Accidental Tryst by Natasha Boyd. From Amazon: “Two strangers accidentally switch cell phones in a busy airport in this edgier You've Got Mail, sexy romance for the smartphone era”

Adam Bede by George Eliot. "What can I say, I love George Eliot. It takes 150 pages or so before I can understand what the characters are saying, but once you’re in – your hooked. I do notice that George Eliot generally requires a 100-150 page commitment!" Carpenter Adam Bede is in love with Hetty Sorrel, he has a rival, in the local squire's son Arthur Donnithorne. Hetty is soon attracted by Arthur's seductive charm and they begin to meet in secret. The relationship is to have tragic consequences that reach far beyond the couple themselves, touching not just Adam Bede, but many others, not least, pious Methodist Preacher Dinah Morris.

Attachmentsby Rainbow Rowell. "Very beach-worthy. A romantic story about an Internet security professional whose job is to monitor the emails of employees in the newsroom of the paper where he works. He becomes fascinated by an ongoing email conversation between two friends and falls for one of them. A tech geek makes for an odd romantic hero, but it works."

Austenland by Shannon Hale. “A fun read about a woman obsessed with Pride and Prejudice, whose own life isn’t working out as marvelously as Elizabeth Bennet’s.  She spends 3 weeks at an Austen-themed estate in England, where everyone dresses in Regency clothing, plays Regency games and all women will be wooed by a gentleman by the end of their stay.  The lines between reality and pretend get blurred and not everyone is as they seem.  At times hilarious, it will totally get you into an Austen mood.   And it inspired me to watch Colin Firth in the BBC production, which was also fabulous.  Midnight in Austenland by Shannon Hale is a follow-up to the first, though you don’t have to read them in order (but it’s better if you do).  This book takes a darker twist – the characters staying at Austenland are playing a murder game, but it appears as if a real murder may have occurred.  Again, it’s hard to tell who is pretending and who is not.  The few repeat characters are such fun.”

Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress by Dai Sijie -- "I loved this book! Good review: This book was a charming vignette about a most unlikely subject: the re-education of two city boys during Mao's cultural revolution in China. The two young men are sent to a remote mountain called Phoenix of the Sky where they work like peasants in the fields and are allowed no books. But life in the remote mountains is never dull.”

Beach Read by Emily Henry.  Right in our sweet spot, no? The instant bestseller appeared on all the "anticipated books of summer"-type lists.  "Chick lit, kind of, but not *ugh* chick lit."  "Beach Reads tells the story of January Andrews, a romance writer who needs to finish her fifth novel, but whose faith in romance has been shaken. January flees to a Michigan lake for the summer, only to find that her next-door neighbor is her former college writing rival, Augustus Everett.  Gus, a writer of (terribly serious and unredemptive) literary fiction, is also suffering from writer's block. The polar opposites (but ARE THEY?) agree to a genre-swapping contest: January will write a lit fic novel, and Gus will pen a genre romance.  Whoever writes the better novel wins.  The loser will have to write a blurb and help promote it. It's definitely got the 'Hating Game' vibe, but with more mature characters and emotional layering."  "I really enjoyed this novel. The author made a big effort at establishing the chemistry between the characters. Deeper story than I expected."

Belle Canto by Anne Patchett. I think everyone's book club read this in 2005, but for those of you who didn't have the pleasure…

The Best Day of Someone Else’s Life by Kerry Reichs. Looks like chick lit with an "always the bridesmaid…" theme, and, I gather, some deeper messages than the average product of the genre." Eleven weddings in eighteen months would send any sane woman either over the edge or scurrying for the altar. But as reality separates from illusion, Vi learns that letting go of someone else's story to write your own may be harder than buying the myth, but just might help her make the right choices for herself.

Brazzaville Beach by William Boyd. "Everyone in my book club was crazy about it. The description doesn’t do it justice, as it’s a really compelling read…"

Cocoa Beach by Beatriz Williams. An American nurse and a British soldier fall in love in France during WWI.  Upon their return to England, however, the charming soldier appears to be a master manipulator.  She flees to the States but remains trapped by his manipulations. What is real and whom can she trust? Many twists and turns make this a fun read to the end.

The Commonerby John Burnham Schwartz. “Interesting fictional account of the life of Empress Michiko. I love this type of story, romance, contemporary and historical fiction of a fascinating culture all in one. Well written too!”

Confessions of a Shopaholic by Sophie Kinsella: “This and other books in the Shopaholic series are total beach reading; I just bought my fifth one.” Another reader recommended Undomestic Goddess.

Edenbrooke by Julianne Donaldson. "For those who like romantic Austen-esque novels set in the early 19th century, this is a charming alternative to the trashy ones that dominate the genre. A young woman, bored and trying to avoid an unwanted suitor in Bath, England, joins her social climbing twin sister at a house party in the English countryside. Shenanigans and romance ensue. Fluff, but much better written and not as pornographic than the usual fare."

