepy village of a few hundred people, nestled in the Valley of Virginia. All he has with him are two suitcases: one contains his few possessions, including a fine set of butcher knives; the other is full of money. A lot of money.

Oooo... I must know more!

5.  Burn for Burn by Jenny Han and Siobhan Vivian: I don't know if this is cheating, because this book doesn't come out until September, but after just finishing the ARC and being consumed by the beach town of Jar Island in which it is set, I can not think of a better beach read for the contemporary YA lovers out there. So, jot it down for next year (this will be a trilogy, so that will still be timely), or come back later this week and see if you can win my copy of the ARC for your summer travels!

6. Born to Run: A Hidden Tribe, Superathletes and the Greatest Race the World Has Never Seen by Christopher McDougall: In my dreams when I am healthy, strong and 100% back to me, I am a runner. I'll get back there. This book is an amazing, true adventure about some of the most amazing runners in the world, of all time.  Running barefoot is also one thing they love to do, so don't be surprised, if, in the middle of reading on the beach, you feel the sudden urge to put your book down and run up and down the shore! If you have any interest in running, I am sure you have already read this book, but, if not, make sure it is in your beach bag (or, as I have it, in audio form on your iPod so you don't have to put the book down to pick up and run!).

7. The Memoir Project: A Thoroughly Non-Standard Text for Writing and Life by Marion Roach: OK, fellow writers, don't cringe at the word "memoir" if that is not your genre, this book has plenty to offer and is fun, too. Roach takes us through her writing life in a very realistic hold-no-punches way that is not often seen in books of this nature. Balanced with some great anecdotes from her own life, the lessons within this pretty short book will stick with you long after you've finished.

8. The Maze Runner (Trilogy?) by James Dashner: I put the question mark in only because I have barely begun book one and although everyone who knows me swears I will love this series, I'm not sure I should go ahead and recommend the whole series without reading it all for myself. That said, there's enough good news bubbling around this series that I think it is safe to say that if you are behind in your reading like I am and haven't at least started The Maze Runner, then it should be in the beach bag!

9. Ultraviolet by S.J. Anderson: I heard about this book from SableCaught on YouTube and ever since, I have been wanting to read it. Here's the great pull: "Once upon a time there was a girl who was special. This is not her story. Unless you count the part where I killed her." What?! OK... You got me. Tell me more... So, like my recommendation above this comes without my experience of reading it first, but I am excited about it! (If, by the way, you haven't yet subscribed to SableCaught's YouTube channel - you should do that now; she's awesome.)

10. Read Your TV: Have you seen this image rolling around the Internet yet?

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It's hilarious, and it's true! Pick a series you are addicted to (and, yes, this works particularly well if it's on HBO) and grab the books. There's True Blood, Game of Thrones, Boardwalk Empire, The Walking Dead, Bones, Friday Night Lights, and The Vampire Diaries which only begin to shed light on some TV reading you can be doing in the sun.

So that's my crazy top ten. It's all over the map, I know. My tastes are... well... diverse, I guess. What would you put on the list? What do you think I should be grabbing to toss into my beach bag (I'm up for just about anything!)? Let me know in the comments, and, remember, if you want to join in on Top Ten Tuesday, just check back in with The Broke and the Bookish!

Taft 2012's Author Jason Heller Talks Book Love

Last month I read and reviewed a compelling book entitled, Taft 2012 by Jason Heller. I was so impressed by its unique tale and its fun storytelling that I decided I needed to know more about the man behind the words. I searched out Jason Heller and, when I found him, I asked him the question you know I am always burning to ask, "What was your first book love?" He satiated my book love curiosity by agreeing to do an interview for the Book Love Series.

Jason Heller, like many I ask, had many book loves, but said that he, "really connected with and obsessively re-read," David Eddings' classic, five-book fantasy series, The Belgariad. According to the David Eddings Wiki:

The series tells the story of the recovery of the Orb of Aldur and coming of age of Garion, an orphaned farmboy. Garion is accompanied by his aunt Polgara and her father Belgarath as they try and fulfill an ancient prophecy that will decide the fate of the universe. Along the way, various "instruments", or helpers, of the prophecy join their quest.

Jason received Pawn of Prophecy (the first book in the series) as a gift from his uncle. As Jason puts it, "He knew I had an interest in fantasy (mostly because my earlier reading of Tolkien, of course!), and he probably thought, 'Hey, this looks fantastical enough for Jason!'" It looks like his uncle was right. Jason was hooked seemingly on sight. When I asked him what he thought first drew him in, he wrote of seeing Garion, the farmboy in the book.

