The term “beach reads” is synonymous with fun, page-turning, books.
While we in the Pender County Tourism office will discover new authors and intriguing storylines this summer in our quest for good beach reads, we return to Lori Fisher owner of Quarter Moon Books & Gifts for guidance. Lori and her staff have never steered us wrong.
“There are many, many exciting titles for this summer’s beach readers,” said Lori.
TJ Newman’s debut book Falling was a New York Times Bestseller, said Fisher. Drowning is Newman’s second and much-anticipated novel.
Dennis Lehane, the author of bestselling Mystic River and Gone Baby Gone, has a new release, Small Mercies.
“Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus is a thoroughly entertaining book that is a hot seller,” said Fisher.
Writers such as Diane Chamberlain, Elin Hilderbrand, and the late Dorothea Benton Frank often set their books with a beach background. None of these writers’ books will disappoint. We are partial to Diane Chamberlain. Her book, Before the Storm is set on Topsail Island.
But a good beach read doesn’t require a beach backdrop in the storyline. For example, take Diane Chamberlain’s latest book, The Last House on the Street. Yes, it is set in the South, but it’s not a beach romance. It’s a good thriller that will make you turn the page.
Some of our favorite reads this year have come from David Baldacci. His latest novels are Simply Lies and The 6:20 Man. We’re also John Grisham fans. His books aren’t always legal thrillers. If you see Sooley or A Painted House, pick those up. But, if you’re craving a legal thriller, he won’t disappoint either.
We love our authors with local ties too. Nina De Gramont, the author of The Christie Affair, and Wiley Cash both have ties to our local university, UNC-Wilmington.
Nina’s bestseller is about those nine days of disappearance in the life of Agatha Christie. Nina based her novel on the fact that Christie caused worldwide headlines when Christie’s car and personal items were found abandoned. The rest is pure fun.
We enjoy all of Wiley Cash’s novels which are set in North Carolina. The last three we read were The Last Ballad, When Ghosts Come Home, and The Dark Road to Mercy. If you find any of these titles, you’re in for a good beach read.
Another favorite author is Carol Ann Ross. Her novels have recognizable landmarks in the Greater Topsail area because she lives here!
Lastly, for those who want fact instead of fiction, pick up David Stallman’s Echos of Topsail: Stories of the Island’s Past or Ray McAllister’s Topsail Island, Mayberry by the Sea. These two books will give you a new appreciation of the beach where you are reading.
For more exciting beach read selections, visit Quarter Moon Books and Gifts (and save time for the wine bar), at 708 S. Anderson Blvd. in Topsail Beach.
And when you arrive, if the store looks familiar, Quarter Moon Books and Gifts was featured in Our State magazine.