Eleanor and Park by Rainbow Rowells.  Several of you recommended this.  “This was a YA hit last year, but I only got around to reading it this year and loved it.  Two high school misfits secretly love each other.  They trade mixtapes and comic books and secretly spend time together.  He is from a loving family.  She's from a broken, abusive home.  It's sweet and lovely, and I adore the author and think she's a class act.”

Falling by Jane Green. "Formulaic Jane Green fiction, which is why it’s perfect for a summer read.  British gal has heartbreak, moves from Manhattan to Westport, CT, meets rough-and-tumble single dad.  Making out ensues, as does tragedy.  Blah blah, blah …. pour some rose and crack this one open.  It’s a fun, easy read".

The Falls by Joyce Carol Oates.  Several of our contributors mentioned this as a good beach read.  From Amazon:  "It is 1950 and, after a disastrous honeymoon night, Ariah Erskine's young husband throws himself into the roaring waters of Niagara Falls. Ariah, "the Widow Bride of the Falls," begins a relentless seven-day vigil in the mist, waiting for his body to be found. At her side is confirmed bachelor and pillar of the community Dirk Burnaby, who is unexpectedly drawn to her. What follows is a passionate love affair, marriage, and family -- a seemingly perfect existence. But tragedy soon takes over their lives, poisoning their halcyon years with distrust, greed, and murder."  Another great one by the same author is We Were the Mulvaneys.

Family Pictures by Jane Green.  “Grown up chick lit where the secret parentage of a young girl gets exposed because of her friendship with someone at school who takes her on a trip to NY to "visit colleges."  Turns out Dad had a secret life AND FAMILY.  Dun-duhn-DDUUUUNNNNNNN.  A quick, easy read and perfect for a breezy Saturday afternoon read on the front porch.

The Flatshare by Beth O'Leary.  “It’s weird how easily you can get to know someone from the traces they leave behind when they go.” This line from The Flatshare is ostensibly about tea.  Tiffy and Leon share a flat, but, as he works nights as a palliative nurse and she works days as a book editor, it's some time before they even meet in person. Even before they do, however, they begin to know one another by "traces” left behind (like a nearly-empty mug of tea in the sink) and through post-it notes they write to each other, which are amusing and, as the novel proceeds, increasingly heart-warming. At first, The Flatshare seemed like pretty standard British chick lit. What unfolded, however, was a much richer story than I anticipated - a story about the other traces people "leave behind when they go," including scars from emotional abuse.  The premise is amusing, the characters are quirky, there are lots of Britishisms, and even an awkward encounter in the bathroom that would have worked perfectly in a 1990’s Hugh Grant rom com. And it has the tied-up-with-a-bow ending. However, it's far more interesting than the average fare.  I thoroughly enjoyed and appreciated it.

Gaudy Night (and other “Lord Peter Wimsey” mysteries) by Dorothy Sayers. I’m getting into it, heeding all the Amazon reviewers’ warnings that it starts slow but gets great. But I hope to like it, as there are others in this series. Briefly, the protagonist returns to her alma mater, the fictional women’s “Shrewsbury College” at Oxford – to get to the bottom of some crimes being committed there. Written in 1936, it offers, in addition to a psychological thriller, an interesting view of a women’s college in the interwar period.

The Hating Game by Sally Thorne.  Since this list is supposed to be “beach books,” I’m adding this enjoyable, lightweight novel.  It’s about colleagues, a man and a woman, who cordially despise one another.  Gee? I wonder what happens.  It is chick-lit, I suppose, but well-written and fun, and richer than it first appears.  Five stars for beach-worthiness.

I Regret Everything: A Love Story by Seth Greenland. “ Sad, but sweet and pure.” 

If I Never Met You by Mhairi McFarlane.  “McFarlane does good beach.  If you haven't read any of her novels, start with one of her earlier ones, which are a bit better, but this is good, too.  It's a fake relationship story, a chick lit device that always makes for a good read.”

Love Walked In by Marisa de los Santos. I found this book, the first novel by poet de los Santos, extremely engaging, and I stayed up way too late finishing it. (What else is new?) It's dually narrated by Clare, an 11-year-old dealing with her mother's intense emotional difficulties, and a 32-year-old lost-ish soul named Cornelia. How their lives intersect is the crux of the story. This would be an excellent beach read. Nice writing, entertaining (if improbable) tale.

Major Pettigrew's Last Stand: A Novel by Helen Simonson. "What a terrific first novel. It's about a widower in a small English town who falls for a Pakistani widow who runs a shop. The writing is lovely, as is the story. This is an author who knows and plays to her strengths. Yeah, it's a little neat, but who cares? It was a delight to read, a feast for Anglophiles. Like this bit of dialogue:

'But he already has a title,' said Jasmina.
'A Scottish title isn't really the same thing at all,' the Major said.
'Especially when you buy it on the Internet,' added Roger.