There’s a painting of boy on the cover of Pawn of Prophecy, the first book in the series, although it isn’t technically for young adults. As it turns out, Eddings’ intimate, detailed, warm, and sympathetic rendering of the book’s hero, the young farm boy Garion, instantly hooked me.


I wondered if Jason felt that he could relate to Garion, or any of the characters in the series, or if his reading was an experience of complete escapism. I absolutely love his answer, "Both. That’s what I loved about fantasy, and that’s why I still love that genre more than anything else. It’s total escapism—and yet, the best fantasy is very much about real emotions, real struggles, and the real world.
"  Isn't this so true? Don't we all find ourselves running to magical, mystical lands on the backs of our books, only to more deeply understand our own realities? We may not even consciously realize that is what we are doing at the time, but who hasn't left a good book with a greater understanding of some piece of the world?

Jason also reminded me of one of the beautiful memories of the pre-Internet world. It was so much easier to be surprised then...

I was around ten at the time, and Pawn of Prophecy had just been published. So I had the additional benefit of being able to buy each new book as it came out—and totally savor it. Back in the ’80s there was no Internet, of course, so I wasn’t instantly clued in as to the release schedule for The Belgariad. I would just go to the mall, walk into the bookstore, and boom, there would be the next installment in the series. It was like Christmas!


I have similar memories of seeing new Calvin and Hobbes books by Bill Watterson and my fantastic experience of reading Stephen King's The Green Mile as he originally wrote it - as a serialized novel. It truly was just like Christmas to see the continuation of your story on the shelf on what otherwise seemed like an ordinary day.

Jason has been a life-long reader, even before he fell into book love with this series. He said, growing up feeling "awkward and self-conscious around other kids...  heaven was sitting in a quiet room, getting lost in the pages of a book. Still is, really.

" He's lost count of all the times he's re-read this series, but knows he's, "read all five books of the Belgariad—plus all five books of its sequel series, the Mallorean—at least a dozen times. Every time I read it, it’s like going home." So, of course, he recommends the series to others,

The Belgariad doesn’t get a lot of critical respect, but it still holds up as a solid, witty, well-told, coming-of-age tale. Yes, it’s bursting at the seams with clichés, and it clings fanatically close to the whole hero’s-journey archetype. But I didn’t know that as a kid—I just knew it moved me, dazzled me, and swept me away.




And in the midst of dazzling and sweeping Jason away, the series also taught him. First he learned through Garion, as he learned on his journey,

Garion is taught many lessons as he matures and comes into his power (not to give too much away!) throughout the series. The biggest lessons he learns are from the blacksmith Durnik, who works on the farm with Garion and goes on to be one of his companions on his journey. Durnik’s basic philosophy—which I only wish I was better at adopting!—is this: Work hard, do it well, and let it be its own reward.

Then, as a whole, the series taught Jason personal lessons of his own.

It taught me that I had more strength than I realized. That’s an incredibly important thing to be told as a kid, especially one who grew up in some pretty adverse conditions (not to bore you with my sob story!). In fact, it’s something we all need to be reminded of from time to time.




 While Jason won't be sharing his sob story with us today, he gave a fantastic list of book loves to keep us engaged for quite some time. Get your to-read lists ready, here are some wonderful recommendations,

A list of a few books that have changed, and continue to influence, my life would have to include

• J. G. Ballard’s The Crystal World, 
• China Miéville’s Perdido Street Station, 
• Gene Wolfe’s The Book of the New Sun, 
• Fyodor Dostoevsky’s The Brothers Karamazov, 
• Frank Herbert’s Dune, 
• Joseph Heller’s Catch-22, 
• Douglas Adams’ The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, 
• Greil Marcus’ Lipstick Traces, 
• Ursula K. LeGuin’s The Left Hand of Darkness, 
• Umberto Eco’s Foucault’s Pendulum, and 
• everything by M. John Harrison. 
• Oh, and I can’t forget Michael Moorcock’s iconic Elric series. I do, after all, have an entire arm of Elric tattoos! If that’s not love, I don’t know what is.

I don't know where to begin! I've read some of these, but definitely not all, including The Belgariad series. However, to this list I would like to add the book that made this all possible, Jason's own work Taft 2012. I found it timely, fun and inspiring and have been recommending it to friends on a regular basis. 

I am grateful to Jason Heller for participating in the Rivera Runs Through It Book Love Series. You can follow Jason on Goodreads, Twitter or on his blog.

Now it is your turn! If you are ready to share your own book love story with the world, e-mail me at blogwithnv@gmail.com.