I usually read Happily-Ever-Afters, or cozy mysteries, or rom com chick lit. But when I’m on vacation I like to mix it up a little. 

One year I read the first book in Robyn Carr’s Virgin River series… and then proceeded to buy the next 10 for kindle… and then read them all before the week was over. Recurring characters grew and developed over the length of the series, which was very satisfying. New characters provided novelty and intrigue. 

Another summer vacation I read some best selling literary fiction – not my usual fare, but so engrossing. And I felt fancy as I saw my popular choice on many other beach blankets. 

Last summer I read summer-y novels, some set on Cape Cod or Nantucket, some on the coast of North Carolina. I like to believe my reading experience was heightened by my literal beach surroundings. 

I’m planning another couple of weeks at the beach this year. On my first go-round I think I’ll scare myself silly with a psychological thriller that Urania recommends. And with 85 unread titles in my Kindle’s “suspense” collection, I’ll have plenty to choose from after that.  Vanished in the Dunes by Allen Retzky, or Murder on the Côte d’Azur by Susan Kiernan-Lewis are contenders. 

And maybe I’ll add in a book with a beachy title from another genre: The Summer of Good Intentions by Wendy Francis. It looks goooood. 

What do you read on vacation? 

-calliope