There were times I wasn't sure if I shared the author's sensibilities -- intentional perhaps. In the end, all who deserved my compassion had it."  "I listened to this on audiobook, which was excellent."

Maybe in Another Life by Taylor Jenkins Reid. "A big tragedy happens just as a woman is making a decision. Alternating chapters tell the story of both paths she could’ve taken." After living in six different cities and holding a number of meaningless jobs, twenty-nine year old Hannah Martin still doesn't know what she wants to do with her life. She decides to move back to her hometown of LA and live with her best friend Gabby. During a night out with Gabby, Hannah reunites with her old high-school boyfriend, Ethan. Just after midnight, Hannah is faced with a decision to leave the party with her friend Gabby, or to stay with Ethan and get a ride with him later. In two parallel storylines, we see how each scenario plays out into totally different stories, with large-scale consequences for Hannah's life.

Me Before You by JoJo Moyes—“This is one of those books that really makes you sad to finish. Charming characters and good twists. Heartbreaking and also happy if that is possible.” …  “love love the subtle romance and touching "sigh" resolution. Nice to read a story about a bright 20 something in search of finding her importance too.” …  “the perfect beach book if you don't mind your tears falling into the surf. It's the stereotypical love story between people who have no business falling in love - but it's gorgeously written and makes a real statement about what's important in life. On a scale of 1 to 10, this one is an 11." 

Metropolis by Elizabeth Gaffney: "Historical fiction set in NYC during building of Brooklyn Bridge."  From Amazon: "On a freezing night in the middle of winter, Gaffney’s nameless hero is suddenly awakened by a fire in P. T. Barnum’s stable, where he works and sleeps, and soon finds himself at the center of a citywide arson investigation.  Determined to clear his name and realize the dreams that inspired his hazardous voyage across the Atlantic, he will change his identity many times, find himself mixed up with one of the city’s toughest and most enterprising gangs, and fall in love with a smart, headstrong, and beautiful young woman. Buffeted by the forces of fate, hate, luck, and passion, our hero struggles to build a life–just to stay alive–in a country that at first held so much promise for him." 

The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern.  "Not my usual kind of read because of its fanciful and magical nature but now one of my 'must reads.'   The circus arrives without warning. No announcements precede it. It is simply there, when yesterday it was not. Within the black-and-white striped canvas tents is an utterly unique experience full of breathtaking amazements. It is called Le Cirque des Rêves, and it is only open at night.   But behind the scenes, a fierce competition is underway—a duel between two young magicians who have been trained since childhood expressly for this purpose by their mercurial instructors. Unbeknownst to them, this is a game in which only one can be left standing, and the circus is but the stage for a remarkable battle of imagination and will. Despite themselves, however, they tumble headfirst into love—a deep, magical love that makes the lights flicker and the room grow warm whenever they so much as brush hands.  True love or not, the game must play out, and the fates of everyone involved, from the cast of extraordinary circus per­formers to the patrons, hang in the balance, suspended as precariously as the daring acrobats overhead."

One Day by David Nicholls. This novel, published in 2009, has gone a little viral, perhaps because of the impending movie adaptation. Contributor comments: “It should be called ‘One Date,’ as it's about a whole bunch of July 15ths, over a period of 20 years in the lives of Dexter and Emma. I liked peeking into the window their lives, one day (date) at a time, and felt the novel worked well structurally. I had a rooting interest in the outcome, and appreciated their witty exchanges.” … “Great read, well written, good characters.” … “Picking up this book was like reliving 20 years of time with two best friends I didn't even knew I had! Dexter and Emma meet at Edinburgh University on July 15 1988 and every chapter is a glimpse into their lives on July 15 for the next 20 years.”... "This would be a fantastic book to read on the beach. So engaging, you love the characters, well-written but v accessible."

The Piano Teacher: A Novel by Janice Y.K. Lee. "Part love story, part war story (yea, I know, been there, done that) but set in Hong Kong during Japanese occupation. Some different characters, even though I certainly didn’t like all of them, weave their lives and their loves through this amazing time."  (NB: This isn't the book they made the movie out of.)

Range of Motion by Elizabeth Berg. "If you haven’t read any Elizabeth Berg, I’d suggest checking one of her books out of the library to see what you think. This is one of my favorites, about a woman, Laieny, whose husband is in a coma after he was hit on the head by ice falling from a building. Lainey has great faith that he will recover, and tries everything to coax him back to consciousness.  It could be treacly, but somehow it's not.  Very beach booky, I think, though her writing has a certain elegance."

