Many of us gravitate to certain books during the summer, whether for the first time or because they’re one of our absolute favorites, but does that automatically make them “beach reads”?
“I know I am but summer to your heart,
And not the full four seasons of the year;
And you must welcome from another part
Such noble moods are not mine, my dear.”
— Edna St. Vincent Millay, “Sonnet XXVII”
We’ve all heard of them: breezy novels that are a must for any vacation to idyllic and often coastal destinations. The beach read has been a staple for decades of lovers of sand and salt air. But what exactly is it?
As far as I can tell, the term didn’t become popular until sometime in the 1990s, and even then it was first used mainly in trade periodicals for us word nerds in the publishing and bookselling industries. It eventually made its way to mainstream media as a descriptor for commercial hits that often published in or right before the summer, much like how blockbuster movie hits tend to make their way to theaters and/or streaming services around that time of year, too. In short, calling a book a beach read is a marketing strategy designed to target readers who are already dreaming of their next stint by the shore and sell as many copies as possible right out of the gate.
Now, people tend to relegate beach reads to the just-as-vague assignation of “women’s fiction”. This umbrella can cover anything from romance to horror stories as long as they prominently feature female characters. I won’t drone on about how lazy it is to lump books by and about women together regardless of their true genres and deem them “light” or “fluffy” when many of them really aren’t, but I think we can all agree that a rom-com-worthy love story, a paranormal mystery, and a political thriller are not interchangeable.
That being said, I would also argue that calling a book a beach read doesn’t have to be an insult or a dismissal of it. In fact, they continue to be popular, even if, instead of packing the classic paperback, a lot of people tote their Kindles and other e-readers so as to bring a larger selection of reading material without sacrificing room in their suitcases. That could be because beach reads are historically known as engaging, accessible escapes from the real world. So, in a way, that broad categorical definition could strengthen the appeal of reading in general, and who can argue with that? Maybe we should broaden that scope even more and call them vacation reads to make it clear that they can and should be selected based on whatever mood the reader wants to evoke on their getaway at any time of year.
Or, maybe it’s time to do away with the term altogether and focus more on classifying books according to the genres they actually qualify for, trusting that audiences will want to make time to read them whether the ambient temperature is eighty degrees or thirty.
But since it could take some time to get that volleyball rolling in either direction, let’s dive a little deeper into the so-called beach read and see how our bookshelves and TBR lists stack up before you pack the entertainment for your next big adventure.
Ideas
Because of they’re rose-tinted reputation, many people might think that the premise of a beach read includes picture-perfect circumstances, or at the very least a conflict that is relatively easy to overcome in order to make way for the happily ever after. But if you’re the type to enjoy a darker or more complex tale, who’s to say you can’t do so from your towel on the sand? In any case, for a book to be easily digested and still leave you time to enjoy your actual vacation, the drama typically moves along quickly toward its resolution (or that killer setup to the sequel), and, in the case of a thriller or suspenseful novel, the pearl-clutching intrigue needs to keep us on the edge of our seats until the shocking conclusion that we all pretend we totally saw coming.
(Admit it: you so didn’t.)
Places
While it may seem obvious that a beach read takes place…well, on a beach, that’s not necessarily the case. Remember what I said about the different genres that can be considered beach reads and the different moods one might want to bring on vacation? Historical fiction (or nonfiction) novels can take us to kingdoms nestled in mountainous regions or station us on grassy battlefields, while a noir tale following the exploits of a PI is likely to take place in an urban setting that only describes water as it applies to the location of a shady dockside part of town. In fact, the only coastal aspect of the current definition of a beach read is the assumption that readers plan to enjoy a given book on or very close to a shoreline. But just as there is no limit to the setting of a fictional story, there is no reason your so-called beach read can’t be enjoyed in a cabin in the mountains with snow on the ground, on a train to your favorite city in autumn, or in the sky itself to help you ignore a little light turbulence while on a plane.
People
Side note: this can also include animal characters for the truly fluffy at heart.
The characters in a beach read are often assumed to be straightforward and stereotypical; the heroine is a romantic through and through while the hero is the strong and silent type, a matron is stern but loving, a villain is always looking out for number one, etc. However, like such people in the real world, these types of fictional characters seem too phony to really invest in. If you’re looking for something uncomplicated that’s been done time and time again, then by all means, read all about the static figures who play the story out in exactly the way you can guess that they will. But let’s not presume that this is simply the way of the beach read. Dynamic characters breathe life into a narrative just as well as a descriptive setting, and they certainly aren’t stuck serving one genre. Just remember not to get so sucked into the debate over whether or not the antihero should find redemption that you forget to reapply your sunscreen; there’s no need to risk adding injury to insult in the event that things don’t unfold the way you wish they would by the time you get to the final page.
In the end, we can try and categorize books in any way we think is necessary or appealing, but the important thing is that we keep reading them. On vacation, during a staycation, or in that twenty-minute window you take for yourself each day around lunchtime: time spent engaging with the literary world is never time wasted. And if you just so happen to get a healthy tan out of the gig, then I guess you can say your book of choice—whatever genre it truly belonged to—was indeed a beach read.
K. Watkins 