It’s summer. You’re on the beach. The LI Sound; the Cape; your private island off the coast of France; wherever. The sun is warm. Your drink is cold. A slight breeze refreshes you without blowing your hair in your eyes. You reach into your bag and pull out the perfect beach read. The one three different friends recommended: Oprah, Reese, and Britney from spin class. You open to the first page and you’re immediately drawn into the author’s world. And then…
“MOMMY! Can you build a sand castle?”
“MOMMY! I want a snack!”
“MOMMY! I have to go to the bathroom!”
Fact: when you’re at the beach with kids, you’re lucky if you read for ten minutes before someone needs their swim diaper changed.
Beach reads are for when you’re on vacation with your partner or a getaway with friends. They’re the books you bring when you have time to lose yourself in a fast-paced page turner. They are engaging without requiring too much brain power. Think: Gone Girl or Big Little Lies. Whether you’re by the ocean or alongside a pool, you don’t want to plod through pages of back story or end up ugly-crying over a dramatic, untimely character death. But you also don’t want to be completely consumed in a long plot line when your kid wants to play hide and seek.
What we need is an alternative definition of what makes an appropriate beach read when you’re at the beach with kids.
I propose that a beach read for parents should have short chapters or segments that you can get through while your kids are preoccupied. Also, when you are inevitably interrupted, it should be easy to get back into the story once the disruption has been resolved. I humbly submit the following for your consideration:
Essays
Non-fiction essays are a great option for reading while parenting, but choose subjects that don’t require your full concentration. No matter how interesting you find the French Revolution, you want an easy read that can be put aside while you wipe sand out of a screaming toddler’s eyes. I highly recommend checking out any of the many books by David Sedaris. Sedaris is a talented and skillful humorist and his personal essays are clever, sardonic, and hilarious. His most recent collection is Calypso, but they all would suit you well on the beach.
Short Story Collections
Much like a novel, a short story should contain intriguing characters and a compelling plot to keep you engaged. Unlike they’re lengthier counterparts, you can get through a story in the same amount of time it takes a preschooler to get bored of searching for shells. There are plenty of collections that fit into the traditional definition of a beach read. You don’t have to tackle Flannery O’Connor or Raymond Cheever while chasing down boogie boards before they’re swept out to sea. I recommend Single, Carefree, Mellow by Katherine Heiny. Her stories are funny, female-centric vignettes and the characters are both relatable and hilariously absurd. There is emotional depth, but with a light touch—just as a good beach read should be.
Novels of Interconnected Stories
If you’d rather invest your time in getting to know characters and settings, two of my all-time favorite novels are made up of interconnected stories. The first is The Girls’ Guide to Hunting and Fishing by Melissa Bank. Throughout the book, you follow the same character from adolescence to adulthood as she navigates family, career, and relationships. Each chapter is self-contained and can be enjoyed in one sitting.
Similar in format is the flawless, Pulitzer Prize winning, Olive Kitteridge by Elizabeth Strout. If you relish exquisite writing and complicated characters, this is your beach read. These interconnected stories explore the microcosm of Crosby, Maine. The title character is both unlikeable and fascinating. Her everyday interactions with her family and neighbors reveal larger truths about humanity as a whole.
Your Fail-Safe Favorites
If you don’t trust that you’ll be able to read a new book while at the beach with your kids, I have one final suggestion. Bring a book you’ve read over and over, that you know practically by heart. It doesn’t hurt if you’ve also seen the movie a million times. For me, that book is Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen. My paperback copy is dog-eared at my favorite moments of drama and romance and, if I only have a few minutes, I can read those scenes, picture Colin Firth and Jennifer Ehle, and be happy just to have my feet in the sand and a book in my hands
One last note: When I was discussing what constitutes a beach read with other FCMB contributors, one writer mentioned that her seven-year-old is now reading her own books on the beach. Heavenly Father, I see the light at the end of the tunnel and it is bright and beautiful and free of interruptions.