The Royal We by Heather Cocks and Jessica Morgan. “It would be too easy to say this is Wills/Kate/Harry fanfiction. It’s certainly inspired by that, but it’s actually really smart, funny, delightful, and juicy. Perfect summer read, so says USA Today and The New York Times. I loved it.” “This book is absolutely ridiculous. Absurd and flawed, and I absolutely adored it and only wish I’d saved it for the beach, because it really is a dictionary definition ‘beach read.’” About the novel:   “American Rebecca Porter was never one for fairy tales. Her twin sister, Lacey, has always been the romantic who fantasized about glamour and royalty, fame and fortune. Yet it's Bex who seeks adventure at Oxford and finds herself living down the hall from Prince Nicholas, Great Britain's future king. And when Bex can't resist falling for Nick, the person behind the prince, it propels her into a world she did not expect to inhabit, under a spotlight she is not prepared to face.” 

Saint Anything by Sara Dessen. “If you need a little YA action in your summer reading, Sara Dessen is a great author who write breezy, thoughtful fiction for young adults that even us oldsters can enjoy.  Saint Anything is about ay oung woman whose charismatic brother goes to jail for drunk driving, and she's left to find her place in the family structure and future out who she is. Man, that sounds trite and gross, but trust me — this book is sweet and good!”

Secret History of the Pink Carnation by Lauren Willig. "It’s billed as historical fiction, but I think it would be better categorized as historical romance/farcical caper. I flew right through it and enjoyed it. It’s one a few similar books by this author."

Secret Life of Violet Grant by Beatriz Williams.  Beatriz writes the BEST beach books.  A Hundred Summers was on the list last year, and I thoroughly enjoyed it.  This is her latest novel, another romantic, page-turning saga set against vivid historical backdrops.  Secret Life has interwoven narratives – that of young Vivian Schuyler in 1964 Manhattan, and of her aunt, Violet Schuyler Grant in 1914 Berlin - an aunt Vivian never knew she had until she receives a mysterious parcel and begins to unravel a secret family history.

Silver Bay by JoJo Moyes. From Amazon: “Liza McCullen will never fully escape her past. But the unspoiled beaches and tight-knit community of Silver Bay offer the freedom and safety she craves—if not for herself, then for her young daughter, Hannah. That is, until Mike Dormer arrives as a guest in her aunt’s hotel. The mild-mannered Englishman with his too-smart clothes and distracting eyes could destroy everything Liza has worked so hard to protect: not only the family business and the bay that harbors her beloved whales, but also her conviction that she will never love—never deserve to love—again.”

Tempting Fate by Jane Green.  “I'm a sucker for Jane Green books.  I can't help it.  Woman in her 40s, married, meets hot dude in his 30s, tech millionaire.  Will they?  Won't they?”

The Rosie Project by Graeme Simpson—“very charming main character that will make you think about every quirky but kind person you might meet.  There is a heart behind them.”  “A brilliant yet socially challenged professor of genetics, who’s decided it’s time he found a wife).”  “A brilliant, autistic-spectrum professor with no self-awareness or social skills sets out to find a wife using a detailed survey.  Of course, in the process of his research he meets Rosie, who meets very few of his criteria, but teaches him that love does not follow rules.”  “lovely, funny, poignant book about a professor with Aspberger's (although somewhat unaware he has it) and how he tries to find love and companionship...it sticks with you long after you've read it...One reviewer wrote "Touching and laugh-out-loud funny -- think The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time meets Silver Linings Playbook "  “New Zealand-based Professor on the spectrum creates questionnaire to find a wife. Ends up meeting someone who meets none of the criteria, but for whom he develops what he can only assume are feelings. He becomes obsessed with her quest to find her birth father.  A quick read (did it in a two days off and on), and a sweet story."

The Time Traveler’s Wife by Audrey Niffenegger.  Huge bestseller in the early 00s.  From Amazon:  "A dazzling novel in the most untraditional fashion, this is the remarkable story of Henry DeTamble, a dashing, adventuresome librarian who travels involuntarily through time, and Clare Abshire, an artist whose life takes a natural sequential course. Henry and Clare's passionate love affair endures across a sea of time and captures the two lovers in an impossibly romantic trap, and it is Audrey Niffenegger's cinematic storytelling that makes the novel's unconventional chronology so vibrantly triumphant."  They made a movie out of it with Rachel McAdams.

Watermelon, by Marian Keyes. “Easy summer reading.” This Irish author has written a bunch of other books, too. (Don't forget Irish novelist Maeve Binchy - also good for beach reading).

Winter’s Tale by Mark Helprin. I am just getting into this book, and admit to having had to really soldier through the first 80 or so pages, despite the interesting characters and absolutely exquisite writing. Now I’m hitting a groove with it. I was going to wait until next year to recommend, but then I though, “why wait?” Read the Amazon reviews. It’s interesting how many people cite this as an “all time favorite.”