10 Book Recommendations for Beach Reading

I know I said I was only going to do 2 book recommendations posts this month, but July was the perfect time to post this. When prepping some blog posts, I was thinking about an upcoming beach day. My next thought was, "Wouldn't it be nice to do a book recommendations post for beach reading?" Thus, this post was formed. I have similar posts lined up for the later seasons.

Honestly, I love reading at the beach. In my opinion, there's just something about the beach ambiance that's wonderful for reading.

Here are 10 book recommendations for beach reading:

1. The Arabian Nights, translated by Sir Richard Burton
2. Helen of Troy, Margaret George
3. The Iliad, Homer
4. The Odyssey, Homer
5. Circe, Madeline Miller
6. The Song of Achilles, Madeline Miller
7. The Middle Sea: A History of the Mediterranean, John Julius Norwich
8. The Mummy, Anne Rice
9. The Passion of Cleopatra, Anne Rice
10. The Fountains of Silence, Ruta Sepetys

6 Tips for Beach Reading

Over these last couple of days in May, I plan to post some tips for reading in locations other than the comfort of your home. Some of these locations may be related to your home somehow, or close by, but hopefully these will help you out with reading in these locations.

For many of these reading locations, you can use any book format. However, I will note if there is a better book format to use in a specific location in that specific post.

Today's post will focus on 6 tips for reading at the beach.

Tip 1: Any book can work out on the beach, but ebooks are probably your safest bet.

If you don't mind having to dust off a bit of sand from your physical book, then go ahead and bring it. I wouldn't recommend audiobooks, though, just due to the want/need to avoid water getting on your earphones or iPhone/iPad. Ebooks are your safest bet because your iPad, iPhone, or Kindle will most likely have a protective case on it, and you can very easily wipe off sand from it.

Tip 2: Have shade of some sort.

Beaches get sunny, and it happens quickly. So have shade of some sort - an umbrella, a hat, a chair, or maybe a hanging towel or two. Maybe even have a beach tent, and the smaller semicircle ones are relatively cheap on Amazon (if the link doesn't work for you, just type in "beach tent" into your Amazon search bar). This way, it removes some of the sun's glare as you read. Also, wear sunglasses and a hat.

Tip 3: Try to be a safe distance from the water's edge, especially when the tides come in.

High tides tend to be strongest around the full moon, and usually happen at night. But you do get the occasional high tide during the day. That way, you're not getting sprayed by the water when you're reading.

Tip 4: Let your sunscreen set in before picking up your book.

I mentioned this in yesterday's post, but I wanted to reiterate it. No one wants sunscreen oils on their books. So let your sunscreen set in - and maybe wipe/wash your hands if you can - before picking up your book.

Tip 5: Listen to an audiobook on your way to and from the beach.

You can get in some more reading time this way, especially if you have a bit of a drive from your home to the beach. It could be the book you will be reading at the beach, or it could be another book.

Tip 6: Use a book sleeve to protect your book.

This is another tip I brought up in yesterday's post. But I highly recommend having a book sleeve in this scenario. That way, you know for sure that your book is safe while at the beach.