Perfect Books for the Beach
2 minFEEL FREE
by Zadie Smith
Though she is known for her fiction, Smith’s latest collection of essays sees the novelist turning her pen toward culture, politics and social media. Her essays cover everything from Smith’s childhood and literary criticism to Justin Bieber.
HOW TO STOP TIME
by Matt Haig
The novel features a character who looks like a regular middle-aged man but is actually approaching his 440th birthday, due to a condition known as “anageria”. Almost 500 years is a lot to compress into a conventionally sized novel but Haig takes us on tour through the highlights of Tom’s life – he meets Shakespeare, travels with Captain Cook and drinks cocktails in Paris with Scott and Zelda Fitzgerald.
CIRCE
by Madeline Miller
Greek gods are the subject of Madeline Miller’s beautifully written novel, which follows the life of Circe, daughter of Zeus. She is not powerful, like her father, nor beautiful, like her mother. But Circe does possess a power that makes her father feel threatened so he banishes her to a deserted island where her adventures begin.
THE SIX WIVES OF HENRY VIII
by Alison Weir
The splendid and bloody reign of Henry VIII of England, along with his marriage to six extraordinary women, is a fascinating historical fact. Alison Weir collected early biographies, letters, memoirs, account books and diplomatic reports to bring the story to life. In this fantastic book, Henry – a poet, lover and soldier – evolves into a paranoid impotent old man who goes on to behead his wives.
THE INNOCENT
by Harlan Coben
A story about an ordinary man with an unordinary past. When his life falls apart after receiving some compromising photos of his wife-to-be, his plans and what is left of his innocence vanish into thin air. Harlan Coben is a modern master of the noir genre, in which violence and fate intertwine.
THE HITCHHIKER’S GUIDE TO THE GALAXY
by Douglas Adams
This is the story of the two human beings who survive the Earth’s destruction, and their adventures begin. This absolute delight of a book masterfully describes traveling through space and time while attempting to discover the meaning of life.
